Bugs in the litter box??

[trevandbur]

I have had gnats/fruit flies in my litter boxes before. Usually during warm weather when I got lazy about cleaning them, but a good scooping is usually all it takes to get rid of them. I used to have far more cats than I really could take proper care of The two boys I have now are a far more manageable number.

Fleas do not fly and really don't crawl, they jump. And they have a distinctive shape, once you see one, or even a picture of one, you know exactly what they are. But as others have said, fleas don't go in the litter box. I've never seen fleas in a litter box. They are in carpet, bedding, and on the animals themselves. Not to mention they bite, and you will know if you're being bitten. I'd rather deal with gnats or fruit flies than fleas, that's for sure! The gnats are much easier to get rid of.

 

[forgetmeryl]

I am actually going through this same problem right now.  We just moved a month or so ago and ever since we've had little gnats in the litter box.  I have 2 cats and I scoop EVERY night religiously, and I clean it with pinesol once a week and I'm still finding gnats.  Our old house was one level and I kept the litter box in the laundry room and now we have a finished basement and its not very well ventilated. My husband is beginning to think that's the reason why we're getting gnats. Before it was in a room that had a window and we opened the back door a lot for fresh air, and now our basement isn't very well ventilated.  No windows and the only door out leads into the garage.  We don't want to move it upstairs because our dogs like to try to clean it for me.

 

[cheylink]

 
I am actually going through this same problem right now.  We just moved a month or so ago and ever since we've had little gnats in the litter box.  I have 2 cats and I scoop EVERY night religiously, and I clean it with pinesol once a week and I'm still finding gnats.  Our old house was one level and I kept the litter box in the laundry room and now we have a finished basement and its not very well ventilated. My husband is beginning to think that's the reason why we're getting gnats. Before it was in a room that had a window and we opened the back door a lot for fresh air, and now our basement isn't very well ventilated.  No windows and the only door out leads into the garage.  We don't want to move it upstairs because our dogs like to try to clean it for me.

 What kitty litter do you use? I seriously doubt if you are keeping litter scooped and regularly cleaning that it is cause of gnats, but type of litter and/or cleaning  method may attract them.

   Try sprinkling baking soda in box, especially where they urinate, every time you scoop. I use Clorox clean up with bleach or Fantastic with bleach when I clean litter box, I think bleach product definitely disinfects better. It is very important to thoroughly clean all possible residue of any of these cleaners.

 

[forgetmeryl]

I've used Tidy Cat since I brought them home and we've LOVED it.  I haven't put any baking soda in the litter box since we moved and I bet that would work.  We have a lot of trees and wooded area around here too and the bugs are soooo thick out here that I think they may be coming inside every time we open the door.  Not to mention how stinking HUMID its been lately!!!!

Thank you!!

 

[catsrbest]

So my two cats are indoor cats and I started noticing these scars like big bites marks on one of them and thought I might have flea's. I bathed them both several times and bombed my apartment twice. I did find a couple on one of them and several on the other. What was weird is I couldn't find any flea's in my carpet. I tried putting white socks on and even a white towel on the ground and nothing crawled or jumped on them. I have changed out the litter several times since this and just again noticed the bites on the one cat. I washed her and found not one flea. Then today I went to clean the litter box and there was a ton of bugs crawling all over on the inside of the box. I have dumped the whole thing of litter out immediately took to the dumpster. I usually scoop it every two to three days because I have more than one box. Are the flea's? These bite marks are like big I think like my cat is having an allergic reaction on her skin. What do I do? I have put the stuff on the back of there necks. How do I prevent them and is it possible for it to be anything other than flea's?

 

[catsrbest]

I know knats like apple vinegar. I have put it in several jars with a quarter size of dawn. Shake it up. Then poke small holes in the lids and the knats go in and can't get out. Also those sticky traps.

 

[Johnny Sue]

I just moved to Texas and now have bugs in my cat box plus bites all over me. I use tidy cat but there are 2 kinds of bugs. The little ones aren't the ones biting me and my poor kitten has lost tons of fur and had extreme fur balls. The vet gave him an anti-inflammatory shot that stopped the itching that lead to the massive grooming caused by itch. The non-biting ones I could live with if I had to. I figure they came in the first kind of litter I got because it was in cardboard and I can't remember the brand. The biting one's are killing ME!!! I'm going to use 2 liter bottles to make bug traps with apple cider vinegar or sugar water

 

[Stevenokatz]

I just had a visit from my exterminator (quarterly spraying in Southern California is almost a must especially in the suburbs where we have a lot of nature at our doorstep). He explained that what he believed I’m seeing are bird nesting mites. There happens to be a bird nest visited each year my ma and pa bird right in the eaves almost directly above the screened window of the room where my kitty litter box is located. I use the brand of litter “PET SAFE” scoop free blue and white crystals in an automated self-cleaning litter box and empty and sanitize it each Friday (which is today - yuck ). The birds have been coming for 2 years now, but the little black bugs were only discovered last summer, so they may not have been present before (let’s hope not - that would call into doubt how well I keep that area clean).

The suggestion was to remove the birds nest and seal it off before our two loving friends start a new brood. I’ll have my handy man so the job - I’m sure for under $50 but we’ll eorth twice the price should he ask for it.

The teany tiny birds nest mites not only float down and into the window through the screen, but once the birds have flew (flown?) the coop they have made their way to other parts of the backyard probably using my two cats as their very own Uber’s with me paying the bill in the way of itching and scratching.

So look up bird nest mites on the internet and pick up some tips on how to eradicate them in the way you see fit. Yes these critters also pester and bite the legs of P.E.T.A. backers, which I also subscribe to.

SALUTATIONS AND GOOD LUCK ON YOUR ENDEAVORS!!!

Steve