keeping a litterbox in the living room- but I don't want to smell it..any tips?

[matts mom]

with the new kitten, I've decided it's probably a good idea to put a litter box at both ends of the house. This decision was made after two 'accidents' On top of that, I confine the kitten to the front half of the house while putting the kids to bed so that he doesn't go and play with them, keeping them up longer.

I placed the box in the living room, because I don't have room in the front hall, and a box in the dining room is unsanitary. but I walked into the house this morning and smelled.....This I'm not happy about, so I'm looking for tips to make sure the odor is kept to a minimum. I've already decided that 2x a day cleanings are going to have to be  must if I smelled it this morning...I had been cleaning whenever i saw stuff in it(about every day and a half) I didn't realize this box was so popular, but it seems to have become the favorite, as the bathroom box is barely used anymore, and I've even seen Matt climb in it(It was meant for Midnight)

I'm looking for any other tips that people may have, including litter....I don't mind using a specific litter in this box if it means that my house doesn't smell like a litter box.

 

[peaches08]

Both litter boxes are in my living room since I don't have anywhere else to put them. I use a cheap unscented litter, but the real key to reducing litter box odor is diet (even over frequent scooping).

 

[matts mom]

I've got him on a combination of friskies wet and purina kitten chow-the vet said that was good for a kitten? I used to like to have the older one on EVO, and a few other expensive foods, but over time he started refusing to eat them, so he's back on friskies wet too.

 

[peaches08]

Wet foods are better in general, but some cats (mine) still had smelly diarrhea. Changing to raw helped my situation the most. Less garbage in = less garbage out.

 

[andrya]

Agreeing with peaches 

When mine started getting the expensive canned foods, l fully expected that there would be less odour from the litter box. lf there was any change at all, l didn't notice it, my cats were foul!

Once they started on raw food, l was thrilled with the absolute lack of odour from the box. Working 12 hour shifts, it's nice to be able to walk into my house and not be bowled over by the day's offerings.

 

[matts mom]

My vet advised against raw with Matt's Digestive issues. It took us a few months to sort out his diarreah when we first got him and we're not sure what exactly his problem is, but I do have a short list of wet foods that he's good on.

 

[peaches08]

Yeah, my last vet advised against raw too. He was concerned about bacteria and whatever was going on with them.

 

[wolfie305]

Is RAW more expensive than canned food? I have mine on TOTW dry and canned combo, but it sure gets expensive. If RAW is less money and better for my kittens, I would glady switch.

 

[matts mom]

That's something I wouldn't mind knowing too...and how to introduce it. I know Matt's been allowed to eat chicken bits that I accidentally dropped while cooking once, and didn't have any ill effects....

this thread's gotten off-topic, but i'm interested in where it's gone, so i'm going to re-post the original question.

 

[peaches08]

Feeding Dr. Pierson's chicken thighs recipe from www.catinfo.org costs me less than $1 a day to feed all 3 cats (2 meals/day). I can't feed cheap canned that cheaply. My initial investment in a grinder and upright freezer paid themselves off in about 8 months. I buy thighs and any other meat on sale and freeze until cat food making time.

 

[matts mom]

Hmm, see that would be the issue then-I only have an 18.6 fridge-freezer combo  right now, which barely holds enough to get us through 2weeks groceries.......so I definitely couldn't add cat food into the freezer as well

I'd have to wait until I can get the chest freezer I want

 

[peaches08]

It's not off topic (food results in poop) and they'll combine threads.

If the kitten's stools are the problem, then one thing to look at is diet. Another would be stool samples. But just as you would not put on perfume in lieu of a shower, perfumed litters won't help his GI issues.

 

[matts mom]

Ugh perfumed litters 

I bought Arm and Hammer once and the 'scent' drove me right out of the basement and stunk up the kitchen! I'm amazed the Matt seemed to like it......I actually dumped the box and bought new stuff for the sake of everyone lol.

Baby's been Dewormed, and had a stool sample taken 2 weeks ago, so it must be diet. So, the question is, change the wet or the kibble that I put down at night to hold him over til morning? He gets a can a day, and a little less than 1/4 cup of kibble

He was half starved when I brought him in, so I was told to give him as much as he'd eat.........he eats about the same as Matt

 

[peaches08]

Some "perfumes" just aren't, huh? LOL!

I don't know if the wet or the kibble is the problem. Are you separating the cats at night? If so, you've got time to experiment with the night time food and see if something is bothering him. And yeah, I remember the pic of Midnight taking the can. My oldest cat (2 years) always acts like this meal might be his last. Eating fast may also be part of the problem.

 

[GoldyCat]

That's something I wouldn't mind knowing too...and how to introduce it. I know Matt's been allowed to eat chicken bits that I accidentally dropped while cooking once, and didn't have any ill effects....



this thread's gotten off-topic, but i'm interested in where it's gone, so i'm going to re-post the original question.

Rather than start a new thread, let's try to get this one back on track. I tried to separate out the posts about diet to move them to a separate thread, but the replies are too intertwined. The original question was about litter and litter boxes.

If you want to continue the nutrition discussion, you can start a thread in the Nutrition forum or the Raw & HomeCooked Cat Food subforum.

 

[GoldyCat]

What litter are you using now? Is it clumping or non-clumping? Clay or "natural" base?

 

[matts mom]

Rather than start a new thread, let's try to get this one back on track. I tried to separate out the posts about diet to move them to a separate thread, but the replies are too intertwined. The original question was about litter and litter boxes.

If you want to continue the nutrition discussion, you can start a thread in the Nutrition forum or the Raw & HomeCooked Cat Food subforum.

Ooops I kind of already did, but you're welcome to delete it, I don't think anyone responded yet

I'm using a clumping clay litter......Economy Cat is the brand. the cat's like it because of the softer(smaller gravel) and I like the price. It's only about 7bucks for the 18kg box, so I can afford to set out as many boxes as they want, with the litter nice and deep and change it often.  Deep litter is  especially important for Matt, since he only seems to like to go in the basement box, and makes large clumps.  if the litter's not deep enough, you'll see urine sort of sit on top of the litter until it absorbs slowly into the clay. But by then the clump is a horrible mess that falls apart. the little guy likes it deep so that he can bury his mess(very refreshing, considering Matt just leaves it sitting there where he dropped it....but at least I can watch his health and stress levels lol)

 

[peaches08]

Is it the current litter or the urine/feces that's causing odor issues?

 

[matts mom]

I'm pretty sure it was the three fecal deposits that were left, as the living room smells better now. I'll know for sure once I leave the house and come back. That was when I noticed it. It's just sort of that general *ugh, those people have cats* smell, that I was noticing as I walked in.

I've had cats for a few years now, but I always refused to keep boxes in the front of the house. I like to come in and *see* the cats, not *smell* them, so I generally keep boxes where I will see right away if they need cleaning, like Matt's beside my washing machine(hard to do laundry beside a smelly litter-box) and Midnight's beside the toilet. the only place I could find for this one was between the fish tank and the TV stand.

 

[Willowy]

I like Tidy Cats Premium Scoop for odor control. It's not cheap but it works. I think the dark blue cap kind (power pieces? I think it's called) is the best but orange and green are also good. And make sure you scoop at least once a day and scrub the box well whenever you change the litter.