4 Ways to Keep Your Cat’s Litter Box from Smelling
Out of sight out of mind—but what about smell?
Just because you can’t see your cat’s litter box doesn’t mean you can’t smell it. Here are 4 helpful hints for keeping cat box odor to a minimum.
- Clean more frequently – One obvious reason for odor is the box needs to be cleaned. Cleaning the litter box can be a smelly job, but it only gets worse over time. Cat litter boxes need to be scooped every day and the entire box should be dumped, thoroughly cleaned and sanitized weekly or at least every other week to keep odor to a minimum and your cat(s) happy. Be sure to use unscented litter and sanitizers when cleaning the litter box. Never use deodorizers or perfume sprays to mask odors. Cats are very sensitive to new odors, and while a perfume scent may smell great to you, it may cause your cat to skip the litter box entirely.
- Skip the Hooded Litter Boxes – Hooded litter boxes may be great at offering cats their desired privacy, but they also trap and retain odor. If it smells bad to us, imagine how bad the smell must be for your cat. Some cats will even stop using a litter box if the smell gets too bad.
- Choose a clumping litter when possible – Clumping litters work well because it makes the litter box much easier to keep clean on a daily basis. Clumping litters allow you to remove the “smelly offenders” regularly and save you from having to dump the entire litter box as frequently to keep the smell down.
- Try some baking soda – It may help absorb some of the odor as well without offending your cat’s sense of smell. Baking soda can be sprinkled in a thin layer on the bottom of the litter box. It is safe and will not harm your cat.
With these 4 tips your cat’s litter box will truly be out of sight and out of mind…even out of smell!
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