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We have three indoor cats, and recently moved to a home where the "litter area" is smaller. There are three boxes. I am scooping and emptying constantly! I can still smell it. It's like my whole life, taking care of the litter boxes! Once we adopt cats or dogs, they are ours for life. The oldest one is only 9, so we have a few more years of this. It wasn't bad with two cats, but then some other cat showed up at our doorstep a few years ago and we took in a third.
Letting them outside isn't an option, so I need to find some good litter - please!
Currently using Fresh Step Multi Cat which is not that great. Do any of you have results with that powder that you use before putting litter down? Seems I used to do that and it might have helped.
I empty completely every week and scrub the boxes (3 for three cats) down completely, and scoop daily. Sorry to sound like I'm complaining too much - I do love my cats.
Thanks for any advice,
Kim
Hi. My hubby and I have 23 indoor cats, so while I am no expert (yet), I have changed a litterbox or 5000 in my day (and many more to come I'm sure!). We moved last year and also have a smaller space to accommodate litter boxes, and I also have to scoop and clean more than 1x daily. Currently we have 15 boxes but if you go by the 1-1 ratio plus an extra I am 9 boxes short. I used to buy Fresh Step and it seemed to me that all of a sudden it was not as effective as it had been. I could smell odor constantly no matter what I did. I do not care at all for the clumping litter and prefer clay. I switched back to Tidy Cats in the red bag for multiple cats, and I honestly think it does a much better job, also it is cheaper. I too scrub all the boxes out every single week, scoop at least 1x daily. I also buy the boxes of litter box deodorizer with baking soda in it, and I sprinkle the box liberally before I put in the litter. I think it helps somewhat, and I have used just plain baking soda if I am out of the real thing. I know it is frustrating to feel like that is your only job - to keep your house and home clean and odor free - but it is important to keep up with it. Try and get some help from your family members to share the responsibility if possible and you won't resent it so much. I have had this talk with DH so many times and it works for a while....but I owe it to myself and mostly to them to provide them a clean and comfortable rest area. I do not doubt you love your cats and they know it. This is just part of life when you have critters. I personally cannot justify the really expensive litters out there because the bottom line is this - they will be "crap" next week, just the same as the less expensive brands are, and you still have to scoop and maintain the boxes with them too. I hope you find what you are looking for, but for now, I am more than happy with Tidy Cats.
This is not a litter recommendation, but I will just share it anyway- for health reasons, I switched my elderly cat to a raw diet about 2 years ago. One of the side effects of this is that his poops are very small - probably about 60% smaller than when he ate dry or even canned food, and he poops less often. I have the litter box outside on a patio, so I can't smell it, but I've read accounts from other people using raw that say that the poops stink a lot less too.
I swear, my TWO cats have made a pact to drive me to the brink of insanity every morning between 4-8am with their antics/begging! I love them to bits, but there are mornings when they've broken into my bedroom and used my head or back as a trampoline that I've wished I could stick them in a cage with a exercise wheel, water bottle, and feeder bin like a hamster! 23 cats would literally kill me!
I'm curious if you've ever thought about non clumping litter/sand. I used to know someone with almost as many cats as you have and said if she was going to be scooping out the box that much, the super cheap litters that don't clump or even sand is just as useful. Then again, her house was never the cleanest o nicest smelling apartment on the block, so maybe her advice isn't the best...
I found the Fresh Step brand to be heavily perfumed, which makes any odors much worse.
Whatever litter you choose, use one that is unscented. Be sure to change litters gradually to prevent litter box avoidance problems.
It may also just be that your litter boxes are old and need to be replaced. Plastic retains odors. I replace litter boxes once a year. In addition I have two sets. While one set is in use, the other set is being washed and aired. I scoop boxes three or more times a day (four boxes, three cats) and dump and scrub once a week.
To wash them I soak them in a bleach and unscented laundry detergent solution over night. (I use laundry detergent because it is safe to use with bleach) After the soak, I scrub them then rinse them thoroughly, first with very hot water then with cold water. Hot water cleans and sanitizes, cold water removes soap residue. After the final rinse I pour an inch of white vinegar in them and let them sit for a while. After I dump the vinegar out I rinse again, then air dry. Once dry I sprinkle some baking soda in them and stack them loosely in the tub for storage (I just take them out when I shower). When it's time to use them, I dump the baking soda out before putting the litter in. One more tip, I read here, and I like it. Before I put the fresh boxes down (after dumping out the baking soda) I set them out in the sun for a few hours. (if there is any sun).
Eevee, yes, I have tried the clumping litters, and no matter what I do or how much I scoop, with as much "activity" as our litter boxes see, the litter kind of turns to a "cement" and is a real pain in the tuckus to try and scoop. I think clumping would be wonderful if my cat-to-litter ratio was much smaller (and someday mine will be - due to...well, you know..) and maybe someday that will be an option for me. In the meantime, I gotta stay with the clay type. I have never used just plain sand, and truthfully the cost is not my biggest concern either. I do keep a clean house and try to keep it smelling as nice as possible too.
PS...I keep our bedroom door shut at night but we do allow one or two of the youngest ones in to sleep with us at night. They actually sleep, not snoop and look for stuff to pee on. The other ones huddle at the bedroom door every morning and make as much noise as possible to get breakfast as soon as possible!!! If I get to sleep in past 7, it's a pure treat for me!!!
I use the Fresh Step Multicat Unscented, and for me it works well. It's hard to find though. I don't know why most stores seem to think everyone wants scented kitty litter. The pine litter was too messy, and one of my cats seemed to be allergic to it. I can't take the smell of corn-based litter. I'd like something more ecologically friendly, but for now I'm still going with clay.
Hi. My hubby and I have 23 indoor cats, so while I am no expert (yet), I have changed a litterbox or 5000 in my day I hope you find what you are looking for, but for now, I am more than happy with Tidy Cats.
I would say that with 23 cats and 15 boxes, you are an expert. Thank you for your advice Suddenly, I don't feel like complaining anymore about my 3 cats.
I use one down here in Australia called Breeders Choice, it is a "green" product as I think it's made out of recycled something...maybe paper?
Anyway it is in pellets, kind of gray looking.
It is absolutely the best. Doesn't clump but all you need to do is stir it around and take the turds out and it stays smell free for ages. Much much better than the clay type or the blue crystal stuff.
As far as litter trays - I never wash mine just leave them in the sun for an hour or so every so often which kind of sterilises and deodorises them.
If the litter is good, they don't need scrubbing as they won't smell. I've had the same tray for years.
I swear by Feline Pine it keeps the odor way down however it must be the pellet style, the powder doesn't work at all for my cats. In addition I clean the litter pans with Simple Green or a scented castile soap so the plastic doesn't have any remaining smell to it. The bag states you can use this litter for a longer period of time than regular litter but I change the litter weekly except for times when I was recovering from surgery or such at which time it did go for two weeks. To tell you the truth at two weeks it was still pretty good but after many years of changing litter weekly I found it a hard habit to break.
[quote=eevee;25803378]Personally, the crystal litters have worked the best for us. I've currently been using the Fresh Step Crystals though may switch to the Petco brand since it comes in a larger, more cost efficient size. I've literally tried every type of litter out there and, in the end, this is the one litter that Cypher, who is far more finicky than Julius when it comes to the litter box, will consistently use w/o incident. I tried corn/wheat based litters and he seemed to be put off by the smell after a couple of days, no matter how often I scooped (to be fair, so was I. NOT a fan of the smell!). Clumping litter worked out ok, but after 5 days or so, when the smaller granules of pee couldn't be scooped out as well began building up, he'd move on to the bath tub. Plus I had issues with the amount of dust and perfume that would kick up when changing day came which always aggravated my asthma a bit. The crystals work b/c the liquid moves to the bottom, leaving the top dry. There is practically zero smell since it also dries out the poop!
One of my litter box is a sifting box like this one and it works a million times better with the crystals vs. clumping. In the future, I hope to get this litter box along with a "forever tray" since it's one of the few self cleaning boxes I've heard good things about.
Eevee -
Just wanted to let you know that this litter box is on groupon this week.
Have you ever seen it in use? I have been tempted with the sale but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
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so while I am no expert (yet), I have changed a litterbox or 5000 in my day (and many more to come I'm sure!). We moved last year and also have a smaller space to accommodate litter boxes, and I also have to scoop and clean more than 1x daily. Currently we have 15 boxes but if you go by the 1-1 ratio plus an extra I am 9 boxes short. I used to buy Fresh Step and it seemed to me that all of a sudden it was not as effective as it had been. I could smell odor constantly no matter what I did. I do not care at all for the clumping litter and prefer clay. I switched back to Tidy Cats in the red bag for multiple cats, and I honestly think it does a much better job, also it is cheaper. I too scrub all the boxes out every single week, scoop at least 1x daily. I also buy the boxes of litter box deodorizer with baking soda in it, and I sprinkle the box liberally before I put in the litter. I think it helps somewhat, and I have used just plain baking soda if I am out of the real thing. I know it is frustrating to feel like that is your only job - to keep your house and home clean and odor free - but it is important to keep up with it. Try and get some help from your family members to share the responsibility if possible and you won't resent it so much. I have had this talk with DH so many times and it works for a while
I hope you find what you are looking for, but for now, I am more than happy with Tidy Cats. 
23 cats would literally kill me! 
) and maybe someday that will be an option for me. In the meantime, I gotta stay with the clay type. I have never used just plain sand, and truthfully the cost is not my biggest concern either. I do keep a clean house and try to keep it smelling as nice as possible too.
Suddenly, I don't feel like complaining anymore about my 3 cats. 
