Best litter/box for odor control

I recently changed to the Breeze litter system. Dale is a smart cat and used it right away. I don't think he would have a problem with any new type of litter. I love that he is not tracking litter around the house, but the problem is the odor. Although it says you only need to change the pee pads once a week and the pellets once a month, but even after scooping waste I had to change the pee pad today after only 3 days because of the smell. My husband is especially sensitive to the odor and says he can't live like this!

I realize no litter will be perfect, as switching back to a clumping type might mean more tracking again, but looking for advice. I was thinking of trying Tidy Cats small spaces since it has some crystals, or even trying their crystal litter altogether as it may not track, but don't know if the odor control is as good. I don't want to try the smartbox as I imagine it would be similar to the Breeze. Has anyone else had an odor problem and solved it by switching to something they can recommend?

Also, anyone try the Omega Paw rolling litter box? I'm not sure if it would work for a sugarcat as his urine tends to be sticky and might stick to the sides when trying to roll it to gather waste. I realize this post sort of has a few different questions, and wasn't sure if it fit better here or in the Thinktank, but hopefully someone can offer advice. Thanks in advance!

 

I switched to the Smart Cat Box almost a month ago and LOVE it! I have a post here on the main health board talking about it. It's just as big as my old box. I won't ever use anything else!! Good luck!

s

 

I just read your post- thanks! I am concerned that this would be sort of the same as the Breeze box in terms of odor though. My husband will not tolerate ANY odor, so with the poo sitting on top of the box and the pee sitting there in the reservoir, I'm a bit concerned about spending money on a SECOND new system we may have to get rid of. Do you notice any difference in odor between this and what you used before?

 

There is absolutely no urine odor. I dump out the reservoir once or twice a day (I do just rinse it out quickly before putting it back in, but it takes 5 seconds). Basically, I give it a quick check any time I walk into the bathroom. Actually, I can tell if she's been in there, because the seeds are pushed aside from one area of the box. The poo....well, poo is stinky :shock: ....not much you can do about that. But you just scoop it out and then it's gone....no more stinky! Honestly, if you came in my house...if you walked INTO the bathroom with the litter box, you would never know it was there. BIG difference from any litter box I've ever owned. Best purchase I've ever made!

s

 

Yeah I don't know, I think the problem is that since there are no liners in the box, eventually some urine is getting on the plastic and staying there. It would be the same problem with the Smart cat box.

 

Also anyone try toilet training? Dale is 10 so I don't know if it's worth it at this point. Probably try with my next kitty.

 

OK well, despite what any product literature says, I would never ever leave pee soaked anything for a week. I am really not sure why the Breeze folks think you only have to change the pad once a week. Thats like you not flushing the toilet for a week. At least the cat isnt walking in it!

I believe board member Dale has many many Smart Boxes, and uses Safflower Seeds I think, instead of the pellets that came with it, and just rinses them off and dries them and uses them again.

You may need to rinse the pellets more often as well. If the pellets smell you might try rinsing them in an enzyme cleaner first, then water.

I had 4 cats (now 3) in a studio apt with 3 litterboxes and people visiting always comment that they would never know I had litterboxes. I use clumping clay litter..yes it tracks but at least it doesnt hurt my feet ;-)

I tried Feline Pine pellets after Conors I-131, no way was I saving 2 months of litter! I had to get the clumping feline pine..talk about tracking! Its like snow, it flies everywhere! Conor would NOT use the pellets. At least your Dale took to it ok!

 

Yeah, the problem is even after changing the pad yesterday the smell lingered- like I said, I think some urine is getting, and staying, on the actual pan. Therefore, I don't think a similar system with safflower seeds instead would make a difference in that aspect. I'm going to try rinsing it but this is not something I want to keep dealing with. As for rinsing the pellets, they say on their FAQ's "Litter Pellets have not been designed for or tested to withstand washing and reuse."

So I'm confused- which litter was like snow and what did you end up liking?

 

Quite frankly, I believe the best way to a smell-free litter box situation is
un-scented clumping litter and frequent cleaning.

I get litter at Costco, 30# of Litter Purfect for about $8. Cheap !!!

By frequent cleaning I mean every morning, every evening before bed, and every time
I walk past and see something in the box.

I keep a supply of plastic grocery bags and a scoop near each box.
Tie off the top of the plastic bag and put in the trash, which is taken
outside to the garbage can daily.

I have 3 cats, 3 boxes. And all boxes get cleaned at least twice per day.

Large Sterlite storage boxes that are High-sided. I have cut one side down for a doorway.

I put a bath rug in front of the entrance and shake that rug outside every day.

I have one extra box. Each month I pour the litter into a clean box, and then wash
the box that the litter came out of. The smell will permeate the plastic, eventually.

 

I tried Feline Pine pellets after Conors I-131, no way was I saving 2 months of litter! I had to get the clumping feline pine..talk about tracking! Its like snow, it flies everywhere! Conor would NOT use the pellets. At least your Dale took to it ok![/quote]

Yeah, the problem is even after changing the pad yesterday the smell lingered- like I said, I think some urine is getting, and staying, on the actual pan. Therefore, I don't think a similar system with safflower seeds instead would make a difference in that aspect. I'm going to try rinsing it but this is not something I want to keep dealing with. As for rinsing the pellets, they say on their FAQ's "Litter Pellets have not been designed for or tested to withstand washing and reuse."

So I'm confused- which litter was like snow and what did you end up liking?[/quote]

Weirdness. Basically Breeze is NOT a breeze! Ok, I did not like Feline Pine. It comes in Pellets that Conor wouldnt use, and clumping, which is like snow and tracked all over. I only used it so I could flush it for 2 months

I mentioned the Safflower seeds because I wasnt sure about the pellets being washable. I think any system like the smartbox or breeze you will save money on litter costs but it will be more work. People get the Litter Maid electric ones and think they are easy and they are not. The clumping litter has to be exactly the right height or it clogs. The resevoir where the clumps go stinks because the clumps are exposed to the air.

I generally use non scented clumping, as Karen above said. I was using Tidy Cats clumping and they changed it to be more coarse (bigger rocks that hurt feet), so I switched to Kitty Diggins found at Walgreens (drug store) and then ChrisCleo took me to PetClub and htey have this clumping litter by Pestell. It comes in 40lb bags for like 8 bucks! It does track more than the Walgreens but its worth it. I too, scoop in the morning, when I get home, and before bed.. and if someone has laid a big stinky one.

Hey you are in SJ! http://www.petclubstores.com/ they have a store there.

 

Hmmm....interesting to read all the comments.

I can't even imagine how the Smart Cat Box could be less work, and there is absolutely NO (none, zilch, zero, nada) odor. The thought of going back to a litter system that involves scooping, and digging, and scraping clay litter from a pan gives me a headache! Add in the smell, and the dust-covered room, and the tracking of the litter across the floor/on the furniture and the impact on the environment, and I can tell you pigs will fly before I'd go back to that type of system. Might not be fore everyone...I hope you find something that works for you!

s

 

This is similar to what we do at our house. This box is big - and I mean big. It's one half of a RubberMaid storage solution of some sort. It came with a portion of one side cut out; as a result of this there is a lot of cleaning (and sweeping and vacuuming) but it's turned out to be the best box we've ever used.

We've also tried the Breeze system - I agree, it was not breezy at all. Rufus' pads needed to be changed every day at that point in his life and his BMs are rather pungent to begin with, not to mention those Pellets of Death! It was more of a mess than it was worth. My sister, who has a non-diabetic cat, uses it and loves it. I think it depends mostly on the cat's needs.

Going to look into these low-dusty litters myself now.

 

I have two boxes going. I mix Feline PIne scoopable with Arm and Hammer scoopable. I don't smell anything, but I am scooping 5 -6 times a day, the dirty litter goes into a small wastebasket lined with a plastic grocery bag, and all of that sits inside a lidded plastic pail (litter came in it) and this sits outside in the garage, just outside the laundry room door when the two boxes are located. I have a broom, dustpan and brush handy for the tracked litter. I tried a small rug under the boxes, but that was just one more thing to clean and he still tracked beyond that rug.

I clean the litter boxes about once a week. I dump the unused litter into a basket to save it. I never toss out unused litter - it's too expensive to waste.

I tried one of those multi layer boxes - didn't work - wet litter still got stuck on the open slats.

If your cat is peeing outside his box, you might try putting the regular litter box inside a gigantic Rubbermaid box. Looks like heck, but it kept the floor dry. I had ot do this with my last diabetic cat - he was so long, he'd think he was in his box, but was hanging over.

 

He's not peeing outside the box. I think some of the pee is just getting onto the plastic instead of all of it falling through to the pee pads below.

 

I have cement mixing tubs from almost any hardware store, they hold about 30 lbs of litter each. Because the litter is so deep the waste doesn't usually reach the bottom of the box, so the plastic doesn't absorb anything. I use Everclean. It's not cheap but it has, so far as I've seen and heard from others, less odor and less dust than other brands. Because it is clumping clay it does track so, in addition to the bags and scoop at each box, I have a whisk broom and dustpan at every box.

Take the time to read Dr. Lisa's litter box section on www.catinfo.org