# How do you clean your cat litter box?



## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

I used to do the same thing... nothing ever really seemed to "clean" it though.

Same with my rabbits cages. The pee stains just never go away.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Do you use litterbox liners?


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

That was one thing I was wondering about. Do they work? Do they just cover the bottom of the box or do they go up the sides?


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

I think they cover all of it... kinda like a garbage bag.

My old neighbour gave me a box but I never tried them.


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## SheetsSM (Jan 17, 2008)

Love the litterbox liners, covers the whole box...you can use a thicker trash bag for the same purpose. You do have to pay attention to the cats claws as my kitten thinks she should tear through the liner as opposed to putting her "hands" in the litter & covering her "business". You dump the whole bag and I use a disinfectant wipe weekly on the box.


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## hubbub (Jun 28, 2011)

The litter box here goes through periods of heavy use, then no use. My "formerly feral" cat is outdoor/indoor (outdoors during the day and locked in when he's injured and then kept inside for recovery - - he also stays on the screened porch if the weather is expected to be bad or nights I work late, etc). Anyway.....

After I captured him, I was reading online about cat litter (I'd never had a cat and didn't know if I needed to "teach" this 15 pound tom about the litter box) and found an interesting website that showed a storage container converted into a litter box. It mentioned using a large pan for larger cats, but I was more interested in how they recommend using deep litter to help minimize the normal clean/scrub/toss/refill cycle. 

I modified the plans a bit and have an oversized box with high sides. It's filled with about 4-6 inches of litter and I've only had a few times where I had to bleach an area. When he's indoors, I clean the box out in the am and pm or as soon as I realized he's used it.


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## Jamm (Mar 28, 2010)

I seem to switch all the time haha. Sometimes I'll use clay litter and scoop 3-4 times a week into a bag and then garbage. Sometimes I use the litter liners and change it once a week. Sometimes I change Jesse's litter and use a pine clumping and then put it in my washroom so every time he goes I just scoop and flush it whenever im in there. Jesse has ALWAYS been amazing with the litter, and litter changes so he kinda just goes with whatever his crazy mom decides


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## Pumba19 (Oct 19, 2011)

we have two cats so it needs to be cleaned a couple times a week  we put baking soda on the bottom of the pan, and then baking soda on top of the litter


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## Deb_Bayne (Mar 18, 2011)

Why not get a spray of non-stick oil and spray the bottom of the clean pan and then put the litter in it. Get the non-toxic type of course, but it's not like the cats lick their own litter pan anyway.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

When I lived in an apartment, I would wash the litter boxes in the tub (and the bunny cage). Then I would have the chore of sterilizing my tub!!!

The liners never worked for me, my cats would tear it apart and my then bunny would chew it up.


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## coppers-mom (Jan 9, 2009)

Ditto to a very generous sprinkling (well dumping) of baking soda in the bottom of the pan. It also helps with the smell in-between cleans.

I used a litter pan liner years ago and the cats scratched all the way down to it and shredded it.

I don't know how to keep the sides clean though.


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

Wow! So many great ideas. I think my cats are sooper poopers as their litter box could never go without scooping for several days or a week. I scoop first thing in morning when I feed them, then just before I go to work, then when I get home from work and then before bed. I have 3 litter boxes for 2 cats and one is actually an "under the bed" plastic storage thing so is much bigger than a usual litter box, with low sides.
I think keeping really deep litter will help prevent the pee going all the way down to the bottom so it glues on. With 3 litter boxes, you are talking about a lot of litter. I go through a 20-30 lb scooping type litter container each week (at least) right now. If I doubled the depth of the litter, I'd be spending $$$ a month on litter. I am not sure why my cats seem to use the litter box so frequently (one has borderline kidney failure, so does pee more)


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## Red the super dog (Nov 9, 2011)

i use the arm in hammer multi cat clumping litter, after i do a complete litter change and the box is dry i sprinkle baking powder in the bottom. i do get some stuff that sticks. but its not too bad. i never liked the box liners, because my one cat likes to try to eat plastic bags. she thinks she is a goat.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

OMG...first stuffies, then collars and leashes and now litter boxes:doh: All this washing going on!!!

Just kidding. Our barn kitty uses a litter box in the barn when it's too cold/windy/rainy/snowy/hot/sunny/cloudy/humid to go outside! We use a manure fork...gets everything in one fell scoop. 

I don't believe his box has ever been washed, but then again it's in the barn! My answer does not apply to this thread but that doesn't stop me. I think it's cute that our barn kitty actually uses a litter box or he goes in the shavings in the stalls.

And I've heard clumping litter is bad for dogs.


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## Huggenkiss (Nov 3, 2009)

I must be spoiled by my cat. I don't think I've ever washed out her litter box or had stuff stick to the sides or bottom. And I use the cheapest litter that walmart has. When I've tried the nice expensive pine or newspaper stuff she'll pee on the mat outside the box! I do keep the litter deep; about 4"-6". And she spends tons of time digging and to me what seems like playing in the litter. She likes to move it all to oneside of the box so the bottom is bare and then moves it all to the other side the next day. On clean litter day she's in there rearranging forever! Cats can be so strange!


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## Nyahsmommy (Jul 23, 2011)

Ive only had kittens for about a month now and I have never washed the litter box yet. I have been using Maxx clump litter(love it) and have been using thick liners. It's like a big garbage bag so I change it about once a week and put a fresh liner and fresh litter in.


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## hubbub (Jun 28, 2011)

lgnutah said:


> I think keeping really deep litter will help prevent the pee going all the way down to the bottom so it glues on. With 3 litter boxes, you are talking about a lot of litter. I go through a 20-30 lb scooping type litter container each week (at least) right now. If I doubled the depth of the litter, I'd be spending $$$ a month on litter. I am not sure why my cats seem to use the litter box so frequently (one has borderline kidney failure, so does pee more)


I've never had any urine make it to the bottom of the pan (he's a super digger) - only had urine on the side - and that was when I'd be at work and he had to use it a second time. 

Because it's deep and since I clean the litter out often, I don't have broken bits of "matter" in the litter. It might seem gross and, again, it's used lightly, but I only dumped and washed the whole thing once last year. He was inside in "recovery" from various fight wounds about 6 months of the year and then he used it a few times a week during the other months. 

You might spend more money on the outset, but less in the long run since you wouldn't be dumping it all out. Maybe you could try it with one deep litter box and see how you and the cats like it. I use Dr Elsey's Precious Cat Litter.

Keep us posted


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## Ninde'Gold (Oct 21, 2006)

Do any of you use covered litter boxes?

Our cat had an opened one and he sure loved to wipe his poo all over the walls in the bathroom after every bowel movement :yuck:


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## hubbub (Jun 28, 2011)

Ninde'Gold said:


> Do any of you use covered litter boxes?
> 
> Our cat had an opened one and he sure loved to wipe his poo all over the walls in the bathroom after every bowel movement :yuck:


That is SO gross! 

My cat is so big, we don't have a covered box for him. I tried it first, but he wouldn't even go in it! He went and used the uncovered one on the screened porch instead. :doh: He also does nearly all his digging while standing outside the box, but then stands in the box to cover things up. 

I'm SO glad he doesn't do any "wall wiping" - :yuck:


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## Pumba19 (Oct 19, 2011)

we have to have a covered box.. we have a very large cat and very large poops  the one we have had a door on it that he was scared of so we had to take that off but other than that it's amazing lol


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## Wyatt's mommy (Feb 25, 2011)

We have a covered box and clean it every other day. Never had to dump and clean the whole thing.


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## maus (Sep 20, 2009)

I live in an apartment with my dogs and cat. I have the big litter box and put in 3-4 inches of litter when I clean it out. I just dump out the old stuff in a large trash bag and wipe up any remaining with a wad of paper towels. After that it gets a quick rinse in the tub and then I pour a Nature's Miracle in the bottom and let it soak for about 5 minutes. It removes any remaining odor and stains. I don't scrub the pan because it will leave small grooves and that causes the litter to cling.


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## Red the super dog (Nov 9, 2011)

Huggenkiss said:


> On clean litter day she's in there rearranging forever!


lol my gus does this all the time!


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## monarchs_joy (Aug 13, 2011)

I have that Tidy Cat Breeze litter system and love, love, LOVE it! Once a month I dump the litter and clean the trays. Otherwise I just scoop poop when needed, move the litter around so that it dries when I do, and change the pee pad once a week or so. Worth every penny imo! There's no smell, which is why I bought it to begin with. The low maintenance is an added benefit.


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