Question:
Ok, I know that all catboxes are stinky. But I have some questions for all you experts:
What is your favorite brand, kind to control odor?
How many times a week do you change your litter?
What kind of litter box do you recommend?
Would a diet change help this problem?
And any other info on the subject that you want to share would be greatly appreciated.
I have 2 middle-aged cats, that have had the run of my basement for quite a while, but we are planning to finish the basement soon and would like to decrease the barn smell.
Thanks
Katy
Answer:
I just mix in a box of generic store brand baking soda (40 cents a box) everytime I change out my litter.
I like Sweat Scoop. It is very healthy for cats. It is scoopable and flushable.
Sometimes I mix in a little bit of flour to make it extra sticky
Married for one year. Three male cats. Three female cats.
Answer:
My litterboxes aren't stinky. I scoop them twice a day, clean them once a week, use a decent litter (mix of Tidy Cats & Kitty Crystals), my cats eat food that doesn't produce excessively smelly poops, and most important - THEY COVER IT UP!!

Answer:
After reading lots of posts on stinky litterbox problems, I've come to the conclusion that diet is the single biggest factor in objectionable smell. (Well, OK, intact male cat urine, too -- that's a whole other issue)

Answer:
I live in a studio like room with my two cats and an automatic cat litter box and i rarely smell anything and my guest are amazed that they can't smell cats at all. What I did was got a large cardboard box, tall enough and wide enough to accomidate the box and kitty's in the box, and used it as an inclosure. I cut a whole in the front just big enough to allow the automatic door to swing open and closed when the cat box cleans itself. The whole is plenty big for the cats to enter through. I also hung a towel to just cover this doorway to keep the cat box litter smell inside. So no cat poop smell, no cat litter smell, clean box everytime kitty's need to use it. Now all i have to complain about is emptying the recepticle container once a week and cleaning the box once a month, which of course i don't, complain about.
At $100.00 the thing was quite pricey and a conciderable splurg for me. But now I would say it was the best $100 I've spent in years.
koolkitty
For a fun, safe climb go to
http://www.kittykornercatfurniture.com
Answer:
My box doesn't stink unless I don't clean it. Agree with Tim about diet though.
For me I use regular litter (not scoopable just cause I think they tend to track so much more) I scoop the poo out 2x a day and clean the box out completely about every 3 or 4 days. Baking soda also helps. I did try at one point a litter called "worlds best cat litter" and it really was great. But very expensive.
Answer:
I use Tidy Cat multiple cat long lasting odor control. Works great for me. I have 3 cats and scoop the 1 box (its a BIG box) every other day or so.... It is for sure all about the what they eat....back when I used to feed IAMS and Purina their poop stank pretty bad but with the good food they poop half the time and its not too smelly. The also cover theor poop really well....

Answer:
I'm so happy I have cats that cover. We haven't had a smelly problem in a while, we have switched their diet a few years back and that has helped a lot. We also keep two boxes for the cats, next to eachother and one has turned into the pee box and the other is for poo. I am also a firm believer in baking soda.
**Newly Updated 7/24** Animal Acts Blog: http://animalacts.braveblog.com
Answer:
Our cat goes outside in the long grass on the other side of a track behind our back yard so no stinky problems for us!
Alex
Co-owner of Khamun, black 5 y-o and Ramsay, black and white 1 y-o.
http://alexandjustine.smugmug.com/
Answer:
We are in the process of switching from Purina One to Natural Balance. Right now our cats are eating about 80-90% Natural Balance, and they still have stinky poop. Anyone else have this problem?
We have a LitterSweep Ultra litterbox and use World's Best Cat Litter, which work pretty well, but right after they have used it, it smells awful!
Answer:
I just read in cat fancy that cats do not like scented litter boxes.
I never knew such love of animals until I got Jazzy, and now Sampson... what beautiful creatures we share this planet with
Answer:
During diet changes, stink is inevitable. Once the switch is complete, some of that problem will correct itself.
I put a layer of coffee grounds on the bottom of the box then add the litter. Any old brand will work, even used grounds. Coffee is acidic and cat urine is base. They cancel each other out. Then all you have to worry about is the poo. Scoop regularly and it really helps. You can buy some cheap ziploc style bags to put the poo in when scooping so. I keep a shoe box next to the litter box. I then use the same gallon sized bag for about 2-3 days (hidden in the box of course) and then throw it all out. (The dumpster's a bit of a walk.) It works pretty well!
**Lenore**
Cats are our inspiration, comfort and joy. No matter what we do, they're always there.
Answer:
I use Sweatscoop, which is clumpable and flushable - would like to use World's Best Cat Litter but it is too expensive; however, Sweatscoop is good. I'm home all day so scoop about 3 times a day, but only once a day for the pooh. Litter is changed about every 3 or 4 weeks (I don't use a heck of a lot of litter in the box). The litterbox is a giant-size open one to eliminate or reduce scattering, and occasionally if my cat has a particularly smelly stool, I sprinkle baking soda in the box. I think that any fishy type of food causes the stool to be smelly.
Answer:
I live in a small apartment, but World's Best Cat Litter seems to control the smell perfectly (scooping daily at any rate--I've never done it less frequently). It's quite expensive ($17.99 for the big bag!), but worth it to me. My parents visited this week and were amazed that there was no cat box smell.
Answer:
I am still trying to find that post where someone suggested used coffee grounds (in addition to litter) to neutralize ammonia. I have been saving and drying my coffee grounds to try this, and have just added (on Friday) my first bit to try. Can't determine *yet* if it will make any difference.
If anyone knows more about this, I would like some additional info: how much / mix in or on bottom of box / etc...
I use Tidy Cat for Multiple cats; always have added baking soda and am now testing the coffee grounds.
Feedback? Anyone?