Cat Litter Management

Unless you’re in a place where you can have an outdoor cat, caring for a cat means having to manage cat litter as well. It’s not a pleasant job, but someone has got to do it, both for your comfort and hygiene and for your cat’s sake. Proper management of cat litter means that your cat is less likely to have accidents outside the litter box and cuts down on cat odors in the house.

There are a few things you can do to ensure you’re properly managing your cat litter.

Odors

Cats don’t like litter box odors any more than people, and in fact have more sensitive noses than people, so control the odors by cleaning the cat litter every day. Further control over odor-causing bacteria can be obtained by completely changing the cat litter once a month and disinfecting the litter box, regardless of the type of litter you use. When you shop for cat litter, avoid the scented litters, since they rarely do a good job of covering up the smells of a litter box and can in fact discourage your cat from using the box.

Disposal

Proper disposal of cat litter will be a big help in cutting down on odors. Please keep in mind that most cat litter, particularly the brands that clump, should never be flushed down the toilet. Because of the composition of clumping litters, flushing these will cause them to swell in size and clog waste systems. Even if your litter claims to be flushable, consider alternative means of getting rid of it.

With flushing ruled out for cat litter disposal, using the trash is probably your next best option. However, throwing out cat litter simply means that you will have litter box odors in your trash. For the best results on cutting down on the smells between cleaning the litter box and your trash day, use a separate trash can for litter. One method of keeping scents under wraps is to line a paper bag with a plastic bag and to seal it tight between litter box cleanings, thus providing a way to block smells from escaping.

Another alternative is a litter disposal system, which consists mostly of a sealed trash can with filters for catching any odors trying to escape and is easily obtained at any pet store. Whether you go with the simple method or the sophisticated, proper disposal of used cat litter will help keep that cat smell from filling your home.