Clumping litter-how often do you change it?

[msj]

About 6 wks ago I got a cat from my trainer that didn’t work out as a barn cat. I’ve been using clumping litter and about every other week, I completely dump all the litter, wash and dry the litter box, and then add new litter. When the box gets low, I add more.

So far the cat is doing well and not dragging too much litter all over the house, no cat litter odor, but it seems like I’m wasting a lot of litter. I asked another friend with multiple cats how often she completely changed the litter pans and she said only if one of her cats had diarrhea! :eek:

So what is the consensus about changing or not changing litter and how often do you change if you completely dump?

This is only a single cat in the house and I haven’t had a cat since 2006 probably so I’m a bit out of practice.

Thanks in advance.

[Highflyer]

I don’t use it but none of the people I housesit for have ever mentioned dumping the litterbox. I thought it was like mucking a stall, you take the pee/ poop out and leave the rest?

[Simkie]

I don’t regularly dump all the litter. I clean out the pee and the poop and when the level gets low in one box, I will dump the “clean” stuff into another box (we have multiples here) and refill now empty box with fresh. That’s when I’ll scrub the box, if it needs it.

I might totally dump litter and start over once a year or so when I swap out for new boxes.

[jen-s]

I dump at least once a month. I add more as needed in between. But the monthly dumping is a good opportunity to scrub/sanitize.

[Jhein12]

I take the clumps out using a litter scooper twice daily. I have two cats and 3 boxes. I completely dump the litter every couple months. I add more litter when the box gets a little low. I like the Blue Buffalo one.

[MunchingonHay]

I wash and scrub my single cat’s litter box once a month. I let the litter get low right before I do it, or I try to time it with purchasing a new bag.

He is a wall pee’er so I need to be able to scrub the box even though I wipe it down with Nature’s Miracle daily.

[MustangSavvy]

I scoop twice daily and deep clean every two weeks.

[Kyrabee]

I have 2 cats and one GIANT litter box. I use either World’s Best or the Blue Buffalo walnut litter. If it goes too long it gets dusty as it breaks down from the constant cleaning of clumps.
I scoop clumps/waste at least 2x/day and wipe the side with cleaner if necessary (I too have wall sprayer). I do a total dump and scrub every couple months with adding liter to “freshen” every week or so.

Susan

[paulaedwina]

It depends on the brand. One brand of clumping fails precipitously at a point so I have to dump the whole pan and start again. The current brand does not fail so I scoop until I am low and just add more on top. I scoop all my pans every couple of days.

Paula

[oliverreed]

I have 4 cats and 4 boxes. I use Feline Pine. I clean boxes daily and dump them all every 2 weeks. By the end of 2 weeks they really need to be changed completely.

[MistyBlue]

I bought a new “litterbox” a few weeks ago…I couldn’t find a large one that was large enough. So I bought a plastic storage box made to slide under a bed. It’s about 4’ by 2’. I can keep it 6" deep easily. No waste touches the actual container so far, so haven’t had to dump it and scrub it yet.
With the regular sized ones I’d scoop it clean, dump the clean litter into another box, scrub the litterbox and return the litter to it twice a month.
If you have room for a really big litter box, I’d recommend trying one. The storage box was only $18. I have a finished basement and it’s down there, so not taking up main floor room. My cats LOVE it, they don’t have to turn tight and try to stay in a small box. And there’s a LOT less litter strewn all over the floor.

[msj]

MistyBlue, I like that idea of the really large box. I have a room in the lower level that it would fit easily and the floor is tile so easy cleanup of scattered litter. I think after the holidays are over, maybe mid January, I’ll go looking for that type of box. Right now my little girl has a large litter box for regular use and a smaller one for when I change litters and clean the larger box.

To everyone that has responded, I thank you very much for your comments and suggestions on different brands of kitty litter as well. The litter I’m currently using is from when I had a cat before (2006) and it’s practically a full box so I’m using it up. So far I can’t see it breaking down to dusty as Kyrabee said some of hers did but then it could be because of dumping everything every couple of wks.

Will give some of the other litters a try when I go to buy more litter just to see what I like best. I have a deodorizing spray from a previous cat that I spray every couple of days after I’ve cleaned the litter and I don’t notice any cat box odors as a result, especially when I just come back into the house after being gone for a while so I guess it’s working.

Again, many, many thanks.

[french_fry]

[QUOTE=Kyrabee;7908698]
I have 2 cats and one GIANT litter box. I use either World’s Best or the Blue Buffalo walnut litter. If it goes too long it gets dusty as it breaks down from the constant cleaning of clumps.
I scoop clumps/waste at least 2x/day and wipe the side with cleaner if necessary (I too have wall sprayer). I do a total dump and scrub every couple months with adding liter to “freshen” every week or so.

Susan[/QUOTE]

Okay, so we use the same litters! I actually mix it to about 25% World’s Best, 75% walnut. I need some best practices tips. I don’t want to have to change the litter weekly or biweekly but even with religious daily scooping (usually 2x/day) to remove all solids I feel like the pee smell still starts to build quickly and doesn’t go away until I fully replace the litter. I think it’s because the urine-soaked clumps start to break down and mix in with the clean stuff? I usually bed the box deep but maybe with these types of litter it makes more sense to use less litter and replace more frequently?

[PonyTales]

I always used the clumping litter. When it stops clumping as well is when I refresh the whole litter box otherwise I’m just adding litter.

First I line box with doubled garbage bags. Its easy pull bags off w/all the litter inside, tie, dump the garbage bags. No need to clean box. Re-line & fill.

I use 3 boxes per cat. I think a kitty pool might work well as a big litter box?

[SonnysMom]

If you are looking to get an understorage bin for wrapping paper to use as a litter box then I suggest buying one sooner rather than later. Last year I made the mistake of waiting until after Christmas. They were all out before New Year’s Eve.

I personally prefer one a little wider than the wrapping paper one and just try to find an underbed one that does not have wheels.

I actually picked one up last night for a litterbox from Target on sale for $6.99.

We dump the litter box when the litter stops clumping that well. We get the clumping litter from Costco. I don’t remember the brand (not Kirkland). It is pretty cheap and works as well or better than anything else we have used.

[MistyBlue]

A kitty pool would work! (lol, see what I did there with the spelling? )
But maybe check for ones with a smooth bottom, many have lumpy bottoms to make them less slippery.

Good idea about the under-bed storage wrapping paper box. Mine is from an Ace Hardware store that had the rolling ones for storage clothes under the bed. It does have 4 wheels under it, but the bumps for the wheels on the inside are in the corners and small, so not an issue to scoop around.

Here’s one I just found online for $15 without wheels:
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/closet/underbedStorage?productId=10025747&ci_src={ifpla:17588969}{ifpe:27500988}&ci_sku=10049997&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=42-19029733-2&utm_source=channelintelligence&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=google

I’ve never liked the normal sized litter boxes. I think they’re designed to fit into spaces for convenience instead of optimum size for cats to use. Which makes sense if you don’t have the space/room for a larger one. But with big ones I’ve found a lot less mess, a lot easier to keep clean and multiple cats seem to use it better if sharing. And they dig deeper and bury better, so less smell.

Do get yourself a large scoop though, the smaller ones for regular sized boxes will take you forever to clean with, LOL! I have a wide one that I can sweep through the box.

I think it took 30 lbs of litter to fill mine? Not quite 2 20 lb containers. I’ve added 10 lbs since getting it, have had it about 5-6 weeks maybe? I use the Stop & Shop brand of unscented clumping litter.

[Kyrabee]

[QUOTE=french fry;7909101]
Okay, so we use the same litters! I actually mix it to about 25% World’s Best, 75% walnut. I need some best practices tips. I don’t want to have to change the litter weekly or biweekly but even with religious daily scooping (usually 2x/day) to remove all solids I feel like the pee smell still starts to build quickly and doesn’t go away until I fully replace the litter. I think it’s because the urine-soaked clumps start to break down and mix in with the clean stuff? I usually bed the box deep but maybe with these types of litter it makes more sense to use less litter and replace more frequently?[/QUOTE]

I do the exact same thing…mix them. I haven’t noticed the pee smell in mine. The walnut was SOOO much better than the last type of clay I tried. It was horrible. I think keeping the sides wiped down with dilute bleach or Nature’s Miracle type stuff helps. Both of mine invariably hit the sides above the litter line once and a while and Oscar can get all testy and downright spray the sides. I like the litter deep enough so pee never hits the bottom of the box. Also I have a really good scoop that gets a lot of the smaller clumpettes. http://www.amazon.com/Litter-Lifter-Kitty-Litter-Scoop-Assorted/dp/B0048ZAMYC/ref=zg_bs_2975300011_. This scoop really is da bomb and works better than any other I have tried.

This is the bad boy I got for a LB (of course hole cut in the side for cat access)http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Heavy-Duty-40-Gallon-Rope-Tub-Stadium-Blue/35006026.

Oscar started doing the spray thing a couple years ago (med issues ruled out) so I had to go to something like this to save the walls and carpet.

These 2 cats are my first of the feline persuasion. I have tried so many litters and kept coming back to WB but the $$$. I detest clay…it is gross to me. I am pretty happy with the WB, BB mix and think I will just stay with that and be happy. :winkgrin:
Susan

[shiloh]

I have 11 cats and trust me, I’m cleaning litter boxes a LOT. when I’m home, I try to run a scooper thru every couple hours. If I’m at work then boxes are scraped before I leave and immediately again on my return. I have limited space in my house so my “potty” area is in the corner of my kitchen.

Now - don’t laugh. I use WalMart house brand clumping litter (40 lbs for $9.98) and it works great. It’s not too gritty or too fine or dusty. My only complaint, it that sometimes it doesn’t completely knock down the smell but that’s why I clean so often. I wash boxes once a month with a bleach solution and in case of accidents I have a multi-layer protection on the floor underneath boxes. I have a couple of those shop-rugs (also at walMart for dirt cheap) and some throw rugs over that. I wash the rugs including shop rug once a week. Other than that I just top up box with fresh whenever I clean.