How to Clean Your Cat’s Litter Box

When you have an indoor cat, a litter box is one of life’s necessities. Having a litter box can keep down odor from your house and significantly reduce the amount of time you have to spend cleaning up after your cat. However, liter boxes must be properly maintained and cleaned in order to keep them fresh and tolerable in your home environment.

Daily Cleaning
It’s a good idea to remove feces from your cat’s litter box every day. This serves two purposes. It prevents an unpleasant odor from wafting throughout your home from the litter box. It also helps make sure the cat doesn’t mind going back to the box to take care of his or her business.

If the box becomes to smelly or messy, a finicky feline will choose to avoid the box. If this happens, you’ll end up cleaning up feces from all over your house. It’s much better to just get in the habit of scooping the box on a daily basis.

Changing the Litter
Even if you keep your box scooped clean every day, you will certainly periodically have to change the litter in the box. The frequency with which you will need to change the litter will vary, based on the type of litter you use, the number of litter boxes you have, as well as the number of cats living in your home. Generally, clay litter should be changed twice weekly, and scoopable litter should be replaced every other week.

Of course, it’s important to use common sense when deciding when to change the litter. If you notice an odor, it’s definitely time to change the litter. If the litter is clumped together or is wet, it’s also time to switch it out with fresh litter.

Washing the Box
When you change the litter, you should wash the box out with soap and water. Beware of using household cleaning products, as many such substances can be harmful to cats. Even cleaning products that aren’t dangerous to cats should be avoided, as their odors can be repellent to cats. The last thing you want to do is use something to clean your cat’s box that will be a turn off for him or her.

By taking proactive steps to keep your cat’s litter box clean and fresh at all times, your home will be a much more pleasant place to be, and your cat will be happy and likely to contain his or her business to the designated box.