M&E,

I know you like Tidy Cats Small Spaces. How about if you combine an unscented scoopable clay litter with it? I like Dr. Elsey's in the Blue bag, but I think there are others like Arm & Hammer, Fresh Step Multicat Unscented, which contains carbon for odor control, for example. I personally use a local brand called Integrity Multicat which contains zeolite if I feel the litter needs some odor control at times.

The best scoop I've found that prevents clumps from breaking is the Litter Lifter. It is my preferred scoop because you almost never need to shake the pee clumps--the clean litter just slides right through very easily.

Hope this gets you some ideas, good luck, let us know what works for you.

 

Thanks so much for your responses, everyone! So my boyfriend and I were going to buy litter and I INSTANTLY realized my mistake as I was looking at litter.

One time I was needing litter but was at a store that didn't have the Small Spaces litter. I grabbed the Tidy Cats Glade litter (Tidy Cats Scoop Tough Odor Solutions with Glade Cat Litter - Odor Control and Clumping Kitty Cat Litter - petco.com) thinking it would be fine and mixed it in with my Small Spaces litter. I looked at reviews online and EVERYONE has the same issue I did... it had a super weird strong smell (not even necessarily urine, just strong... and gross) and does NOT clump hardly at all, the pee just dissolves and makes the room smell weird.

So long story short... I dumped out the old litter, and we grabbed the Tidy Cats 24/7 in the 35lb container. Unfortunately now I'm reading online that this one isn't that good, either... DANGIT! Lol. Target didn't have my favorite Small Spaces unfortunately... so I may be dumping and refilling again sooner than I think! haha ohh no.

M&E,

The best scoop I've found that prevents clumps from breaking is the Litter Lifter. It is my preferred scoop because you almost never need to shake the pee clumps--the clean litter just slides right through very easily.

Hope this gets you some ideas, good luck, let us know what works for you.

Thanks for your awesome suggestions, TabbCatt! I am definitely going to be grabbing that scoop... I need a new scoop, and that one has phenomenal reviews!

 

I'm not terribly familiar with different styles/varieties of litter, but I can tell you that I've received compliments for the lack of odor in my room from friends discovering I keep Jasper's box there. I used to use Arm and Hammer Double Duty but I switched to Clump and Seal because it's less grainy and seems like it would be more comfortable for him. He's never had any issues or complaints with either, so I figure he approves! :thumb I know you're not supposed to use clumping litter with kittens, but I didn't learn that until recently and I've never had a problem with him using the box for anything other than its proper purpose so I'm not too worried

 

I love Scoop away super clump. I have the experience that no other litter clumps as well.

 

When you say you scoop daily, how many times a day is that?

 

I scoop once daily! It's never been an issue before, my kitties are small so their pees and poos are pretty small, especially split between two boxes. But these pee clumps falling apart was a massive problem!

 

I think it might be because the pee clumps are piling on top of one another. I've never scooped less than 3 times a day. I use Tidy Cats and I love it.

And I only have ONE box for 3 cats. :shock:

 

Thank you all SO much for the suggestions, everyone! I appreciate all of your responses so much. Adding baking soda or carbon is a great idea. So far, the new Tidy Cats 24/7 litter I'm using is working PERFECTLY. My apartment is back to smelling like cleanliness and NOT like a litter box! :jump When I scoop and my face is right beside it I smell nothing but clean litter. Also so nice to scoop pee and it actually stay intact! It was 100% that Glade litter... yucky.



Surprisingly this wasn't the issue, although at first I thought it could be! But then I got super on top of scooping and even just one super tiny pee clump would crumble. I was about to lose my mind haha. So far the new litter is working fantastically, thank goodness! Never touching the Glade one again!

No one can smell 'cat' in my apartment... I have a good sense of smell also... I never want to smell 'cat'--if you know what I mean..........the only way you know I have a cat is because of all the toys and cat trees!! LOL!

LOL I am the same way! Don't get me wrong... I love my cats, but I definitely don't want someone to walk in and smell them :lol:. My apartment manager and maintenance always compliment how amazing our apartment smells... and I want to keep it that way! lol I'm the same way, everyone knows I have cats because of the cat trees and toys! :mrgreen:

I have found in my foster room that if I leave the door closed and the windows shut there is a stale lingering cat box odor. If I crack a window even 1" it helps tremendously with no discernible increase in the heating bill. Perhaps you need some ventilation in your apartment. Even a slightly open window will cause some positive air flow and help clear out the stale house odors.

That is such a good point, sometimes my apartment can feel kind of stuffy or stale when we haven't aired it out in awhile. We don't have central air or heat so I really try to crack the windows as much as possible. Sadly... it's -20 with the windchill today, so that's a no go haha. But I will definitely do that when it warms up again!

I like Tidy Cats 24/7 (lower dust, clumps OK). Scoop Away is okay...(clumps AWESOME...higher dust factor). But best is Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat...lowest dust around and clumps pretty dang good too.

Just my opinion.

Thanks Kittys Mom! I am really liking the Tidy Cats 24/7 for now, it's clumping well and the litter boxes smell sooo clean! That Glade litter just had an atrocious odor when it mixed with urine. I may just have to dry the Dr. Elsey's... that sounds fantastic!

 

I scoop twice a day, in the morning after I get up and in the evening before I go to bed. I don't know if you have "Pet Valu" stores in U.S. but I've had good litter from their own brand of litter called "Fresh 4 Life", which clumps well and doesn't break apart, and has added baking soda to eliminate any odor, and is fairly inexpensive.

 

You may try sprinkling baking soda on your litter boxes too. That helps.

 

I use Precious Cats (Blue) for Artie....I scoop at least twice a day for one cat. I do have 2 litter boxes for him. Both are in the 2nd Bathroom.. one on the floor in front of the tub/toilet and the other is in the tub...Artie occasionally uses both....I would change out and wash the entire Bathroom and litter box once a month (every 3-4 weeks)..
Since I bought the 'litter lifter' scooper at Petco; it is much cleaner...It has been over 4 weeks now and the litter is clean and non-smelling...I add more litter as I need it...I am amazed the scooper has helped so much...
I have a pretty large apartment..about 1200 sq feet..2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms....The Precious Cats has been the best for me..I found World Best to be a bit 'funky' smelling...Walnut is not bad, but I found some brown dust in the bathroom (Litter box) room...I am grateful that Artie is not fussy about litter...food, yes----

No one can smell 'cat' in my apartment... I have a good sense of smell also... I never want to smell 'cat'--if you know what I mean..........the only way you know I have a cat is because of all the toys and cat trees!! LOL!

 

Gsh! I asked something similar recently (nine cats and I work full time) and didn't get half as much help! Some of the brands mentioned I've never seen not heard of but on the days I'm not working and can scoop ore frequently, it is definitely better.

 

Aww bummer. I didn't expect to get nearly as many responses as I did! I hope some of the replies could help you, as well! But I agree... it can be difficult for me to scoop more than once a day when I have work and school in a day, just doesn't feel like there's much time to do anything lol! I couldn't imagine scooping after 9 kitties... I am complaining about two! haha

 

I've been adding activated carbon to my cats litter and its been working awesome!
[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-PA0373-Activated-40-Ounce-1134-Gram/dp/B0002566WY/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1420767989&sr=1-1&keywords=Marineland+Black+Diamond+Premium+Activated+Carbon[/ame]

I use Precious Cat Litter, it clumps well and I scoop it 2 times a day but there was always this lingering smell... Adding the carbon to the litter has really helped!

 

Activated carbon sounds like an awesome idea for a litter additive. If I wasn't already satisfied with what I use I would love to see how well that worked.

 

I have found in my foster room that if I leave the door closed and the windows shut there is a stale lingering cat box odor. If I crack a window even 1" it helps tremendously with no discernible increase in the heating bill. Perhaps you need some ventilation in your apartment. Even a slightly open window will cause some positive air flow and help clear out the stale house odors.

 

I like Tidy Cats 24/7 (lower dust, clumps OK). Scoop Away is okay...(clumps AWESOME...higher dust factor). But best is Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat...lowest dust around and clumps pretty dang good too.

Just my opinion.

 

What do you folks do with the scooped out wastes? I've been putting it in a lidded kitchen trash container (with a plastic trash liner inside) next to where the box is (it's in a bathroom, & that's the bathroom wastebasket); it doesn't smell just sitting there, but when I open the lid to put more stuff in, the smell is dire. I don't want to make loads of plastic waste, & I hear one shouldn't flush litter (even non-clay sorts).

 

Meh, I struggle with this a bit. I hate wasting the the plastic and adding it to landfills.

I use biodegradable dog poop bags. Scoop the waste into them, tie them off, and toss them into the kitchen trash can. I take out my kitchen garbage every other day in winter and every day in summer (stinks way more in the summer heat).

 

Hi Shahbazin!
One of the things I've done, is get the peel and stick deodorizers, and stick it to the underside of the lid!
It does help!

 

I have been using the litter Genie since I adopted Artie, 3 years ago.

It really works great. I get my refills from Amazon.com. I find it is cheaper that way, automatic delivery.

I empty the bag every 4-5 days, depending on how much is in there.
The plastic is a double thickness, meaning that the stinkies do not sneak out.
When it is time to empty, I just open the top, pull out the roll a bit, cut it with the cutter, twist and knot the top...then knot the beginning of the new sleeve (bag) and that is it!
It seems to be the easiest and least smelly way to deal with litter box junkies....

Before, in the cold weather, I would constantly scoop the clumps, put them in a plastic grocery bag, place on my balcony until I was ready to go out. I would them dump them in the dumpster..
The litter Genie is worth it......

:kittyball

 

We've been using a scent-free corn cob litter with some success. In winter we scoop twice a day, as he goes outdoors in the garden sometimes in the warmer months. Saxon has somewhat stinky poop, but I never notice a urine smell from the box.
Another thing to consider is replacing boxes from time to time, as plastic holds onto odours after a while.
(I don't buy the scented litter because a cat's sense of smell is so much more powerful than a humans, so if I find it too sweet and perfumy, he'd find it overpowering.)

 

I use the pine pellets in the cat room, and honestly I just don't have any lingering odor that is unpleasant. Neutral - neither good nor bad, but not unpleasant to me. BUT.... I do have the top sash of one window open about 1/2" in ALL weather. We don't get the biting cold wind you do though.

That is a very good point Nuliajuk made about plastic holding odors. The SPCA in Richmond use what looks like giant lasagna pans. Stainless steel and deep - like about 4 inches deep.

 

The pine litter's good at neutralizing odors. Idea... how's the stuff made? Is it possible to make your own? It might be cheaper!...

 

Local farm stores sell the pine pellets 5 bucks for 40lbs... you can't get much cheaper than that.

 

I use Equine pine bedding pellets. $5 at Tractor Supply for 40lbs...

Like Mow said above. Can't get cheaper then that.

 

I use Equine pine bedding pellets. $5 at Tractor Supply for 40lbs...

Like Mow said above. Can't get cheaper then that.

That's really interesting. I paid almost $20 for 30lb bag of Yesterday's News litter at a pet store.

Do you think my kitty will take your pine litter if I switched? Yesterday's News is also in pellet form.

 

I use a mix of World's Best (green bag) and Nature's Miracle natural, which is pine-scented. It keeps all smells away. I also love the Litter Lifter. I keep the litter deep enough so that nothing reaches the bottom, and I replenish/top it off weekly. I just tossed out the whole thing after 3 months, so I don't have to buy a ton of litter all the time.

I love the Litter Genie, too. I cut the bag out weekly.

 

I used to use the Tidy cat 24/7, but had to switch one time to Arm & Hammer Double Duty. I never went back. It is at least as good at killing odors, and it clumps better. The clumps tend not to break apart as easily, making it much easier to scoop, and allowing for much less frequent 100% litter changeover. I scoop daily, and do a complete change once every 2-3 weeks. And this is with two cats.

 

I have been having the same problem with Tidy Cats lately! Something has changed with their formula/brand...within the last 3 or so months it has stopped clumping well.
I am looking to try the arm and hammer next time the boxes need dumped and refilled

 

Yes, I'm glad I'm not the only one! That Glade one was AWFUL. No clumping, horrible odor... just bad all around. I read a ton of reviews online with similar experiences of sudden changes in formula. Luckily, I bought a Tidy Cats 24/7 this past time at Target and it has worked WONDERFULLY. Not sure if I caught it before the formula change (maybe old stock at the store) or what... but my apartment is back to smelling GREAT! :thumb Absolutely no cat odors and clumping is fantastic! After this one, I'll probably go back to Tidy Cats Small Spaces because I've had great luck with that one in the past...

I just bought Tidy Cat light 24/7 and it smells heavily perfumed, is this how it's supposed to smell. The smell is even stronger than fresh step. Does it unscented?

The 24/7 does have a fairly perfume-y smell, although not as strong as Small Spaces. That is how it comes. Not sure if that specific type comes in unscented, but I know Tidy Cats does offer unscented varieites...


But so far, still loving the 24/7... my apartment doesn't smell like cats at all, even right by the boxes!