Help! The apartment stinks of kitten poo

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 11:03:26 PM
Author: princessplease
I agree with switching. We use Tidy Cats Instant Action, and no poop smell. We have 4 furbabies.


From their site:

The immediate odor control of Instant Action keeps your lively space a happy place. Odors are instantly neutralized in even the busiest of multiple cat litter boxes, while the strong clumping action makes clean-up fast and easy.


* Strong clumps, easy clean-up

* Locks in moisture – powerful odor control

* 99.6% dust free

I think that''s what my breeder had used previously, so it sounds like it''s definitely worth it trying it here. I mean, she has way more cats than 2, so I guess it works for her as well

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/7/2009 1:12:57 PM
Author: radiantquest
I use fresh step scoopable. I have been using it for years. I have two cats. One is little so she doesn''t make much waste, the big one goes outside alot, but I have seen him come in the house and go straight to the litter box and sometimes I have seen him use the far part of the yard so I don''t know how much he is really using it. I clean the box 1 time a week and DH cleans it 1 time. Sometimes DH forgets and even after a week with no one cleaning it the box still doesn''t stink. I have never changed the filter in years and it is a covered one.


I guess my cats sh** doesn''t stink (hahaha)

hahaha you should tell them, good job!

I need to figure out a way to coerce BF into cleaning their box sometimes....

 

[Octavia]

It might just be that they''re kittens. Our cat stank up his box like none other until he was about a year old, then it kind of tapered off (although he still gives us an occasional reminder

). Kittens'' digestive systems take awhile to mature, and if you''ve changed their food recently, that could definitely be contributing to the smell. Good luck finding a litter that works, though!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/7/2009 4:01:04 PM
Author: Octavia
It might just be that they''re kittens. Our cat stank up his box like none other until he was about a year old, then it kind of tapered off (although he still gives us an occasional reminder

). Kittens'' digestive systems take awhile to mature, and if you''ve changed their food recently, that could definitely be contributing to the smell. Good luck finding a litter that works, though!

I certainly hope that''s the case!!! In the meantime, thank goodness for Glade plug-ins!

 

[vip0802]

BEG - i''m curious as to how you''re disposing the "clumps". (if you mentioned it already, i must of missed it. sorry!) BF and i had the same problems when we first got our 2 kitties. i scooped their boxes 2+ times a day, sprayed air freshener, opened windows and it still smelled in our condo. i wasn''t until i figured out that it was the scooped clumps that made our place stink.

for the first week i disposed them into a small lidded wastebasket that i had lined with several plastic shopping bags. every time i scooped, i would just tie up the bag and throw it out in our trash. unfortunately, we only take out our trash every 2-3 days since it''s a LONG walk to our dumpster, and those shopping bags just didn''t seal in the odor. i then found Petmate''s Litter Locker at PetSmart and it was literally the best $30 i ever spent. it''s basically like a Diaper Genie for cats! you lift the lid, you put the clumps in, turn the wheel, close the lid and no smell whatsoever!

i''ve been using it for almost 2 years now and we''ve never had any smell issues since. then again i also feed my kitties a raw diet, so their waste is pretty minimal with hardly any odor to begin with. i highly recommend you try the Litter Locker first before trying out a new litter. some kitties are finicky about change...especially if it has anything to do with their bathroom space.

i also agree with what Lynn B posted. we do the exact same thing she does - unscented litter, cleaning with the bleach solution and changing out the litter every month. i also second the Litter Lifter! it is literally the best scooper EVER! (btw Lynn, are you using the Biddy Box? i''ve heard awesome things about it!) BF and i actually made a huge litter box using a storage bin via catinfo.org. there''s a ton of really great info on that site!

anyway, i hope it works out BEG! keep us posted and i hope Kipling and Dante are doing well.

 

[that_someone_special]

I sometimes wonder how cats can poo almost human sized loads... I mean... how did THAT come out of THAT cute lil fluffy thing? It''s biological warfare, I tell ya

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/8/2009 6:48:59 AM
Author: vip0802
BEG - i''m curious as to how you''re disposing the ''clumps''. (if you mentioned it already, i must of missed it. sorry!) BF and i had the same problems when we first got our 2 kitties. i scooped their boxes 2+ times a day, sprayed air freshener, opened windows and it still smelled in our condo. i wasn''t until i figured out that it was the scooped clumps that made our place stink.


for the first week i disposed them into a small lidded wastebasket that i had lined with several plastic shopping bags. every time i scooped, i would just tie up the bag and throw it out in our trash. unfortunately, we only take out our trash every 2-3 days since it''s a LONG walk to our dumpster, and those shopping bags just didn''t seal in the odor. i then found Petmate''s Litter Locker at PetSmart and it was literally the best $30 i ever spent. it''s basically like a Diaper Genie for cats! you lift the lid, you put the clumps in, turn the wheel, close the lid and no smell whatsoever!

i''ve been using it for almost 2 years now and we''ve never had any smell issues since. then again i also feed my kitties a raw diet, so their waste is pretty minimal with hardly any odor to begin with. i highly recommend you try the Litter Locker first before trying out a new litter. some kitties are finicky about change...especially if it has anything to do with their bathroom space.

i also agree with what Lynn B posted. we do the exact same thing she does - unscented litter, cleaning with the bleach solution and changing out the litter every month. i also second the Litter Lifter! it is literally the best scooper EVER! (btw Lynn, are you using the Biddy Box? i''ve heard awesome things about it!) BF and i actually made a huge litter box using a storage bin via catinfo.org. there''s a ton of really great info on that site!


anyway, i hope it works out BEG! keep us posted and i hope Kipling and Dante are doing well.

Hey VIP!

I actually take them out to the trash chute each time I clean it (about twice or three times a day). Thankfully the chute is right across the hall. I found out World''s Best is flushable though, so I do a mix - I either flush (when it''s late at night) or take it out when there are big loads (like in the morning).

I wipe with Clorox wipes the scoop every other time, and wipe any visibly dirty parts (like when they poo right next the litter box side) when I see it. I''ll probably clean and replace every 2-3 weeks (the litter) and clean the box entirely then.

And update: cleaning VERY frequently helps - they''re still stinky but the smell doesn''t have time to pervade the apt. Instead, I end up stalking the kittens when they go so I know if I need to clean ASAP. Being a kitten mommy is hard

And as for their personal smell after going, baby wipes help! Being a kitten mommy is REALLY hard

And BF is happier.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/8/2009 7:19:22 AM
Author: swedish bean
I sometimes wonder how cats can poo almost human sized loads... I mean... how did THAT come out of THAT cute lil fluffy thing? It''s biological warfare, I tell ya

I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT!!! And I''m still boggled. It seems physically impossible

The little piglets'' poos have been runny again, so no more wet food until it gets better. This = unhappy and whining kittens

 

[charks]

Hi there,

We have had 3 bengal cats and, when kittens, their poo was the same as any other kitten.

Small, solid and no more smelly than any other cat poo.

However, we then purchased a Siamese kitten and she had the same symptoms as your bengal kittens.

This was 16 years ago and we spent months trying to sort her out.

We ended up taking her to The Bristol School of Veterinary Science – the best pet research center in the UK.

It turned out she had IBD - irritable bowel disease

She was never cured but we managed to keep it under control but she died early aged 5.

I don’t want to worry you but Bengals seem predisposed to IBD.

There’s a theory that it’s linked to the interbreeding needed to get the best spotted coats.

There are many other theories put forward by bengal breeders i.e.

‘Because Bengals have a more recent wild heritage than domestic cats, many do not thrive as well on cat foods containing corn meal, wheat, or other fillers. Some Bengals are especially averse to the high corn content found even in most "premium" foods and can not digest it well. As a result, they can develop diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This is especially serious because unchecked, IBS can turn into a chronic condition called irritable bowel disease (IBD). This corn sensitivity makes sense when you think about it: when was the last time you saw a wildcat pick an ear of corn or a head of wheat to eat?’

Whatever the cause there seem to be many bengals with IBD – look at this forum http://www.bengalcatforums.com/forums/search.php?mode=results

And if you search the ‘net for ‘Bengal cats + IBD’ or ‘feline IBD you’ll get lots of results.

Checkout the symptoms – I bet they’re very similar to your kittens

So, I don’t want to alarm you, but I think you should check with your vet.

Best wishes,

P.S. IBD treatment is now more advanced – if your kittens have IBD it can be controlled and they will live a full life.

 

[tlh]

I also use the crystals. It dehydrates the poop- and takes away the smell. My kitty doesn''t mind it either..though I''ll be honest, it was hard to switch at first, because kitty didn''t like the texture... because the crystals would be all over the floor! But I''ve been using it for years... no issues.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Thanks guys!

Charks, I''d love to see pics and hear more about your Bengals. How is it, living with them? Ours are insanely active - as I type, they''re pouncing into, out of and on top of a paper shopping bag with gusto. As for food, I don''t give them foods with grains in them - they get a mix of EVO, Instinct Rabbit and Orijen for dry, and once a day they get a quarter can each of a grain-free wet (Weruva, Instinct, a couple others). For the most part, their stool is looking much better though I''ve noticed that when I give them fish-based wet, it gets runnier and stinkier so I''ve been giving them chicken, rabbit, venison and lamb.

Thankfully the smell''s improved - mostly because I follow them around and when they poop, I scoop and throw it away immediately. The things I do for my kittens!

TLH, how do crystal-based litters work? Do they clump? How often do you have to change the entire batch of litter out?

 

[that_someone_special]

The crystals soak up the urine and you just scoop the poop.

I personally did not like it!!!! it just reeked like urine all of the time..

 

[that_someone_special]

Date: 11/11/2009 8:37:59 PM
Author: Brown.Eyed.Girl

Date: 11/8/2009 7:19:22 AM

Author: swedish bean

I sometimes wonder how cats can poo almost human sized loads... I mean... how did THAT come out of THAT cute lil fluffy thing? It''s biological warfare, I tell ya

I HAD THE SAME THOUGHT!!! And I''m still boggled. It seems physically impossible

The little piglets'' poos have been runny again, so no more wet food until it gets better. This = unhappy and whining kittens

One of our 4 cats gets runny poo when she has wet food.. she has IBS as well. I wonder if they do have that??

 

[Kay]

I have a recommendation for getting rid of the clumps you do not flush. Try Classy Kids Clean and Green Diaper Sacks. They are thin, biodegradable plastic sacks that are scented to help control odor. They are $2.99 for a pack of 75 at Babies R Us and are available at other stores or online also. They work well for our daughter''s stinky diapers. We keep one inside a covered metal step trash can until it is full (4-5 diapers) and then carry it out to the curb can (usually just once a day because she is in day care during the day). If you are throwing out plastic bags full of kitty poo a few times a day, these sacks are much better for the environment.

http://www.travelingwithkids.com/proddetail.php?prod=741

 

[charks]

Hi Brown Eyed Girl
Sadly our last Bengal, Jelli-Roll (16), passed away just over a month ago.
The vets diagnosed IBS.
We had poo everywhere.
He even managed to poo in my BF’s underwear.
Luckily he noticed ( or smelt ) it before he put it on.
I’m still laughing about it now.
(Wouldn’t have been funny at all if it had been in my underwear).
I researched it and we gave him an intensive course of treatment.
We thought we had it beat until the night he managed to consume a 1/2 lb of butter.
You couldn’t imagine the amount of poo that resulted.
He never recovered after this and just wasted away.
When he died I was so upset I didn’t go to work for 2 days.
I really miss our Bengals.
I can’t wait to get some more but we still have two elderly cats (16).
One is a Korat and the other a Siamese.
Usually the Korat would be the dominant cat in a house.
No chance of that with 3 Bengals!!!!
And the Siamese was completely eclipsed by the Bengals.
Bengals don’t mix well with other breeds of cats.
They’re not nasty to them.
They just treat them as if they’re not worthy of notice.
Bengals steal the show and the other cats tend to get neglected.
So now that the two left are the only cats they’re loving all the extra attention.
But they’ve just been diagnosed with renal failure
So it wouldn’t be fair to spoil their last months by getting new kittens.
But I will be getting more Bengals.
They’re real characters.
They are so bold, loyal, affectionate and vocal ( sometimes too much at 4 am ).
Almost – dare I say it – like a dog.
They got on so well together – always slept in a big pile.
We used to take our female out for walks on a lead.
Mind you it took us ages to get anywhere – always a juicy piece of grass to chew or a little used path, with masses of nettles, to explore.
She loved going in the car – used to stick her head out the window like a dog.
We’ve got the video to prove it..
And they were so healthy - until their final illness.
Enough – I could go on for hours.
Let’s just say that Bengal cats are like diamonds.
Need I say more!!!!
I hope your two give you years of pleasure.

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

We had a similar problem (I even posted about it on PS) and we ended up getting a Cat-Mouse odor eliminator. Check it out!

We think it made a big difference. It isn''t cheap, but it works pretty well- though you do need to clean it regularly. Our only regret is that we wish we would have gotten the larger multi-cat version.

It''s also great for deodorizing and sanitizing small spaces! We just popped ours into a musty cooler last night and today it smelled fresh and clean!