Help! The apartment stinks of kitten poo

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

We switched litter boxes to a closed one (instead of the automatic) and switched litter from Arm & Hammer to World''s Best, and the smell sometimes is just awful. The kittens managed to kill the filter in the lid of the box the first day - not sure if that would''ve helped, but our apartment is small, the bathroom does not have a fan, and we''re not sure what to do (we crack a window sometimes but it''s going to be freezing here soon so not sure how long we''ll be able to do that). Apparently BF''s nose is a lot more sensitive than mine, because he has been complaining about it for a while now (mind you, I''m the one who takes care of the kittens, cleans their litter, litter box, etc. - he just complains

). We spray air fresheners, I have air fresheners plugged in (in the kitchen near the bathroom - I don''t want the kittens to get into the freshener in the bathroom), I clean the litter frequently, their giardia is gone, but not sure what else to do. Please help! Maybe it''s the litter?

Thanks!

 

[MonkeyPie]

I think it''s the litter. We have three kitties using one open litter box in my bathroom, and it never smells (except when the little "dumb" one doesn''t cover her poo, lol). Try switching litter! We use 9 Lives.

 

[luckystar112]

I used Feline Pine and it is AWESOME. Once you try it you can never go back!

 

[Lauren8211]

We use Worlds Best Cat Litter... and they''re serious. It''s the world''s best! Love it!

 

[VRBeauty]

Assuming that you're cleaning the box daily, the key would be in the litter. I use Dr. Elsey's Precious cat, a traditional clumping litter, and it does a great job of preventing odors. He also has a product called "cat attract" (or something like that) that you can use to encourage the kittens to dig and cover their business as they should!

ETA does World's best have larger granules? That could be part of the problem, since poo odor control seems depends in part on poo-litter contact...

 

[Aloros]

Huh. I've found world's best to be good in the past, though I stopped using it because my cat thinks it's food and not litter.

I really like cat attract. It covers smell very well too. Have you tried sprinkling some baking soda in there? Baking soda is pretty much my go-to for household cleaning. I love it!

ETA: Is their food not agreeing with their stomachs? Also, from my kitten experiences in the past, kittens just tend to have stinkier poo. If all else fails, they'll probably grow out of it.

 

[zoebartlett]

Maybe try using a cedar-based litter and see if that helps. We mostly use Swheat Scoop cat litter because it''s the only kind we''ve found that clumps and is flushable. It''s a breeze to scoop and once you flush, there''s no more odor. It''s great, and it''s natural, which I like. I''ve also sprinkled a bit of baking soda on top of um, slightly used litter, and that helps as well. Good luck BEG!

 

[Haven]

Date: 11/6/2009 4:05:11 PM
Author: elledizzy5
We use Worlds Best Cat Litter... and they''re serious. It''s the world''s best! Love it!

That''s what we use, as well. It IS the world''s best!

BEG--Until you find a solution, you could try putting out bowls of vinegar around the house to soak up the stink. That''s what we did when our pup was skunked and it really worked. I assume it could do the same for the poo smell, right?

I''m glad to hear the kitties are over the Giardia!

 

[yssie]

Haven, how does this work? Do you just leave a bowl of cold vinegar open on the floor somewhere? Do you have to warm it up, or put it in a vaporizer, or something else?

This topic hits a bit too close to home for us, too, sometimes

 

[MichelleCarmen]

We use tidy cat and the only time it smells if the box isn''t changed. Since the cat box is in the garage, it''s not as big of a deal, so I usually change it 1X per day.

With two cats you are often setting yourself up for poo poo smell. It''s just part of having a pet.

 

[MsP]

I used World''s Best and couldn''t wait until the huge bag I bought was gone. I hated the smell. I use Fresh Step Crystals (NOT the blend but the 100% crystals) and I keep going back to it even after trying other litters. I live in a small apartment and I can''t stand the smell of cat doo/potty. It''s expensive at like $15 for 3.5lbs but I haven''t found anything better.

I would switch litters. Just try something else. Everyone has their preferences...

 

[audball]

Date: 11/6/2009 4:15:59 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
Maybe try using a cedar-based litter and see if that helps. We mostly use Swheat Scoop cat litter because it''s the only kind we''ve found that clumps and is flushable. It''s a breeze to scoop and once you flush, there''s no more odor. It''s great, and it''s natural, which I like. I''ve also sprinkled a bit of baking soda on top of um, slightly used litter, and that helps as well. Good luck BEG!

I switched away from Swheat scoop to World''s Best Cat Litter and agree it''s the world''s best. Turns out my baby, Darwin, has a wheat allergy and the litter was making him sick

The vet finally figured out his recurring upper respiratory and sinus infections were from the litter particles. Since the switch, we''ve had zero problems.

But in all honesty, I doubt it''s the litter. What are you feeding them? Over the last 8 years with Darwin he''s been on different diets and they all definitely affected the way his poo smelled. Not to push, but I''ve found the between the World''s best cat litter and his raw diet, even if I don''t get around to scooping the box for a week, there is NO smell at all.

 

[HollyS]

Phew! Cat crap!

I feel your pain. My cat can lay the tiniest of turds with the most toxic of stenches. Is it the fish in their food, or what, exactly?

I wish I had suggestions for you beyond some you've already, no doubt, tried. When we had to have the box in our kitchen (I really don't recommend that, BTW), we were forced to mine her pan every time she turded and seal it in a Glad-style freezer bag with a ziplock. And take it outside immediately.

One of the features that sold me on our house was the large laundry room with space enough for her food and box. Now I can close the door on the cloud of noxious fumes. And mine the box later when I can more easily breathe without choking.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Thanks for all the quick responses guys! I knew I could count on you!

MP: I''m worried that it''s the litter too. I didn''t love the smell of the Arm and Hammer, but part of it was the open litter box (and the automatic sweep didn''t always get everything - since the kittens had giardia, their poo was pretty soft and tended to crumble...leaving stuff in the box...sorry for the details!

) With the new box there''s no problem about chunks or anything...and the litter itself is ok though I don''t find the smell of it very pleasant (reminds me of mulch for some reason, and I HATE mulch) but when they go, it really just smells.

Luckystar: Thanks! I might have to try it. It was a toss-up between the World''s Best corn-based litter and a pine-based one - maybe I should''ve gone for the pine. I''ll try it out

Elle: I don''t know what it is. It certainly clumps better than the A&H, but for some reason, the smell makes me nauseous...maybe it''s just me!

VR: I clean the box twice a day regularly - and also extra times when it just gets too smelly (like right after they''ve gone and BF is vociferously complaining, lol). The kittens cover their stuff very well - in fact they dig and scratch to their heart''s content as their cover their litter

World''s Best does have larger granules, I think? It''s about the same as the Arm & Hammer and those are the only two I''ve ever used. I will check out Dr. Elsey''s - thanks so much!

Aloros: Lol, the woman at the pet shop warned me that some cats like to eat World''s Best! The kittens haven''t been, thank goodness - they''ve done really well at adjusting to different litters (the breeder had them on Tidy Cat, and with me, they''ve used the Arm and Hammer and World''s Best). I think I''ll have to look into Cat Attract too. Thanks for the baking soda tip - as soon as I read it, I went and sprinkled some in the box - I haven''t been home yet since then so I''ll have to see tonight (of course, I''m congested so it''s not as big a deal for me... I''ll ask BF, lol). As for food - well I''m not sure. They''re on a mix of dry now (Eagle Pack Holistic Select, which is what they ate at the breeder''s, Instinct Rabbit, and Orijen Cat and Kitten). They also eat wet food at night. It could be the mix of foods - though their poo is normal and hard now that they kicked the giardia. I was hoping the smell would lessen once the giardia was gone. Hopefully they''ll grow out of it - I also hear from Bengal sites that Bengal kittens have pretty finicky stomachs too - so that might be part of the cause. None of this has affected their appetite though - they''re little eating and pooping machines

Zoe: I heard that Swheat Scoop is really good. It''s flushable?? That would be awesome! It kind of sucks going to the trash chute (yuck) 2-3 times a day! I will so look into that - thanks!

Haven: Thanks for the tip! Do your cats get into the vinegar at all? I''m afraid to leave anything out - I know one of them will, within an hour, either knock the bowl over, try to drink it, or push the other kitten into it (Kipling''s taken to "cleaning" his water in the bowl later - thereby throwing half of it into his food bowl

). And thanks! I''m so glad they''re better too - gosh, I feel like a proud and relieved mama that they''re ok

Yssie: Aww sorry to hear about that Yssie. Maybe one of these great tips will help - I sympathize! I''m also wondering if anything like a HEPA filter will work - expensive, but they''re supposed to also help with odor. Maybe?

MC: I figured as much about the smell! Two kittens + 700 sq foot apt. I''m prepared and I can get over it, but gotta make BF happy too. It''s an adjustment - my family has a Chihuahua and we''ve never had a problem with smell (he''s paper-trained and goes indoors in the laundry room) but then again, we''ve always lived in houses. This is definitely an adjustment but hopefully it''s a matter of finding the right litter. The only problem is I may have a lot of unused leftover litter by the time I find "the one"

 

[Lynn B]

Well, first of all, BEG, don't get too upset or frustrated -- I don't think this is an inevitable or unpreventable part of having kitties! People can have kitties in a relatively small space and not have the odor. So hang in there, sweetie, we'll help you figure it out!

If you talk to 10 cat owners you'll probably get 10 different opinions on what is the "best litter" and the "best box", etc. For me (and Boo!

) I've done some trial and error and I think the key to an Odor-Free Life With Kitties

is to find the best choice that works for you, then keep the litter (and the box) scrupulously clean.

We always use a brand name, unscented clumping litter (because kitties have a very strong sense of smell and scented litters are really only a marketing appeal to humans, not cats, and besides I don't think that scented litters "control odor" any better than unscented litter anyway.) Be sure you use a nice, deep amount of litter, and add more every few days to keep the "level" up.

We scoop Boo's litter twice a day, and about every 4 weeks we dump the litter completely, clean out the box with a mild bleach solution, rinse very well and dry, and replace with fresh litter.

Personally, I don't like those "filters" on the top of hooded litter boxes. I don't think they are necessary and I think it makes the inside of the boxes too stifling for the cat(s). When I used a hooded litter box for Boo, I tossed those silly *filters* and just left the open "vents" alone.

Right now I am using a HUGE open litter box with slightly rounded *corners*, which makes scooping a little easier and thorough because the clumps don't get caught in the corners.

Also, I also SWEAR by this scooper -"The Litter Lifter" - it is WONDERFUL, and makes scooping so much easier and efficient! And a clean box is an odor-free box!

http://www.thecatconnection.com/cat/Litter-Lifter-Gingerbread.html

There's even a video that shows the unique way it works!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bYoh7-U04E

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

MissPrudential: I''m SO glad I didn''t go for the HUGE bag, lol! Is Fresh Steps Crystals a clumping litter? I remember I looked at the Fresh Step automatic litter box once upon a time - but nixed it because it required cartridges. Did World''s Best not cover the smell for you as well?

Audball: Oh no! I read that both wheat and corn based litters are really bad for cats with asthma too because of the extra dust. The kittens are doing well with the World''s Best though. I guess I won''t know until I try it. They''re getting wet at night (all grain-free foods from the local pet boutique - Orijen, Instinct, Weruva, Ziwipeak, B.F.F., etc.) and grain-free dry out at all times (Instinct Rabbit, Orijen Cat and Kitten, and Eagle Pack Holistic Select mixed together). They love their food and wolf it down, but it could be causing the smell - esp. since Bengal kitten tummies are supposed to be rather sensitive to food. I don''t know if we''ll do a raw diet however though I may up their wet intake to twice a day if that might help. What do you think?

Holly: It could be! I know that some of their wet food has tuna and salmon as ingredients (I switch up varieties though, so about 1/4 of their wet food is fish - the rest is chicken, venison, duck, lamb, liver). I thought about having the box in the kitchen before we got them - more room that way, but for sanitary reasons, decided not to (though I do have plug-in air fresheners in the kitchen where the kittens can''t get to them, so maybe it would have been better!). I''m jealous of the laundry room - at my parents'' home, there''s a tiny laundry room right off the kitchen where our Chihuahua''s bathroom is (paper-trained). The back door is also out of the laundry room so we can just open it and air out if it gets too stinky). Nothing like that here

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I have tried them all (worlds best, pine, tidy cat, and a few more). I use the little blue silicone crystals now. My BF says that one has been the best of all of them in terms of oder. But the others recommended are not bad.

The only one I had issues with was the pine one. My next door neighbor used it and LOVED it. I tried it. My cats hated the particles, so I had to transition them by pouring old littler on top for about 2 weeks. Than when it desolved, it would desolve into such small particles it tracked all over the condo! It was soooo gross to find cat p*** everywhere. On the floor, sofa ect. I think they make a clumping one now to deal with that. But because of that (it took hours to clean) I switched back to traditional litter. My cats instantly jumped back in the litter box and went to the bathroom. They clearly hated the stuff.

You will find what works best for your cats and for you in terms of mess and oder control.

I do agree with the others. Look at the diet. Are you giving them any table food?

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 6:56:11 PM
Author: Lynn B
Well, first of all, BEG, don''t get too upset or frustrated -- this isn''t an inevitable or unpreventable part of having kitties! People can have more kitties than you in the same size space and not have the odor. So hang in there, sweetie, we''ll help you figure it out!


If you talk to 10 cat owners you''ll probably get 10 different opinions on what is the ''best litter'' and the ''best box'', etc. For me (and Boo!

) I''ve done some trial and error and I think the key to an Odor-Free Life With Kitties

is to find the best choice that works for you, then keep the litter (and the box) scrupulously clean.


We always use a brand name, unscented clumping litter (because kitties have a very strong sense of smell and scented litters are really only a marketing appeal to humans, not cats, and besides I don''t think that scented litters ''control odor'' any better than unscented litter anyway.) Be sure you use a nice, deep amount of litter, and add more every few days to keep the ''level'' up.


We scoop Boo''s litter twice a day, and about every 4 weeks we dump the litter completely, clean out the box with a mild bleach solution, rinse very well and dry, and replace with fresh litter.


Personally, I don''t like those ''filters'' on the top of hooded litter boxes. I don''t think they are necessary and I think it makes the inside of the boxes too stifling for the cat(s). When I used a hooded litter box for Boo, I tossed those silly *filters* and just left the open ''vents'' alone.


Right now I am using a HUGE open litter box with slightly rounded *corners*, which makes scooping a little easier and thorough because the clumps don''t get caught in the corners.


Also, I also SWEAR by this scooper -''The Litter Lifter'' - it is WONDERFUL, and makes scooping so much easier and efficient! And a clean box is an odor-free box!

http://www.thecatconnection.com/cat/Litter-Lifter-Gingerbread.html



There''s even a video that shows the unique way it works!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bYoh7-U04E

Hey Lynn! Thanks for the encouragement!

I love that there are so many cat lovers on PS - you guys are actually WAY more helpful than the Bengal forums!

I actually tossed the automatic box because it was WAY too hard to clean. Just removing the parts to wash everything out ... oy! I''d rather scoops a few times a day with a plain old box that''s much easier to clean (and cheaper to replace when I move and decide to toss it!). Plus our bathroom is way less cluttered since the box takes up less room, and thanks to the lid and litter mat, no more stepping on litter bits whenever I walk in. My life is much much better.

The kittens apparently feel the way you do about the filter, lol! I walked into the bathroom a couple hours after setting up the box, and it looked like there was a TON of litter in the bathtub...but none on the floor

I was wondering what happened - turn out they somehow got the filter off the top (mind, this took me a good 5 min. to get out, and another 5 to put back in earlier, with my opposable thumbs!) and had ripped it to shreds and all the granules in it were sitting in the middle of my tub

Kittens...)

I''m going to try experimenting. I really like the idea of flushable litter too - that might be the next bet. Hopefully I''ll find the right litter soon!

The Arm & Hammer one was pretty heavily scented, and I realized early on that the scent + the kittens'' poop made for a very unpleasant combination. I''m with you on unscented.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 7:00:14 PM
Author: LtlFirecracker
I have tried them all (worlds best, pine, tidy cat, and a few more). I use the little blue silicone crystals now. My BF says that one has been the best of all of them in terms of oder. But the others recommended are not bad.


The only one I had issues with was the pine one. My next door neighbor used it and LOVED it. I tried it. My cats hated the particles, so I had to transition them by pouring old littler on top for about 2 weeks. Than when it desolved, it would desolve into such small particles it tracked all over the condo! It was soooo gross to find cat p*** everywhere. On the floor, sofa ect. I think they make a clumping one now to deal with that. But because of that (it took hours to clean) I switched back to traditional litter. My cats instantly jumped back in the litter box and went to the bathroom. They clearly hated the stuff.


You will find what works best for your cats and for you in terms of mess and oder control.


I do agree with the others. Look at the diet. Are you giving them any table food?

No table food at all. Our Chihuahua back home developed bad begging habits because we give him human food, and I''m resolved that our kittens won''t develop the same habits (especially since, unlike our 10 lb. Chihuahua, the kittens will soon be able to jump and get onto everything and get into everywhere). They only eat their wet and dry foods plus some cat treats when I''ve subjected them to something traumatizing (i.e. B-A-T-H-S

). They love love love dried bonito flakes. It''s funny watching their crunch away.

Is the pine litter non-clumping? I''m definitely staying with clumping litter if at all possible - it was bad enough cleaning out litter bits that broke away and didn''t get scooped up by the automatic litter box. Life is much better with clumping!

 

[zoebartlett]

Audball -- I''ll have to look for World''s Best and give that a try too.

 

[zoebartlett]

BEG -- yes, Swheat Scoop is flushable, and one of the best things is that there''s not a whole lot of dust that flies out when putting new litter in. We''ve tried the usual Arm and Hammar, Fresh Step, etc., and we kept going back to Swheat Scoop. We were looking for something natural, flushable, clumping, and relatively dust-free. SS fit the bill on all fronts. I think we did like Feline Pine too, but we still stick with SS. Now that I''ve read good things about World''s Best, I''ll give that one a try.

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Date: 11/6/2009 3:48:31 PM
Author: luckystar112
I used Feline Pine and it is AWESOME. Once you try it you can never go back!

+1 and we have 6 cats!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 7:15:15 PM
Author: ZoeBartlett
BEG -- yes, Swheat Scoop is flushable, and one of the best things is that there''s not a whole lot of dust that flies out when putting new litter in. We''ve tried the usual Arm and Hammar, Fresh Step, etc., and we kept going back to Swheat Scoop. We were looking for something natural, flushable, clumping, and relatively dust-free. SS fit the bill on all fronts. I think we did like Feline Pine too, but we still stick with SS. Now that I''ve read good things about World''s Best, I''ll give that one a try.

I''ll give the pet store a call tomorrow and see if they stock Swheat Scoop - flushable would be wonderful. How is the smell of the litter? Does it smell like anything in particular? Hard to describe with World''s Best, but there is definitely a slight smell to the litter - just a little dusty smell? It''s hard to describe!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 7:26:22 PM
Author: DiamanteBlu

Date: 11/6/2009 3:48:31 PM

Author: luckystar112

I used Feline Pine and it is AWESOME. Once you try it you can never go back!

+1 and we have 6 cats!

6! I don''t think I could handle 6! Two is definitely enough for us - at least until I add a dog too

 

[HVVS]

I''ve found the scoopable cat litter that Aldi grocery stores sell is less expensive than most brands, and with 3 cats that can really load up a litter box, it also controls odor the best of anything I have tried. That includes many but not all of the brands mentioned previously in this thread. I have 2 litter boxes, deep ones, and 3 mature cats. I scoop daily, top off the litter occasionally, and completely dump and scrub both boxes once a week. That works out to less than $8 per week for cat litter, but there is no stink.

 

[purrfectpear]

I wonder if Bengal''s have a stronger odor than more domesticated breeds?

I just bought whatever litter was on sale and fed my cat dry kibble and I never smelled anything at all?

 

[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

 

[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)

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 10:03:51 PM
Author: HVVS
I''ve found the scoopable cat litter that Aldi grocery stores sell is less expensive than most brands, and with 3 cats that can really load up a litter box, it also controls odor the best of anything I have tried. That includes many but not all of the brands mentioned previously in this thread. I have 2 litter boxes, deep ones, and 3 mature cats. I scoop daily, top off the litter occasionally, and completely dump and scrub both boxes once a week. That works out to less than $8 per week for cat litter, but there is no stink.

Thanks so much! I don''t think we have an Aldi here unfortunately!

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

Date: 11/6/2009 10:42:35 PM
Author: purrfectpear
I wonder if Bengal''s have a stronger odor than more domesticated breeds?


I just bought whatever litter was on sale and fed my cat dry kibble and I never smelled anything at all?

Could be! I keep reading that Bengal stomachs are very finicky, so maybe that''s what contributes to the smell too. Good thing my little monsters are so lovable to make up for their stinkiness!