How to Avoid Changing the Cat Litter Box

It is unnecessary to change a cat litter box every day. Changing the cat litter box every five days is all that is necessary. The urine from a cat will clump and needs to be stirred into the dry litter to be absorbed but changing ALL the litter in the box is an expensive habit.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Covered litter box
• A 25 lb. sack of cheap cat litter (ground clay or clay with fragrance)
• 20 Mule Team Borax
• Pair of latex gloves (optional)
• Cat litter scoop
• Bottle of lemon-scented ammonia or household cleaner
• Roll of paper towels or old rags
• Plastic grocery sacks

1. 
   Make sure the closet does not latch or family member closes door so cat cannot get access

   Fill the covered litter box with 6 to 8 pounds of litter (1/4 of a 25-pound box of cat litter). Two cats use the same amount of litter and owner of more than two cats have a troublesome time getting cats to use multiple boxes. Herding cats is a formidable task. Mix in 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax into the dry cat litter to control odors. Pet owners who use litter with fragrance pellets may skip this step or expect to receive twice the odor defense.

2. Set the covered litter box (also known as hooded litter pan) on the floor of an unlocked closet where the cat can easily open the door. Remove the door closure so there is no chance that the door could accident swing shut. It is a great idea to install a shelf an inch higher than the top of the box lid where the owner stores food, litter and the scoop. The cat can open the closet door to use the box.

3. 
   Great use for that newspaper wrapper. It is best to use a bright blue wrapper of the New York Times because of its wider shape.

   Once a day, scoop the box to sift litter and remove dung with the scoop. Drop the feces into the morning newspaper wrapper and tie a knot and drop in the trash. This dry, foul matter should not give off a smell in the trash can. If you think it smells, double wrap or roll in a newspaper.

4. 
   Scrape the bottom of litter pan until the urine mixes with the dry litter. Don't make a dusty big deal about it.

   Run the scoop along the bottom of the box. Scrape the bottom of the litterbox, mixing the liquid (urine) into the clay to absorb the liquid. By doing this everyday, the litter will last 4 to 5 days. You know it is time to change the box when the cats leave their feces sitting on top (not buried) of the litter.

5. Change the litter. Every five days or once a week at the latest, simply remove the lid and slip two plastic shopping bags over one end of litter pan. Dump the litter into the sacks. Scrape any clump of litter with the scoop into the sack. If the litter mixed into the dry litter each day, there should be little or no clump on the bottom of the little pan. Tie the grocery sacks (tie the inside and the outside bags) and place in trash or remove trash container.

Tips & Warnings

• Once a month, wipe out litter box with three ounces of lemon-scent ammonia or a household cleaner with high content of ammonia. Dry in the sun or towel-dry.
• There is a litter scoop and vertical stand available for $5 that holds the scoop securely and neatly for easy access. A $.89 scoop that hangs on the wall is adequate because it needs to be washed periodically so why wash the scoop and stand? A covered litter box ($18) or placing the litter box in a cat privacy tent ($35) keeps the dust at bay.
• Cat litter is ground clay, indistinguishable from clay-based oil absorbent used to clean oil spills. It is cheap, easy to use and there is nothing better as a substitute. The twenty-seconds it takes to scoop out the dry poop and mix in the urine that settled to the bottom of the box is easier on allergies than dumping a while box of litter. Privacy tents gives keep down the dust. There are cool self-cleaning cat boxes that automatically scoop the litter every time the cat departs the box. In our house, cleaning the box is a shared chore because self-cleaning cat boxes and gas toilets did not exist where we grew up. However, our critter sitter has an automatic litter box and the cat loves it. Cats are not snobs, people are.

[diamondeyed]

on 8/31/2009 This was a helpful article! I didn't expect to learn a lot from it but I did. Thank you! 5*

[mielrellim]

on 7/9/2009 I use an Arm and Hammer cat litter. Never smell a thing. I usually scoop out the dung so it last longer but I never thought to break up the urine clumps. Thanks.

[KuanShiYin]

on 1/14/2009 Never thought of using 20-Mule Team Borax, but that's an excellent product - sounds like this would work.