The sole purpose of having a litter box is to keep your house clean and free of odor. This does not mean that you are allowed to keep the litter box filthy. You have to clean the litter box periodically without fail.
To keep the house clean, you have to take care of everything that is a part of the house, in that sense, a litter box is a part of the house as well, which means you have to keep it clean.
Cleaning can seem a drag to a lot of people, it surely is. But with this guide, we are willing to help you do it easily and right.
Let us jump into the guide now!
How to Clean a Litter Box
There are more than one factors that affect the cleanliness of the litter box. To keep the litter box absolutely clean, follow all the methods given below.
1. Choosing the Right Scooper
First of all, let us begin with the type of scooper to use to scoop out the poop. In order to perform scooping the right way, you need to choose the right type of equipment.
There are multiple types of scooper available in the market, get a particular one for cat litter. The right scooper will have enough gap in between its mesh design to let the litter pass through. Choose according to the cat litter you use.
Petlovesbest recommends using large-sized scoopers in order to scoop easily and faster. It will allow you to scoop a large volume of litter in a single go. Also, make sure that the scooper surface is non-stick so that the stinky poop does not get stuck on the shovel.
2. Scooping Cat Litter the Right Way On Daily Basis
The easiest way to keep a litter box clean is to do maintenance on the daily basis. You need to grab that scooper and clean that dirty litter box every single day.
The worst mistake most cat parents make is of scooping just from the top and not going deep. This is completely wrong and a lot of poop particles are left out in the litter box even after scooping.
Cats do not like dirty litter boxes, they’re not going to use it any further if they find the litter box dirty and eliminate outside wherever they wish to. So take a scooper and dig the litter box from top to bottom right to the surface underneath without fail. Scoop out all the big to small chunks of dump from one corner to the other.
Follow this routine on a daily basis. It will surely help your cat to use the litter box more conveniently.
3. Changing the Litter
So how often do you change the litter? Some people change it on weekly basis, while some change once every couple of weeks and some on monthly basis.
It all depends on the circumstances. If you have multiple cats, you may need to change the litter more frequently and if not, it may last you a little longer. Also, it also depends on how often do you scoop the litter box. Our recommendation is that you scoop the litter box on daily basis, it will also enlengthen the life of the litter.
However, for parents of a single kitty who scoop every single day, the litter should last for about 2 to 3 weeks on average. The period keeps decreasing as the number of cats increases.
4. Cleaning the Litter Box
What most cat parents miss out on is cleaning and washing the litter box. It is equally important as scooping litter every day.
Even if you scoop litter every day, eventually there will be some feces stuck on the sidewalls or bottom of the litter box.
To make sure that the litter box is completely hygienic and usable for the cat, follow the below routine on a 10-day interval.
- Take some tissues, not the wet tissues with fragrance.
- Put the litter box on a place where your hands will be able to reach each of its ends comfortably.
- Lift the litter box from one side, let all the litter slide away to the other end.
- Now take the tissue, clean the sidewalls and bottom surface thoroughly.
- Dump the tissue and take a new one.
- Repeat the same procedure for each of the side walls.
- If the litter box stink even after cleaning, mix some baking soda with the litter.
5. Washing the Litter Box on Monthly Basis
If you have a plastic litter box, you need to wash it every month. In order to wash the litter box, empty out all the content and take the litter box out as you don’t want any bacteria contaminating your house, right?
Another good time to follow this procedure is when you are going to change the litter.
Take the litter box out, scrub it with strictly mild detergent to keep it kitty safe and wash it off. You may use a hose if you have a large litter box for more convenience.
Tip: To keep the litter box extra hygienic, use some enzyme cleaner.
The EndNote
So that’s it, this was petlovesbest’s guide on how to clean a litter box. Once you pet a cat, you make her live in a safer environment where there are fewer chances of being harmed by any predator or disease. However, giving a safer environment also means that she gets more susceptible to contamination compared to the ferals. And that is why you need to provide her with a hygienic, germ-free environment.
Make sure you follow all the tips given in this article. Also, check out our other articles related to cat and cat litter box.
If you have any query, drop a comment below. We’ll make sure to answer them all.
Cheers!