We have a 18 week old kitten and the only time we smell anything is when she does a pile. DH dumps the whole things every other day. When she is older we will use clumpable litter so all types of waste can be removed.

You can help prevent them kicking litter out of the box by using one that was a removable top (either a complete top or one that just covers the edges of the box). Just make sure they are big enough to get into it. Our kitten dogs like crazy too. She has to get it all "just right" before she will go.

When I had my adult cat, and used clumpable litter, I would empty out the clumps about twice a day. And that was one cat. So I would say twice a day is about right for two.

That's it... I am going to try something new! They have reasonable quality food- kitten range- so I hope that isn't it.
To make matters worse it's summer here in Oz and we have AC so can't open the doors to let fresh air in. I keep thinking the AC is probably 'helping' make the smell by cycling it through the house.

Are you using the clumping litter? If so, I'd suggest trying another brand. Don't know if you have this product in Oz, but Arm & Hammer makes a box of cat litter box deodorizer; I think it's in the pet section at our grocery stores here. You sprinkle it in the box with the litter.

You may just be overly sensitive to the smell because you're not used to it. If none of the above ideas work and you live in your own home here are 2 suggestions. My girlfriend bought a kitchen cabinet (at a builders discount store)and installed it in her garage next to her WD so it serves 2 purposes. The center of the cabinet has 2 doors and each end has a small cabinet and drawer. The center cabinet has the potty box. One side she uses for washing supplies and the other side she uses for cat supplies. They removed the false drawer front above the double cabinet and stapled screening material on the inside of the cabinet for air flow. Then they built a cat door in the wall between the DR and garage that goes into the cabinet. The cabinet doors have magnetic locks on them so the cats can't escape into the garage. Or you can do what I did. This pic was taken before we built the patio cover and before I put a covered potty box on the ground level. But you can see the cat door that goes directly into our kitchen/DR and on the right side is a door that allows us to go into the run. The bottom shelf on the right has a hinge so I don't have to crawl into the run. We have three cats and they spend alot of time out there.

A lot of litters just do NOT absorb odors well at all.

The dust from clay litters sets my allergies off so I was using the crystal pearls for a couple of years with our two cats. They absorbed odor well (MUCH better than traditional clay litter) but they were expensive.

I finally switched to Shweat Scoop and love it. It is the best at keeping down odors, it clumps well, and it's cheaper than the silica litter. I did have to buy a metal scoop (check in the kitchen supplies section of any store if you can't find one at the pet store - or if the ones at the pet store cost a fortune) and unless I put a layer of baking soda in the pan first, it tends to stick a bit on the bottom, but I can deal with it.

Plus, once you find a higher quality food, not only will the smell of the their waste go down, but the quantity will go WAY down.

I'm still gagging at the thought/look of my girls' box after vacation - the in laws couldn't find their normal food in the closet and bought some cheap grocery store variety instead of calling us and combined with the cheap clay litter they also decided to use it was just a gross smelly mess.

You may want to try the Feline Pine. I have found it works better than any other litter I've tried. I scoop about every other day, but only have to totally change the litter about once a month. Keep in mind that's for one cat, but still the best I've used.

It's got to be your litter. Keep trying different types until you find one that works better. It definitely shouldn't be smelling that bad with you as on top of the cleaning as you are. You can not smell the cat box in my house at all. Also, I live in Florida so I run the AC most of the year. It's not a matter of me being used to the smell either, because my best friend has 4 cats, and I can always smell it in her house. Last time I was there I went into the the bedroom that they've given over to the cats & I nearly gagged! LOL

bluesbarby I love the patio cat apartment. Congratulations!!

Clumping litter - it is the best thing since home made bread - NO smell - just scoop the poop and piddle pancakes - it is amazing how far things have come in the kitty litter world .... OH, I love the kitty house - LUV that!!!!!

I use "EverClean" Litter that I but at the Pet store. It is expensive but I never smell anything

I have an old indoor cat and recently her litter box was about to drive me out of the house, or her out one. Even the ammonia odor from urine was horrible. I changed her food to the Science Diet that you can find in pet supply stores. The odor difference is amazing. It seems to have also cut down on how often she is going. My vet told me that certain food will make them go to the litter box more. Who knew?

I use the zeolite crystals. It is expensive but it lasts a month with one cat. I have three and two boxes and it lasts about 2 or 3 weeks. I clean the hard bits everyday and stire it every day for the urine. No smell ever.
But, it does track all over and is crunchy and drives me crazy. I need to find some kind of mat that will grab it from their feet and to which they will not object.

Kittens have stinkier poop because of the dairy in their diet. Kitten chow has different ingredients than cat chow. I have a feeling that when they get old enough to eat regular cat chow, their poops will not stink as much. And using a high-quality cat chow really will make their poops smaller and less frequent. The high quality foods are more digestible, so there's less "bulk" coming out of the system. I mix baking soda into my cat litter every time I scoop (every other day for me). I also have one of those "oust" air freshner fans sitting on top of the box (which is in the laundry room), and a small plug-in air purifier plugged in next to the box as well. The smells don't really bother me, but I am mortified to think of anyone coming in my house and going "Wow, smells like litterbox in here!"

Can anyone recommend a dry food that results in less smelly droppings? Our cat doesn't eat wet food. Thanks, Lizzy.

My husband and I were concerned about the litter box smell when we got our kitten a little over a year ago. I use a covered litter box (the top pops off) and Arm & Hammer kitty litter. If your kitty's are messy the covered box is the way to go. I tried several litters and like Arm Hammer the best. It clumps and is very easy to clean and we never smell anything. Only scoop out every 2-3 days, add a little more and then totally clean out every couple of weeks. The better food may make a difference. I only feed him Science Diet or PerformanceEdge right now. When he was a kitten I fed him Iams, but he stopped eating it (not sure if he just got tired of it or doesn't like it). When he stopped eatinv Iams, I bought him Friskies and within a month his coat was thinner, dull and not as healthy looking. I only give him canned food once in a while.

My cat didnt like the covered box. Hes too fat and I think hes claustaphobic. When he did use it he stayed in the opening and kicked sand out the door.

I use a heavy plastic storage container. I keep it half full of scoopable litter. More liter more absorbing. He can dig as much as he wants and the sides hold it in.

I clean it out several times a day. Its sturdy enuf that I can lean on the edge. I thought the covered one was a pain. Everytime I cleaned it I had to take the top off. Which meant that I sometimes skipped a few cleanings. ;-)

Cats are too funny, he must have really hated the covered box to get the litter outside of it :-). My cat loves it, he is right there whenever I clean it and he likes the privacy of it, but he has been using it since he was a kitten. They are all so different. As I said I don't have to clean it but every couple of days and it never smells, I think due to the combination of the covered box and the Arm & Hammer.

Lizzy--High quality cat foods will result in smaller, less frequent and less stinky poops. For example, Iams, Science Diet, or Purina One (which is on the low end of high quality). The proteins in these foods are more easily digested, which means that more of the food is "used" by the cat, and less is pooped out. It also makes their pee less stinky, because protein the animal can't use gets excreted in the form of ammonia in their urine.

It's pretty difficult for some people to justify spending up to twice as much for the high quality food as they do for the store-brand or lower quality brands (Alley Cat, 9-Lives, etc). Personally, I don't buy the high quality stuff because I wouldn't be able to afford to keep all my animals if I did, and it doesn't bother me to clean a stinky poopy litterbox. But if I had the money in my budget, I would buy it. My fat cat used to be on Iams when she was younger....when we switched to Purina is when she got fat.

Another solution for those who's cats don't like the covered boxes, try the "Littermaid" automatic litter box TENT - not the automatic box itself, but the tent sold separately. It is much bigger than a standard covered box, and any old litter box fits inside. I love it, keeps the mess out, and I think a covered box is WAY better at containing odors (as well as above mentioned good quality food/litter). But it takes up more room...

Oh boy my cats would LOVE that patio, better not show them how the other half lives...

<.>

Sam's has a good product called OdoBan Stain Remover. Carpet and Upholstery Laundry and Fabric cleaner. Good for pet stains etc. Spray around the area you're concerned with. It works pretty good.

I have found that Proplan cat food really decreases the litter odor, and it combined with tidy cat, very little if any detectable odor occurs.

I've had good luck wit "Fresh Step" litter. I only clean the box when I smell it or it looks horrible, every few days. I mix it half and half with cheap litter. I buy baking soda in bulk and sprinkle that (around a quarter cup) in the bottom of the pan, so odors won't penetrate the pan plastic. Then 5-6 layers of newspaper, then the litter.

Canned food does make smellier poop. We notice whenever the kids decide kitty needs a treat and buy her some.

Be careful about using scoopable litter with a kitten. I help out with cat adoptions and the "foster moms" have mentioned to new adopters that they shouldn't use it until the kittens are older. Unfortunately, I don't remember the reason!! I agree with all the comments about using a premium food. It can make a big difference.

I have 4 cats. Everyone is amazed at the lack of odor. You can't even tell that I have them (ok, there *is* some fur on the couch) :-)

I have 4 litterboxes. I use Swheat Scoop litter, and I remove the clumps every other day, and clean the entire box every 2 months (please never use ammonia for this). I've had cats for 38 years & Swheat Scoop works the best to control the odor.

In the past, when I have fed medium-quality foods lke Iam's, Science Diet, etc, their poop was MUCH stinkier. Now that they eat a commercial prepared healthy raw diet - zero smell! It's so odd. Please don't even consider feeding anyone that junk they sell in the supermarket. One look at the label with prove that - fillers like corn, wheat hulls, flour, sugar - it's ridiculous what some companies get away with putting a bag & calling "food". Think about a wild feline - do they eat corn? Flour? No! They hunt,and eat meat.

I highly recommend a raw diet, and a better cat litter. Think about what you eat & how it affects you. The same goes for your pets.

Cats make wonderful pets & wonderful friends. They deserve the best you can afford! :-)

As far as any mess outside the box, again, having cats for 38 years, the absolute best product I have found is Simple Solution. I had a senior kitty who had a lot of accidents...daily...and in my *living room*. Oh boy! However, Simple Solution completely got rid of the smell. It's an enzyme which literally *eats* the urine, so it's 100% gone!

Water, people. The answer is water. I "get" the whole RAW diet thing. But that's an expensive way to go. I don't know about all y'all but I'm broke. And the situation isn't getting any better. The answer is water! Make sure your cat(s) have plenty of fresh water to drink. Encourage drinking by diluting water with a tiny bit of chicken broth, or tuna water. It's even more important for our kitties than it is for us! Beingz-how cats are so susceptible to urinary disease, and the litter box makes the situation more critical. (cooties, cooties, everywhere) Make sure there are water sources everywhere your kitty goes. Tuck a water bowl in the kitty condo/tree. One near her bed, and of course by her food. I use filtered water, and a drinking fountain, and misc bowls all over the place. My last cat, Pete, an indoor/outdoor cat, lived to be 24! I know it's the water. My present cat Sweetie Pie eats about 2 Tbsp Fancy Feast per day, and then Science diet crunchies. (and the occasional mousie) I use whatever litter is on sale. She's also an enthusiastic excavator, so I use a large high sided storage container as litter box. (no lid. Who'd want to do their biz in an enclosed box?! Port-o-let? eeeek!) I clean the box on Sunday. Once a week. I currently have a cat and a dog and the 3 of us go thru about 2 gallons a day. No littler stink, no square poops, no vomiting of hair balls. Water, water, water! Your pets will thank you! (so will your visitors!)