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mudlady_gw

Cat litter odor control.

mudlady_gw
14 years ago

I have two males and one female, all neutered. All use the litter box faithfully. I use Arm and Hammer Super Scoop, Multi Cat, or any of the clumping clay formulae they make. I don't notice that any kind of A+H controls oder any better than any other clay type they make. I sometimes add extra baking soda to the bottom of the pan before I add the clay but I don't think it boosts the odor fighting capacity of the A+H. As early as the second day after I have done a complete change of the litter I sometimes notice a strong amonia odor when I pass the room with the litter boxes. I am uncomfortable if I have any company because I fear I may simply get used to the urine odor and not realize every time the boxes smell bad. I Googled to find the best litter for fighting odor but I didn't get any good information so I am asking cat owners of this group what brand/type of litter they feel is best at odor contorl.

Thanks.

Comments (10)

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    Everclean--hands down. We tried a few others over the years, just to see if they worked as well (Tidy Cat scoopable w/ crystals, PetGold, Feline Pine scoopable), and none came close. You could smell urine odor with all the others, and none at all with the Everclean.

    FWIW, we use the Everclean ES (for multiple cats; harder-forming clumps) in the unscented version (but sometimes it's still heavily fragranced; despite complaints to the company). IMHO it is the best out there.

  • Rudebekia
    14 years ago

    cat mom spoke for me! I second Everclean ES--it is just fabulous at odor control. Until I moved into a one floor condo (from a house with a basement where the litter box was kept) I didn't worry about odor. But with the litter always nearby in a bathroom I sure did. I tried a couple of brands, and the Everclean is by FAR the best at odor control. It is head over heals over something like TidyCat that I used previously. It is expensive, but worth it. BTW, I have two cats, one big litter box, and scoop twice per day.

  • booboo60
    14 years ago

    I have never heard of Everclean; I wonder if it is sold in only some parts of the country? I was going to suggest Scoop Away (multiple cat formula).I buy the big container at Costco and it really works. I have tried them all too; in fact I think the Arm and Hammer was one of the worst for smell!!! I will look for Everclean too, I would like to give it a try.

  • cat_mom
    14 years ago

    It's sold all over. I usually get it a local, family-owned pet supply store, but I've seen it sold at Petco and Petsmart as well.

  • sduck2
    14 years ago

    I use PetGold but now might try the Everclean. (Thank-you) I try anything if it is unscented. There's nothing worse then the scent of cat litter, expecially since we know it's cat litter.

  • live_wire_oak
    14 years ago

    Well, the best odor control is to scoop daily, or twice daily. But, the best I've ever used is Arm and Hammer. Even after a week's vacation (where my sis came in to feed & water but not scoop) it really wasn't bad at all.

  • betsyhac
    14 years ago

    I have 5 cats and I agree that the least amount of smell is intolerable. I stay away from any litter with clay in it bc the thought of my cats inhaling any dust and having it clump inside them is horrific to me. I used to use Feline Pine clumpable, but found it way too expensive and messy. I now use a product called Gentle Touch (see link below), which I really like bc it's not terribly expensive, I love the smell of it, and I find that if I keep up with cleaning the messes out of it, I have no odor. It doesn't clump (little pellets, like Feline Pine or Yesterdays News), so it takes getting used to as far as cleaning the box, but I like that it soaks up the messes. Problem is, it's hard to find. I've recently moved and can't find it in my new area. I'm going to ask my local store to carry it and see what happens. My second choice would be either Feline Pine or Yest. News soft paw pellets. None of my cats have a problem with walking on these types of litter.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Gentle Touch Litter

  • purplehooker
    14 years ago

    We've been using World's Best Cat Litter for several years and love it. It clumps well and it has a similar texture to clay but it's all natural. Odor control is good (though Neomi's poo reeks to high heaven and I don't think anything will cover it!) and there's no fragrance - it just smells like corn. I haven't priced other litters in a long time, but I don't think it's much (if any) spendier than other good quality litters. We have 3 cats and 2 litter boxes; I scoop one of them daily and the other once or twice a week.

    My MIL uses Swheat Scoop (or something like that) but we think it always smells bad. I think she also tried Feline Pine and some paper litter (don't remember what that one was) but the cats didn't really like them. We learned from her experiences and went for something different - and got lucky that we (and more importantly, the cats) like it.

    Here is a link that might be useful: World's Best Cat Litter

  • kelly_indiana
    11 years ago

    Realize this is an old post but in case it helps anyone... we have 5 cats and nobody ever smells 'kitty' in our house. In fact the first thing they say is "your house smells soooo good!" It took years but here are the tricks I've learned...

    We use corn based 'chick feed' from the feed store as litter. It's the exact same as Worlds Best Cat Litter but 1) half the price 2) fully organic and 3) smells much better. Saves a TON of money.

    We scoop all boxes 1x a day and change ALL the litter out completely weekly. This is critical. In addition, we throw some Baking Soda in the bottom of the box ea week before adding litter. Helps a lot.

    We also buy a miracle product called "Bad Air Sponge" from Bed Bath and Beyond (about $10 ea) and 1 called "Just Good Air" or something like that made by Yankee Candle. These air deodorizers last 2-3 months - you can tuck them anywhere and they just WORK. I put 1 Bad Air Sponge & 1 Just Clean Air in the hallway with the upstairs boxes and 2 Bad Air Sponges & 1 Just Clean Air in the basement where I keep 3 boxes. This works well to absorb any odors that occur between daily scooping.

    Lastly the upstairs hall box has a Sears "Air Purifier" running on low next to it most of the time. I run that more as "extra insurance" since I have one kitty who can seriously leaves some bombs! Also any odor from that landing can easily get down to the LR area and I don't want that.

    Weekly, we vacuum and mop down the litter box room floors with Murphys Oil Soap and water, being sure to get the woodwork next to the floor as well. Stink realllllly lives in dust so keeping the dust wiped down I've learned really helps with odor control.

    That might all sound like a lot of hassle/cost to some but its all very easy to maintain once I got the 'variables' set into place. I don't spend more than 5 mins a day on scooping and then not over an hour on the weekend between changing out the litter and doing a quick vac and mop.

    And in terms of cost, for me at least, coming home to a fresh smelling house every day = priceless! lol-just like the commercial!

    Hope this helps! Kelly

  • catmax
    10 years ago

    Just joined so hi everyone. Saw this post and wanted to add my two cents. We had major problem with three cats in one box. We tried everything but just got new annoying scents in most cases. Someone recommended NonScents Odor Control additive and we tried a free sample they're giving away on Amazon - amazing it actually worked to get rid of the odor so I think we'll get more. Hope that helps. Would also like to know what people are doing these days to prevent hairballs? We have a problem! Any suggestions and thanks!