how often do you fully clean out the litter tray?

[sonsmum]

By cleaning, I'm meaning a removal of all litter and a disinfectant clean and replacement with fresh litter. This is an enclosed tray for 1 cat's use.
I had anticipated doing this once every 3 weeks (litter packets says once a month). However utility room was starting to pong so I fully cleaned out the tray today and it is only 2 weeks since this was last done. The litter absolutely reeked. I can still smell it now in my nostrils. How often do you do a full clean?!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I used to do weekly.

[2kidsintow]

Weekly.
Remove mess as and when it is there on a daily (or more) basis. We use the litter that is the wood pellets. It's great. You can see when it needs changing as it breaks down into non-smelly damp sawdust.

[WhoNickedMyName]

Weekly for me, at least!

We are in a tiny temporary home for a few months till our new house is built, so we've kept our boy indoors.

I'm not used to a litter tray at all. It is in the downstairs loo and it stinks the place out. I'm hovering over him every time he goes so I can shovel it out straight away.

I can't wait to move so he can go out again.

[sonsmum]

hmmm i see, thanks. I think i'll do it weekly then. I could tell the litter was on the turn, as had changed colour. I had been topping up with fresh each day, but tray was getting a bit full.

[sonsmum]

also (i am new to cat ownership) our cat goes outside via cat flap after being inside for 3 weeks (only got her in December). I had been expecting her to toilet outside and only use litter tray in emergencies (!) however she seems to go in the tray all the time! I thought cats that went outside would toilet outside? Is this not so?

[MissFenella]

weekly here too

[TwatWeevil]

Also weekly here.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Weekly, but washing up liquid not disinfectant or he wees on the dining table.

[cozietoesie]

Every couple of weeks in the winter - perhaps more frequently if the weather is really hot. I have a good deep bed of clumping so deposits don't reach the bottom and can be scooped out as noticed (along with some extra litter, usually) and the remains just topped up.

sonsmum

At least two of my cats who went outside preferred to do their duty in a litter tray. (Coming in to use them and then going out again if they wanted.) I think it depends on the cat - and they preferred inside. Safer, not so exposed, warm, dry and (Huh!) self-cleaning! What's not to like?

It doesn't/didn't bother me. I don't mind cleaning trays and it sure saved any arguments with neighbours over poo in their rosebeds.

[cozietoesie]

PS - it's also quite useful for keeping an eye on their health. You can tell a lot about a cat from their peeing/pooing routine.

[NettoSuperstar]

Every other day, four cats, two enclosed trays, and I use wood pellet litter.
I am going to get another tray, so will do a bit less.

[SecretNutellaFix]

I do weekly- I have two cats who share and if I leave it longer it really pongs.

[umiaisha]

1 cat and 1 tray - weekly. Was doing it three times a week at the start!

[MirandaWest]

Somewhere between weekly and fortnightly.

[BonaDea]

Do all of you have indoor cats? We have two cats, one cat flap and no litter tray. They go outside in all weathers and never in the house. Just saying...

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

2 mostly indoor cats, one covered tray, full change every 8-9 days with silicate litter which is great for absorbing urine & not smelling

(the mostly indoor thing is for the benefit of our neighbours - I used to to hate it if someone else's cat crapped in our back yard so I figure if our cats don't know they can go outside, everyone's a winner)

[Fluffycloudland77]

I have an outdoor cat with a curfew.

[TheOneWithTheNicestSmile]

\link{http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/tigerino/99821\this litter from zooplus} Do NOT bother with the scented kind.

£3.33 a bag if you buy in bulk - works out about £2.35 a week for me (mind you my 2 drink a lot & wee a lot so it turns round quickly)

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Two mostly indoor cats, with us since October and kept in during the hours of darkness, two litter trays, topped up once a week, full clean once every 3 or so weeks. We use a clumping litter, just take all clumps out once a day and all poos immediately they are detected, also wipe any smears off the side as and when they occur. There is only a smell when there is an unburied poo. I am hoping they keep using the trays longterm as although it's a bit of a nuisance for me I absolutely hate cat poo in my garden and I know my neighbours do too.

[hoppingmad]

I'm the odd one out here as we do full change every day! 2 kittens, 2 litter trays but we don't put a huge amount of litter in. Just can't stand any residual smell tbh. We do use the cheap pellets from home bargains (99p a bag) so it doesn't cost much and I prefer them to more expensive brands.

[LST]

When it's been used. We have 3 cats and a toddler though.

[Cybercat]

Two cats, one tray & a cat flap! I line the tray with newspaper and use Tesco everyday value litter. It gets changed daily but I only disinfect if the tray itself starts to whiff.

[AwkwardSquad]

Daily. We have one cat. We use wood pellet litter and give her a few handfuls in a deep tray, then empty, rinse two or three times and scrub if needed, dry and refill every day. Scoop poop into the loo as soon as we notice it, so it's not left sitting in the tray.

[HarpyFishwifeTwat]

Two indoor cats - one tray is fully cleaned every 3/4 days but obviously scooped as soon as poo is noticed. The other tray is hardly ever used so I do that maybe once every 7/8 days.

I use the wood pellet litter and it breaks down into sawdust when used so a rule that I follow is when there is a majority of dust rather than pellets.

[catameringue]

Hardly ever.

Dig for treasure once a day, top up litter once a week, clean the whole thing and ditch litter as required.