Tell me how to have a pet and no stink!

[Cherryana]

So I go to people’s houses and their pets and the pet food don’t smell.

We are thinking of getting a cat but I am worried mostly about smelly cat food.

What can I do? Put the food outside?

What are your pet owning tips for me?

I was also thinking of a robot hoover.

Cat food does stink but feed the cat in the kitchen, keep the window cracked open and clean the bowls properly everyday - cleaning being the Most important part especially in warm weather, wet food that is left more than an hour attracts flies and maggots

Litter trays - use a clumping litter because that way as all as it's used you can scoop out the offending waste when you walk past, no waiting until the litter is well used to dump out the entire tray. Wash tray with hot soapy water then a pet safe disinfectant every time you change the litter. Best place for the tray is the bathro especially if you have an extractor fan

Brush cat daily - stops smelly cat hair being shed all over the house and keeps them looking clean

Feed a good diet - cats fed on a bad cheap diet full of fillers they can't digest equals super stinky huge amounts of cat shit

‘Oko Cats best’ is 100% the absolute best cat litter out there.
Clumps, no smells, a million miles better than Catsan imo

I clean our litter pan twice daily. Wet food gets taken up approximately 15 minutes after feeding.

You get a pet that doesn’t smell…I have 33 tarantulas and they make no smell at all!

I use the wood pellets, my boy doesn’t use tray often (luckily only sometimes in the night) but I find it doesn’t smell at all only of the nice wood type smell and as a PP said it’s really easy to sieve as the wet stuff turns to sawdust .
I didn’t get on with catsan

@SweetPetrichor

You get a pet that doesn’t smell…I have 33 tarantulas and they make no smell at all!

Do you count them regularly to ensure there aren’t any escapees ?

Get a whippet! They don't smell ;-).
Or get a cat but don't have a litter tray. Use dried food.

@Beamur

Cats aren't very smelly. They're very clean animals. Dry cat food barely has an odour. Even wet food, if you put it down for a hungry kitty isn't around for long. Wash beds often. You can get covered litter boxes that retain the smell, again - keep the litter clean anyway as cats don't like dirty litter trays.

Cats aren't clean at all in my experience. Maybe I'm unlucky in that regard. My cats wipe their poo-covered paws after being in the litter tray all over my wooden floors and window sills

MY three cats don't smell, at all, maybe just warm fur which is nice.
Their food is put down twice a day, and they usually eat it all straight away, then wash their dishes straight away. I don't leave cat food hanging about, as the cat next door will come through the cat flap and eat anything if it can smell the cat food. My cats are ginger and white, and go in and out of the house as they please, and I am always amazed how clean they look, especially the white fur which is always sparkling white, despite them all going exploring in the garden etc. They go routing in the soil for mice and voles etc, but cats are always cleaning themselves,

Dry cat food is better for their teeth too.

I don’t think our cat smelled. Our dogs do though, I think. I’m aware I probably can’t tell any more.

My cat never stinks, she goes into my garden to the loo and she only eats dry food, she doesn't like wet food. She is meticulous. She does shed white fur everywhere though.

My old cat at 20 however had inflammatory bowel disease for several years and the house did stink, I had to give her a bath every other day.
But I loved her very much and would have done anything for her.

All houses with pets smell, there are things you can do to reduce it but it’s part and parcel really.

I have two cats who are indoors only and have asked family and friends to be brutally honest if they can smell anything and they say our home smells lovely.
This is my routine below.

Lampe Berger for 30 mins twice a day. This neutralises odours rather than masking them.

Use a covered litter box with a flap door with either Biokat Diamond cat litter or Ever Clean cat litter. The latter is more expensive but there is literally zero smells.

Make sure to open windows every day and to wash soft furnishings like blankets the cat will curl up on.
We have a Eufy Robovac that goes around everyday also.

Thrive cat food is the best, and it smells like human food. Gorgeous! ( I wish my monkeys would eat it haha)

@HPLikecraft

Better than the best cat litter... is having a cat flap and cat going outside for toileting (if living situation allows it!) no smelly litter or poo lying around. Right amount of food and that's it.... no smelliness from cats, as cats are very clean.

Dogs, however.... ! Get rid of carpets, sweep/hoover every day, brush teeth often and bathe dog frequently.

Yes, make that cat shit everyone else's problem instead 🙄

I'll be honest and say that I change the whole litter tray every single day. We use the pine wood litter and a covered tray and it's just so easy to use a small amount of litter and replace it all each morning.It takes about 2 minutes and is so much nicer for our cat as well. If our cat does a poo then it's also removed straight away. The room where the litter is kept nearly always has a window open, and every day I open all the other windows in the house and let the air blow through.I always think this is far more important than adding fake smells to the house.
I have friends that only seem to change litter every couple of weeks or so and their houses do really smell! I'll often find myself almost holding my breath sometimes the smell is so awful. Its particularly bad in one house where the litter box is kept in the conservatory in a sunny spot. Once the litter heats up it's just so bad.

Please don't let your cat just go and poo outside unless you are sure it's in your own garden. Making it someone elses problem really is quite selfish and ruins the enjoyment of gardens for loads of people.

Wash bedding or anywhere that they like to sleep each week as well.

Food is given a small amount at a time and anything not eaten is covered and put away in the fridge. Especially in warmer weather you really don't want it lying around.

@1forAll74

MY three cats don't smell, at all, maybe just warm fur which is nice. Their food is put down twice a day, and they usually eat it all straight away, then wash their dishes straight away. I don't leave cat food hanging about, as the cat next door will come through the cat flap and eat anything if it can smell the cat food. My cats are ginger and white, and go in and out of the house as they please, and I am always amazed how clean they look, especially the white fur which is always sparkling white, despite them all going exploring in the garden etc. They go routing in the soil for mice and voles etc, but cats are always cleaning themselves,

You are so right about that sparkling like the Snow White fur ? How do they do that ? They keep themselves pristine dont they not even any ‘eye bits’ in the corner of their eyes ❤️

If you're worried about smelling cat in your home, I'd recommend getting a dog as well. Believe me, you won't smell the cat.

My cat smells lovely, she poos and wees outside, usually in the neighbour's garden, she mainly eats dry food, although she thinks she is a person and always tries to eat anything we eat. She is quite elderly but is meticulous about cleaning herself, she is a calico and I can never believe how snowy white, her white fur is, her paws are pink. I swear she doesn't smell at all, but she does shed quite a bit of fur, she always sits on clean laundry too.

@TheWashingMachine
I have just had a deep sniff of mine and yep…..he smells lovely
He smells like my bedding which has just been changed - he does sleep with every night though ❤️

Choose the bread carefully - my whippet smells of us - often perfume etc my labs growing up ape add us smelled st strongly of dog - washing only masks this

Yes, make that cat shit everyone else's problem instead 🙄

Our cat poos in our (very large) garden. She's quite nervous and doesn't wander far. We have other cats coming into our garden, too... can't say they bother me. Cats generally bury their poo

My cat spends 95% of his time outdoors so I doubt he makes the house smell. He just smells of grass.

Mine doesn't smell
Cats best litter, and dirty litter taken out immediately
Food bowls/area kept clean
I burn scented wax melts and have windows open every day

Don't get kittens. Seriously, I need some advice. I have always feared a pet smelly house and now I have one. I hate it.
We got 2 kittens and they cangonoutside straight away. You have to wait to get them neutered. And keep windows and doors shut! Well now they are 5 months and we let them out but only when we are home, so when we are out they are shut in the house.
They stink! They fart. The house just smells catty. Even the upstairs rooms, far away from the litter and food. I can't wait to install the catflap but even so, I know when they have been in my room. I hoover all the time, which I think helps, but it is exhausting.
I want to get them on dry food, but do you have to wait until they are a year old? Help me! I have a catty house and I hate it!

Have hard floors and leather sofas.
Sweep/hoover and mop everyday.
Do behind and under things weekly.
Air the house whenever you are in.