Litter tray care and maintenance- I’m a newb, please help!

[BasinHaircut]

I adopted a cat 2 days ago. Never had a cat before. It was all a bit of a rush so I just went to pets at home and bought any old litter, didn’t realise but I’d bought a ‘smart pack’ which has litter ready in a tray liner you just roll out into the tray x 2.

Anyway, I know I’m meant to scoop it every day, but does that mean for poo and wee? Cat has only done one poo so far which I’ve scooped but how do I know when he has pee’d and if you have non-clumping litter how do you know where it is etc?

I haven’t pee scooped yet and when I scooped the poo just now, underneath the top layer looks pretty wet so I’m assuming there is lots of wee in there.

Should I need to fully change the litter every 2 days or should I be trying to identify and scoop out wee as and when and topping up litter?

The cat is in 24/7 just now obviously as we have only just got him so I guess I’ll need to keep on top of the tray more than if he was getting out and about.

But going forward should I get a clumping litter to make it easier to scoop out wee?

Does anyone have any recommendations on which litter I should use? I’ve got catsan at the moment and he is using it no problems.

I thought this would all be self explanatory but I’m a bit confused! I’m so paranoid it’s going to smell if I don’t do it right

TIA!

I empty the whole thing every couple of days.

Catsan is the best cat litter. Wood cat litter sticks to little paws.

Really you should upload a photo of your cat so we can assess it's needs...

I have 2 cats and use large enclosed cat litter box (I have removed the flap). I fill it in with Tesco wood pellets and have a large grey mat underneath (to catch wood dust).

Poo is scooped out immediately and pellets replaced either once a week (when most of it turns to sawdust), either when it starts to smell a little bit.

Sorry! Photo attached

So do I need to try and scoop out wee? Or is it impossible unless you use clumping litter?

Was going to try a clumping one next bit I have heard it just gets stuck to the box and is a bit of a nightmare. Although I have got a liner in

We have always used clumping litter (Sainsbury's own brand is good, recently discovered the Costco one is even better).
I just scoop out any soiled litter and top up. No liner, no need to wash out the tray.

I have used many different litters with my current cats: wood pellets, non clumping, clumping (Sainsbury's/Aldi/Waitrose/Catsan/others) and, after being sceptical, I am a total convert to World's Best.

I scoop out every evening.

I seem to use far less of the World's Best litter than any of the other brands. I think it clumps really well and it's made of maize (claims to be flushable but I'm not going to risk that!)

Lovely cat @BasinHaircut

I use the smart packs. They are expensive but very convenient if you have one cat. I change the litter pack once a week and scope for poo every day. I don’t bother about the wee, it doesn’t clump and if you change the pack weekly you’ll be fine

No you can’t scoop wee unless your using clumping - I personally use non clumping as found the clumping does stick in the tray .
I use a liner scoop out the poo and change the whole lot prob every 4 days or when I can smell the wee.
Congrats on the adoption great thing to do x

Catsan smells bad really quickly. I like clumping stuff best as you can scoop pee and poo. I currently have a pets at home fine clumping litter but have used other sorts too.

Cats best oko plus - tracks too much
Worlds best - good but is expensive
Cats best smart pellets - good and doesnt track as much - also quite pricey
Clay clumping is also good but you need it to be deep to prevent sticking to the bottom - it is heavy too

I'm not sure if World's Best works out way more expensive as it seems to last longer than the other brands I've tried. I wish I'd made a note of when I startEd the big bag I got from Zooplus.

It does seem to track (Or scatter, I'm not sure!) but our trays are In the utility room so it is confined to there.

I did used to use worlds best mixed up with smart pellets but now use cheap ultra clumping stuff as the cats rarely use the tray now

Gorgeous kitty!

So, my approach is a bit over-engineered because my cats had a giardia problem, but thought I'd share the benefit of much trial and error. My kit consists of:

1. Cats best clumping smart pellets

1. This litter tray - I slowly learnt that the sieves can't be used with the pellets, but having two trays is great
2. beco dog poop bags
3. scooper

I put in quite a deep layer of litter so they can dig.
Morning and evening, I give the tray a shake, and the pee moves to the top in nice clumps. I scoop whatever's in there into a bag and seal it for disposal.
Once a week, I tip the whole lot into a bin bag, give the tray a good going over with the scoop - easy to dislodge anything sticking - and then swap out the clean tray underneath.
Then I let the soiled tray and the scoop soak for a bit in hot water and zoflora.

If your cat's bodily functions are normal I think you might be able to get away with a two-weekly clean.

I'm a relatively new cat slave, so I'm sure the more established owners can improve on that. But it seems to be working for my beasts.

I use world's best litter, the urine clumps into a pretty firm lump which is easily scooped.

I scoop the trays for urine + faeces each day, and change and wash the whole trays every 2 weeks.

I have two trays for one cat, and because it clumps so well you can remove all the urine (unlike some I've used in the past where the clumps break apart easily and are very hard to remove).

I also flush world's best - I've been using it for around 5 years, and never had any issues at this house or my flat previously.

I know some people have concerns around toxoplasmosis and flushing litter, but on balance I think my 10 year old cat is very low risk.

Thanks all. Going to get a clumping litter at the weekend. Sounds much more logical!

as the cats rarely use the tray now

Mine come back inside to use the tray and then go out again 🤦🏻‍♀️ Bastards.

One of mine does that too, soup. Little furry fucker.
If you shop at Waitrose or Ocado ever, the Waitrose ultra clumping litter is fantastic- it never smells and is indeed ultra clumping so easy to scoop (I god this makes me realise that I’m going to have to chick Ocado when they phase out Waitrose. It’s that good.)

I empty the whole thing ever time there is a poo in it. Two cats so about twice a day but we use very little litter, just a covering at the bottom of the tray. I was the full thing once or twice a week.

My cats are indoor though so obviously keeping on top of the litter tray is more important than if they were doing some of it outdoors. I am also paranoid about the smell, loads of my 'cat friends' houses smell of cats because they only change the litter ever few days.

The very very best litter I have ever found in my 25 years of cat ownership is a paper based one from pets at home. It's absolutely brilliant, doesn't track at all so no 'dust' and no smell. It's not the cheapest but it's no more expensive than the likes of catsan which stinks.

Ooh, mistermagpie please send the link. Even with the anti-track mat my cats get the pellets everywhere.

I think trial and error are best, when choosing a litter look at the size and shape of the granules. If you had soft paw pads is it a substance you’d want to tread on?.

Scoops can be a bit rubbish, a child’s spade from a bucket and spade kit works better.

Sometimes liners get caught on their claws and they don’t like that.

as the cats rarely use the tray now

I'm very happy for mine to do this, as it means they aren't upsetting the neighbours or digging up my herbs.

Oh bugger. I meant to copy the bit about them coming back inside to use it.

Oh, I agree. I do think "at least the neighbours are happy".

Another fan of clumping. I must admit I don't know which brand, I just get what's on offer at the local Pet/Farm store, much cheaper than anywhere else.

I do use liners though, as it makes it easier to keep the tray clean. Pick poo and pee every day, change once a week.

I only change mine once a month! I use intersand classic litter.