How to deal with cleaning the litter tray

[ChatterMonkey]

I know this sounds incredibly stupid, but I'm struggling massively with cleaning poo out of the litter tray. I've always been extremely squeamish, i can't to things like emptying the hoover or taking hair out of the drain without retching and possibly being sick.

We recently got two kittens, and i cant do the litter tray without actually vomiting. Ive cleaned one poo and was sick outside. Other attempts have ended in me having to go upstairs and let dp finish.

I know it isnt fair on dp to have to do all the poo cleanups, so want to try and get better/get used to it. Currently ive been going through with dp when hes doing it but cant look/think about what hes doing or i start retching.

I think the issue is how easily im sick. So i cant breath through my nose because of the smell, but i have to keep my mouth and jaw clenched shut or ill start retching.

Im getting home from work earlier than dp today so i know its likely there'll be something to clean up so i need to do it.

Im thinking a face mask with vicks in it to cover the smell, so i can breath through my nose?

Does anyone struggle with this as much as me??

We use clumping litter, the cats bury their turds so afyer a short period they don't tend to smell too bad. That may help?

^^ yes!

I saw a lidded scoop at pets at home this weekend, that might help too? (Can’t find it on the website to link)

Another possible solution if you’re going to be using litter trays in the long run are those self cleaning ones, but I’ve not used one so don’t know how good they actually are.

It was similar to this - might even have been the same.

I'm sorry if this is insensitive but why would you get two kittens if you knew you are like this? Wait until they retch up a hair ball all over your carpet. Or just eat too quickly and throw up their food on your bed. It's vile! No one enjoys cleaning up after them. But you just have to. Same as if theres a baby with a pooey nappy, it just has to be done. I wonder if there's anything you can do to desensitise yourself to it? I think wearing a mask might help, as you say. Also second the clumping litter - I can rarely smell my cat's poo. We use Cats Best. A covered litter tray too!

Yes, I'm the same, you're not alone. It's the sight and the smell.
A few months ago we went through 4 months of our cat being really ill with a nasty bug, 10 complete litter changes a day, was so vile I don't know how I did it. Normally he won't go near a litter tray.
Best of luck, a mask and an air freshner spray before you clean up might help..

I use flushable litter which helps as the tray is in the downstairs loo so handling is minimal. Once they’re old enough to go out you’ll probably find they poo outside. However, then you’re going to swap dealing with poo for dealing with decapitated mice or organs left lying around or half-dead birds. Honestly, if that is going to make you ill rehome them now while they’re small and cute enough to go quickly.

Its just the poo i struggle with. sick, dead animals etc i can deal with. Just dont like poo for some reason.

I have the covered scoop which is what enabled me to do the one that i did clean up!

Does clumping litter make poos easier to clean? I thought the clumping was more to make pees easier to clean up. If so thats defo worth a try! Atm we use wood pellets as thats what the shelter had been using before we got them.

I am trying to desensitise, and i think it is getting better, before the smell would make me have to go upstairs but now i can be in the same room as dp when he cleans it.

I dont think its unfair on the kittens though, its getting cleaned, its not like im going to leave it or anything. Its just a bit unfair on dp i suppose haha.

Eventually they will go outside hopefully but still too little for that atm.

I would put face mask on spray with perfume, put vix under your nose. Thick rubber gloves and breath threw your mouth. I have been mouth breathing since DD1 was born and I rarely smell anything these days.

The wood based litter is the worst for smell in my opinion. We use the clumping litter made from corn so it's not too bad environmentally. Not sure you can flush it though? Once it's been buried and covered in clumping litter it's not too horrendous. Think about their diet as well as that makes a huge difference to the smell and consistency 💩. We recently moved ours onto katkin (thanks to someone on here!) and the litter tray is much much better!

I use disposable litter trays from Amazon. They're made from recycled cardboard. I just put the litter in, then when it's time to change them, I can just slide them into a bin bag, sweep up any litter that the cats have spread around, and then put the next ones down.

They're not cheap but for the ease, convenience, and not having to wash out the trays etc, I will gladly cut down on treats elsewhere to keep being able to afford them.

Personally I'd also avoid flushable litter. This is just one article about why it is bad for your pipes as well as wildlife and people betterpet.com/flushable-cat-litter/

Litter trays are right next to the back door so not too bothered about flushable litter.

I like the sound of disposable litter trays, do you have a link to where to get them?

The vicks worked better than i expected, managed to change the tray without too much retching...!

Will look into using clumping litter, although have just ordered 20kg of the wood pellets so will need to work through that first haha.

You can buy robot litter trays that self clean everything up straightaway. Expensive but there’s no point you feeling like this all the time and they’ll always need a tray or they’ll toilet in the house.

we raw feed our cat and his poos don’t really smell - they’re small and firm too, so not in any way gross to clean up. We use the wood pellet litter, which also doesn’t smell unpleasant.

Don’t try and scoop the poo, just change the whole tray every theee days. Take the top off slide it all into a bag, spray cleaner into the tray and wipe round with kitchen paper and that goes in the bag too. Job done.

We use clumping litter, the cats bury their turds so afyer a short period they don't tend to smell too bad. That may help?

My boy does performative poos. There is the scratching of the litter, the perfect positioning of the bottom, the silence whilst he is dedicated to defecating and then the digging to China which results in all of the litter being pushed aside whilst his poo sits atop a small mound like a mountaineer's trophy. This is followed by him finding his favourite human (me) and carefully licking his bottom right in front of me.

Thus, despite the flushable and clumping litter his poos still stink the place out.

I do find that they are better with quality, high meat-based food though.

We have the self cleaning litter robot. I’m a bit embarrassed to admit how much it cost but it’s amazing for an indoor cat. DH changes the liner in the sub tray about every 5 days but it’s just a case of tying it up and putting a new one in. No scooping required and it’s not stinky.

My boy does performative poos. There is the scratching of the litter, the perfect positioning of the bottom, the silence whilst he is dedicated to defecating and then the digging to China which results in all of the litter being pushed aside whilst his poo sits atop a small mound like a mountaineer's trophy. This is followed by him finding his favourite human (me) and carefully licking his bottom right in front of me

😂Ours has taken to popping his head out of the litter box and trying to make eye contact while he 'goes'. We got him the lidded kind for privacy but he's having none of that.

OP, get something like this if you really can't stand it Litter robot

My boy does performative poos
Ah well, shit happens 🤣.
When ours do that, a quick trowel full of litter thrown over the offending turd covers a multitude of sins smells.

One of mine sings the song of his people before, during and after pooping. Its like a Siamese shitting opera.

I can heartily recommend a good quality clumping wood-based litter. It makes the pee clump and it dehydrates the poo making it less smelly. I clean the clumps out every day (into the toilet) and the litter lasts for MONTHS, with occasional top ups. And it's fine to put the clumps down the toilet, been doing it for years. I use this one Cat's Best Litter

Put only about a CM of litter in. Once anything's done put the tray into a binbag, upturn it, hit the fuck out of the tray from the bottom until it all falls out.

Bring the tray out, seal the bag, and out it goes.

Put tray in garden by drain. Boil kettle. Spray tray with bleach spray. When kettle is boiled pour over tray to clean. Upturn to dry.

When dry bring inside and go back to top of my comment.

Get world’s best cat litter. It’s expensive but worth it. I’d put it really deep in the litter tray as it’ll encourage them to bury it. Then I find the litter sticks to the poo, I admit I have a poor sense of smell but I smell nothing, it doesn’t even really look like poo, it’s just cat litter nuggets……Ferraro rocher as dh says! Get a carrier bag and a scoop and scoop the nuggets.

Another vote for cats best litter, its pricey, but great. It first really smell at all imo.

Take a look at their diet too, my much older cats are on dried, all in one food, ultima plus. They love it, and it seems to agree with them too, I get it online from zooplus, same as the litter.

Also, have you paid the cat tax? The price for all our advice is kitten pictures I'm afraid!!

We use vancat litter as Dh has an issue with cleaning trays. It stops the smell
and instantly clumps.
a self cleaning litter tray or disposable ones can be found on amazon. We always keep the scooper in a plastic bag, for speedy clean up.
a mask can help, but also can ‘prime’ your bodily reactions to what you are about to do. So may not help everyone. Tiger balm is better than Vicks!!! Sometimes sucking a peppermint can help control gastric urges.
finally - if all else fails, try having several litter trays ready to go, wrapped up. If necessary you can then swap the trays and put the used one outside for Dh to deal with , whilst having a fresh one for the cats and you to ‘enjoy’.
fwiw, Dh says it is has become easier for him over time? …

*it doesn't really small at all rather. Interesting seeing about it drying the poo out so it doesn't smell, that sounds really likely.

And definitely yes to the poo nugget Ferrero rocher!!!!