How do people put up with litter trays?

[DreamOrNightmare]

How do people actually cope having a litter tray? I got two kittens as our older cat sadly died and the kids really wanted some kittens so we got two but omg cleaning the litter tray is just awful! They seem to poo constantly! Every time I clean it it's like they were holding a new one ready for me to clean it so I have to clean it again after just cleaning it! Literally every single time! the smell is horrible, washing it out is horrible, they never and I mean never bury it so it's just sat at the top. I didn't estimate how often cats poo! It's like constant, how do people put up with this it's worse than a baby in nappies!

My cat was the same when I brought her home as a kitten. She’s 2 now and still uses the litter tray for only poos once a day max and it doesn’t have the awful smell it did as a kitten. I clean the tray every time I go past it and use a litter from the pet shop that seems very effective at absorbing odours

It will get a bit better when the kittens grow up. Less frequent shitting.

But yes, it's the most horrid job in the house, and I include hoovering the stairs in that.

It's a good thing I love the cats. Post shit, I don't like them much though.

Also, kitten tax (photo) please, it's the rules!

Older cats use it less, maybe one poo a day plus wee, but that soaks in and doesn't smell. We just de-clump ours once a day when we notice the telltale pong, keep the litter deep so the tray stays clean and give it a complete clean out once in a while. I'd rather they went there than in the garden as mine don't bury either.

We have the litter tray inside a cupboard with hole in the door for access. We use scented clumping litter (BioKat) and just lift the poo out using a dog poo bag every time. If you keep the litter deep then the full tray doesn't actually need emptying and cleaning that often.

We have one that's like a box with a flap door, I'm convinced that minimises smells. You just unclip the top to clean it out. I poo scoop immediately I notice it, and bleach the tray and re litter it once a week, that seems to work OK.

I use clumping litter which I don’t think you can with kittens
thick layer, nothing ever touches the bottom so I don’t wash it often - I scoop immediately and bag and bin outside

Thanks all yes I do it immediately in the day but it's overnight by morning I'm greeted by about 10! 🤮 ok slight exaggeration but it is a LOT!

What litter are you using? I’ve always used Cats Best clumping litter - and I have it pretty deep in the tray. It might seem expensive, but it’s not really - it clumps well, isn’t smelly and, because it’s deep and clumps well, I very rarely do a full change of litter as nothing ever reaches the base etc. if they have a bit of a messy accident, I use unscented baby wipes to clean off any stray bits from side of tray etc.

And I have two Maine Coons who are 1.5 years and 10 months. As a friend of mine said when she came in for a couple of days when I was away “your cats shit like dogs” 😹. Their poo is NOT small !

I guess you are using non clumping litter, as that is recommended for kittens, and the clumping stuff does smell less, so when they are bigger and can move on to that it will all get better. Added to that, as others have said they really do poo less. And you can get a sprays for the litter tray.

I was told that food with a high meat content and no grain also makes for less smelly poos.

Good quality food smells less.
I think most adult cats only poo around once a day. Ours seems on an approx 22 hour cycle, and you always know as he runs around like maniac afterwards. That way I can grab and go before the smell gets around the house.

All bets are off with kittens though. We can probably give better advice if we had a picture.

Our previous cat only used the litter tray once in a blue moon, and would go out in all weathers rather than toilet inside. She sadly had to be pts last year and we now have a little boy cat who loves the litter tray, loves kicking litter all over the floor after using it, and will come in from the garden especially then go straight back out after because he loves it so much. He was a stray kitten so maybe he enjoys the luxury of an indoor poo.

We use Catsan and scoop immediately if we can - but if we’re at work or overnight I do think the litter neutralises smells. He only tends to go once a day (he’s two) and wees two/three times a day. I do a full deep clean of the tray once a week with new litter.

I am like Cinderella, constantly sweeping the kitchen floor.

i also found litter boxes overwhelming at first - didn’t help that my kittens arrived suffering from giardia, which took a few weeks to get diagnosed and treated. Now it’s no problem. I use Cat’s Best litter, which is pricey but worth it. Then I scoop and seal in poop bags and dump into a well sealed bin between trips to the outside bin.

Get good litter tray liners - Amazon do some. And a deep litter tray. Then the liners are so good you don’t even need to be cleaning the tray as the liners don’t let anything soak through- even if they scratch it. Makes life so much easier.

Ive just got a one year old rescue cat. I was not prepared for the smell of her massive three times a day poos and it's really getting me down. She just poos on top of the litter and doesn't bury. The smell is horrific and I'm questioning my entire decision in getting her 😢If anyone has any advice I'd be so grateful

We have a litter box with a cover and flap door - always had for all my cats. Only used the regular open tray for a few weeks when my cats arrived. Kittens learn to use the box very quickly - first with flap door fully open, then properly.

Also - a few years ago we switched to litter crystals - and never looked back.
Smell control and general ease of cleaning has been worth it.

This is what I'm having they just poo on the top and leave it, so much for cats being clean which everyone always says! They literally do it right at the top and zero attempt to bury it and often it's right on the side meaning the poo sticks to the sides of the litter tray so it does have to be washed daily 😔 as they keep pooing on the side (big litter trays so no excuse)

I use catsan. Will try to upload a pic

Are your kittens very young because they usually only poo once or perhaps twice a day from five or six months.

Will you let them out? If not you can get the self cleaning trays that (theoretically) minimise the small because they are cleaned straight after use.

I have two cats and ive found the best way to reduce smell is a combination of a few things. First I would find a good quality hooded tray with a filter, it really makes a difference. Secondly spot cleaning it regularly, I also use a silica crystal based litter which really helps with pee (be cautious if you have other pets or small children incase they consume the crystals. Finally its really worth getting some higher quality food if you can or haven't already. Low quality food will pass through them faster making them poo more often and usually smells worse. Hope this helps :)

Have you got a tray each? That's often recommended.

My cat got ill and now has always stay indoors, my god the smell!! We had a tray with a little door... We would hang his bum out and pooh on the floor! We tried liners- he'd rip them.
He rarely covers his pooh, does it all over the sides and usually some (or all) goes on the floor!
It's repulsive. Especially in the mornings.
Good luck!

Kittens are babies. Think how many nappies get changed in a day versus an adult going to the loo. Same principle. Little and often.

You need one litter tray per cat and one extra otherwise it could end up as a territorial marking place and they will never bury it.

Change the litter, some cats hate the feel of certain ones and will refuse to scratch/bury. My previous absolutely hated wood pellets but would scratch and bury for ages in Morrisons own brand as though she loved the feel. Catsan and asda was a meh from her and she did a half burial.

Last but not least, you might have to gradually change their food. My previous had vile poos on Whiskas or Sheba but non smelly on Felix.

Well they poo less as they grow, doesn't last long and everyone in this house has a designated time of day to clear each tray so between 4 of us it doesn't feel like much work.
Myself and DH do the cleaning and refilling every Sunday, they have one inside and one in their catio, they seem to prefer the catio one on dry days.

Interested in the comments how many use clumping litter. We do, but find it very difficult to find. We buy from B&M but our local supermarkets don’t sell clumping!