Cat litter

[chaps89]

I have a house cat and have done for many years. But recently his litter tray smells awful (not him, vet tests run and all clear) despite a daily clean of waste (pee and poo) and a weekly empty, disinfectant and new litter. It's one with a lid on too if it makes any difference.
Used wood pellets for years and tried different brands, but (especially in the heat at the moment) after 12 hours they smell and cleaning it out twice a day seems excessive?
Tried clay which smelt and made a huge mess.
Tried silica which was fab day to day, but it suggests taking poop out daily and doing a full refresh either weekly or monthly. I put enough in for a week but the last day or two it smelt and when I emptied it I was heaving the ammonia smell was so bad. Plus it works out quite expensive.
Any other bright ideas please?

 

[peanut]

I use clumping cat litter. If you make it deep enough (4-5 inches) then the wee never touches the sides/bottom of the tray and you can get absolutely all of the wet out and there is no residual smell.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

I won't use anything but the Worlds Best Cat Litter. It's made of corn bits and you lay a deep amount and the wee balls up. No waste, no smell and its biodegradable. You can put it down the loo if you want. They make a lavender scented one now which I quite like but it is expensive. Much cheaper from Amazon than PetsatHome.

Sometimes I find that if the box smells it because it's old so I buy a new one every 18 months and it generally stops it.

 

[npage123]

I've used Lidl's clumping (fuller's earth) cat litter for years now. It's very cheap for what you get and I don't feel too guilty if I scoop out a little bit more that what's probably necessary. I'm quite lucky that my older cat covers her an her kitten friend's wee and pooh with clean stuff. The kitten sometimes thinks it's a sandpit when she has her crazy cat playing phases, instead of a litter tray for ladylike toiletting! I always keep a dustpan and brush next to the litter trays as she still manages to get it over the extra large rim. Plus with all that playing inside the litter tray, she declumps the nice clumps of wee and scatter the pooh all over the plays! Still love her to pieces though! (Maybe I should also invest in those litter trays with the hoods.)

 

[missmatch]

Natures Calling, made with crushed walnut shells and is brilliant. Also good are the baby powder scented litters. I buy these on zooplus. However the walnut one is the best, for me, at covering smells.

 

[chaps89]

World's best is extortionate, does it last long?!
I haven't heard of nature's calling so ill look that one up, thanks.
Replacing the tray might not be a bad idea either, as it's cleaned regularly I hadn't really thought about it.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

I use clumping cat litter. If you make it deep enough (4-5 inches) then the wee never touches the sides/bottom of the tray and you can get absolutely all of the wet out and there is no residual smell.

This. I have it very deep so it is well buried, you need a deep plastic box or hooded tray.
I have a pet disinfectant spray which I find very effective for bins and for general cleaning of pet related items.
Also I put my cat on to raw food, this produces nice small non smelly poos. It is a faff as he wont eat it if it previously frozen and mixed up. Daily he eats room temperature raw beef mince and raw chicken wings which I cut in to small pieces with a knife. He will also eat raw plaice and lamb heart and kidney, and venison, and shell on or off shrimps, just small amounts. Its a faff, requires sharp knives and patience, but 100% human grade and the chicken wings are cheap. He does not like ox heart or egg unfortunately, and what he does not like, he will not eat.
Salmon oil is supposed to be good, [he won't eat sardine at the moment], and fresh minced turkey thighs [taurine is essential for cats]

I started off with good tinned food, and still use liver and chicken in gravy as he wont eat raw liver at the moment.
The standard pet food in pouches is disgusting, he might lick the gravy, but not the solid bits.

 

[HappyHollyDays]

World's best is extortionate, does it last long?!
I haven't heard of nature's calling so ill look that one up, thanks.
Replacing the tray might not be a bad idea either, as it's cleaned regularly I hadn't really thought about it.

Worlds Best is expensive but I have 4 cats and a large bag lasts for months, especially during the summer when two of them go outside. I pay the same for a 12kg bag from Amazon as a 6kg bag cost from PaH.

 

[Darbs]

I use clumping cat litter. If you make it deep enough (4-5 inches) then the wee never touches the sides/bottom of the tray and you can get absolutely all of the wet out and there is no residual smell.

Yep, also this.

I tried a few types, but for many years have been using Sanicat Clumping Cat Litter, in a deep tray that has a lid/cover to keep the litter in when they flick it around, and scoop it out every night (two cats). Its available from most pet shops, this is the product https://www.countrywidefarmers.co.uk/pws/ProductDetails.ice?ProductID=2387

 

[hackneylass2]

I'd change your litter tray and stick with wood pellets. Ammonia does 'eat' into litter trays and the smell can linger. I replace my litter trays every year.

The hot weather does not help!