For all the companionship and love your cat brings into your home, theres also one dirty downside to living with him: the scooping and changing of his litter box (lugging home the heavy stuff isnt much of a treat, either). Luckily, there are ways of making this 288 unpleasant job a little easier. If you use the right materials, create a litter-changing routine and keep the necessary supplies in a convenient place, this chore can definitely be made less labor-intensive. We share some tips to reduce litter drudgery. Plastic Bag = Handy Scoop. Instead of a messy litter scoop, use plastic bags instead. You can save the plastic bags from the grocery store and use them to scoop out excrement and urine clumps, especially if you use clumping litter. There is no spilling and less smell, and you can just drop the bag into the trash. You can even purchase bags that are marketed for scooping dog poop, and you can keep an eye out for biodegradable bags to help ease the burden on the environment. Timing is Everything. Ideally, it would be wonderful if you could scoop the box every time your cat used it. But thats simply not practical for most people. What is possible, though, is removing waste from the box every day. Believe it or not, cleaning out the litter box every day will make the job easier in the long-run. By removing the urine and feces daily, youll establish a routine and the job will become more automatic. Its actually more work to leave the mess to accumulate – and then dread getting rid of it. And when you clean the litter box regularly, there is less to clean up. This method has two positives: You can get away with changing the litter less often. If you use clumping litter, you may even go several weeks before having to completely change the litter box (provided that you regularly replace the litter that you remove during your daily cleanings). The other advantage is that your cat will enjoy a clean litter box, decreasing the chances that your cat will stray from the box in search of a more acceptable toilet. For cats that like to scratch like crazy before they eliminate, keep a large rubber mat, a tray or even a large carpet sample under the litter box to catch stray litter before it spreads all over the floor. Heres one important trick-of-the-trade tip for multi-cat households that experts recommend: Every multi-cat home should have at least one box per cat plus one. After a while, you may even notice that some boxes are used more often for feces and the rest used more frequently for urine. The boxes that your cats use for urine needs to be changed more often. Keep Kittys Box Convenient. Most people prefer to hide the litter box out of sight so they dont have to smell or view anything undesirable. But that can actually backfire. Placing the box next to a noisy washing machine or furnace can be a deterrent to your cat. Besides causing accessibility problems for your cat, placing the litter box in an out-of-the-way spot can make it more difficult to keep the box clean. Youre more likely to clean the box regularly if its on your regular route around the house. If you feel that your cats litter box is unsightly, you can try the covered litter boxes. However, not all cats enjoy using that type of box. And it may actually prove to be extra work for you, because you have to clean the lid when you change the litter. Many cats spray urine that lands on the inside of the lid. Finally, stash cleaning supplies nearby. It will be a lot easier if you have everything you need in a closet or drawer near the litter box. That includes boxes or bags of fresh litter, trash bags or regular liners, a scooper or scooper bags and a bottle of disinfectant if you use it. If you keep litter boxes on different floors in your house, its worth setting aside space and supplies near each box. That will save you time and energy when it comes to changing the boxes.
