As a cat owner, have you ever wished there was an ultimate guide to keeping your cat litter box area clean? Well, I just wrote it. As much as I love my cats, the areas where I keep their litter boxes are far from my favourite places in my home.
While carpeted floors can often conceal the cat litter tracked around the home, hardwood floors constantly remind your feet just how gross cat litter tracking becomes! Thankfully, there are ways to keep that kitty litter at bay!
Ultimate Guide to Keeping Your Cat Litter Box Area Clean
Here are some useful tips on how to keep your cat litter area clean:
1. Evaluate the type of cat litter you are currently using in your cat’s box. This might seem like an obvious tip, but change can be hard. We often end up using whatever litter was on sale or whatever litter our parents preferred to use on their cats! This is 2019 and there are more options out there in terms of different options for cat litter than ever before!
With choices such as clumping litter, litter crystals, pellets and more, there really is something out there for everyone’s taste. One litter that currently stands out is Tidy Cats Lightweight Litter. You are getting the same great clumping litter of Tidy Cats, but light enough to carry with ease!
2. Go with a better litter box. For many of us, we find it easiest to run down to the local grocery store and get whatever cat litter box is available. However, this rarely pans out as the best choice. Litter boxes are made with all sizes of cats in mind. Take a look at your cat and ask yourself, “how big should my cat’s litter box be?”
While most recommend two to three inches of cat litter, you need to determine how deep your cat is digging in their box. You may want to go up to four inches of cat litter to get optimal coverage. Putting four inches in a cat box would then require you to get a litter box with high sides so that litter isn’t scratched out of the box by your cat.
3. Choose a low-traffic area for your cat’s box. Your cat values privacy when it comes to their business. Just like you appreciate a quiet bathroom experience, so does your cat. If the cat litter is in a high-traffic area, then your cat will be more likely to have a hasty poo/pee. A hasty poo/pee means more litter tracked outside the box when your cat exits.
I personally put my cats’ litter boxes downstairs behind a closed door. I have a cat door installed on the interior door so they can go in and out of the litter box room easily. It gives them privacy and stops the hasty exits!
4. Utilize a cat litter mat. No matter how well you succeed in perfecting steps 1-3, litter will be tracked in your cat’s paws. It is inevitable. However, the solution is to catch that litter on your cat’s paws before it tracks around your home. This is where a good cat litter mat comes into play.
I have tried countless mats throughout the years and honestly, most perform decently. I came upon a cat litter trapping mat recently that caught my interest and is getting some great reviews. The mat comes in a variety of colours, which is a fun added bonus!
5. Be prepared to clean daily. Unless you go for a self-cleaning litter box, you will want to set aside about 15 minutes a day to dedicate toward cleaning. Your cat wants a clean litter box. A daily cleaning means less of a chance for your cat to step in a previous pee/poo area of the box and track it around.
A daily cleaning also helps eliminate those nasty smells that go with a litter box in the house. Keeping on top of the cleaning saves time in the long run. Keep a small hand brush and dust pan set aside just for kitty cleaning! You can also vacuum. Keep in mind that cat litter dust builds up and you don’t want to kill your vacuum.
6. Pay attention to how your cat uses the litter box. No one enjoys being in the same room as a cat in the litter box. Yet, how your cat uses the box will always give you valuable information. You might find that your cat has a hard time going into a larger box. You may find that she prefers the litter box to be facing away from the door, etc.
Keep in mind that paying attention while you are cleaning the cat litter box is valuable as well. You can make sure your cat is having consistent bowel movements, identify blood in stool, and so forth. It may not be fun, but it must be done!
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