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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 16:18:07 GMT -5
About a year ago, my sister ended her 2 year relationship with her ex, and she moved back home. It was a very bad breakup, and the boyfriend quite literally stole her 2 cats (one of which was a kitten they'd only had for 3 weeks) and gave them away.. which was doubly heart breaking for her.
Since then she's wanted another, but my parents (mother in particular) are set against having a pet cat in the house because of litter box smells. My mom loves animals, but she insists that a cat will stink up the house.
My sister offered to keep the cat in the basement (where her bedroom is), but there's not exactly a whole lot of air circulation in a basement.
So.. with all of that said..
My sister's birthday is coming up and I would like to take her to the humane society to adopt a cat.
I've never owned a cat, however, and I have no idea if my mom's concerns are valid. The only person I know of with a cat is my aunt and you definitely can not smell it in her house. ARE there ways to keep the odors down? What if the litter box stayed in the basement?
Do those special litters and air ionizers really work?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 16:22:15 GMT -5
What will the cat be eating? The better quality food, the more smell reduction you get.
Scoop multiple times a day, add baking soda to the litter.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 16:23:40 GMT -5
Clumping litter and scoop it as often as possible. The better litter is worth it and I haven't needed an ionizer. I have been using Fresh Step clumping, I have an automatic litterbox, I line the little poop box with a plastic shopping bag so I don't have to keep buying the little boxes  Even without an automatic, just scoop it often like with ferrets  |
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Post by goingpostal on Jun 22, 2011 16:44:59 GMT -5
Honestly for me the worst smell is the litter smell and the dust from clay litters, it seems to get everywhere! I'm seriously considering going to sweat scoop or something but cats are so picky I'm worried about changing. I feed raw so there isn't really any icky smell and I scoop at least 2-3x a day just like the ferrets.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 17:54:59 GMT -5
I also can't stand clay litters... they have a horrible perfume-y smell of their own and don't seem to cover up kitty odors. We've had better success with stuff like swheat scoop or those absorbent crystals (our cats aren't picky so I get whatever's on sale).
Also, they're are on a mostly raw diet, which has made a huge difference for us. The couple times they've had to eat kibble for more than one meal, the litter box smell was horrendous. Seriously, they wrecked that thing. Definitely consider getting the kitty onto at least commercial raw!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 18:46:34 GMT -5
if you have petsmart around you then I would get their brand of clumping litter. at Petco I would choose their clumping brand for multiple cats. those are the only 2 that I have found that I like of any of the brands. also, switching to raw also made a huge difference
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Post by Sherry on Jun 22, 2011 19:41:04 GMT -5
Will she feed raw? That would reduce any odours tremendously, but urine is always going to smell somewhat. Scooping a few times a day, and baking soda like the others mentioned would be the best bet.
So, before getting kitty, will your parents finally agree if the odour can be kept down?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2011 21:03:44 GMT -5
All our animals are fed commercial raw/freeze dried, kitty would be as well.
I would not get the kitty if parents said no, I do not wish to be disrespectful. I just gotta keep chippin' away at it hehe. But having your guys' input is something I can show to them that will help.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 22, 2011 23:51:20 GMT -5
Good luck, and fingers crossed for her!
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Post by acodlin on Jun 29, 2011 12:34:36 GMT -5
arm and hammer makes a spray and a powder you can put in the cat boxes that helps cut down on the smell. I use that, scoop boxes 2x a day (I have 4 cats so its a must) feed high quality food (mine eat kibble  ) I brush them twice a week to cut down on the kitty cat tumbleweeds that blow across the floor O.o I also have a bath and body works wall flower plugin next to my cat boxes and that helps too. I hope she gets to rescue a kitty two of mine came from the pound.. its hard to go in there and see all those sad faces but I know they have a limited about of time and it made me feel good that I saved those two from certain death. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2011 14:15:44 GMT -5
I agree with all the advice given above. I find that having more than one litter box really helps as well. They say the general rule is one more litter box than the amount of cats you have. Also a sealable garbage can to put the litter in after you scoop it (or take it directly outside) makes a HUGE difference in smell. Good luck convincing and I hope you get to get a rescue kitty too! |
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