Cats
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Easy Cat Litter Box Cleaning Techniques
By: Nancy Wigal
Successful cat litter box habits stem from many different factors. A small
investment of time pays off big with timely, periodic cat litter box
cleaning. The best "Thank You!" from your cat is when she deposits
a gift in her clean cat litter box.
Why should you empty out the old litter and scrub the box? As your cat uses
the box, she uses her claws to scratch litter to cover her urine and feces.
Cat urine gets into these cracks and begins to smell
so bad after awhile that your cat may begin to avoid the
litter box. Old cat litter smells extremely bad, and as you scoop out cat
deposits, the amount of cat litter is less and less with each scoop. If your
cat feels she doesn't have enough litter to cover her mess, she'll find
another solution - usually outside the cat litter box.
While not difficult, it is important to properly clean a cat litter box to
eradicate as much cat urine odor as possible. With a little bit of practice,
you can quickly and easily clean cat litter boxes to ensure consistent
litter box habits from your kitties.
First, empty out the cat litter box into a trash can with a closeable bag.
Don't get too close to the dust and breathe it - the stuff is foul and it'll
cause you to cough! Repeat this step for all cat litter boxes in your home.
If you use clumping litter, be sure to scrape out all litter clumps and
loose bits. When you're scrubbing
out the cat litter box with hot water, you don't want major
chunks going into your drain system. The clumping litter will do exactly
what it's supposed to...clump! If this happens, you'll be calling your
plumber!
Spray or pour a little bit of your favorite enzyme cleaner into the empty
cat litter box. I either use Dumb Cat or Simple Solution. Let this sit in
the box while you proceed to the next step.
Go back to the cat litter box location and sweep up all the loose litter. If
you use a rug or a mat, pick it up, take it outside, and give it a hell of a
shake to dislodge all loose litter granules. Go back inside and use your
enzyme cleaner to wipe down the area where the cat litter box resides.
While this area is drying, run hot, soapy water and put some in the cat
litter box, along with the enzyme cleaner. I recommend you wear rubber
gloves during the entire cleaning process to keep a barrier between the box
and your skin. Use a scrub brush, and scrub out the cat litter box
thoroughly.
Rinse the box well, and let it dry for a few minutes. Check the cat litter
box area, and make sure it's dry. Place the litter box mat or rug back in
place.
Fill up the cat litter box with your cat's favorite litter. How much do you
put in? It depends upon your cat. Some cats like the box filled up; others
only require a couple inches worth of cat litter. Pay attention to your cat;
she'll tell you how much she needs. Be sure to put enough in so kitty can
cover her deposits when she's made them.
Finally, haul out the garbage bag that contains the old, dirty litter.
There's less chance of your house smelling like cat urine odor if the bag is
promptly removed from your home.
How often should you clean your cat litter boxes? I have three cat litter
boxes for two cats. The two most heavily used cat litter boxes get cleaned
weekly. The third, lesser-used one is cleaned every other week.
Repeat this for every cat litter box in your home. Sometimes JJ, my older
cat, will hang around while I'm cleaning the boxes. Once I put them back in
place, he often hops right into one and makes an immediate deposit, as if he
was just waiting for me to finish!
When you're done, take a long, hot shower to clean yourself! It's a great
reward after a dirty job.
Happy cleaning!
About the Author: Nancy has successfully eliminated cat urine odor from her
home, and kept the kitty that caused it. The Cat Urine Odor Advisor helps
you save money and stop the damage in your household by offering solutions
that work together to eliminate cat urine odor from your home. http://www.cat-urine-odor-advisor.comSubscribe
to the Cat Urine Odor Solutions newsletter, and I'll send you my free report
"Four Important Litter Box Basics For Your New Kitten." Start your
new addition to the family off right, and never have a cat urine odor
problem! RSS feed: http://quikonnex.com/channel/view/caturineodoradvisor
Source: www.isnare.com
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