# Anyone have "recipe" for homemade cat box deodorant??



## beth1954 (May 19, 2004)

I was hoping that someone had a "recipe" for a cat box deodorant. I love Tidy Cat's and Arm and Hammer's and even some other kinds, but they are very expensive to use very often! I'm hoping someone has a BRILLIANT idea for this!!


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Why do you need such a thing? Seriously, if you think you need a "deodorant," it really means you're not keeping the box clean enough. I have 3 cats and 2 LBs and I scoop at least once a day. You would never know there was even ONE cat in the house, let alone 3. 

Just make sure your box is LARGE, you're using a low-dust clumping litter, and scoop as often as necessary, which if you feed commercial food is probably twice a day. My raw-fed cats have at MOST one poop a day each (usually more like 1 in 2 days) so it's mostly pee and once a day + large boxes does the trick.

A good link on litterbox cleaning:

http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

There is none. Best bets are to keep it scooped regularly (_minimum once/24hrs_) and/or feed your cat a premium diet that allows the cat to digest and extract the most use of its' intake and pass only true waste and not undigested food-stuffs. I have used TidyCats clumping litter and didn't find it terribly expensve, using about 2 40# buckets a month for a cost of about $30. _Average of 10 cats using this litter._ 

I am now using a Sam's Club 40# bucket called "Litter Clean" for a cost of $12-and-change. Two buckets/month cost me around $25.









One 40# bucket should last one cat around 4 months, that is only $3/mo in cost.
_If the box itself is stinky, I would pour the litter into a different container and thoroughly wash the litter tray and hood, dry and then spray-soak it with an enzymatic cleaner and allow to air-dry before setting it back up. Also, some plastic litterboxes can absorb odors over time. Usually through tiny scratches the cats put in the plastic as they dig/scratch and bacteria hide and multiply in the crevises, creating odor. Some sites recommend replacing your plastic litterboxes every 1-2yrs._


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## beth1954 (May 19, 2004)

I should have expected that type of answer. That's why I quit posting on this site a loooooooooong time ago.
Even though I shouldn't have to explain myself, here goes: I have a job that sometimes keeps me away from the house for 12 hours or more a day. When I come home the pans stink. I clean out the pans and then put a little of the deodorant in there. I see no problem with that, nor do I think I deserve to be made to feel like I'm a pig that doesn't take care of my cats. My elderly mother lives with me and is not in the shape to be doing those kinds of chores.

But thank you, Heidi for your kind and informative answer. Not condesending in the least.

I don't know why people just can't be kind to one another. 

"Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of a battle." :fust


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I really wasn't being condescending. If you scoop the boxes every 24 hours you shouldn't have a problem. If you do, add another box. If you still do, I would talk to the vet, b/c stinky poops really do mean that something is wrong.

Adding chemical deodorants really isn't the answer--all those chemicals on the kitty's feet (which she will then lick off) are something to be avoided at all costs.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Why are the pans stinking? I think this needs to be addressed before it can be resolved.

Unless the cat is ill, has digestive issues due to diet or doesn't BURY their waste ... there should be no odor. In fact, the only time I smell odor is for the few seconds the waste is able to release odor into the air in the short amount of time it takes to drop from the cat into the litter and be buried. Once it is covered, odor is immediately neutralized. 
I use only two litterboxes for 8 cats.
One is a standard jumbo hooded pan in the Master bedroom, kept there for the kitties who sleep enclosed with me at night. The other is a home-made LitterChest, it looks like a Hope Chest at 2x2x4, lexan-lined, caulked, cat-flap entrance AND a vent outside that pulls odor and dust out of the house. Thankfully, THAT is the place my lone _I-won't-bury-ANY-stinkies_ cat uses so even unburied, odors until the stinky air-dries are whisked outside and are not a factor in our home.
I scoop only once a day, *never* completely empty/exchange litter, only spot-cleaning the boxes as necessary and adding more litter when it gets low. I prefer to keep the boxes between 3-4" in litter-depth..

Is there enough litter in the pans for the kitties to bury everything and not 'uncover' any previously buried treasure?


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

What brand/type of litter are you using? It doesn't seem right that you should have odor issues with the situation your describe. I tried to get away from clay litters and found that none of the alternatives I tried really did the job. They all seemed to require changing out the entire box every couple weeks because they didn't clump hard enough and tiny clumps would break off that the scoop wouldn't pick up...after a while they stunk. I went back to the clay I was using (everclean) and never have to change out the whole box.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Since it sounds as if you have your mind made up anyway, the old-fashioned "litterbox deodorant," which the cat litter cos co-opted, is plain old baking soda. Just sprinkle some into the litter and stir. Cheap and easy and less bad for the cat than chemical deodorantst.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

doodlebug said:


> What brand/type of litter are you using? I tried to get away from clay litters and found that none of the alternatives I tried really did the job. They all seemed to require changing out the entire box every couple weeks because they didn't clump hard enough and tiny clumps would break off that the scoop wouldn't pick up...after a while they stunk. I went back to the clay I was using (everclean) and never have to change out the whole box.


EverClean IS a clumping litter . . . isn't it?? It always used to be. I'm confused.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yes, Everclean is a clumping litter...I'm confused about what you're confused about :lol:


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

I'm not sure. :lol: Although many clumping litters are technically clay litters, to me "clay litter" means the old-fashioned litters that did NOT clump -- large pieces of clay. Clay litter that DOES clump is clumping litter.  

LOL!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I was referring to clay based clumping litters vs corn or wheat clumping litters.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

AH, o.k. I think of those as non-clay clumping litters. We now understand each other!

All that said, I agree that there are litters and there are litters. I'm a fan of Dr. Elsey's b/c it clumps hard and has no added scents. 

http://www.preciouscat.com/our-products-c-1.html

And if you use a Dura-Scoop you can get every single SMIDGEN of waste out and have a clean box. I, too, almost never actually dump my boxes -- no need to!










http://www.petco.com/product/106655/Dur ... erralID=NA


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I have a Dura Scoop (2 in fact). Those corn based clumping litters just tend to disintegrate and leave behind tiny little clumps that just stink. The clumps don't completely dry out. In fact the litter becomes yellow tinged because individual urine soaked grains or clumps of a few grains break off.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

doodlebug said:


> I have a Dura Scoop (2 in fact). Those corn based clumping litters just tend to disintegrate and leave behind tiny little clumps that just stink. The clumps don't completely dry out. In fact the litter becomes yellow tinged because individual urine soaked grains or clumps of a few grains break off.


Oh, I completely agree!!! I don't use those b/c I've had 2 cats tell me in NO uncertain terms when I tried them that they were NOT acceptable! Dr. Elseys litters are clay clumping litters like EverClean. I just like them better (personal choice).


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## beth1954 (May 19, 2004)

I use Tidy Cat and yes, tiny pieces break off and they are too small to pick up with the scooper.


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## nxmom (Mar 4, 2010)

Ahh, So glad this was mentioned..I just bought a Litter Deodorant..I never thought about the Chemicals being on their feet, but now I can Imagine them licking themselves so much this wouldn't be a good thing. I bought the Arm & Hammer kind which I'm sure wouldn't be a big problem but now at least I know NOT to use this and if you are scooping 1-2times per day then you won't have a crazy smelly box.

Sooo glad I found this website..

And to the OP, don't get discouraged everyone answers things in their own way, A lot of people here have been dealing with cats for their whole lives & they've learned things the hard way so they are just trying to pass on their knowledge. If something ruffles your feathers just pass over it - But don't leave, This Forum is VERY informative & I'm learning so much that I wouldn't have even thought about lol I've always been a dog person so all this cat stuff is VERY new to me.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

beth1954 said:


> I use Tidy Cat and yes, tiny pieces break off and they are too small to pick up with the scooper.


I suggest you try Dr. Elsey's or EverClean. And get a Durascoop -- the difference is HUGE, trust me. 

And watch the video at the link I posted earlier -- really good tips on how to clean a LB and get EVERYTHING. Takes no more time to do it well, I find.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I absolutely :luv LOVE :luv the DuraScoop I bought a few years ago. I don't know how I lived without it. Definitely _The Best Thing_ I've purchased in relation to the kitties' care. I use clumping clay and sometimes little bits will crumble off the clump and fall through the sieve of the DuraScoop but I don't worry about them, I just stir them in. The clay will dessicate the moisture and after it has dried, any bacteria living in/on it will have died as their moist environment dried out. The little bits will eventually get incorporated into another clump and find their way out of the box...


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Yup, I was going to say baking soda too. It's the best.
But, I also agree, from what you're describing, your box shouldn't be smelly. The only time my box got stinky was when my cat's urine became too concentrated (from adding too much dry food to his diet) so it may be a little red flag that something is amiss with one of your kitties. If it continues, I'd take them for a trip to the vet and run a urine sample.


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