# Refresh cat litter how often?



## Paul36 (Nov 14, 2009)

The most expensive thing about my sweet little kitten is refreshing his litter tray. It's ridiculously expensive for a bit of clay but what can I do.

I take out his left behinds 3 times a day and add up some new litter. What is the longest possible time I can keep using the remaining litter this way before I have to completely throw away everything? I mean the litter left behind is pretty much clean isn't it?

I'm doing it once every 2 weeks now but I don't like throwing away 10kg/2 bags. My cat can eat a month of raw food from that.


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## nanook (Jun 12, 2005)

Well, it depends on your kitty and the litter. 
I would say, with one cat, if it scoops well, it should last about a month. Obviously, if it starts to smell at all or look nasty, it needs to be changed.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Unless a kitty has a *serious* (_contagious_) medical issue, I don't change out the litter, EVER. 8O 

I use a clumping clay litter. I currently have 8 housecats (_I've had as many as a dozen_) and only two litterboxes. One of those litterboxes is actually a home-made Litter Chest (2001), the size/shape of a Hope Chest, lined to be water-tight with a cat flap at the center front. I scoop solid waste and pee-clumps once a day and add a 40# bucket of litter about every other week to keep the litter level between 4"-3" deep.

Yes, there will be little bits of the pee-clumps that crumble off the large clump as I scoop and shake the loose litter through the scoop-seive. 
Yes, there will be some small 'bits' of solid waste that get missed or slip through the scoop-seive. 
IMO, these little waste 'bits' left behind do not cause any problems because the clay litter acts as a desiccant; sucking the moisture out of them. 
No moisture = no smell and no moist home for bacteria to live. Eventually these little bits get incorporated into a pee-clump and removed. They really don't stay behind forever.

In more than 8 years I have never fully replaced the litter in my large Litter Chest. I scoop religiously and I keep fresh litter added. I have had to "spot-clean" the sides of the LC when a poopie has been accidentally smeared on a wall, maybe 3 times in 8yrs?


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## Paul36 (Nov 14, 2009)

**** just refreshed it haha. The bag sais maximum one week but they want to sell offcourse...


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I know it! I always LAUGH at toothpaste commercials when they put a 3" squeeze of paste onto a 3/4" toothbrush head. If someone used that much toothpaste they'd foam so much they'd look like they had rabies! :lol: _...but the toothpaste manufacturer is *hoping* that people will see that extravagant amount on their commercial and it will influence the consumer to use more product so they have to purchase more often._

If your bag of cat litter is NOT a clumping or scoopable type ...the kinds that just soak up the urine until it can't soak up any more... making a solid layer of damp litter on the bottom of the pan, then that would require you to do frequent complete changes.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Paul36 said:


> I take out his left behinds 3 times a day and add up some new litter. What is the longest possible time I can keep using the remaining litter this way before I have to completely throw away everything? I mean the litter left behind is pretty much clean isn't it?


I almost NEVER dump the whole box. Are you using clumping litter? If so, and if you are carefully removing both poops and all urine clumps at 1-2 times a day, and adding fresh litter (a cup or so each time), you don't have to dump the whole box very often. I may do it twice a year. I have a Biddy Cat box, whose shape allows me to get EVERY SINGLE piece of wet clump:

http://www.biddycat.com/

I have 3 cats and 2 boxes, I scoop 2X a day, and the boxes are extremely clean.  I use Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter, which is on the pricey side, but I use MAYBE one bag a month total ($16).


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## ~*Regina*~ (Apr 16, 2008)

I use scoopable litter and change it out completely once a month. And when I do the daily cleaning, I add a scoop of fresh litter.


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## cmw0829 (Nov 23, 2008)

The Biddy Box is interesting.

We use 2 boxes for two cats. I scoop the boxes 1x per day. I fully change out all of the litter about every 3 to 4 weeks but very rarely add litter in between. I do change the pans every week to week and a half - pour the litter into fresh pans and wash the old ones out. 

I've tried most commercial clumping litters and like Fresh Step the best.


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## nikelodeon79 (Jul 21, 2009)

We only change ours completely if it stinks.  I can't remember the last time we had to do that!

I've never actually read the directions on litter... but it doesn't surprise me that the recommend changing it that often.

It's sort of like those filter pads for fish aquariums. It is actually extremely harmful to change them out... yet the box says to change them something like every two weeks. Craziness.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

nikelodeon79 said:


> It's sort of like those filter pads for fish aquariums. It is actually extremely harmful to change them out... yet the box says to change them something like every two weeks. Craziness.


Mmmm . . . not exactly. Once the nitrogen balance has been established in the tank (gravel), you can change out the filters w/ impunity. Having a bio-wheel on the filter helps -- those you do not change. Filters should be rinsed out at every partial water change (weekly) and replaced every few months. 

Off-topic, I know. Sorry!!


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## nikelodeon79 (Jul 21, 2009)

hoofmaiden said:


> nikelodeon79 said:
> 
> 
> > It's sort of like those filter pads for fish aquariums. It is actually extremely harmful to change them out... yet the box says to change them something like every two weeks. Craziness.
> ...


Aaaah a fellow fish fiend! 

I was talking about changing out the filter pads like is recommended on the box. I change mine out when they fall apart (never changing all of them at once, of course). I pretty much only use canister filters now, though. Got sick of HOBs breaking down!

P.S. I believe most of the beneficial bacteria is indeed in the filter... rather than the gravel. I've done complete substrate changes (gravel to sand... I only have sand in my tanks now) with no ammonia or nitrite spikes.


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## furryfriends251 (Jan 1, 2009)

I'm finally starting to clean out the straw mow cats "litterbox". 

Their litterbox is the entire strawmow floor. Its covered with straw and I don't think its been cleaned in several years! So of course with so many cats up there its getting bad...though cleaning it isn't too fun. Especially with several helpers :lol: 

They do have 4 actual litterboxes up there as well. For those I use wood stove pellets and I clean those every day if I have enough time.


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## Mrs. PBJ (Dec 29, 2009)

I clean out bosses litter box Once a day everyday. And do a major clean out once a month maybe if I notice its getting bad hubby generally does the two littler boxes one for cat one for rabbit. If he cleans them everyday he does not have to change the litter ever

So once a month or when ever I notice. Sense hubby is bad about scooping everyday. and I refuse to do litter boxes


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

If I'm free, I usually scoop up her litter every time she goes, but I don't usually add any back in. I change the entire contents and clean the litter box once a week. However, it looks like perhaps I can try to do it every 2 weeks if it doesn't get too messy.


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## hoofmaiden (Sep 28, 2009)

Alpaca said:


> If I'm free, I usually scoop up her litter every time she goes, but I don't usually add any back in. I change the entire contents and clean the litter box once a week. However, it looks like perhaps I can try to do it every 2 weeks if it doesn't get too messy.


It really is sooo much easier if you just add litter every time you scoop. I have one of these 










near both litterboxes, with a cup in each. I scoop the poop/pee, then add a scoop or 2 of litter. Takes no time, and the box is ALWAYS fresh and clean!


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