Choosing and maintaining your cat's litter box

Among the wide range of boxes available in pet stores, choose one that is spacious enough for your cat to feel comfortable when he’s doing his business there. He must be able to turn around, scrape the material, and squat easily without being disturbed by the walls of the box. The ideal dimensions vary depending on the size of your cat. If you have a purebred cat, such as a savannah, Bengal or Maine coon, your litter boxes should be much larger than those designed for medium-sized domestic cats, for whom the ideal size would be a 60-litre box (12” x 24” x 12”).

In general, it is not recommended to buy a box with a roof or dome. The cat, who prefers to see what is happening around him to quickly identify dangers, may feel vulnerable when relieving himself. Some cats will categorically refuse to enter, especially if there is a door to push. However, there are always exceptions, and some cats will like the privacy that these types of boxes provide.

Avoid putting a plastic bag at the bottom of your litter box. While this is very convenient for the human cleaning it, it is less convenient for the cat, which doesn't like the feeling of his claws getting caught in the bag when scratching his litter box to bury his waste. Instead, choose a high-end clumping litter that will make cleaning easier.

As we know, cats can be temperamental, and this is especially true when it comes to their litter. The cleanliness of the box is undoubtedly the most important criterion for them. Unpleasant odours are caused by the formation of ammonia in the box. Cat urine does not itself contain ammonia. It is when urine comes into contact with oxygen that ammonia gas is formed. If urine penetrates to the bottom of the bin, ammonia could soak into the plastic and the odour would be difficult to remove. To avoid this inconvenience, pour about 3 to 4 inches of litter into the empty litter box. If you have just washed the box, make sure it is completely dry before adding clumping litter. High-quality clumping litter will quickly form solid clusters that will remain on the surface.

Remove solid waste daily with a perforated litter scoop to remove only the clumps and avoid overuse. Add litter if necessary to keep a sufficient amount in the box.

After about a month or, if you use our OdourLock litter, after more than 40 days of use, empty all the contents of the litter box into a garbage bag. Clean the surface of the box with warm water and a drop of bleach, then dry it and fill it with fresh litter.

Never flush clumping litter down the toilet and make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after each cleaning.

Some cats show a lot of enthusiasm when they scratch their litter box or when they come out. It is therefore possible that you may find grains of litter outside the box. The ideal material is lightweight, as it must be thin and soft on the cat's legs. A room near living areas, not too noisy or too open, is the best location for a litter box. This type of place allows the cat to escape quickly if necessary. How can you prevent your cat from spreading litter grains everywhere? Add a soft mat for his paws at the exit of the litter box. You can also add a shield low enough for your cat to jump over in an emergency, but high enough that a lazy cat can simply bypass it.

• Cleanliness: The key factor
• Determining how many litter boxes are needed and their locations
• How to choose the best litter for your cat