I love my kitties. I’ve always loved kitties. It’s a soft spot in my heart. I’ve taken in strays, shelter cats, and rehomed cats, but boy-howdy, I DO NOT love the litter boxes! However, if you have indoor kitties like I do, we deal with it. It is a necessary task no different than cleaning my bathroom or doing laundry or dishes. It’s a must, so we do it. I could avoid it by just having outdoor cats, but then you deal with fleas, catfights, wounds, potential infections, veterinary bills, and so on. Litter becomes a much smaller issue in that perspective.

That said, it is still no fun and can be a messy, smelly ordeal. For almost thirty years, I have been battling the annoying, tiresome ordeal of cat litter problems. Currently, we have five cats. Yes, five! Having five cats demands I have a good-quality litter to keep the smell under control. It’s not an option. FINALLY, I discovered a method that has worked for me for several years. I have reduced the cleaning effort, the smell, the mess, and the number of litter boxes I once needed. I have tried several brands, which are the best I can find, and settled on these two. Here’s my method and my sources.

I use two types of litter for my cats: Arm & Hammer Platinum Clumping Litter and Boxie Cat Litter. I use a subscribe and save ordering method via Amazon, so I get my products delivered right to my door monthly. THAT saves cost, time, and effort to begin with. I mix these two litters when they arrive from Amazon. I get one of each for the month. If you have fewer cats, you will go through less litter. This is how I keep the smell under control and the price down on the litter every month.

Many articles claim you need one litter box per cat. That’s true with many brands of litter on the market. With a standard gravel-type or clay litter that doesn’t clump, you get a powerful urine smell because the urine drains to the bottom of the litter box, and you are forced to get in there and clean that mess out more often. It would be best if you dumped out the entire box each time. You need to wash the bin out or the smell remains. But when you use cleaners strong enough to kill the urine smell, the cats don’t like reentering the box because this new invasive smell bothers them, and they will find alternative places to potty in your house!

Cats don’t like change. Many are very finicky. Some don’t like certain textures of litter.  They don’t like certain smells. Too many changes cause stress for kitties, and if the litter box is a stress issue for them, they will not use it and will be soiling your house elsewhere. Once you have established something they accept, they don’t want you to change it. Using the current method and materials has kept my boxes much cleaner and easier to maintain. I’ve been able to cut down to two boxes for five cats. I wouldn’t even try that if this didn’t work. This has been a long trial-and-error method I’ve put to the test. Even with two boxes, we never have them both occupied simultaneously. I have had multiple boxes; they consume a great deal of space, take considerably more litter, and the cats still bounce around from box to box. I felt there had to be something that worked!

It felt hopeless, but I continued trying. It wasn’t until I mixed these two brands during a brand change that I found together they gave me what I was looking for. Five kitties potty a lot! Cats don’t like a nasty bathroom any more than we do. They also deserve better than that. You will greatly reduce or eliminate “accidents” if you keep their box(es) clean. The mix I use contributes to neutralizing smell and it captures liquid and clumps wonderfully.

When I clean my box now, I’m not forced to change out the litter boxes completely. I scoop the litter boxes three times a week. That sounds like a lot to some people, not enough to others, but this works for me. It is easier to maintain the boxes as I go, rather than waiting for them to get gross and then having to dump out everything each time. It only takes me a few minutes. After I scoop, I add three 12 oz scoops full of new litter that is already mixed and add a little litter Arm & Hammer Litter Box Deodorizer on top.

The particular litter box I use also contributes to neutralizing smell and it captures liquid and clumps wonderfully. My litter boxes are covered boxes with plastic doors. They have odor filters that I change once a month. For me, using this process prevents the smell from being out of control. I’m forced to have the litter boxes in my living room (since I live in a small house) with a wooden room divider to allow the cats privacy, and if I have company, they do not have to sit there and look at the litter boxes or the cats doing their business.

I purchased all of these through Amazon. I have Amazon Prime and have the products on auto-ship except for the litter boxes. I buy new boxes once a year because hinges and latches, etc., wear out with use, and that is the only time I fully change out the litter. It really does stay quite clean if you scoop well. When I change the boxes, it takes extra litter to refill, but it’s easy to maintain. By doing it this way, I save money and time as the litter and supplies automatically show up at my door and I do not have to worry about it. I love the auto-ship process because I set it up once, and then I do not have to worry about it as my litter arrives on time each month. I get an email before they charge my card, informing me my products are about to be shipped. They also give you a more significant discount if you buy items on auto-ship. This is truly a win-win situation.

Below, I have listed the products I use and links to them to obtain them.