Litter Box Cleaning

[SallyS]

@Dr. Jean Hofve, @Dr. Jeff, @Dr. Christina
Hi! I'm not a new cat owner, but I realize I better finally get to the basics with litter box cleaning. I've only been in the habit of going a long time (months, years) between litter box washings. Using clumpable litter and scooping as soon as noticed seemed to be good enough for my cats. Down to one cat now. She only uses a box once before moving on to another box. Dr. Jeff, you told me in consultation that I should wash them every 4-6 weeks. So I washed all four of our boxes, which was not an easy feat, as my boxes are on the second floor and wash sink is in the basement. Anyway, I'm now wondering:
Where and how do you dispose of the old litter? Four boxes-worth made for some pretty heavy trash for our trash collectors.
Do you add litter to the boxes as the level goes down, or just wait til the next washing (so as to reduce waste of litter)?
And obviously it seems that if some boxes aren't used too often, you could stretch out the time between washings?
And are the boxes really in need of frequent cleaning if wastes clump nicely and don't touch the sides or bottom of the box?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Here's a pretty good summary:

. As your cat gets older, it may become important to have a box on every level of the house, since arthritis may discourage much going up and down stairs. Lining up several litter boxes in one place is kind of wasted, but there should be at least 2 in a house with one cat. You MUST wash scoop daily, and wash boxes at least every month even with one cat. The smell does penetrate into the box itself. Maybe in the future only wash one box at a time and alternate so it's never a giant load for you or your trash guys!

 

[SelinaR]

I have three cats [used to have four] Something that might make the daily cleaning easier is a LitterGenie. This is a product that was originally developed for diapers, but the concept works fantastic for kitty litter. You can find them on Amazon, Chewy, Etc. I had a cat that was doing territorial marking and using this cut WAY back on litter box odors - really, eliminated them with daily cleaning - and greatly reduced her stress level. I have one for each litter box and also keep the litter right next to the box for ease of management. The bags can get pricey, but there are less expensive versions if you search. I also scrub their litter boxes right in the tub [with a scrub brush] after dumping the litter in a doubled garbage bag. [definitely double it] I just make sure any remaining litter bits go down the toilet so the drain doesn't clog.