Cat Litter Deodorizers
You may have seen the powdered cat litter deodorizers at the store recently. These are boxes of baking soda based powders sold by Arm & Hammer and other companies and are available in the pet aisles of large supermarkets and department stores such as Target. They have actually been around for about 10 years now, but are more recently beginning to catch on. A 20 ounce box goes for about 4 or 5 dollars.
Do They Work?
Yes they do! While not performing miracles or anything, cat litter deodorizers can keep your cat litter box fresher for longer. Not only do they keep the litter fresher for longer, but they allow you to change the litter less often. This doesnt really save much money, since if you are using the litter longer, you are still paying for the deodorizer, but for a busy person like me who doesnt have time to change the litter box constantly, it is a big time saver.
How to Use
Using these deodorizers is simple. They work with both the normal clay style cat litters, as well as the clump litter. The proper use is a bit different depending on what kind of litter you are using. For normal clay litters, it is recommended that you cover the entire bottom of the litter tray with a thin layer of the powder. Then put you litter in like you normally would. Then when you have all the litter poured, sprinkle some more deodorizer on the top and mix it gently into the litter. For clumping litters, just put the litter in and dont put any at the bottom. Put the deodorizer generously onto the top and mix it well into the litter so its evenly distributed throughout.
Now I personally use the hard clumping litter nowadays. As my cats use the box, I regularly take out the clumps. The litter in general tends to of course still get nasty after awhile and after about a week or so I still have to do a full litter replacement. Now that I use the cat litter deodorizer powder, I can get away without doing a full litter change far more often than I used to. Now I do a full litter replacement perhaps once every 2-3 weeks! It would never be possible otherwise.
One side benefit is that one of my cats has become more picky about clean litter since we brought a new kitten into the home. The kitten doesnt care and will use the litter no matter what it looks like, but the older one is now alot more picky and will start to do his business outside the box if the litter smells. I have noticed that since using the deodorizer, he will use the box again much longer than he would before, before going outside of the box, which means I have to do a full litter change and wash the box etc.. its definately been a huge help. If you havent tried one of these powder deodorizers yet, give it a try I think you will be happy with the results.