Cat Litter Box Tips - Do's & Don'ts of Litter

Tidy Cats is helping you get back to the litter basics. Whether you’re a first-time cat owner or just need a little refresher on best practices, here’s a simple list of the litter to-do’s and not-to-do’s.

DO

• Scoop waste daily. Cats prefer a clean area to do their business (and we can’t blame them!) So if you’re using clumping litter, scoop and toss clumps every day. 
• Clean litter boxes regularly. Wash the litter box monthly with water and mild detergent and refill with fresh litter. It’s all about keeping things TIDY.  
• Refill the litter box with fresh litter about 3-4 inches deep for clumping litter. This ensures enough litter to cover their waste if they prefer to do so and allows enough depth to form tight clumps. (Non-clumping litter should be filled to about 2-3 inches). 
• Have enough boxes for each cat to have their own, plus one. (So, 1 cat = 2 boxes. 2 cats = 3 boxes. It just goes up from there, you get it!) 

DON'T 

• Flush litter clumps down the toilet (your house plumbing is not made for cat litter) or empty the litter box in the garden (it could attract flies or other cats). 
• Use cleaning products with ammonia, as it could irritate your cat.  
• Switch litter types suddenly. Cats need time to adjust; a quick switch might cause stress in your cat and litter box rejection. 
• Neglect the boxes. Cats like clean, and if a box isn’t tended to, your cat may avoid it, resulting in more “accidents” outside the litter box. 
• Place the boxes in undesirable areas. Undesirable can mean a few different things: too small, too hard to get to, or too close to their food—just to name a few. General rule of thumb: if you wouldn’t want to do your business there, neither does your cat.