Need help with possible kitty litterbox problem...

[RetailWorkhorse]

Vinegar is legendary (actually, that's not the right word I should be using but my English skills screw up with a migraine) for getting out cat urine smells.

[Broomjockey]

I was going to just use bleach, but should I go both bleach and vinegar? Or just plain vinegar? (Don't want to mix stuff I shouldn't and then get poisonous fumes!)

Well, vinegar's a fairly good cleaner for removing smells, bleach is a good disinfectant. I'd do bleach first, vinegar after. Rinse well between.

[fireheart]

Vinegar is legendary (actually, that's not the right word I should be using but my English skills screw up with a migraine) for getting out cat urine smells.

If you have white vinegar in your cupboard that'll work just fine. I try really hard not to laugh when I see customers coming through the line with "Cleaning Vinegar." Yes, we actually sell it. I haven't the heart to tell them that they could be getting generic white vinegar for so much cheaper.

ETA: The cleaning vinegar is a bit more expensive in this state.

[Seshat]

I try really hard not to laugh when I see customers coming through the line with "Cleaning Vinegar." Yes, we actually sell it. I haven't the heart to tell them that they could be getting generic white vinegar for so much cheaper.

Heh. I buy the Cleaning Vinegar because it is the cheaper one, where I am.

Vinegar and carb soda (baking soda?) are both great odour-removers. So is a substance sold here as 'Nilodor'. (It's what the shelter we got our dog from uses.)

If the thorough cleaning doesn't do it, get the cats tested for feline diabetes. I hate to say it, but that was the first warning sign from our boy. The litter tray started smelling a lot worse than normal.

I really hope it's just a need to clean more thoroughly though.

[protege]

on more than one occasion I've heard/seen him digging and digging and digging and digging in there, and I go "geez, Neko, quit digging to China already!"

Damn...and I thought Baxter was bad about that. He'll go into the box, do his business, and then spends the next half-hour digging. The noise isn't so bad during the day (when I'm not home ), but it's downright annoying at night. He'll dig for awhile, and then scratch his paws all over the box's enclosure

[It shouldn't]

You've gotten some good advice here, nothing I can add.

and then spends the next half-hour digging.

At least he burries it. Sparty, goes in the box, scrapes out a little dent, does #2 in there, then turns around to smell. As soon as he gets his nose close to it, he does a little yelp/grunt and takes off like a bat outta he!!, out of the box, up the stairs and hides under the bed. It's like he's afraid/apalled by his own stink.

So whenever we see Sparty streaking past and up the stairs, we just get up and flip some litter on top with the scooper, before it permeates the whole house.

[Amethyst Hunter]

I gave that box a good clean-out today. Soaked it in vinegar (luckily we had a whole bunch in the house) then dried it out and put brand-new litter in there (I had wanted to save the previous stuff since I'd just scooped it again and we didn't have any more new litter, but after having dumped it into a plastic bag and then smelling the inside of the bag, I decided against that. Fortunately my dad got me some more new litter).

There is a *definite* noticeable decrease in stench now. I'm hoping that's all that was wrong!