Being a cat parent is quite a jolly blessing until it seems fuzzy due to the cat litter smell. Well, you would be using a litter box and still wonder why the odor buildup and such a foul smell.

There are plenty of reasons behind this, as using a litter box and maintaining it for cats is a complex task.

Yet, the stinky smell in your bones makes it difficult to breathe and enjoy your moments. You can’t even live happily with your cats, and they, too, start behaving absurdly due to it.

So, if you are looking for how to get rid of the litter box smell, then I have covered you all with it!

Why Does Cat Pee Smell So Bad?

Pee is a waste product of cats. Just like human urine smells terrible, the case is similar to that of cats as they follow a similar mechanism. This is because cats have the waste product urea.

The latter breaks down when leaving the cat’s body and breaks into chemicals in which ammonia is a primary compound.

However, the urine is even present in the cat’s urine, rendering it foul or stinky. Further, when it mixes with old urine or poop in the litter box, it creates a greater bad smell.

It’s similar to the odor in dirty and uncleaned washrooms; hence, cleaning the litter box timely is essential.

Does Cat Urine Make You Sick?

No, though the cat smell is legitimately a mess due to ammonia, it isn’t harmful enough to make you sick. The latter is less dangerous than many other harmful chemicals.

However, it’s noteworthy that anything in excess amounts is terrible. So, inhaling in such a place can be difficult if you have a surrounding with lots of cats and urine all around.

How to Find Out Where Cat Urine Smell Comes From?

When you suspect a cat urine smell, it is essential to determine the source of the smell. Check the origin of the smell, whether from the litter box or outside any place.

Is The Smell From the Litter Box?

Well, cats are playful animals and, hence, can also urinate outside the litter box. Apart from their playfulness, a dirty litter box or an underlying illness also accounts for why the furry baby litters outside the box.

Therefore, sniff around and check where the pungent order is strongly present.

Check if it’s from the litter box, on your bed, under the carpet, in shoes, and even in the nooks and corners of your home.

Trace everywhere wherever your cat goes or usually goes. Sometimes, it can be inside the cupboard, kitchen counters, hot appliances, or around the sink and bath area.

Moreover, It’s essential to note that even Urinary Tract Infections cause such a smell, and cats might even pee outside the box.

After suspecting such locations, you should consult a veterinarian if they are littered anywhere outside. Thus, you could diagnose why cats are peeing outside, curing and removing the smell.

Unsure Where Does The Smell Comes From?

When you already live in a cat’s household, it develops a persistent odor, so you might be unable to suspect the smell. Here’s where you can ask an outside or your friend to sniff it out.

If nobody can help, you should get a black light (a kind of flashlight). This light shows pee stains and similar, which an ordinary flashlight does not.

So, you should check with the flashlight outside the litter box to detect such stains. If it doesn’t show up anywhere and instead in the litter box itself, then your cat isn’t littering somewhere else.

Why Does Litter Box Even Smell?

If you know that the litter box emits a foul smell, which is not the usual case, you would wonder why it does happen!

Below mentioned are the reasons why a litter box even smells:

1. Dirt in The Litter Box

The most basic reason the litter box smells is that it’s unclean. Many of you would be using clumping litter, which traps urine in clumps, so you might not clean it regularly.

However, it’s essential to note that scooping the clumps daily is necessary to avoid the smell. 

Besides, if you use non-clumping litter, it absorbs urine, causing a lesser smell. But the odor will persist if you don’t clean it regularly or if the cat litter is more than usual.

Therefore, dirty wastes develop a foul smell. It’s essential to check when the litter box is full and scoop it out. 

Color-changing litters also exist, which change color when the urine is fully absorbed. So you can change it with another batch. 

2. The Litter Box Itself Is Dirty

Usually, the urine and poop are on the top of the litter; however, sometimes cats even defecate on the sides or bottom of the box. This leads to a foul smell because the waste is in contact with the litter box and not the litter.

How to Get Rid of Litter Box Smell?

By now, you would have been familiar with why the litter box smells and the underlying issues behind it. Based on the causes, several workarounds exist to eliminate the litter box smell fast.

Let’s dig into the details!

1. Scoop Frequently

Scoop out the litter from the litter box daily. If you have many cats, clean them daily and scoop every clump. However, if the cat litters a lot, you must clean frequently, like after each use.

But it is a tedious and effort-taking job. In such a scenario, you can opt for automatic or self-cleaning litter boxes, which are a bit more costly than usual. 

2. Get a Larger  Litter Box

When a cat litter is too much or dirty on the sides of the box, then using a larger litter box is helpful. The litter falls in place due to more space, which keeps the box clean. Moreover, it absorbs foul smells since it can absorb more litter. 

For instance, if cats lived outside, they wouldn’t go to litter in a smaller box; a more significant size would make your kitty feel safer, cozy, comfortable, and natural. 

3. Use Extra Litter Boxes

Having more than one litter box is similar to having a bigger box for your cat to pee. Besides, having an additional box helps as the cat would use them alternatively, reducing the waste collected in a single box.

Therefore, it enables you to get rid of the smell faster. 

4. Keep the Litter Box Itself Clean

Apart from scooping out litter, you should ensure that the box is clean, whether normal or self-cleaning. Therefore, whenever you scoop out the litter, check if there are any pee or poop stains in the box.

If yes, then do wipe them off at the moment. 

Besides, take care the stains don’t stay and dry up; otherwise, it won’t be easy to wipe. Even if you have a covered litter box, remove it to avoid the hassle.

Check Out: How to Clean a Litter Box: A Veterinarian’s Approved Method

5. Use a Different Litter

Litter is a pretty common reason for the persistent smell. Even if cleaning plenty of times doesn’t help, use a different kind of litter. However, you should ensure that you do not switch abruptly but slowly.

Scoop out a cup of old litter and replace it with a new type. Do so every till the whole litter gets replaced and do so till some weeks

However, research the kind of litter that would be suitable for preventing smells. Further, it’s noteworthy that cats like their usual litter, so you should replace it gradually.

6. Add Baking Soda to the Litter

Using baking soda in the litter box helps to prevent the smell. Though it isn’t as effective as using decent-quality litter, the two together are helpful.

You can use it to control odor but don’t use it regularly as a replacement to clean the box.

Check Out: How to Dispose of Cat Litter: Quick and Hygienic Techniques

How Not to Control Litter Box Smell

When you were searching for how to get rid of cat litter smell fast, you would have found several workarounds online. But these do have potential consequences in the future.

So, you should know which solutions you shouldn’t implement!

1. Never Ignore the Problem

You shouldn’t prevent and avoid the litter box’s foul odor. This is because your homes shouldn’t stink, and ignoring the problem wouldn’t do good.

2. Don’t Cover The Litter Box

Covering the litter box wouldn’t help to keep the litter smell away. This is because it doesn’t reduce it but traps it in the box, which would also be problematic for your cat.

They don’t like a foul-smelling box and, hence, choose to litter outside it.

3. Don’t Use Air Purifying Systems Next To The Litter Box

Air purifying systems eliminate things like pollen and other dust particles from the air but don’t fix litter box smells. Therefore, they won’t help you with it.

The Bottom Line

If you were searching for how to eliminate litter box smell, you would have got your answer! First, check whether the cat has littered in or outside the box.

If it’s from inside, scoop out the litter box frequently or opt for self-cleaning boxes. Whether it be any litter box, the cat might defecate the sides, and checking and cleaning any stains on it is essential. 

Moreover, cats like a giant litter box, keep it lesser dirty and even prevent foul smell build up. Along similar lines, using an additional litter box also helps! 

Are you using any scents to keep the smell away or cover it?

If yes, then stop doing it now!