LK, I love that idea if I ever have to have indoors plumbing again. I am lucky and have that 6 ft fence, which the girls wont even bother with any more, the male does go out, but not normally far. But even he seems to like to come home, for potty time, security? To the complainers about outdoor cat poo, cats go in everyone's yard, if they are outdoors, the males in particular can have a 2+ block range. Having said that, I must also say the following. I have owned generally 2 cats, most of my life. Although I preferred indoors, that was not always possible, and I have always lived in cat friendly neighborhoods. i have also, always been a gardener, in FL I had a FL style English garden, started from a yard that couldn't grow a weed. i do always wear gloves, but I have never once in over 30 years hit cat poo with my shovel, had to watch for foreign dog poo, but never cat. i can't tell you why, but lets see a vote, be honest, who has actually gotten a shovel full?

we have 2 cats and 1 box so we scoop twice a day - in the morning and at night

My three girls have four litter boxes that are scooped multiple times every day (experts recommend a box for every cat, plus one). They use the best odor control litter available, Dr Elsey Precious Senior Cat formula -- non clumping, absorbs the urine immediately, including any odor. Only the feces are left to scoop; the litter is so good it is changed once a month; all four boxes are washed thoroughly/disinfected (extra set of litter boxes is used while the newly clean ones dry out. My girls use custom made 'cat loos', lined completely with plexi-glass so cleaning is a breeze.

I was asked how many times I scoop -- at least twice a day, sometimes three (unless my girls are having their annual dentals (they spend at least one - two nights with their veterinarians to ensure no negative effects from the anesthesia/procedure) or for other diagnostics/health issues that necessitate overnight stays/expert observations.

We scoop twice a day routinely, and most days three times. We have 3 cats and 2 boxes so we need to have to keep them pristine (supposed to have one box per cat plus one but we don't have anywhere discreet to put them!). We use Doctor Elsey's Precious Cat unscented litter. Our guide has been the wonderful website from Dr. Lisa Pierson. http://www.catinfo.org/?link=litterbox.

I have one Siamese kitty and scoop out his box twice a day. Usually gets cleaned with fresh litter every other week.

My husbands ex wife used to actually wipe her cat's butt every time it poo'd. For me? Two large cats, one huge litter box, scoop once per day. No butt wiping.

We live on a small acreage with eight indoor/outdoor cats. As the core group has aged, their health has begun to decline and so accidents increase. We have six massive boxes scattered all over the house and in the garage so they don't have to walk too far, but they still mess up. Since my husband's the one who's never met a cat he doesn't like, I leave the cleaning to him unless something happens in my presence. The boxes get cleaned at least twice a day. Up until a couple of years ago, there was no clue we had so many cats unless they traipsed by. Now, as they age, we have to stay on top of their activities to keep the house fresh.

People, PLEASE...no indoor/outdoor or just outdoor cats. You want a short-lived cat, keep it up. Or lots of vet bills. Just because it has worked so far doesn't mean it will continue. Average life span of an outdoor cat is 3 years. Less if you are in a rural area. Coyotes eat them, Sometimes a cat will walk away from a raccoon/cat fight, but the least I have heard from that is an $800 vet bill. Also: NO CLOROX in litter boxes. You shouldn't even use that in your house. It is a horrible poison. Vinegar is 100% more effective on removing germs and odor, and is perfectly safe. I have 9 cats now, all rescued, down from my all time high of 14, unfortunately. Read "The Cat Whisperer" for ideas on litter boxes. Don't use scented litter. Clean it at least daily. Leave the top off. Make it large enough ...use the long storage containers from Walmart. They are about 15" wide and 24" long. About 6" high. And cheaper. She says a cat doesn't like a hidden away litter box, either, altho I think the old closet idea is great. But not in corners or behind stuff. They can't see if trouble is coming...even if there are no other cats it is their instinct to be able to see. When I switched to her version of litter boxes, I stopped having cat spraying and other urinating problems. Remember, my cats were on their own for some, many years. They also don't like the lids and scented litter because it closes the scent in...whether it is a 'good scent' (to us) or the scent of their waste, it is like you going into a very old, well used, outhouse. Some cats are ok with it, some will deal with it, some won't. Best not to chance it. If you want your kitty safe, keep it in no matter what it tells you. Unless you have made your yard animal proof and there is NO WAY they can get out. You got your kitty, deal with the sometimes odors and keeping him in. If you smell an odor, clean it. Just like dog training, if you care about your animal, take the time to really, truly CARE for it! I hope this gives some ideas to some, and to those who think their cat has to be outside...Please...just don't...

I don't like to be radical, or difficult, but some of my male cats I discovered I had to let out. If they have urinary tract problems, I discovered by accident, outside will cure them. I also don't feed anyone food with fish, and if they are having problems reduce their dry. I had a big Maine Coon, Shazbutt, went on from 9 years to 19 after I let him outside in the middle of the city. Honestly, he did then get run over by a nasty person in the middle of a sunny day, but he was going to die at nine years old, so I think I did my best.

Almost 50 years of cats, never seen anyone have a problem with litter box placement, or style. I agree totally with nonsmelling stuff, bleach, and lids. If not for any other reason than all is toxic to me personally.

There is a matter of live and let live, I like everyone to live indoors. But, I want everyone to live, and i know that if it was not for you and me taking in whomever we can, these beautiful people would have no life. So if you must do something not all agree with and maybe your baby ends up not making it at some point, just remember, without you they would have had no life, and noone to hold them til the end. Thank you for all you do.

Once every night before I go to sleep

I'm sorry but letting cats out with urinary tract problems is not a cure. I appreciate your taking in cats SO MUCH, but please, only if you can take them to a vet. If you can't, take them to a no kill shelter before you get attached. A life outdoors is NOT necessary or good for them. Be prepared for them to make a fuss about it (I am assuming they are neutered...if not, that could be your problem) but you can stand it for their sake. You aren't being radical just because you state your opinion...that is just the PC police getting in your brain. Stating your opinion is your right in this country. At least it used to be, it is time to start ignoring the PC police. If people choose to be offended, that is their problem. Anyway, thank you for taking in cats, now take it to one higher step and make them stay in. No fleas, no heartworm pills, no fights, way fewer vet bills, healthier, longer lives!

sorry, I must once again disagree. It was and is a cure. shazbutt, went to the vet 3 times in 2 years for urinary tract blockage, cost hundreds, I was going through a divorce and very, very poor. I was going to have to put him down, he had it again. that night he ran out, I was taking care of a young child and had 2 jobs, it was after 10 pm. I gave up and went to bed, next morning all symptoms were gone. I put him on a no fish (no easy) diet cause they say it is not natural and removed dry food - he always overate it. Did not have internet back then, researched as much as I could. I let him stay outdoors, it was that or death we had no do not destroy shelters back then. 2 years later the vet said you could not tell he was ever sick. Solo, Jr. started to suffer the same problem, I did the same thing

Sorry, lost it. Remember Shazbutt, lived 10 more years. Solo, Jr. started at 4 he is now 13. I don't know what constitutes a cure, but it works in my book. My Family had a cat who was 22 and lived outside. Not my preference, but it does work.

I guess I still don't get it, if you let your cat outside who is picking up after them? If I let my dog do that my neighbors would not appreciate it.

Sifting cat pan liners, every two to three days, full clean out once a month.

i see you guys are discussing blockages. my cat damnit had a bad blockage and yes it is awful to see them suffer in so much pain. it cost a small fortune to heal him up, but i did it without hesitation and i then of course followed my vets guideline to feed him only dry prescription cd food (he was on an only dry food diet previously). well he did not develop another blockage but he was slowly dying from the food. he became obese and was on the verge of becoming diabetic, he developed asthma and other problems like a very dull coat with dry skin, etc...he was just so unhealthy! well after a long time of this, my husband did some research and we decided to take him off the cd and feed him only wet food (no fish products), and lo and behold he not only did not develop any blockages but he has become slim and fit, active and his coat shines again. The understanding is that the culprit of urinary blockage is the lack of water intake as cats do not actively seek out/drink water to hydrate, instead they get it from their food. so i dont think going outside has anything to do with it as damnit only goes out side with me on a harness for maybe 15 minutes a couple times a week, other than that he's always been a purely indoors cat where he never seems to have a problem amusing himself and making me yell his name rather loudly quite often :)

(course im no vet, just did my own research and made a decision)

I used to hate to scoop the litter box so I only did it every few days. Then I got the Litter Genie. It makes scooping more often a breeze and keeps odors at bay. Now I scoop every morning. I dump the box and clean it, then replace with fresh litter every two weeks.

We've had outdoor cats for barn rat/mouse control for years, but our indoor cats are solely indoor cats. Most of the barn cats just "showed up" one day (not unusual on farms) and made our barn their home. We keep them as safe as we can.

Just before our move one of the barn cats disappeared, but the old neighbor admitted to seeing we were moving and was worried about missing his daily visits with the cat and so he kept him locked up until we were gone. That's alright, I bet he'll be much happier staying where he's familiar. He's about 10 now and the change might have been difficult for him. The new owners said they'd like to keep him and so we've let him stay. Our other barn cat died at the estimated age of 15 or 16 (he wasn't a young cat when he arrived 13+ years ago). Both were actually terrible mousers (would eat their food along with the mice in the barn) but were hell on moles. We tried making them indoor cats at one point, but holy cow was that a mistake. They made an awful fuss!

Indoor and outdoor cats here have regular vet care and outdoor cats are locked in the barn at night to keep coyotes at bay (though if the coyotes can survive getting past the mule they'll be lucky). Once we're settled and have appropriate and safe housing for barn cats at this new house (we have a barn shell, but nothing up in the barn yet except a stall) we'll likely adopt some outdoor cats again for rodent control. We're on 35 acres surrounded by swamp along the roadside and hundreds of acres of farm fields……much safer than our last house that was only 5 acres on a busy road.

willy4, for one thing, I have a 6 foot privacy fence, the girls wont climb it anymore only Solo does. But I have noticed my cats used to always come home for that(Safety, Privacy?). I do know a big male comes and waits til he sees Solo, my male at my picture window before he goes out front. Don't think I would dig there. But, in my 30 plus years of gardening have never happened on a shovel full of poo.

About the urinary tract, my cats would not even eat the vet food. Like I said the reason I did the outside, is because the cat did it and it worked, one night and all the hardness was gone, along with the straining etc. I thought I could do just canned but, Solo had the same problem 9 years ago, I have always fed heavy on the canned, but now dry too, because canned does not have enough protein in it, never fish. He still got it, I started letting him out and the problem is gone. i explained to one of my vet's and they agreed that it would work. i would much prefer to keep in, but it works. Now, that they are safe and I don't have to worry, except my boy, I am much happier.

I say whatever works for your cat is great and for your cats, dogs and any other fuzzy people I thank you.

We have two cats and change the litter once a week. We don't use clay litter. We use wood pellets for pellet stoves. They cost between $6-$8 for a 20lb bag and it works way better than other litters with no health risks for the cats. I'd never use scoopable litter or clay.

Once a week. We use pine pellets, two boxes in basement for two indoor/outdoor cats. Yes pine can be messy but no odor. Scoop poops and then compost pine.

We have a broom closet with a ventilation fan and a cat door that is fantastic. I use Ultra Precious clumping cat litter and clean the litter box about 3x a week as they mostly go outside.

Feline Pine is the way to go.

Clumping cat litter but not the lightweight kind. I tried the lightweight kind and it stuck to the cats' fur from static. It tracked all over the house and they were licking it off of their paws. It was even in their noses. Needless to say, I went back to regular heavy clumping. It is not as good for my back, but who cares if the alternative is the cats inhaling/ingesting the stuff.

Steve: I had a cat that ate celery, so I hear you on the broccoli. Some cats are just weirdos! :)

ACM: I am totally cracking up! :)

Change the litter weekly and scoop daily for my two ladies. My older feline tends to have quite smelly poopers. So I add box deodorizer frequently to help in between box cleaning.

Our cat Lived to be 21 years old, was she spoiled rotten that would be a yes. Myrtle was a laid back and sweet Blue Seal Mix, but mostly blue seal a little cat. We had a upstairs closet in the hall it was small so perfect for her litter box, we installed a small bathroom ceiling fan and that pulled any smelly pooping to the outside, it ran 24/7.

If you do this you should buy a real good one as it will be running all the time, it was also quiet. We installed shelving, for her litter and other Myrtle things and we bought litter box plastic bags, where all you have to do is pull it together and take it out, she was small and never went outside, we changed it about every four day's, she would let us know if it need to be changed sooner. We did not use a lot of litter, as she did not like a lot just enough to cover up her mess. The litter box had a lid, and we put a 7 watt bulb in the light in the closet, just enough for her to see, as her eye sight got bad as she got older. We put in an extra piece of carpet so she could wipe her feet and she would, then just a little door stop, so the door never would close all the way, but we pulled it almost closed and Myrtle would open it with her paws and do her business in private.

So you could come in our house and for the most part never smell kitty litter box, not even up stairs. We liked having just one Cat, as she wanted all the attention and got it, I trained her to stay off furniture and out of the kitchen, easy......but that is for another day. Tip we bought good dry Cat food for her, and would give her a small piece of fish mixed in with her food about once a week as a treat. The Vet told us she probably lived to be 21 because of her diet and Love. We would let her go out in the garden once and a while, because she like to eat a little grass. The thing she loved the most was to crawl up in our lap and nap, and she loved the cool Spring & Autumn weather so we installed a window seat for her and we would open the window, it had a screen, but she loved the outdoor breeze w/ smells, and watching the birds and sleeping in the Sun in the Winter.

From my experience, if you are using clay-type litter, this could be the reason (along with lack of water) that a cat can get a urinary infection. I am not a vet but have had many many cats over even more years.

Twice a day if they are indoors. Replace litter entirely once a month and clean the box with a nonchlorine bleach. Clumping litter helps.

First thing in the morning, each and every morning.

I have two cats and two litter boxes. I use scoopable litter and scoop it once a day. I change out the whole box maybe once a month or so, depending on the smell. I line the boxes with garbage bags, which makes that easy.

I scooped more often when the litter boxes were on the main floor. Now they are in the basement and I don't run across them multiple times a day.

Food quality definitely makes a difference on the odors. Our male tabby ran away for four months and another family took him in. They fed him Purina something or other. When I got that cat back, his poop was so smelly! I put him back on his low carb/high protein wet food diet and he doesn't leave behind such a stink.

Floradora, the 22-lb calico whose staff I head, would find less than once daily completely unacceptable. She seems pleased, presently, with Arm & Hammer's hard-clumping, odor-eliminating litter. One 12-lb box gets a delicately raised whisker after about 10 days, so staff exchanges it for a new box. Our cats ask so little of us (not counting perfect food, various napping havens and a welcoming lap), that a pleasant lavatory seems the least we can offer....!

Daily, at least.

I use a thin layer of pine pellets on the bottom of their box. Then I just toss the contents at the end of the day. Keeps the box clean, cuts down on tracking and smells fresh. I buy 40 pound bags of pine pellets (used for horse stalls) at a Tractor Supply and my life is made so much easier. I have 6 cats in the house and 3 boxes set up.

How to AVOID STERILIZING or cleaning the actual liter box - or - How my 20 year old litter boxes still smell new.

I have several that I use. When it needs to be cleaned I use a bleach/water solution and let it soak for a few hours outdoors-then rinse and dry in the sun. Seems to work well.

We have 3 cats. Clean litter many times a day. Like World's Best Kitty Litter. It's expensive. Recently tried Nutrena Poultry Feed (NON-medicated) $8/25 lb. The particles are slightly larger but clump well and perform very much like WBKL. I think a scoop with wider tines would work better with the larger particles. Cats went to their box just as they did with WBKL.

One of my cats, I would never be able to teach how to use a toilet. She loves to swim!

HavingFun, perhaps your cat who recovered from urinary blockage after being let outside was getting something to eat (or drink?) that he did not get inside. I did not notice you mention this possibility. Eating plant life outside can help remedy (or cause!) problems.

Once to twice a day/ two cats and three litter boxes so we don't have any litter fights. If you don't like an "out there" kitty toilet, you can visit me in another room. :P

We have three cats and three litter boxes, which get scooped twice a day. Our diabetic kitty needs fed and given insulin twice a day anyways, so it's all part of the routine. Once a week, my husband empties and cleans the boxes.

I use pine pellets- get 40 lbs at Tractor Supply for $6 and then use just a very thin layer in the box. I toss the contents daily rather than scoop. Box stays fresh, no odor or dust and I save a lot of money too. Have 5 cats and 5 boxes.

twice a day!

toats We do it the same way. Litter box sits in the bathroom, kitty litter made of corn, flushes down the toilet. Works very well, turn on bathroom fan whenever we need to. Rockykat happy, we are happy!

One cat, one litter box. I keep the litter fairly deep and scoop not less than once a day. Complete dump and thorough cleaning of the box with fresh litter every few weeks.

I use pine pellets- I buy them at Tractor Supply- 40# for $5.50. I use a very light layer in the box and dump daily. Cheap, easy and it doesn't cause a dust cloud.

My girls won’t go in anything but clay litter. Ugh. I know there’s some hazards when I comes to the dust, but Since that’s all they will use, I feel like it’s out only option. I have 2 boxes for 2 cats. I clean them y2 to 3 times per week. I know it’s time when I hear them spending extra time scratching around in the box. I may smell them for a few minutes after they use the box, but I’ve found the key to keeping the smell away is feeding them a very high quality food. There’s so much less waste and the smell doesn’t linger like it does when feeding the cheap stuff. I know a lot of people say you should clean 1-2xs per day, but I need my girls to tolerate a dirty box when I have to leave town for work. Using the 2-3xs per week frequency most weeks means if they have a full week with no cleanings, they still use the box and don’t rebel against me if I have to go out of town for a week! They’re always happy when I get home and give the boxes a good cleaning, but never avoid the box because it’s in need of a clean! Hope this helps. Good luck with your fur babies!

Our litter box is in the living room. I clean it daily since it's nicer for the cat and easy to access. We also have a Litter Genie next to the litter box table, so that makes cleaning a breeze.

You should clean it at least once a day, especially if you have infants or a pregnant woman in the house.

It should be cleaned daily with a gizmo which picks up the solids while leaving the litter. Depending upon your cat's diet and bodily habits, it may need sifting more than once a day. If the litter has the slightest odor, change it.
Have you ever stepped into a house or apartment and KNOWN they have a cat or cats from the atmosphere?

I realize this is an old post, but this litter cabinet has worked great for our cat for almost 6 years. We keep it in our laundry room. I clean her litter box 2x a day.

I ordered the cabinet from from Amazon...this photo's from their site.