Keeping Cat Box Smell Down

[Almost There]

Enough with the bickering!

I've deleted a couple of posts that were nothing but bickering.

 

[Dingfelder]

Some of the tone and text in the later responses was off-point and off-putting at best, but to their credit, they did encourage me to look up again what I've been told repeatedly by veterinarians and lifelong breeders as opposed to keyboard warriors. The disparagement wasn't in order, but a call to keep checking on the most current ideas is not a bad thing, at least.

It does encourage me to feed raw more. But i wish things were more clear on that in my preliminary reading. I gather that a dog or cat digests potentially salmonella-infected meat more safely than I will -- but still, how safe is that? The documentaries and articles I've seen on antibiotic-resistant chicken and its increasing presence inspire little confidence.

 

[maki2]

Nutritionaly balanced diets for pets is a discussion topic of its own. I would suggest starting a specific topic on the subject if you are interested in it. Or looking for an older topic that was already posted on about it. There is of course some relationship between diet and keeping the odors in a cat box down but that too can be talked about in the nutritional information.

 

[TrainChaser]

Light a match and wave it around in the stinky air. You may have to do it twice. It's the fastest solution I've found in 60 yrs of cat companions.

 

[Doubleone]

Diet, feed time, different litter materials are all good ideas.  I can identify with the OP because my kitty can drop a foul load that we can smell in the next room.  I can only imagine suffering trying to sleep in a closed van next to a litter box.  I was considering... composting style toilets use a tiny computer fan to create a negative pressure and pull odors outside the coach and desiccate the solids.  Those little fans consume only fractions of an amp and can be near silent if slow speed and mounted at the end of an exhaust tube leading to the outside.  Maybe you could adapt something like that to the top of an enclosed litter box... or put a bin over the top of the litter box with an entrance hole to give you at least some separation.

 

[BelgianPup]

For when she does a pooper and stinks up the rig, keep a container of wooden matches nearby. Light one and wave it around in the air CAREFULLY -- it burns off the methane gas, which is causing the stink.

"Odor-control" litter has simply has regular baking soda (not baking powder) added to it. It's cheap to buy by the pound and add it to whatever brand you use.

 

[maki2]

you can build a cat box enclosure and have powered ventilation to the outside.

The components for the exhaust are readily available from marine supply sources. Photos of the components following the text.

You need an ABS plastic 3" louvered vent. They come in white or black. The louvers keep the rain out, for a van I strongly suggest cutting a piece of bug screen to glue just behind the louvers. You would need to put a hole in your van for the vent to go through. Even if you later did not have a cat you can use it for an exhaust fan or for a small fresh air source.

For the power you buy a 3" bilge bilge blower, they cost as little as $20.00 from various online sources. They run on 12v and don't use a lot of power. A section of tube connects the blower to the inside edge of the louvered vent. The size of tube you need is also available from the marine supply sources. All these items are designed to connect together for exhausting fumes from the bilge compartment on boats.

Remember that in order for air to exit you must have some type of opening in the compartment for air to enter.

Turning it off and on.  Connect the power to a motion sensor with a time delayed shut off.  It goes on when the cat enters or you can have a delayed start, then it shuts off at whatever time period the unit is built with or if customizable time they can set it for what you want. Or of course you can use a manual switch to turn it off and on. But in the middle of the night a sensor means you don't have to get out of bed.

For size reference on the photos remember that the tube coming out of the blower is 3" as is the tube that is on the back side of the louvered vent cover. These units are sturdy and made to be in salt water conditions, they will last a long time. On boats they are also used to vent the galley area to remove cooking odors.