Why is scented kitty litter bad

If your cat is recovering from surgery and they have sutures "stitches" or surgical staples in their skin, or if your cat has on a cast, splint, or bandage, or if they have an open wound or a surgical drain, it's important to prevent litter from getting stuck and built up in these sites. Because of this, it's often best to switch to a paper-based cat litter, like Yesterday's News , until your cat is fully healed. These are less likely to cause problems for these cats.

If your cat doesn't take immediately to this new, temporary litter, you could try adding a little bit of the "Cat Attract" litter additive discussed and linked in the section below. Sometimes a new kitten might need a guidemap — or, more specifically, a guide scent — to find and know to do their business in their litter boxes. And this may be especially true in households without any other adult cats to show the new kitten the "ropes" of their litter boxes.

For these guys, using a cat attractant litter or litter additive like the ones linked below can sometimes help. The abstract of the study can be found here. The study concluded that cats prefer carbon as an odor-controlling additive compared to baking soda. This result suggests that the question of whether cats prefer scented or unscented cat litter is too simplistic; perhaps there are more nuanced factors at work. There are also studies that focus on which smells cats show a general preference for.

Neilson demonstrated that cats tend to prefer cedar, fish, and bleach aromas and that they tend to avoid citrus and floral scents. Read more about these studies here. That said, if you choose to use a scented litter, Dr.

When faced with unclear and contradictory evidence, what conclusions can we draw? When it comes to scented cat litter vs. Instead of whether the litter has a scent, the determining factor might be what kind of scent that is.

We all want to encourage consistent litter box use and avoid problem behavior, and litter choice is just one part of that calculus. We know more certainly that the following conditions must be in place before we begin to blame the litter: Cats prefer clean litter boxes.

They want a litter box of adequate size. Tips to freshen things up. Cat Litter Tip 1. Cat Hair Hack To fight cat fur, put clothes in the dryer for a few minutes before washing to loosen hair. Cat Litter Tip 2. Go Big on Litter Boxes Litter boxes should always be large enough for your cat to cover their waste with fresh litter.

Cat Litter Tip 4. More Cats, More Boxes With multiple cats, vets recommend multiple litter boxes — one per cat, with another as a spare. Video title. Sign up for our monthly email to get the inside scoop on deals, cat care tips, contests, and more! Wondering whether lavender scented cat litter is safe for cats?

We break down each different type, and what you should look for when choosing your litter. Our cat experts recommend quick clumping litter for easier cleanup, improved cleanliness and odor control.