Are Deodorizer Beads Safe for Cats?

Maybe the biggest problem that pet owners have, odor of cat litter. Someone gives some advices for solving this problem. These solutions are using deodorizer, scooping, keep cat litter clean normally. We want to explore one of these ways “use deodorizer” and find the best and worst features of it.

Because there are a lot of idea about this topic and people have different experiences about keeping cat litter clean. I know a person who had many cats and he always said “don’t use deodorizer beads in cat litter because cats have sensitive sense of smell and make them unpleasant. Because of that, we focus on this way for finding the correct answer.

Are Deodorizer Beads Safe for Cats?

One of the least enjoyable things about owning a cat is dealing with litter boxes and all the unpleasantness that comes with them. One of the most difficult-to-manage aspects of litter box care is reducing the odors that come from litter boxes. Some cat litter can leave your whole house smelling like cat waste or, even worse, cat waste with flowers on top.

One of the ways that some people have succeeded at managing litter box odors is through the use of litter deodorizers, which are usually added to the litter box and mixed into the litter to help absorb icky odors. Some deodorizers may replace the unpleasant litter box smells with more pleasant scents.

A cat’s sense of smell is far superior to that of humans. Cats have 45 to 200 million odor-sensitive cells in their noses compared to only five million in humans. A cat’s sense of smell is 14 times better than that of humans. Those facts alone are reason enough to avoid any products with a strong scent in homes shared with cats.

Litter deodorizers are intended for use inside cat litter boxes, and since they’re designed for this purpose, they’re also designed to be non-toxic to cats.

However, now for answering to this question that “Are Deodorizer Beads Safe for Cats?”, we must say:

Using deodorizers not intended for cat litter isn’t considered safe. Of medical concern are deodorizers that are formulated with essential oils in them to help cover unpleasant scents. If your cat is exposed to these in large quantities for long periods, they may lead to respiratory irritation.

Now, maybe the new question was appeared! Do we use cat deodorizer?

If you use this product, pay attention only use deodorizers made specifically for cats. It is also important to make sure to always follow package instructions exactly as written whenever you’re using any products that are made for use with pets.

Another problem that I heard, was about a cat who ate deodorizer packet. Deodorizer packets that are silica based as non-toxic to cats and usually just cause some GI upset such as diarrhea.

However, some cats are so little you would be worried the packet is large enough that it could get stuck in his belly and cause an obstruction in his intestines.

Are There Better Alternatives to Litter Deodorizers?

There are different things you can try to manage the litter box smells within your own home. Emptying your cat’s litter boxes daily can greatly reduce icky odors, and fully emptying your cat’s litter box, cleaning it, and refilling it with fresh litter once every week or so can prevent a buildup of yucky smells.

Some cat litters have deodorizers, like baking soda, built right into the litter. This may be a better option than adding a deodorizer if your cat is especially picky about things being added to their litter box. Sometimes, litter deodorizers may work best for your home. This is especially true if you have multiple cats and can’t keep up with emptying boxes in time to eliminate smells quickly.

Plastic can intrinsically hold onto odor, so sometimes, you may find that over time you’re not dealing with smelly litter but rather a smelly litter box. In such a scenario, you would be better off switching to a new box or a box that’s made of a substance that doesn’t hold odor, such as stainless steel.

Effective litter additives like Hepper’s Advanced Bio-Enzyme Cat Litter Deodorizer can help you keep your home odor-free without having to do a lot of cleaning. This deodorizer is biodegradable, fragrance-free, and effective on everything from litter boxes to cat carriers.

Read more: The Science of Cat Litter Odor Control

What should you do to have a clean litter box:

• Do not use a covered litter box. You won’t be able to see when there is something in there that needs to be scooped out. In fact, you probably won’t take the lid off until you can smell whatever’s in there. If you have to remove the lid to scoop the box, you will be less likely to scoop it as often. It will take you two hands to get the job done versus one.

• Do not use a box marketed as a “litter box”. Why? They are expensive and not large enough, plus you need to throw it away and get a new one every so often. Buy a large sterilite container with high sides. Also pay attention to how smooth the bottom and corners are on the inside of the box is, it will make for easier scooping, you want the scoop to glide easily in the corners & inside of the box. You want to choose a big box because the more litter the box holds, the less it will stink. Throw the lid away or leave it in the store, you won’t need it. The higher the sides are (not so tall kitty can’t get in), the less likely kitty is to pee and poo over the side of it while standing inside the box. Kitty needs to be fully in the box to do business. I figured this one out when I had a kitty who was a few French fries short of a happy meal. She got in her box to do her business, but peed and poo’d outside of it with her butt hanging out.

• Litter boxes and sterilite containers are made of plastic. Plastic absorbs odors. Throw it away and get a new one every so often, every year or two, depending on how many cats are using the box and how often you think you can smell it even though its clean.
• Use a good clumping litter. I prefer tidy cats or scoop away clumping litter. Clumping litter does cost more than regular clay litter, but its better and worth the added cost in my experience. Regular clay litter gets peed and poo’d on and doesn’t clump together, so you can never remove all of the soiled litter. It just gets funkier and funkier, very quickly. You will end up dumping the entire box and refilling it more often than if you were to just use the good stuff. Clumping litter sticks together when it gets soiled so it’s easy to remove leaving only clean litter behind after scooping. Also, I don’t care what kind of litter my cat prefers. I’m the one who has to clean it, so we use what I prefer.

• Fill the box with at least 3–6 inches of fresh litter (I prefer closer to 6 inches). Yes, I know that’s a lot of kitty litter for that big sterilite box, but it’s necessary to keep it from stinking. Also, kitty will love having a big box with extra litter. It’s basically like a big sandbox for the cat. Top it up often. But remember, kitty litter is not good to the last drop. Sometimes you need to throw it all out and start over with fresh litter. I do this every 2–3 months or so. Use your judgement. If you know you’ll be throwing it out and starting over soon, obviously you won’t be topping it up because you don’t want to waste your fresh litter.
• Do not waste money on box liners. Buy a high quality, sturdy scoop that won’t bend or flex when chiseling out kitty’s clay offerings.
• Get a good small garbage can with a step lid that closes all the way and line it with several plastic garbage bags or sacks. Designate this garbage for kitty litter only. Keep it right next to the litter box. Scoop the litter and put it in the garbage multiple times per day. The lid on the step can keeps the odors inside (kind of like a diaper-genie). Change the garbage whenever you feel like it. I change mine about once a week. The smell stays in the can all week long. I never smell it until I open it to scoop the box or take the garbage out.
• Do not waste money on those kitty litter mats. They make it harder to sweep and mop. You are still going to have to sweep up under and around a kitty litter mat, as well as clean off the kitty litter mat. It’s just one more thing to clean an added step that is unnecessary and makes you not want to do the chore. You will have to clean the floor anyway, why clean a mat too?

Read more: Cat litter deodorizer

Conclusion:

This article is very important for you who have a pet. If you decided to have a pet, you must be responsible about it. Every little issue can make a big problem for them. Before you bring a pet to your home, try to increase your information about them.

We recommended you, if you require some things for your pets such as cat litter, cat food, wet food, cat accessories, etc buy them in Bastetandanubis in high quality. Read other articles in our blog and share your idea with us and ask your questions.