I’ve written in the past about our 14 year old cat Socks. She’s been with me since 2001, and like most cats, is pretty set in her ways. I wasn’t sure how Socks would react when our new Havanese puppy arrived on the scene but I really wasn’t ready for what happened. Socks retreated to our basement, and refuses to come upstairs.
Since our beloved kitty is now spending all of her time in one small area, keeping it neat is essential. Unfortunately, Socks isn’t making it easy – as she’s started rebelling by kicking her litter all over the place, making a big mess. But, since she is a cat – and cats despise messiness – I’ve spent quite a bit of time keeping her new little home nice and neat.
I started by vacuuming and washing the basement rug, and laying down a large litter box mat. I also placed her food and drink bowls in the basement because she wasn’t coming upstairs to eat. Her little cat bed is down there, and I placed all of her favorite toys there too.
Most importantly, I regularly clean her litter box (I’m still using the Arm and Hammer Double Duty Cat Litter from the Switch & Save Challenge) to keep her happy.
Win it! Want to win a $25 Visa gift card? Leave a comment below with your favorite tip for keeping your pet’s area clean. Contest ends 6/11/11 at 11:59 ET. US Residents only.
This is a sponsored post for Church & Dwight Co., Inc, the maker of ARM & HAMMER branded products, who is compensating me to try different products. Save $1.00 on any ARM & HAMMER Clumping Cat Litter and be sure to enter to win $25,000 at The Switch & Save Challenge.
We clean our cat’s litter box every day to keep her happy.
dont let her down in the basement, and she’ll adjust to the new dog
I regularly change and wash bedding for our dog. I wash water and food bowls often, too.
We keep our litter box in a spare bathroom bathtub. It keeps all the litter contained, and a shower curtain hides it from view.
We make sure his litter box is cleaned everyday and we vacuum the carpet often.
My best tip is to clean the litter box every morning and evening. You’ll never even know that a cat lives in your home.
Thanks so much.
rickpeggysmith(at)aol(dot)com
A sticky lint roller is a must for the cat hair on the upholstery
clean the litter box often and vacuum and wash the area where it is located
A whisk broomand dust pan near the litter makes it easy to keep the area around the box clean
We make sure to establish and keep a routine with our dogs. It keeps them much happier and they are less likely to get into trouble.
sassysasha817 at gmail dot com
Sweep it everyday! IF not then it gets everywhere fast!
hippopurplemonkey at yahoo dot com
I have multiple cats and several litter pans. I clean the solid wastes and clumps out at least once sometimes twice, a day. The litter is changed and the pan soaked in a bleach solution weekly. I sweep up the area around the pans daily. It is a lot of work but is part of my routine to keep my pets happy and healthy.
Keep newspaper under the litter box so when she slings litter, it gets on the newspaper. It keeps messes to a minimum and it is easy clean-up. My 8-year-old kitty loves to sling litter so we decided to get her a bigger pan and keep newspaper under it.
I would brush my cat everyday.
I keep my cat’s litterbox and toys on a tile surface because it’s easier to clean up messes!
Thank you for the giveaway
hurdler4eva(at)gmail(dot)com
Change the litter regularly and use a lint roller on the furniture.
I bought a mat that is designed for keeping your winter boots on. That seems to be big enough the litter box and anything my kitty kicks out!
nrdunningATgmailDOTcom
We scoop litter daily and keep the litter box under a window with a fan. We’ve also had to change the box to a taller tupperware bin because our cat has a horrible habit of kicking litter out every where! A taller container has led to so much less mess!
With two smelly dogs who pretty much have the whole family room as their “area,” we have started sprinkling baking soda and letting it sink into the carpet for an hour or so before running the vacuum to help eliminate the odors. Works like a charm!
I keep a rug under the food/water and litter box. That way I can just take it out and shake it outside.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill12@yahoo.com
wash the floor around the food bowls once a week
Use scoopable littler & scoop regularly.
I’ve always used Arm & Hammer and everyone says there is no smell of cats!
Thank you.
barbara dot montyj at gmail dot com
My tip is to clean out the litter box daily.
austma7@aol.com
My cat is lucky enough (or we are) that her litter box has it’s own bathroom – the half bath that we don’t use. I scoop frequently, but having 2 doors between the box and main living area also helps (I only leave them open wide enough for her to go in and out). I also vacuum and sweep to keep tracked litter under control.
clean the litter box daily and put on eof those plug in things nearby
I clean the litter box regularly and use Arm & Armour to keep down the odors.
I HAVE to add a cleaning day on my schedule. So when I clean the bathroom, i automatically clean my BEST friend’s area too!
panicxduh[at]yahoo[dot]com
I’m sure our kitty has the cleanest litter box in the entire state.
So that would be my first tip. In addition to that, we bought a rug for under the litter box and it’s so much easier to keep that area clean now.
Katharina angelsandmusic@gmail.com
My best tip would be to clean the litter box daily.
i clean the litter box once a week to keep it fresh!
My favorite tip is to pass the buck. That is DH”s department.
Change litter daily and use Arm & hammer to get rid of any odors.
littlegray88 at yahoo dot com
My favorite tip is to try and brush the dog (outside) every couple of days. This seems to cut down on a lot of dog hair in the house.
You have to clean everyday with disinfectant to keep the smell down.
brittneydejajason at gmail dot com
…just like another child > wash thier bowls every time they eat; wash place mat every time they eat;wash bedding regular;brush them every day
I got a vacuum specifically for pet hair, and that helps a lot. honeypie411 at yahoo dot com
I use puppy pads under the litter box to trap any accidents and litter from being tracked out of the box.
We use green apple spray to make sure the litter area is contained, they will not piddle out of bounds with that spray.
ky2here at msn dot com
train your pet is the best advice to keep the pet’s area clean! : ]
ekieuuu@gmail.com
I use disposable litter box liners. It’s so easy to clean the box, and it stays clean!
aeris321 at gmail dot com
I suggest keeping a shop vac or dustbuster near the litterbox, so that you can vacuum any stray litter that falls outside of the box! Thanks for hosting a great contest!
We have a new puppy and we just pick up her mess…often!
The litter box gets cleaned every morning, water and food bowls are washed daily.
I use a Swifter to clean their area daily. It helps to keep their hair from spreading through the house.
hafner611{AT}gmail{DOT}com
We have an older cat who sometimes has accidents. I have a dollar store dustpan and squeegee that I use to get up the bulk of her messes. It makes cleaning up a lot easier (works great on stray litter, too).
We gave 3 cats and I clean 2 litter boxes twice daily.
The smartest thing I EVER did was buy one of those mats to put in front of the litter box! Now the girls no longer fling litter all over the floor after exiting the litter box! I only wish I had done it sooner!!
kitty32504 at cox dot net
I put baking soda in the litterbox bottom before i put in litter it helps to reduce the smell.
sayblemae@yahoo.com
We use washable bath mats for beds for outside. They are easy and quick to clean.
we clean the box daily
favorite tip for keeping your pet’s area clean is to vaccum often
My best tip is to use arm and hammer pet fresh odor elimanator. Thsi stuff really works on carpets to keep them smelling fresh.
stanleybilly(at)bellsouth(dot)net
we put some of that indoor/outdoor green carpet under the cat box. it’s easy to clean, and helps keep the litter right in their area. Having a teen to do the catbox as his main chore helps too.
Vacuuming lots is key to keeping the dog hair cleaned up at our house. Also, a quick mop by her dishes each day.
I make sure to not only clean the litter box, but the clean the walls around it…sometimes the aim can be off.
I tend to keep the kitty litter clean at least once a day..
xxbeccaannxx@gmail.com
I clean the litter box out every day and keep the area clean. Thank you for the chance to win! deedeebamagirl at yahoo dot com
We have bunnies and they have their own room, we have to vacuum and change their cages daily.
we have rubber mats under our litter boxes
im a facebook fan
My dogs have a bad habit of jumping up on the bed to sleep so I wash the duvet cover frequently, especially during the muddy spring (shudder).
We wash the cover of their bed and vacuum the carpet.
I sometimes bleach her stuff.
When you have a cat in the house, it helps to have the kids (if they’re old enough) take turns being responsible for the litter box. In any case, every day scooping is ideal!
welindsey at gmail dot com
the queen’s litterbox is in the basement and my husband lovingly cleans it out daily. he first started doing it 4 years ago when i was pregnant and never gave up that job!
I always vacuum the dog bed every day,
itsjustme62613 at gmail.com
Clean it whenever you see a mess, if you can… or soon it’ll all pile up and you definitely won’t feel like cleaning it!
kaleidoscopequeen at gmail dot com
I clean my cat’s kitty litter every day
I would lay down newspapers and throw them out everyday
Keep the carpets and floors swept and mopped.
mammabear06 at gmail dot com
We have a mat in front of the liter box
we have two cats so we have a special room for them and everyday we keep it clean by cleaning there litter box and the floor.
I like to sweep the pet area everyday.
I clean my cats feeding bowls and water dish every day so their food and water is fresh for them. Thanks!
We clean daily.
Janice
celebratingfamily.blog (at) gmail (dot) com
We scoop the kitty litter box everyday, and we also put it near the window .
We clean it on a regular basis and vacumm around it daily.
My best tip: Put two large leaf garbage bags on floor, spread out and place litter box on top. When emptying litter, use one of the bags-fill and dispose.
This method saves alot of time.
writer61@yahoo.com
I like to try to throw away the plates in the kitchen often that we feed them on to clean up that area.
I use a litter mat and clean the litter box twice a day.
We scoop litter daily
Lovefool827 (at) yahoo (dotcom)
I keep the litter box in the bathroom. It’s a lot easier to sweep up the litter from tile than it is to drag out the vacuum cleaner and vacuum it up from carpeting!
We have a “doggy door” that goes into the garage where there is a large enclosed box that holds our cats litter box. I wasn’t sure our cat would use the doorway to get to her litter box, but she does. We have a small throw rug on the tile floor right where she comes back into the house and we wash the rug regularly and vacuum any stray litter that comes into the house. This was in the house when we bought it and I really love it. Thanks for the giveaway.
I scoop the litter everyday and have a mat under the litter box.
We leave the litterbox in the garage to keep the mess and order out of our living area.
I keep a plastic mat under the litter box and take both outside once a week for a good cleaning.Thanks!
lstanziani(at)yahoo(dot)com
We only have a fish right now but it’s a struggle because my 2 year old likes to throw random things in the fish tank (which is why we only have a fish right now!) We have to watch him because he can pull a chair up to the tank. vmvazquez83 at yahoo dot com
I wash our dog’s food and water bowls daily, as well as the rubber mat it sits on.
i have an automatic litter cleaner….so much less work!
We keep her litter box clean and put it away from the other animals. Every week I clean the whole thing out with vinegar and air dry.
spcale at yahoo dot com.
Our dogs love clean beds so I wash their pillows every few days.
susitravl(at)gmail(dot)com
We keep the litter box in the attached garage and use a pine litter.
Consistency. just clean every day is the only thing that works, lol.
We keep 3 boxes -one for each cat and clean them each day
i clean our cats bok every day. thx you
we brush the dogs and use lint rollers for their beds every day
jagar0047 at yahoo dot com
I scoop and sweep the area around the litter box at least once a day
we try to clean out the litter box daily
A couple of my cats are frantic, I-must-dig-a-hole-all-the-way-to-China-before-I-poop diggers. I keep a small broom and pan, along with a box of plastic bags, right next to the litter box so I can clean up as needed.
I like to keep the area dry and dirt free.
ccboobooy at gmail dot com
frequent litter box changing
My best tip for keeping it clean is to tidy it up averyday. Do a deep clean once a week. The more often you clean it, the easier it will be to clean!
My tips is too scoop the litter box daily if you have cats & sweep around it. My bigest tip is to use handgel like germx on a rag to wipe the areas around their litter box or pee pads. Sometimes I mix handgel & hot water to mop around those areas. To kill the germs & rid your floors of the urine boo boos.
Besides regular cleaning I use a covered litter box so it doesn’t get scattered everywhere.
I wash my dogs bedding and clean up any accidents quickly
I sweep it up daily and do a huge cleanup bi-weekly.
We vacuum and sweep daily.
I have a big mat beneath their litter boxes which helps catch some of the scattered litter
ardy22 at earthlink dot net
Thanks for the giveaway…we keep a cordless, hand-held mini vac nearby that is only used for picking up stray litter & fur !
senorpiero [at] yahoo [dot] com
My tip is daily sweeping
Scoop and vacuum daily.
The best tip is just to clean it very often.
This tip is from my cat: some humans need to be trained to keep our litter boxes cleaner. I learned the perfect way by trial and error. If the litter box isn’t clean enough, there’s always a large plant in soil whose pot makes a perfect place to do one’s business – the next best thing to being outside
It might take your human several times before they notice – if you chomp on the plant leaves, that helps the human to examine the plant and its container more carefully!! Be patient – they learn slowly, but they do learn!
Thanks for the giveaway!!