My daughter came home from school and brought her cat, male, fixed. We have a cat already and her litter box has never smelled. My daughter's cat's box really really smells of ammonia. It hits you when you walk in the front door and I have tried everything to get rid of it. Any ideas or suggestions? Also, could this mean he has a problem?

Dr D

Could it be that the male cat is spraying horizontaly, and going over the side of the litter box? I have two females, sisters, both spayed, and one of them insists on going like a male cat. I attached high plastic sides on the litter box, and solved the problem. Good luck.

Jessyfay

How old is the litter pan? plastic absorbs stink and if your litter box isn't bleached at least once a week it will absorb that horrible ammonia smell, making old litter boxes really stinky!

Try using a brand new litter box and scented litter and sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda in the litter pan.

tigerfeather

There are a lot of commercial additives for litter that may help with the problem, along with activated carbon which seems to work very well. Does the cat use an open litter pan? You can cut odor by getting a covered litter pan or an attachable litter box cover (think like a canopy bed). Does the male drink enough water? Dehydration can cause strong odors, and so can urinary tract infections. You may actually have to feed a little wet food to make the cat get some fluid into his system.

That all being said, males tend to have stronger scents that females. Also, what Dr. D said.

ninacon

I would take a urine sample to the vet. If the cat is male, there is a possibility that the cat has stones or crystals. This can build up quickly and the cat can get sick very fast. usually this indicates a UTI, or the cat is not drinking enough water.