One of the most frequent doubts when we have a cat in our home is to know exactly how often we should change the sand box. Because the health of the environment depends on it, both on people who live with the cat and the cat. Maintaining the sand box in good condition is not only a matter of bad odors, but it can cause serious diseases to both the cat and the people who enjoy their company.
What are the risks of not changing the health sand?
In addition to generating bad smells, a cat sand that does not receive proper maintenance can be a great health risk of the whole family, including the pet. Among the most frequent diseases are the following:
Cat-scratch disease
Cat scratches can cause this disease due to a bacterium called Bartonella Henselae, which can easily reproduce in a dirty sand box.
Salmonella
Another bacterial disease that can be transmitted through cat feces is salmonella, since pets can be the first affected without showing symptoms.
Overexposure to ammonia
Ammonia can develop serious respiratory diseases and some milder symptoms such as headaches. Cat urine has a high level of ammonia, so if it is not treated properly, it can be released in the environment.
Intestinal worms
Intestinal worms can be eliminated in cat feces in sandboxes. Therefore, inappropriate handling of sand can transmit these parasites to humans. One of the parasites that is transmitted by the poor management of cat feces is toxoplasmosis.
Sick the cat
The cat can also get sick for not changing the sanitary stones of its sandbox in a timely manner. Since urinary and renal disorders can suffer, due to the bacteria present in its sandbox.
The cat decides not to use it
An alarm signal to which we must pay attention quickly is when the cat decides not to use it. At that time, you must act, because your obsession to clean your fur and legs, in addition to the smell it gives off, indicates that the cleaning status of your sand box does not please you. Of course, if you don’t like your sand box, you will find a more pleasant place in the house.
Bad smell in the environment
The smell is one of the clearest signs that the health bed needs a change of stones or a general cleaning. In the following article we tell you how sanitary sands are used.
How often should I change the sand box?
To prevent or avoid the aforementioned inconveniences, proper hygiene of the sand box must be carried out. The first thing we should know is that the cat expels its feces once or twice a day and urine four or five times a day. Therefore, it is necessary to have a sand box for each cat in the house. But you should also know that some cats prefer to evacuate their feces in a sand box and their urine in another. When agglomerant stones such as bentonite are used, daily cleaning consists of removing groups that have been formed with a shovel daily. The frequency with which we must make the complete change of the sanitary sand depends on the types of sanitary stones chosen for its sand box. If you use bentonite sand or diatoms, you just have to remove dirty areas and fill again to complete a level of 7 to 10 cm high. So that the cat can bury its feces or urine. When withdrawing the stool or urine groups, it must be done carefully so as not to break them. The total change of the health sand must be done every two or four weeks. On the other hand, when the sanitary stones used are not agglomerant, the total change must be made every week. Take advantage of the time to change the sand to wash properly and disinfect the sand box. To do this, you must wash it with hot water and soap. Now that you know how often it is convenient to change the sand box and the tips on how to do it correctly, you can enjoy a healthy environment with your pet.
Where is the withdrawal sand available?
Health sand should not be thrown by the toilet. Less if it is binder sanitary stones such as bentonite. Because you can obstruct the pipes. The best place to discard all the dirt on the sandbox is the garbage can.
Where to buy the best sand for my cat?
The quality of the sanitary stones determines the acceptance of the cat and the frequency of cleaning. Therefore, we advise you to go through Omnipets and choose the most suitable sand box for your pet. There you will also find foods for cats, dogs and birds, everything you need to enjoy a healthy pet.