Does too much litter make my cat's litter box smell like ammonia?

Urine is mostly water and urea which is a waste product of protein breakdown. Urea can develop into ammonia NH3 > NH4 which is why your cat litter smells like ammonia. You should empty out the litter completely more frequently (less deep litter with frequent cleaning is preferable for your cat). If your cat is older you should consider taking her in for blood testing to check her kidney function. There is a new test called SDMA which can detect early kidney disease.

You might need to change the litter to a better quality one, put more of it in the litter box and clean it twice a day. if this does not solve the problem Lalu might be suffering from a urinary infection which will require a vet visit.

I would try a large litter box. Some cats, especially males, need a large space in order to not accidently drip on the outside of the box. You may also try the option of a covered box. Some cats don't like those so I would still leave out the uncovered boxes. You could also get some of the urinary pads like puppy pads or geriatric human bed pads to put under the pans to make clean up easier. Finally, I would make sure you have enough boxes in general. The typical rule of thumb is a litterbox per cat plus one extra. I know with 6 cats, that can be a lot so however many you can put throughout your house, the better. I hope this helps!

This makes me suspicious that one of the cats may have diabetes. If any of the cats are drinking more water or urinating more frequently then that would increase my concerns of diabetes. Also, are any of the cats losing weight? I would encourage you to consider having your cats evaluated by your veterinarian soon. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Some cats may climb into the box but still "miss" it by sticking their bottoms over the side when they go. Using sides or a lid on the box may help solve this if that is the case. Some cats also do not like stepping in certain types of litter, so changing to a softer litter or scooping it more often may also help. Enzymatic cleaners can also be used to remove any urine stains/odor and discourage going in that spot again.

I love that you have already switched to the unscented litter as that can be a big problem for many cats. Putting the litter box in the shower is a great idea. I would also make sure to clean up the spots he went outside the litterbox using an enzymatic pet stain cleaner to ensure he does not keep smelling urine/feces there and think that it is akin to a litterbox. Other things, like cleaning the litter box often, having multiple litterboxes which are different types of boxes, and trying different types of litter (such as fine-grain litter) may also help you figure out what type of litter Mittens likes. While it certainly sounds like Mittens is having trouble getting used to his new litterbox, it is important to remember that internal diseases (like organ, hormonal, or orthopedic diseases, among other possible causes) can cause Mittens to have a hard time making it into the litterbox so it is important to take Mittens to your vet for evaluation to make sure we are not missing something else that is making it hard for Mittens to make it to the litterbox. I have attached a link to an article with more great suggestions below. Good luck! https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-train-your-cat-to-use-a-litter-box/

The only air "fresheners" we worry about with cats are essential oils. I've included more information about that below. http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/blog/essential-oils-cats/ Any other air fresheners are fine unless your cat has asthma or is sensitive to certain scents. Don't forget that cats' sense of smell is much better than ours, so an air freshener that is too strong can actually deter a cat from wanting to go in the room with it. The most important thing in keeping the room smelling good is scooping the litter box at least once daily and cleaning the entire thing (changing the litter completely) at least once weekly. I also noticed that you have Creamcicle listed at unneutered. Getting him neutered will also decrease the odor of his urine which might be helpful. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.