Do you have a pet cat in your house? If so, there must be a probability of cockroach infestation near your cat litter if you can’t keep it clean. Dirty cockroach litter could be the source of cockroach allurement. Now the question would be; how to keep cockroaches away from cat litter?
Preventive techniques are the most effective way to keep cockroaches out of your cat’s litter. You can get rid of cockroaches by maintaining the hygiene of your cat litter box, using silica or clay-based litter box, and cleaning your cat regularly.
If you want to keep roaches away from your cat litter permanently, keep reading to get helpful advice.
Does the Litter Box Attract Cockroaches?
Yes, your cat litter may attract cockroaches especially if it is dirty. Even though cats can eat cockroaches, these pesky pests can attack their litter. Despite their passion for filthy, decaying waste, it turns out that roaches don’t particularly enjoy cat litter.
The kind of litter box you’re using affects whether or not roaches are drawn to it. Biodegradable cat litters provide a good supply of food to cockroaches. Thus, you should avoid using such litter boxes to prevent cockroaches from getting into your cat’s waste.
Types of Cat Litters That Attract Cockroaches
The only type of cat litter that attracts cockroaches is biodegradable. According to EDPsciences, biodegradable cat litter is made up of organic products like cellulose and hemicellulose. Moreover, such litter boxes also contain paper pulp, cotton, and trees that attract cockroaches.
Cockroaches are drawn to the above items because they provide food and shelter. Even if you regularly and carefully clean your biodegradable cat litter, there is still a problem. Roaches will become more attracted to the new litter. Therefore, you should use non-biodegradable cat litter such as clay or silica-based cat litter to keep away roaches from them.
Tips to Keep Cockroaches Away from Cat Litter
There are many ways to keep away cockroaches from your cat litter. Below are some proven ways to kick off roaches.
Quick Tips
- Use Clay-Based Cat Litter
- Employ Silica-based Cat Litter
- Remove Cat Poops Regularly
- Store Food in Sealed Boxes
- Clean Your Cat Regularly
- Keep Your House Clean
- Seal All the Entry Points
- Remove the Garbage
- Dry Out Standing Water
- Avoid Cluttering in Your Home
- Use Cat-Safe Cockroach Repellents
Use Clay-Based Cat Litter
Clay-based cat litter is one of the most widely used litter in America. It is composed of gritty and spongy clay particles that automatically make the litter box less hospitable to roaches because of its capacity to absorb moisture and repulsive odor.
Moreover, you can buy it from your nearby shop at a reasonable price, but you should keep it clean regularly to keep cockroaches away. Industrial Crops and Products journal claims that clay-based cat litter may harm your cat, so you should use these litter boxes carefully.
Employ Silica-based Cat Litter
Silica-based cat litter is made up of silica gel. The silica gel used in these litters is best for absorbing cat urine. Moreover, as compared to clay-based cat litter, it produces less debris. Because silica absorbs chemicals, it not only deters cockroaches but also protects your cats.
Moreover, it is also safer for your environment because it has the highest absorbing capacity and doesn’t end up in the garbage. Thus, you can use it freely to protect your cats from roaches.
Remove Cat Poops Regularly
Do you know? Cockroaches don’t attract to the empty and clean litter box. It is the cat poop and urine that attracts roaches to cat litter. Thus, to keep away cockroaches from your cat litter, you should clean it regularly. By moving plants outside and routinely cleaning litter boxes, you can reduce these problems.
Store Food in Sealed Boxes
One of the best ways to keep cockroaches away from your cat litter is to store your cat food properly. To stop roaches from getting to dry cat food, store it in an airtight plastic or metal container. Another choice is to keep the food sealed in glass jars or resealable plastic bags to keep roaches out.
Moreover, keep canned cat food in your cupboard until you’re ready to open it, otherwise, cockroaches will attack it to have a feast. Thus, good food storage not only keeps food safe but also keeps cockroaches out of litter boxes.
Clean Your Cat Regularly
One of the main reasons for cockroach presence in your house and your cat litter is the dirty cat. Sometimes your cat stays on food crumbs after feeding, and food particles get stuck in its fur. When the dirty cat sits on the litter, these food particles may leave in the litter box.
As the cockroaches smell the presence of food crumbs, they attack the cat litter to fulfill their quest. Thus, to prevent your cat litter box from cockroaches, keeping cockroaches neat and clean is an essential step.
Keep Your House Clean
Your home will always have roaches if you don’t regularly clean it, no matter how lovely it is. So, you should wipe out tables & floors and empty trashcans and litter boxes regularly to get rid of cockroaches. Additionally, place garbage cans out of your house so that cockroaches will not attack your home for food items.
Seal All the Entry Points
Cockroaches will not infest your cat litter if they don’t find a way to enter your house. And the best way to prevent their entry is to seal all the entry points like holes, gaps, and cracks in your walls, windows, and doors.
Examine every space for cracks or openings that roaches might utilize as access opportunities. If you find any, seal it immediately using caulk. What’s more, sealing all cracks and holes won’t just keep roaches out; it will also improve the overall condition of your home.
Remove the Garbage
If you keep your home environment inhospitable to cockroaches, they will not come to your house. The best way to do this is to remove the garbage regularly and don’t try to gather it in your home. Moreover, cockroaches like to hide in piles of wood and dead leaves, so you shouldn’t try to accumulate in and outside your house.
Dry Out Standing Water
Standing water and leaking pipes are a great source of allurement for cockroaches. The easiest approach to keep roaches at bay is to keep everything dry. Verify that none of the sinks, baths, or laundry rooms are leaking. Furthermore, keep the water bowls for your cats empty at night. In this way, cockroaches will not try to invade your house and cat litter.
Avoid Cluttering in Your Home
When cockroaches scare you in the middle of a stack of books or an old box, it is even worse than when they are close by. One of the facts about cockroaches is that they secrete pheromones that tell other cockroaches about their existence.
So, don’t try to pile up things in your house. Waste all the trash and old things so that cockroaches can’t dare to enter your house and stay away from your cat litter.
Use Cat-Safe Cockroach Repellents
Another way to keep roaches away is to use cockroach repellents that are safe for your cats, like peppermint oil, sticky cockroach glue, and eucalyptus oil. The best way to use these essential oils is to dilute them with water. Add 10-15 drops of oil in a small amount of water, then sprinkle this solution along the suspected areas of a cockroach infestation to deter them.
FAQs
Will Cockroaches Go for Cat Litter?
Yes, cockroaches will go for cat litter if it is dirty. Cat litter doesn’t attract cockroaches, it’s the debris and waste in your cat litter that lure cockroaches. Biodegradable cat litter is made up of organic components that attract cockroaches. So, it is the type of litter box that lure cockroaches. Therefore, try to use the litter that cockroaches hate to keep them away from your cat litter box.
How Do I Get Rid of Cockroaches Without Harming My Cat?
One of the best ways to get rid of cockroaches without harming your cat is to use sticky bait. Compared to poison and pesticides, these baits can’t hurt your cat. Sticky bait traps cockroaches by adhering cockroaches to their glue. To get good results, you should place traps on the suspected areas of a cockroach infestation.
Are Cockroaches Harmful to Cats?
No, cockroaches are not harmful to cats. Although cockroaches have hard bodies, ingesting their body may cause oral itching and gastric infection in cats. Moreover, cat-affecting parasites could be carried by roaches. Therefore, you should take your cat on preventive care for a regular checkup.
Above all, having cockroaches in your home only serves to keep your cat active and amused because it may chase them around for hours.
How Do You Deal with Cockroaches When You Have a Cat?
Dealing with cockroaches whether you have a cat or not is a difficult task. You need some tactics to figure out the situation, but getting rid of cockroaches when you have a cat is more challenging. You should adopt ways that don’t your cats such as storing food properly, clearing clutter, removing garbage, and using sticky cockroach baits to ward off roaches.
Does a Cat Eat Cockroaches?
Yes, a cat can happily hunt and eat cockroaches. Several insects are harmful to insects, but cockroaches are not one of them. Despite the high protein content of cockroaches, cats do not benefit in any way from eating them. Cats can only enjoy eating cockroaches because they play with their prey before consuming them.
Do Cats Keep Cockroaches Away?
Yes, cats can keep cockroaches away from your house and property. As cats are carnivores, they require protein for their survival. Although cats do not prefer to consume cockroaches, they feed on them if they are starving. Moreover, cockroaches are a good source of fat and minerals for cats, that’s why they help to get rid of cockroaches by eating them.
Bottom Line
Cockroaches can eat whatever they can get their hands on, including soiled cat litter. You can find cockroaches near your dirty cat litter box. Thus, it’s essential to regularly clean the litter box to prevent dirt and vermin from gathering there.
You should use clay and silica-based cat litter to ward off cockroaches from cat litter. Moreover, you should maintain your house hygiene to deter cockroaches and other pests. Thus, as long as you keep your cat litter clean and make your inhospitable, cockroaches will not dare to infest there.
References
Steven F. Vaughn, Jill K. Winkler-Moser, Mark A. Berhow, Jeffrey A. Byars, Sean X. Liu, Michael A. Jackson, Steven C. Peterson, Fred J. Eller, An odor-reducing, low dust-forming, clumping cat litter produced from Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) wood fibers and biochar1, Industrial Crops and Products, Volume 147, 2020, 112224, ISSN 0926-6690.
