So I’ve got two female cats, a 1 year old and a 6 year old, and the younger one has such an ammonia stench to her pee that it’s utterly noxious.
Common suggestions online are that the cat is dehydrated - which with two water fountains, wet food twice a day, and the sheer monsterous size of the pee clumps, is not the case. They’ve got three litter boxes which are scooped daily, so it’s also not like we’re leaving things to fester and grow more pungent. It’s not a new development, her pee has always been really potent, so I’m also not thinking UTI.
I’ve tried sprinkling baking soda in the litter after scooping, which helps a bit with residual smells, but I’m looking for any suggestions to counter this constant ammonia assault.
The culprit:
I collect urine for my compost pile and I add some vinegar to the empty jug first because it helps stabilize the urine and keep less of it from transforming into ammonia. Ammonia is volatile, meaning it evaporates rapidly, which is why you smell it. In compost this also means nitrogen is leaving the system, which you don’t want. Vinegar liquid might be awkward to add to your cat box but there is also vinegar powder.