last year we made a sandbox for our daughter and a neighbor's cat used it as a litter box almost instantly. we tried making a cover for it but haven't been successful. we do not have the cat problem anymore and want to use the sandbox again.
the sand just has a little residual pee in it from last year, and there is alot of sand. there isn't much soiled, in comparison with the amount of sand.
my question is: can the old sand be stirred, sifted or cleaned somehow, or do i need to shovel it all out and start over?
I would take the sand out and clean it and start fresh. You never know what might be growing in there!
Definitely replace the sand. Other animal may be using this as thier potty as well, so I would make sure to secure a cover this go round.
I pretty sure you should start over. The reason they dont want pregnant people changing litter boxes is because there is something in cat feces that can be harmful to eye site. I wouldn't want to risk it. It is your call though Good luck
I would replace all of the sand and be diligent about covering the sandbox when not in use, either with a sturdy lid or a tarp. Lots of animals love sandboxes, including squirrels, possums, and raccoons. You might also consider a sand table, which I've seen for sale at Toys R Us. This keeps the sand up off the ground, but I'm not sure that's all that much better. I have no experience with those. I've seen those used inside at daycare centers where they are filled with dried rice or beans.
Replace the sand. There is ammonia in cat urine, and it could be harmful to your daughter. I know that I wouldn't want to risk it if I were you.
I would definitely start over with fresh sand. When my son was in daycare last year, he contracted Ringworm and I am almost 100% sure that it was from the sandbox.
Start over with fresh sand. My ped told me playing in contaminated sand is the main way children get pink eye.
I am anal so I would get all the sand out. Just knowing that there was a cat the pee'd in there where my kids were playing just freaks me out totally . I say start fresh. You have to remember when cats go to the bathroom they cover it up so it has been mixed up . It's better to be safe then sorry. there is a lot of bacteria in urine. Besides who knows if any opther animals also went in there. Does it have any tpe of lid? I would keep it covered.
Ew. You should get all of the sand out and bleach the box, cats can carry ringworm. Ringworm is actually a fungus, so it could live in your sandbox from year to year.
This is one of the main reasons I do not like Sandboxes. If you know for a fact that the cat went in the box, i would empty the whole thing, wash it down and put new sand in. I would also make sure you either got a cover or a tarp and use rocks or something heavy to keep it in place and sealed. Remember, other creatures may have used it as a bathroom as well that you don't know about!
Good luck!
i would definitely take out all the old sand...wash the sandbox out with soap and water,hose it down well and let it air dry...then put all new sand in it....because even if you sift out all the clumped sand..you can not get everything...even with clumping kitty litter you cant get all the urine out without dumping it all and putting fresh litter in...i would be worried that the child/children would put it or get it in thier mouths, or on thier hands and then rub thier eyes...and you wouldnt want to take the risk of any cat waste being in there....there arent alot of diseases that are transmitted from cat to human but there are some and even still, you wouldnt want to take the risk of urine(from any animal or person)coming in contact with your kids...R.
