Updated
Cat home safety
Do not sprinkle household baking soda into your cat's litter box. It can make the box dusty or smell unfamiliar, and swallowing a meaningful amount of sodium bicarbonate can be harmful. Use an unscented litter your cat accepts and control odor by scooping every day instead.
If you already sprinkled a little into the box, you do not need to panic. Replace the litter, wipe down the box, and watch your cat. The situation changes if your cat licked or swallowed the powder, walked through a spill and groomed it off, or now seems unwell.
A litter box has to smell acceptable to your cat, not perfumed to a person. Loose baking soda can add dust and change the scent or feel of the litter. Cat Friendly Homes recommends soft, unscented litter and notes that many cats dislike litter deodorizers and strong fragrances.
Scoop urine and stool at least daily, top up the litter your cat already uses, and wash the empty box with mild soap and hot water when it needs a reset. If a clean box suddenly smells much stronger, check whether urine volume, stool, diet, or box use has changed instead of covering the clue with powder.
Pour out the treated litter, wipe away visible residue, refill with familiar unscented litter, and keep the package where your cat cannot reach it. A small incidental exposure is not automatically an emergency, but do not encourage your cat to walk through loose powder or rely on online dose guesses.
Call your veterinarian or pet poison control if your cat swallowed loose baking soda, chewed the package, groomed powder from the coat, got into an unknown amount, or has vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, tremors, unusual thirst, confusion, breathing trouble, or seizures. Bring the package and your best estimate of the amount and time.
Use litter tools to make the easiest bathroom choice obvious: reachable box, enough room, manageable scatter, and daily scooping.
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A roomy box with higher sides can help contain litter scatter while still giving the cat space to turn.
A lower front can help kittens, senior cats, or sore cats step in without a big climb.
A washable mat can catch some litter at the exit without blocking the path to the box.
A visible scoop setup makes daily cleaning easier to keep up with.
It is better not to. Use an unscented litter your cat accepts, scoop daily, and wash the box with mild soap and hot water instead of adding loose deodorizer.
Replace the treated litter and wipe away residue. Call your veterinarian or pet poison control if your cat swallowed powder, groomed it from the coat, got into an unknown amount, or seems unwell.
