Check the absorption of urine
After the dog urinates for 5 minutes, there is a noticeable accumulation of urine on the surface of the cat pee pad, indicating that the pad has absorbed a significant amount of urine. Especially when urine forms large "puddles" on the surface of the pee pad, it needs to be replaced. For example, some pee pads may have urine overflow from the absorbent layer to the surface after reaching a certain amount of urine, which can easily cause urine to contaminate the cat's paws or surrounding environment.
Check if the urine pad is deformed or damaged
Cats may scratch pee pads, especially after urination. If the cat pee pad is damaged, urine will leak out and contaminate the surrounding ground or objects. Moreover, after repeated trampling or prolonged use by cats, the pee pad may become deformed, such as the originally flat pee pad becoming wrinkled. In this case, the absorption performance of the pee pad may decrease and it needs to be replaced.
Smell the scent
Odor assessment
Under normal circumstances, new pee pads do not have a noticeable odor. When a cat urinates on a pee pad, it will have a foul odor. If the smell of the pee pad is very pungent, even from a distance away from the pad, it indicates that there is already a lot of urine on the pad and bacteria are starting to grow. At this time, the pad should be replaced. Because the pungent odor not only affects indoor air quality, but may also make cats unwilling to use this pee pad again.
Estimation based on usage time and cat urination frequency
If you are familiar with the urination frequency of cats and know the approximate absorption capacity of the cat pee pad used, you can use time to preliminarily determine whether the pee pad needs to be replaced. For example, for a healthy adult American Shorthair cat, a HUSHPET 1600ml absorbent cat pee pad should be changed every 4 days without using litter. Change once a week when using both cat litter and cat urine pads simultaneously. After 7 days, even if the appearance of the urine pad still looks usable, it is best to replace it to ensure hygiene.
To determine whether a cat pee pad needs to be replaced, it is necessary to consider factors such as appearance, odor, usage time, and cat urination frequency comprehensively, in order to ensure a clean and comfortable living environment for cats.
