Is there anything worse that having a guest come into your home and instantly say "Oh, you have a cat?" And the cat is nowhere to be seen? Oops. That's a good sign you may not be keeping the litter box as clean as possible.

We have 5 cats and people who visit our home for the first time are always SURPRISED when they see. Having had cats for over 25 years, I've tried just about everything to make the job of cat care easier. Here are seven of my best organizing tips for keeping the litter boxes clean and the house smelling fresh with as little time and effort as possible.

1. Avoid putting the litter box in your own bathroom unless you absolutely have to! The litter gets everywhere. If you have to keep it there, get a fully enclosed litter box with an opening for the cat to walk through. They will track litter outside the box though. So that leads to my next tip.

2. The best place I've found to keep the litter box is in a small closet with cleaning supplies, or in an infrequently used area of the house. If there is a door, make sure to keep the door cracked open. Placing a long item such as a roll of gift wrap or shelf paper on one of the shelves works well to keep the door from being accidentally closed. If the area is carpeted, line it with plastic or vinyl carpet liner. Or better yet, remove the carpet if possible. Try to get a litter box that has high walls and a dome or cover.

3. Keep a handheld vacuum handy to clean the area around the box frequently. Store the vacuum cleaner on a shelf or hang it on a wall in the closet. Consider keeping an extra set of batteries and charger handy as well.

4. Fill your box half full with litter. One of the most common mistakes people make is not using enough litter in the box. Cat's like a very clean box, if there isn't enough litter, they may go outside the box. And if they use the box without enough litter, it will smell worse.

5. Scoop often. Make the job easier by keeping a large scooper hanging near the box. Consider keeping a diaper genie handy for disposing of the litter. Keeping a grocery bag holder nearby also is a big help. Every day, scoop the pet waste into a bag, double bag it, tie it up airtight and put it in a covered trash container or a diaper genie.

6. Keep a roll of paper towels and spray cleaner near the litter box. If it's in a closet, use a paper towel holder that screws into the door and hang the paper towels on the inside of the door. Or get a container of pop-up wipes. I use the wipes to clean the floor around the litter box as well as to spot clean the actual litter box between cleanings.

7. Empty the box completely once a month. Dump the litter into one of your handy grocery bags. Use your paper towels or a disposable pop-up cleaning product such as wipes handy to clean the litter box and the surrounding floor. When you are done, throw the towels or wipes in with the litter, tie the bag up tight and dump it in the trash!

But if you have a self cleaning litter box, like Petree, you can put it anywhere you want. Hope this helps!