We had visitors up to stay at the weekend, and whilst I was in the supermarket stocking up on some things I thought we might need, I noticed this Bob Martin litter freshener. The cat's litter tray doesn't give off that bad a smell, but I'm always a bit conscious that I don't notice cat-related smells because I'm used to them, so I didn't want our visitors thinking our house smells of cat!

The litter freshener is a powder which is sprinkled over the litter once you've changed it, and the idea is to neutralise odours and give off a more pleasant smell than you'd otherwise experience. This product wasn't expensive, I got it from Morrisons and it was £1 for 500g so if it doesn't work for you, you haven't wasted too much money.

One of my concerns with this freshener was that my cat might smell it and refuse to use his tray, which would be a little counter-productive given that the reason I bought it was for our visitors! He didn't notice any difference in his tray though, and continued to use it as he normally would do.

The freshener is easy to use, the packaging is a cardboard tube with a small flip lid which means you can control how much you dispense, and you simply sprinkle a layer over the litter each time you change the litter. I've been sprinkling a layer and then using the cat's litter scoop to mix it in with the litter a bit. This was just so that the cat didn't notice it was there and therefore wouldn't stop using his tray.

I found this product to be reasonably effective, but only in the short term. It smells really fresh when you first sprinkle it, and it does smell like flowers or a meadow which gives it the appropriate name 'Meadow Fresh'. This makes changing the litter tray a bit more pleasant, but once it's changed I can't say I really noticed any difference. The product claims to provide "all day freshness" but I'm not sure it's that effective after the first hour to be honest. Having said that though, I didn't really notice any smell coming from his tray at all so maybe it just neutralises rather than making it smell nice. My cat does have a hooded litter tray, so this might have prevented the product having full impact.

There are safety warnings on this product which state that it is perfumed so you shouldn't put directly onto a cat. I don't know if anyone would be stupid enough to do this but personally I didn't even like the thought of him standing in it in case he licks his paws afterwards, so I mixed it in with his litter. It also says to discontinue use immediately if your cat has an allergic reaction, but I would imagine this is unlikely unless your cat likes to eat his own litter. My cat was fine and didn't even notice it was there, but it might be worth making sure you're home the first time you try it just in case he has a strange reaction.

Although I wasn't overly impressed with the lasting effects of this product, I think I'll probably carry on using it because it's so cheap and you get a lot in a tube which will last a while, it's worth it to take the edge off the cat's smells when you're cleaning his tray. Even if your visitors don't notice it, you'll not have to hold your breath whilst cleaning the litter tray so I think it's worth £1 just for that.