Cat Litter Question

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Nicole & Baby

Nicole & Baby

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I have always used the clumping kind - but my coworker just told me this is bad for kitties. Please advise, I will switch litter, but to what????
 
Dr. Lisa has some strong opinions on this subject:

Clumping litter is the only type of litter that allows for this to be done completely. Complete removal of the urine is not possible with the non-clumping clay litters, the white pearl litters and any type of pelleted litters such as newspaper or pine. Remember, even a small amount of urine smells strong to a cat! With non-clumping litters, only the feces are removed and possibly a small amount of the urine, thus only ‘flushing’ half of the cat’s toilet.

Read all she says about litter: http://www.catinfo.org/litterbox.htm
 
Thanks... she was saying that the powder from the clumping litters causes blockage in their systems, so I started to freak. I do appreciate the prompt response. Clumping is all I have ever used - because it gets rid of the urine.
 
Nicole & Baby said:
Thanks... she was saying that the powder from the clumping litters causes blockage in their systems
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I long for the day when people stop spreading this idiotic rumor......

(Not you, Nicole...I am talking about your friend.)

There have been a couple/few ISOLATED cases where cats have decided to sit and eat clumping litter but those are VERY rare cases. (I think I glanced at a post here awhile back where litter eating was an issue with one cat here.)

But....the little bit of litter dust that a cat would groom off of its coat is NOT going to block the intestines.

This rumor has done so much harm to cats by getting humans to switch to very unsanitary, non-clumping litters. I do a lot of inappropriate elimination consultations and BY FAR the most common reason why cats stop using their litter box is because the human is not offering them a CLEAN and INVITING substrate to walk on and to bury their waste in.

I have also solved so many of these issues with an UNscented clumping clay litter + Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract product.
 
Sorry Nicole --This does not answer your question but I use Swheat Scoop litter. I never like the strong purfume scents that most clumping litter had. It behaves just like clumping litter but without the smell. It is made out of wheat.
 
paige said:
Sorry Nicole I never like the strong purfume scents that most clumping litter had. It behaves just like clumping litter but without the smell. It is made out of wheat.
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I can't stand any of the scented litters and don't understand how anyone can use those litters. Evidently, most people don't hate them like I do because the market is flooded with them.

I know that some people will take offense by this comment but I have always considered scented litter to be a lazy person's way for getting around keeping a clean litter box.

The bottom line is to keep the box scooped - not to try and mask any odors with perfumes which are often very obnoxious to a cat's VERY sensitive/keen nose and are chemicals that the cat has to groom from his/her coat.

Regarding the corn and wheat litters, be aware that there is more asthma associated with these litters because corn and wheat can be a very nasty allergen in some cats whereas clay is more inert.

Never use these grain-based litters in hooded boxes as that only exacerbates the insult to the cat's lungs. And.....I really prefer that hooded boxes, in general, not be used because of the lower airflow.
 
Also note, Paige, that some cats tend to eat the corn and wheat litters. I know of one from this board that ate the corn litter and got very sick, and I know people in my personal life whose cats and dogs eat the wheat litter. They still insist on using it though. :(

I have tried both wheat and pine litters in the past (prior to discussing it with Dr. Lisa) but nothing clumps like good old fashioned clumping litter.
 
Wow! My babies don't spend any more time than necessary intheir litterbox's. Matter of fact, I have one that always seems to like to do her #2 at night when I am cleaning the box. It has gotten to where she will go potty and then run like a bat out of h*ll to play. She knows that she doesn't have to cover it because I have usually got it out of the box as soon as it comes out.

:lol: TMI? Sorry if is was........they are just so darn cute sometimes. cat_pet_icon
 
I love it when they run from the box as if they know they left a big stinky bomb there... :lol: Barclay loves to watch me clean the box... he does it from inside though - his box is on the covered deck on the other side of the patio window. So when I'm cleaning the box, he sits on his cat tree watching and then goes to inspect... and when I'm vacuuming inside, he sits on his box outside watching me vacuum inside - he loves the glass doors.
 
I have a friend who uses the Scoop Free automatic litter box with trays. Apparently you leave the same tray there for up to a month, then dump out the whole tray and replace it. Aside from the obvious environmental issues, I would imagine the Fresh Step crystals that fill the tray are not a good substrate. Does anyone have info. about this system (either positive or negative) that I can share with my friend? I've tried to convince her to use regular clumping clay litter, but haven't been successful thus far.
 
I appreciate the valuble information & prompt responses! Thankfully, we are on unscented clumping & can stay that way.. that is the one thing I got right since the beginning :-D
 
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