Changing litter

[drjsiems]

I am not sure if this is a health issue or not, but I did not know where else to post it. I want to change cat litters from clay type to paper type. I have been told that there should be no health issues if clean newspaper (no ink) print is used. My question is, how do I transition my cats from clay litter (which they have been used to for many years) to shredded paper litter???

I would appreciate any advice - thanks!

Judy, Jake, & Boomer

 

[BJM]

Slowly.
You mix in 1/4 of new every few days until you're there.
BUT
Why?
Pop over to Cat Info and read what Dr Pierson suggests regarding cat litter.

 

[drjsiems]

I just read Dr. Lisa's take on cat litter. I have had cats all of my life and have never used clumping litter and never will if that is what you are suggesting.

Judy, Jake, & Boomer

 

[Lisa and Merlyn (GA)]

They do make pellet litter made out of newspaper.. Good Mews, Yesterdays News.
Obviously you have reasons for doing this, so I am sure you know theres going to be a lot more scooping going on if you plan to just use shredded paper. Are you talking about shredded as in from a shredder? or just tearing it in strips?

I also found this..
http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/reuse-newspapers-cat-litter.htm

 

[drjsiems]

Lisa, Thank you for this and the link. I can do it either way - either shredding the paper using my paper shredder or merely tearing the paper into strips. I can't imagine that there would be any difference between the two methods. Are there advantages/disadvantages of jusing one method over the other?

Judy, Jake, & Boomer

 

[Lisa and Merlyn (GA)]

well, I think the smaller the paper the more absorbent it will be.. but it will get dragged around more. Strips that are too big may not cover the litterbox well. At the shelter, many years ago, we used to use big machine shreds of paper for spay neuter. They were maybe 1/4 inch wide and not cross cut, and trust me, in the morning the little cardboard pop up litterboxes we used generally had no strips left in them (especially talking about kittens LOL)

We generally use the pellet newspaper litter for spay neuter (just that day-they get regular clay when moved out the next day) and also for cats with stitches/wounds til they heal or stitches out. Oh and any little tiny kittens that decide to eat the clay. Doesnt happen much. In fact, litterbox avoidance due to the pellets happens more than kittens eating clay.

 

[BJM]

I just read Dr. Lisa's take on cat litter. I have had cats all of my life and have never used clumping litter and never will if that is what you are suggesting.

Judy, Jake, & Boomer

I wasn't suggesting anything. I was thinking more about the texture cats tend to prefer - granular, sandlike, etc.

I've used Yesterday's News and the pellets are rather large. They won't sift through a litter scoop which doesn't matter if you dump daily rather than scoop. Visually, when wet, they may be hard to see if you do want to partially remove waste daily.

I'm still curious about the reason(s) for switching to a paper litter. Understanding may result in better feedback or ideas.

 

[Julia & Bandit (GA)]

I use the purina breeze litter system and I love it if you don't want to use clumping litter...check out www.breezeforcats.com

I think it is a better alternative to paper but there are a few cats that prefer the sand type texture, so if you have issues either way clumping may be the only alternative.