Eating world's best cat litter

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Heather and Raja (GA)

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Well I thought she had gotten over it but I guess not, I caught Raja eating WBCL again this morning and her BG was pretty high and of course I think she got a fur shot today. UGH we were doing so well :(

Any ideas on how to get her to stop? I love the cat litter because it doesn't turn into cement on the bottom of the litter box but if I need to change litters I will but I'd like to try other things to get her to stop. She doesn't seem to eat the litter in the box just the stuff that falls on the floor, which even though I clean up at least once a day there is still stuff on their paws that gets on the floor every time they jump out. I can't use a mat by the litter box because my lovely Raja thinks it's appropriate to poo on the floor and my other lovely cat, Meeko, tries to help clean it up by covering it with whatever she finds.
 
Hi Heather,
I'm no expert but since no one else has hazarded a guess, have you noticed that Raja is straining to use the bathroom or is having trouble peeing or anything of that nature? I ask because my dear Corky (GA) started eating litter at one point and it turned out to be a symptom of a pretty serious UTI that he had.

I also did a quick Google for you, and found this answer from a vet:
Pica, an unnatural craving for abnormal things, is well documented in people and animals. And, it usually does tie in with a deficiency such as iron.

Blood work will usually reveal the more common causes for pica, and appropriate supplementation cures the problem. There are also psychological causes for abnormal ingestion of things such as cat litter. And, yes, eating cat litter can cause medical problems such as obstipation and heavy metal poisoning potentionally over time.

I would first change the litter type and make certain your kitty is on a balanced, nutrious diet, and additionally apply some environmental enrichment such as a window platform to address any boredom issues.

If pica continues, then a physical exam and directed diagnostics to clarify the problem.

Dr. Van Lienden

Dr. Raymond Van Lienden DVM
The Animal Clinic of Clifton
12702 Chapel Road, Clifton
Virginia, U.S.A. 20124
703-802-0490
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Have you spoken to your vet about it? I think it would be advised. Hope it turns out to be nothing serious!
 
Tucker was a carb addict, he ate the WBCL, I had to go back to clay. That might be your only choice too, sorry :(
 
Maybe a shredded newspaper litter, like hamster bedding, might be suitable and not trigger muchies.
 
I'm a big fan of WBCL. Juat seems to clump best and not come out of the box as much as the clay based scoopables. But if the store doesn't have any my 2nd choice is Feline Pines clumping litter. If you can find some it may be a good alternative.
carl
 
Heather, I remember when I tried it for my civies......no sooner put out two huge, clean boxes filled with it then I caught 2 of mine chowing down on it. Got rid of it ASAP. Corn based...have gone back to Dr. Elsey's.
 
I'm answering everyone at once :)

The vet does know but didn't seem concerned at all
She just had blood work done about a month ago andvthem again about 2 weeks ago. Her levels were elevated with the first blood test but everything else was normal.

I did try pine before and she used it. I guess ill go back to that. I just love how it clumps and doesn't turn to wet cement at the bottom of the box. Every 2 weeks I totally empty the litter box and clean it with disinfectant wipes and it was just tons easier with wbcl. Oh well.

Silly cat.
 
I had the same problem with Gus and ended up buying The Smart Cat Box. Even if he didn't ingest the litter intentionally, he still consumed it when he cleaned his paws.
 
There is a very inexpensive alternate to using pine pellets like Feline Pine. It is the same pine pellets sold as bedding for horse stalls, in larger packages, much cheaper. I don't have the name in front of me, but we used to get it at a Tractor Supply store. Works great!
 
lgrooms said:
There is a very inexpensive alternate to using pine pellets like Feline Pine. It is the same pine pellets sold as bedding for horse stalls, in larger packages, much cheaper. I don't have the name in front of me, but we used to get it at a Tractor Supply store. Works great!
Click to expand...

Feline Pine is exactly the same as wood stove pellets, which are WAY cheaper. I have several friends who use Firemaster pellets and get a 40lb bag for about $5. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes. This was actually the original reason I bought the Breeze--I had a coupon and I wanted the slotted box with the tray itself to use with Pine pellets (that way you can dump the sawdust without having it clump in the bottom of the box.) However, Bandit liked the Breeze pellets, and they're easy and clean and they work well with such little waste, that I just kept using them.
 
Thanks yall, never thought of going to the feed store. I guess it will be cheaper for me in the long run, I have a HUGE litter box (think its actually a dog litter box) so use 3 7lb bags at a time of the WBCL so anything to make things cheaper is a huge plus :)

Her BG was 584 tonight :( We were slowly getting better and now this set back, I hope I can get her back on track quickly
 
Julia & Bandit said:
lgrooms said:
There is a very inexpensive alternate to using pine pellets like Feline Pine. It is the same pine pellets sold as bedding for horse stalls, in larger packages, much cheaper. I don't have the name in front of me, but we used to get it at a Tractor Supply store. Works great!
Click to expand...

Feline Pine is exactly the same as wood stove pellets, which are WAY cheaper. I have several friends who use Firemaster pellets and get a 40lb bag for about $5. You can get them at Home Depot or Lowes. This was actually the original reason I bought the Breeze--I had a coupon and I wanted the slotted box with the tray itself to use with Pine pellets (that way you can dump the sawdust without having it clump in the bottom of the box.) However, Bandit liked the Breeze pellets, and they're easy and clean and they work well with such little waste, that I just kept using them.
Click to expand...
Julia, and Heather,

Just to clarify, the Feline Pines I mentioned isn't the "pellet" type. I tried that and didn't like it, (looks like hamster or rabbit food?). The box I buy says "clumping" on it, and it is more like sawdust, not pellets. It clumps almost as well as the WBCL, and scoops easy, and is much better clumping and less messy than any of the clay scoopables. To me it smells better than the corn based ones, smells like, well, pine tree sawdust. I'm sure you could buy something like this at a feed and seed that would be much cheaper than what is marketed as "litter" as well. I'd never thought about that, but next time to town, I'll stop at the F & S and check! Or maybe even at a lumberyard.
Carl
 
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