Litter box recommendations?

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Frank's Mom

Frank's Mom

Member Since 2017
Last week I switched from scoopable litter, because it just gets HUGE clumps from all the pee,thinking non-scoop litter would be better. It's not, at all. Ugh. It doesn't seem to absorb pee at all; it just drains to the bottom of the pan. Any suggestions on something that won't turn into cement in one day but also will absorb? I guess I could go back to scooping like 68658137 times a day but man. I used to have a life that didn't revolve around insulin and litter boxes.:(
 
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I thought about using that fluffy stuff you can get for rabbits and hamsters, etc. Man, it's expensive, though!
 
I used to use Dr Elsey's, but thought it was like cement. I discovered BoxieCat and I love it! It's very clean, the special clay they use makes the clumps stay on top. I have been using it for a couple years now and I think it's the best litter I have ever used. And I am really picky about litter! My first priority is that it's safe for the kitties and that they like it. It lasts a long time too.
https://www.amazon.com/Boxiecat-Pre...unds/dp/B005F6EIBG/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20
 
I use Okocat Natural Wood Clumping litter, and I love it for my cats. It controls odor well, lasts a long time, isn't dusty and doesn't track out of the pan. If you don't like the natural wood clumping formula, they have 4-5 other, different formulas. It's a little pricey but, to me, well worth it.
 
katiesmom said:
I used to use Dr Elsey's, but thought it was like cement. I discovered BoxieCat and I love it! It's very clean, the special clay they use makes the clumps stay on top. I have been using it for a couple years now and I think it's the best litter I have ever used. And I am really picky about litter! My first priority is that it's safe for the kitties and that they like it. It lasts a long time too.
https://www.amazon.com/Boxiecat-Premium-Clumping-Litter-16-pounds/dp/B005F6EIBG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493085007&sr=8-1&keywords=boxie cat
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Oh! I never heard of it!
 
Frank's Mom said:
Last week I switched from scoopable litter, because it just gets HUGE clumps from all the pee,thinking non-scoop litter would be better. It's not, at all. Ugh. It doesn't seem to absorb pee at all; it just drains to the bottom of the pan. Any suggestions on something that won't turn into cement in one day but also will absorb? I guess I could go back to scooping like 68658137 times a day but man. I used to have a life that didn't revolve around insulin and litter boxes.:(
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I completely 100% swear by SwheatScoop. It's all natural, 100% corn and clumps without being like cement. Scoops extremely easy off the box and it's ok for them internally. What I've read about other litters, especially clay, is when the cat gives themselves a bath, micro particles get into their belly, and over time, it can create a cement ball in the stomach and cause a lot of problems. Of course this isn't common, but I love my corn litter. Been using it over 10 years.
 
I thought Swheatscoop was wheat, hence the name. Maybe they have changed the formula. It used to be dusty years ago when I tried it. Clumping clay litters are not good if they injest any bits. Natural clumping such as wood, corn, walnut or wheat is better. I eventually went to walnut because my diabetic thought the corn was tasty. :blackeye::eek:
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I thought Swheatscoop was wheat, hence the name. Maybe they have changed the formula. It used to be dusty years ago when I tried it. Clumping clay litters are not good if they injest any bits. Natural clumping such as wood, corn, walnut or wheat is better. I eventually went to walnut because my diabetic thought the corn was tasty. :blackeye::eek:
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Hahaha. Omg, am I even here today? It is Wheat, lol. The new formula has very little to no dust.
 
Watch out for the wheat or corn litters though. I tried them once, litterbox was placed on an outside wall and it attracted ants....yuck! I normally do not have ants in the house, but a big tub of this stuff called them in!
 
Corn can also attact mice. When I worked at the local shelter, we found dead mice on the second story kennels. Dumb mouse had climbed to get the corn and lucky kitty inside got an extra snack.
 
Wendy&Neko said:
I thought Swheatscoop was wheat, hence the name. Maybe they have changed the formula. It used to be dusty years ago when I tried it. Clumping clay litters are not good if they injest any bits. Natural clumping such as wood, corn, walnut or wheat is better. I eventually went to walnut because my diabetic thought the corn was tasty. :blackeye::eek:
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That's why I like Boxie Cat. It's all a special clay that clumps, no additives to "make" it clump. I know I sound like a representative of the company or something..lol. I really am not, I just really love this stuff. I spent years looking for a litter I thought was safe for my girls with no smell or scent and finally found it with Boxie Cat. Even the natural litters made of wheat, paper or corn have an odor I find bothersome. But that's me, scents of all types bother me.
 
katiesmom said:
Watch out for the wheat or corn litters though. I tried them once, litterbox was placed on an outside wall and it attracted ants....yuck! I normally do not have ants in the house, but a big tub of this stuff called them in!
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I had an apartment that I had to stop using it in because of ants. I've lived in my place now for 6 years with no problem. You do have to be careful though. I had a marching band of ants dancing across my living room.
 
You can also mix one of the clumping clay litters with either some non-clumping clay or another type of litter. I used to mix Tidy Cat clumping clay litter with Cedarific cedar/pine litter in about a 2 clay to 1 cedar ratio. Still clumps well enough, but it's not the cement like clumps with only the clay clumping litter. You do get more tracking with the cedar/pine since it's so light weight. Not all my cats liked the mix.

I need the hard clumping clay litter with my civie Dancer. She digs and digs and digs in the litter box, breaking up those clumps like crazy. I found a good metal litter scoop at Wal-mart, with the tines closer together, so it's easier to get those tiny bits sifted out after Dancers digging explorations. Should have named her Digger instead.:joyful:

Couldn't stand the dust anymore from the Tidy Cat so use Dr Elseys now.
 
Even though Frank is drinking as much water, he still pees SO MUCH that it soaks like half the pan in one go, creating that cement effect that I end up scraaaaping the pan to try to get it out.
I bought liners for his lotter box, and am going to just give theme a try. That way I can just pick up the whole liner and dump the pan, no scraping required. Will check out some of these litter recommendations as well!
 
I have been hearing really good stuff about this litter and want to try it (I can report back): http://smartcatlitter.com/ What intrigued me most was that people were reporting that it doesn't create that sort of nasty wet clay stuff that you get along the walls of the box if that's where your cat tends to pee. It's expensive, but people say they don't have to replace it as often. And it's supposed to be pretty light--I use Dr. Elsey's (Precious Cat--the blue bag) right now and like it pretty well, but wow, is it heavy!
 
@FelineFriend reporting back on SmartCat litter: I like it, but the cats are not fans so far.

It's so lightweight, and there was only a tiny amount of dust when I first emptied the entire bag into a litter box. I didn't notice a smell at all. And my impression is that it will indeed form very hard clumps. So that's all great, but...

In the past, both of my cats have been very un-fussy about litter; whatever I put in there, if it was in one of their boxes, and the box was in the usual spot in the house, they'd pee on it. But this time they wouldn't even step into the box. I actually set my civvie in the box, and she raced away in horror. I have now mixed the SmartCat with Precious Cat, and they're ok with that, but that means I'm still getting the "wet clay stuck to the sides of the box" phenomenon I was trying to avoid. I think maybe the SmartCat is just so lightweight that they don't know what to make of it. I'll let everyone know more if I'm able to fully transition them to it!
 
I'm a fan of Dr. Elsey's but it's very heavy. It forms hard lumps and isn't too dusty. It works well for kitties who get itchy feet from some litters. It still makes stick-to-the-pan lumps but these usually come out more easily if they're left until the next delumping session. I delump twice a day.
 
For now I'm sticking with non clumping litter and using litter pan liners. I guess I could use pan liners with clumping litter, but that seems like it just defeats the scoopable option. I miss pre-diabetic litter box clean-up.:(
 
I sometimes use the smart cat little and both my kitties like it. There's no dust at all, but it tracks like crazy. I find it everywhere, and that's even with using a litter mat outside the box. But it's great at odor control and I like the lack of dust.
 
I use Worlds Best Cat Litter .. its on the expensive side but well worth it as it lasts a long time so you are saving money because you are only scooping out the pee clumps and the actual poop. it doesn't turn mushy like the other brands do and doesn't stick to the bottom or sides of the box .. a 28 lb bag can last 1 cat about 2-3 months and its flushable .. with 7 cats and 8 litter boxes i needed a litter that wouldn't cost me an arm and a leg every week .. and this stuff doesn't .. i use 66qt plastic totes as litter boxes .. add 1 28lb bag of multi cat red ( unscented) or purple (lavender scented) bag per box ( multicat formulas are designed for better odor control then that for single cats) .. and only have to add a little bit to the box every few days just to replace what i have removed .. when it starts looking like saw dust ( very fine consistency) i know its time to change out the litter and replace with a whole new bag .. I buy 1 28 lb bag for replacing and then buy another one when its time to change out the whole box .. when i did the math i was saving over 100 bucks a month on litter and my cats like it since its keeps their feet clean and dry when going in and out of the box and it is very light to scoop as well.
 
No, alas. I loved it, but they couldn't get used to it :(
We're back to Precious Cat. Have you made any new discoveries?
 
I use Okocat Natural Wood litter (the one with the light blue band on the box). It's not cheap, bit it lasts a very long time, even with 4 cats, it controls odor, and it isn't dusty. I have tried different styles of Okocat litter and the Natural Wood is the only one I really like. I highly recommend it.
 
Dr Elzys cat attract at first, then regular Dr Elzys. Larger pan or deeper (4”) litter helps. I feel your pain! I had a thyroid cat & this made the box sooo much worse! Good luck
 
Frank's Mom said:
I guess I could go back to scooping like 68658137 times a day but man. I used to have a life that didn't revolve around insulin and litter boxes.:(
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LOL Sarah! I've always loved your numbers :p. I've been happy with Scoop Away clumping. I tried the Fresh Step with Febreeze but Maury and I were both sneezing our heads off :blackeye:. Oh and Maury seems to like it as well :D.
 
Squalliesmom said:
I use Okocat Natural Wood litter (the one with the light blue band on the box). It's not cheap, bit it lasts a very long time, even with 4 cats, it controls odor, and it isn't dusty. I have tried different styles of Okocat litter and the Natural Wood is the only one I really like. I highly recommend it.
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Is the tracking bad? Several of the reviews I read said it tracks all over the house. :nailbiting: Have you tried the one for long hair cats or the soft step or paper (dust free) ones of theirs? Will you share why the natural wood is your favorite?
 
I usually use dr elseys in the purple bag. Great clumping, so so oder control. For years I used fresh step but it was really dusty and I didn't like it as much when they switched to fabreeze. They have a new one (aloha scent) that claimed to be less dust.... So I bought a box and I'll see how it is.
 
Not to brag, but now that I have a non-diabetic cat, I'm back to scooping like a normal person. I was going through probably 40 pounds of litter a week with Frank. Regular scooping for the kitten and we haven't even used 10 pounds in a week.
 
@Squalliesmom thanks for the Okocat litter recommendation. I LOVE IT! I put some in an extra box and set it next to their regular box. The way it clumps is great (kinda reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough. :smuggrin:), and I love the smell. After 8 days, I never smelled any potty smells (I always scoop every day, but still...). In fact, when I scoop, it actually smells good, a light and pleasant wood smell. They took to it pretty quickly. At first, they only used it to pee in, but finally I saw poop, too.

I just switched their normal box over to it. We will see how they like it when it is their only option, but up to this point, I am very pleased.
 
It's not the answer to all your problems but Purina "light weight" is amazing if you're lugging it home with a bad back. I had to show CJ you could pick it up with one finger, she couldn't believe it. Our pee clumps are tiny compared to the no-name litter we used with 9 cats, that was a mistake on my part.
 
FurBabiesMama said:
@Squalliesmom thanks for the Okocat litter recommendation. I LOVE IT! I put some in an extra box and set it next to their regular box. The way it clumps is great (kinda reminds me of oatmeal cookie dough. :smuggrin:), and I love the smell. After 8 days, I never smelled any potty smells (I always scoop every day, but still...). In fact, when I scoop, it actually smells good, a light and pleasant wood smell. They took to it pretty quickly. At first, they only used it to pee in, but finally I saw poop, too.

I just switched their normal box over to it. We will see how they like it when it is their only option, but up to this point, I am very pleased.
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I'm so glad you like it and it's working well for your furbabies! I swear by it, it is absolutely my favorite litter ever!:):):)
 
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