Cat litter experts...

[iammommy]

We have 2 kitties. Both use box nicely, we buy the usual clumping cat litter.

 

Is there any cat litter that's "better" than the usual supermarket brands?

 

No emergency...just pondering.

 

Nan:001_smile:

[Jean in Newcastle]

We like "Litter Perfect" that we get at Costco.

[KS_]

We have 2 kitties. Both use box nicely, we buy the usual clumping cat litter.

 

Is there any cat litter that's "better" than the usual supermarket brands?

 

No emergency...just pondering.

 

Nan:001_smile:

 

I never liked the clumping litter because my cats tracked it all over. . .and at that time, we had dogs, and the dogs would like to lick up the stray litter, which is not good for them.

 

I tried a number of other litters - the pellets made of recycled newspaper, rabbit feed, and wood pellets for pellet stoves. And the wood pellets actually have worked the best. It's cheap, controls the urine odor quite well, and the pellets aren't as easily tracked out of the box. I found out later that the woman next door who does cat/kitten rescue, uses the same wood pellets, too.

[Nestof3]

what brand do you use?

 

I never liked the clumping litter because my cats tracked it all over. . .and at that time, we had dogs, and the dogs would like to lick up the stray litter, which is not good for them.

 

I tried a number of other litters - the pellets made of recycled newspaper, rabbit feed, and wood pellets for pellet stoves. And the wood pellets actually have worked the best. It's cheap, controls the urine odor quite well, and the pellets aren't as easily tracked out of the box. I found out later that the woman next door who does cat/kitten rescue, uses the same wood pellets, too.

[KS_]

what brand do you use?

 

Whatever is available at the store. . .I make sure it's all wood and nothing else added, but I generally buy 10 bags at a time just because dh has to bring his truck and then I don't have to worry about it for a long time :) (so the brand may change by the time I go back). The bags I currently have out in the garage are Northwest Pride and Eureka Premium - 40lb bags that cost $4-$5.

Edited July 20, 2010 by KH_

[Tiff in TX]

We are cat fosters and have two cats of our own. We have 2-3 foster cats in our home each week.

 

We have three litter boxes in the house and have found that Fresh Step works best, as far as scoopable litter goes.

 

I have tried most of the others. For a long time we used Arm & Hammer because of my brand loyalty to their products, but it really doesn't clump as well and it doesn't keep the odor away like fresh step.

 

When I put in fresh litter, I use the Arm & Hammer Litter Box Odor control powder and that helps a lot. I scoop twice a day and completely change litter every 7-10 days.

[mooooom]

no dust is the huge thing - our house is so much cleaner. It is easy to scoop.

 

Always remember to change litter over slowly - so cats will refuse to use something different - I had one that made himself really sick by holding it for too long. I ended up throwing a handful or two of the new stuff into the old for 4-5 weeks before I was sure he was adjusted.

[Teachin'Mine]

Scoop Away for multiple cats is our favorite. But even more important than the litter, is the litter box. We have some "energetic" scratchers, so the ones with the entrance on the side cause a lot of litter to end up on the floor. We use the plastic bin - looks like a gray Rubbermaid plastic storage box with a hole in the lid. This design keeps almost all of the litter in the litter box.

 

Wood pellets sound interesting!!! For those using them, how is odor control? Do you just scoop for number 2? How often do you need to change the pellets? Thanks!

Edited July 20, 2010 by Teachin'Mine

[littlebug42]

We have the best luck with Tidy Cat. It seems to be the only one that is actually dustless and doesn't aggravate my dh's allergies.

[VaKim]

Pine pellets is the very best of all! We have 6 cats and 2 boxes, and they never stink. The pellets break down into "sawdust" and we empty it outside. We were using Feline Pine, but it is so expensive! Recently, we found some pine pellet equine bedding at a local Tractor Supply - 40 pounds for 6.00! Works exactly the same as the expensive litter.

[duckens]

Think outside the box!

 

Have you considered toilet training your cat?

 

Several years ago, I had three cats and two litter boxes. I was cleaning out the litter boxes 2X/day, and I still couldn't keep up on it! Plus, I was on a strict budget at the time.

 

So, I simultaneously toilet trained 3 adult but young cats for the toilet using this website.

 

http://www.karawynn.net/mishacat/toilet.html

 

When Loverboy met me, he thought this was crazy, but now he agrees it is MUCH better than a litter box, litter tracked, litter smell, and the cost.

 

Just something to think about......

 

P.S. After toilet training 3 cats simultaneously, potty training a 3yo is a snap!!!

[KS_]

 

Wood pellets sound interesting!!! For those using them' date=' how is odor control? Do you just scoop for number 2? How often do you need to change the pellets? Thanks![/quote']

 

The odor control is excellent (IMO) for the urine (and I'm really sensitive to smells). I think it's much better than conventional litter. My cat won't cover her solid waste, so there's no odor control there, but we just scoop it as soon as we notice it and flush it down the toilet. If you don't go crazy on getting tons of pellets, it flushes fine.

 

I've only got one cat now, and I typically change it about once a week.

 

As one of the other posters stated - the stuff at a farm supply store works just as well as the more expensive Feline Pine. I used to buy the stuff marketed as "bedding" but our store wasn't carrying it last time I was there, so now I'm using the pellet stove pellets.

[Dobela]

We used World's Best Cat litter for a long time until the price went up. It clumped and was flushable - a perfect combination for the young child in our family responsible for cat boxes. It also did a great job keeping the smell down.

[Teachin'Mine]

Thank you! I can't believe all the things I learn here that I've never heard before. :)

[kewb]

When we had cats we used the corn litter. It worked really well.

If I was going to get another cat I would probably invest in this: http://www.smarthome.com/61659/CatGenie-120-Self-Cleaning-Litter-Box-120MODEL/p.aspx

[Barb_]

To reduce tracking we bought the Clever Cat box. They hop in the top hole, do their business, and then back out the top hole. The ridged box top cleans their feet on the way out and very little litter is tracked outside the box. They like the privacy and there is no way to throw litter outside the box.

[CathyT]

We have a Cat Genie and we LOVE it. It is like a little flushing toilet for cats. Truly amazing and worth every penny. If you google it you will find some great info and some videos.