sheryl Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 We are adopting a cat and have purchased the Littermaid Mega Elite 9000. No, we do not have unlimited money, but our new cat is a Ragdoll and my sister who owns one says these cats are BIG and need "space" to go potty that a regular kitty box would not work. We did get a great deal on Amazon. Now, to help justify that expense I'm wondering how to make homemade litter. I don't know if it will work with an automatic unit...I certainly don't want to ruin it. Any suggestions for making homemade cat litter for the box? Thanks. Sheryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 You could just use torn newspapers, or sand, but I really prefer el cheapo litter from Walmart or someplace similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 I don't really think you could economically unless you live in an area with a large deposit of bentonite clay - which is what most clumping litters are. Afaik, you do need a well clumping litter for the self cleaning mechanism to work. Sometimes you can buy bentonite clay cheaper through janitorial supply - it's used to absorb oil spills. But clumping clay litter is cheap at pet supply stores - 40lbs for $15 around here. There are some non-clay clumping litters but those are more expensive & I don't think you could make that yourself & I don't know of any easily avail substitutes. FWIW, none of the cat people I know like the self cleaning boxes. Everyone is scooping the traditional way & most people are using wheat or pine pellet litters. I clean my cat's box q.24h and I think it's a critical part of monitoring her health. It's one of the first clues we get to illness so I like to see her output myself..... If this machine works for you, let us know! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2cents Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) You probably won't be very happy reading my response. :( I just had a HUGE medical issue with my kitty (a black shorthair but we also have a purebred Ragdoll). He had a urinary obstruction due mostly to crystals in the urine. It is really important to feed a good canned food that discourages crystal formation and consider not using clumping litter. My posting concerns the use of clumping litter. There are health complications associated with litters containing the clumping agent sodium bentonite. It absorbs water and if ingested can lead to digestive blockages and dehydration. It has also been linked to respiratory problems. Alternatives to clumping litters containing sodium bentonite are the corn or wheat based litters. They still clump but are safe. We used to have the Mega-litter Maid too. More bad news... The Litter-Maid machine is picky and like a premium clumping litter. Unfortunately the best ones contain sodium bentonite. We ditched the Litter-Maid and got a large plastic storage tray and use it with a thin layer of clay litter. It is actually less work than the devil Litter-Maid which was a horrible ordeal to take apart and clean. The scooper tines used to be metal and now they are made of plastic that is harder to clean. The tray part is not all that much bigger than a large cat box once you assemble the monster. My advice from one Ragdoll owner to another... Return the Litter-Maid Get a large (cheap) plastic storage box (like the ones for storing under a bed). Get a bag of clay litter and a pancake spatula. The spatula makes it easy to scoop just wet areas of clay to throw away. Not much different from scooping really. We scoop into a gal size ziplock bag throughout the day and toss at the end of the day. Keeps odors down just fine. Edited January 8, 2009 by 2cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Return the fancy thingy and buy a large short sided Rubbermaid container. They work great. Big enough for the cat, and cheap. Scoop it out yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 (edited) I agree with 2cents. Clumping litter is bad...wouldn't surprise me if it's pulled from the market within a year or two. Many vets are now cautioning against it. My suggestion would be a large box (rubbermaid or similar...not a litterbox but something similar). We use Arm & Hammer Essentials litter, which is made from corn. It smells better than any other litter we've ever used, is incredibly efficient (200 times more absorbant than clumping clay litters), cost little because you go through much less, and has no dust. Win-win situation for kitty. Good luck. ETA: We have three cats, using three boxes, all filled with the A&H Essentials corn litter. Never an odor problem...not once. Not once with three kitties. No way do you need to spend that kind of money on that litterbox! Ria Edited January 8, 2009 by Ria Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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