Clumping/scoopable cat litter query

[Flaxbee]

I've recently used Tidy Cats scoopable litter; I know Swheat Scoop or pine pellets are better but at the moment, with two cooped up male cats (who are used to being able to pee al fresco but have been inside for the last several months - and will be for several more -- while we transition from one home to another), the scoopable is much easier. It keeps the litter box from becoming rancid within a day or so, b/c the pungent male urine (still pungent even after neutering) is just scooped out, it doesn't pool/spread throughout the rest of the box.

But anyway, both of the boys seem to come away with litter on their bellies afterwards, plus a little urine. It seems harder for them to keep clean with the scoopable stuff, and I now run after them with kleenex to wipe them off b/c I don't want them to ingest a lot of litter.

Anyone else notice this? Any suggestions, other than change the litter type?

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Try Clump'N' Flush scoopable. It does not stick to my cats at all.

It is sort of the consistency of bran. Has a pine smell. It is dustfree, made from corncobs.
http://www.andersonsinc.com/processing/CF.html

http://www.andersonsinc.com/processing/faq_clump.htm

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1067&N=2002+113307

[Flaxbee]

2. Thank you!

And all the better if it is flushable!

Very happy that it sounds more environmentally friendly, too.

[Lorien]

3. Thanks from me too

I've been using "Scoop away", which really controls the odor, but it is rather dusty. I worry about the dust being a health issue.
I've tried Swheat Scoop, Feline Pine, and one called "World's best cat litter", and all three got stinky very quickly!

Hey Flaxbee, are you finally moving to Asheville? I'm thinking of doing so later this year.

[Flaxbee]

4. Hey Lorien...

we're in Franklin right now, about 1hr 30 min southwest of Asheville (but we go into Asheville a lot!). When we moved from NVa we didn't have a house we wanted to buy/rent in A'ville and settled on a 6 month rental on a river in Franklin so we could explore the area. I'd love to go to Asheville, but because of our work we might go down into NGeorgia... we'll know more in a month or so about our funding issues and then we'll decide.

I love Asheville, but might have to be content to be within 2 hours of it rather than in it. I also want several acres, and the Asheville/western NC area - even where I am now - has gotten sooooo expensive.

[sleepyhead]

5. Get a Litter Champ.

It's similar to a Diaper Genie (or so I'm told - I didn't know what that was but perhaps you do!) Basically, it's a trash can with a foot pedal that contains a long cylindrical plastic bag that is treated to eliminate odor. You tie a knot in the bottom and scoop the litter (or empty the pan) right into the top as needed. When it's full you open the door on the side and pull the bag down and cut the top (there is a cutter on the inside of the door), tie it in a knot and toss the bag in the trash. Then you tie another knot in the bottom of the remaining bag and repeat. (It's actually much simpler than it sounds.)

Anyway, the best system to keep the odor down, no matter what type of litter you use (I *love* Feline Pine!), is to use just enough litter to cover the bottom of the pan and change it completely every day or two. I have 2 cats, one of whom is older and is urinating more than he used to, and so the litter pan gets changed daily. Mr. Sleepyhead has a much more sensitive sense of smell than I do, and he has yet to complain about litter box odor, even though we keep the litter box in the same room where we both work on the computer. A bit more work, but not as wasteful of litter as you might think, since you are using much less at each change. You are right - dust free litters are much more healthful. My system might allow you to use a less dusty litter. Hope this helps.

[meti57b]

7. With putting just an inch or so of litter in the box and throwing it out

each day, do you find it necessary to wash the litter box itself, each day? Throwing it all out each day sounds good but I imagine the cat pee would go right through the litter to the bottom of the box.

Does Feline Pine break down into a dust after it is wet?

Thanks in advance. :)

[sleepyhead]

8. I have done painstaking research - i.e. trial and error

And have found the more-or-less exact amount of litter that I need to use in order to keep the bottom of the box dry. I do wash the box every 2-3 days anyway, but I can usually gauge the amount of litter well enough to keep it from making a mess.

Feline Pine is actually more absorbent than you'd think and initially turns into a sort of dry sawdust, which is easy to handle. I simply open the lid of the Litter Champ and pour it all in, then wash the pan if I have time that day and replace the scientifically-determined <g> amount of litter. (The manufacturer claims it's flushable, but I don't have the nerve to try that!) If you let it sit long enough for more urine to accumulate, then you *will* have a soggy litter box. But I think it's still easier to deal with (and clean) than soggy sticky clay-ey regular or clumping litter.

[meti57b]

10. Hey, thanks! I may just try that. :) :) :)

:)

[bvar22]

9. Scoop Away here.

We were talking about the dust issue THIS afternoon! Don't know if its a heath issue or not, but we are going to start wearing a painter's mask just to be safe.
Scoop Away is noticably better at odor control than any other brands we've tried.

A word of caution, don't let you cat in clumpable litter if his/her feet are wet! It's a nightmare!

[BrklynLiberal]

12. That is a magnificent cat!!!!!

Question..What about the dust issue for your cat's lungs? When they go in there and scratch around to bury their poop they are raising dust too. That is also why I prefer the dustfree litter, not just for my own safety.

[AFSCME girl]

20. What a beautiful baby!! n/t

:bounce:

[Eurobabe]

21. is that BUG??

how is he liking his sister?

[Eurobabe]

6. I have tried lots of cat litters, but the stuff called Special Kitty

(comes in a 28 lb box) green box, clumping is probably the best. Not only is it pretty inexpensive, I actually find that the scented ones actually get stinkier faster than the non-scented kind.

I also bought one of those little rubber mats from Van Ness (the people that make the covered cats boxes) it has little rubber nubs on it, so my guys get their paws kind of scrubbed when they come out of the box. I have this on top of an old cotton rug that I can throw into the washing machine when it gets cruddy. This system works pretty well. I have two male cats and it does the trick. No one can ever tell that we have cats.

[kslib]

11. Mine are really, really finicky

(which I've heard about indoor-only cats)

At least one of them is.....Gracie will ONLY use clumping litter, and, this is the most important part, ONLY unscented. I've tried every natural brand there is, and she absolutely does NOT like it. She'll use it, but only after howling at me then, when my attention is captured, spraying the nearest wall, after which she races downstairs and goes. She does have some bladder inflammation from time to time, but this is being treated, and doesn't have much bearing on the litter type.

So.....I use Pets Pride from Dillons. My only concern is all the dust! So, if anyone knows of a major brand (I don't have a lot of choices, what with only one big grocery store in town, and no pet stores) that has unscented clumping litter that has less dust, let me know!

Good luck with your boys!

Oh, and on the maintanence note: I scoop daily, and wash once a week to every other week, depending on which of the three litterboxes needs it......

[BrklynLiberal]

13. Check out the Clump"N"Flush. It is really not smelly. No dust at all.

Totally natural..corncob. Clumps like crazy. I have 4 indoor cats, and no problems. You can order it over the internet from Drs Foster and Smith , and probably other sites as well.

Check out the sites in post #1 above

[demnan]

14. Another thing you could do

is get a good mat to put under the litter box, one that collects the litter from their feet as they step out. I don't know about the urine problem as mine are both short haired, long legged and don't seem to have that problem.

[meow2u3]

15. Scoop Away user here

Boots not only likes Scoop Away, but he also meows for me to scoop out his box--when he leaves one or two turds in it!

[davidinalameda]

16. get World's Best litter

it's clumping and you can flush it

never had problems with litter on the babies

it's more expensive but it is worth it

it comes in single cat and multi cat formulas

[kslib]

17. Does it smell?

like anything....pine, baby powder, etc....?

[davidinalameda]

18. not that I've ever noticed

I swear by the stuff

[kslib]

19. Okay, I tried it

and you were RIGHT!!!! Gracie has always been a 'percher" and I know that's supposed to mean she hates her litter, but I just thought it was her since I'd tried every litter type out there to no avail. The first night I switched the litter, I saw her go in and scratch and scratch and scratch, then go poddy, No Perching!, and COVER it, neither of my cats used to cover their waste! (well, Gracie sometimes comes back and covers it, but always from outside the box, reaching in a paw)

It's great stuff!!! I don't particularly care for the smell it gives off when I'm scooping, but it's not bad, just really earthy; and it really seems to clump a lot better than even Tidy Cats! Yea!! I only switched one box, but I'm going to try switching both now, to see how Bubba likes it in his box!

Thanks!!!!

:yourock:

[SemiCharmedQuark]

22. lol-It's threads like this that make me think cats are laughing at us.

I'm an arm&hammer user myself :hi:

[kslib]

23. Oh, they're laughing alright.

Gracie hides around the corner when I clean the boxes and then runs out and pees a little in each one. :eyes: I, of course, reopen the waste bag and clean those spots too. I swear she just does it to be difficult.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

24. My cats do that too!

The second I put the lids back on, they jump in. It's gotten to the point that I know it's coming, so I just wait there until they are done.