I posted this question in the Pets forum and have had no replies.

[yy4me]

Perhaps those of you with experience with drains, sewer lines etc. can give me some advice.

I just adopted a stray kitty and the shelter suggested I use a particular brand of litter made from ground up corn. Easy to use and flushable. Great! A thought occurred to me last night as I used my garbage disposal. I have always been advised not to send things like rice, potato, oatmeal,or anything that will absorb water down the sink because it will expand and block the pipes.

Is this litter that I flush apt to absorb any water in the sewer lines and cause a problem? I read the bag and there is no indication that it would do so but I don't want to spend thousands of dollars on a dig up of sewer lines because of kitty litter.

Any help is appreciated. The sewer lines have been there about a million years and I have no idea what their condition is.

[troubleinwinter]

1. I wouldn't worry in the least.

WORLD'S BEST CAT LITTER (corn) is septic system and sewer safe, so all you have to do is scoop up the clumps and flush. When liquid first comes into contact with World's Best Cat Litter, it absorbs and clumps. But, when exposed to water again, like when you're depositing the clumps in your toilet, the clumps immediately disintegrate. No clogs. No blockages.

Q: Is CLUMP’N FLUSH (corn) really flushable?

A: Yes. The natural corncob based cellulose-litter ingredients used in CLUMP’N FLUSH form a clump which immediately dissolves in water and is fully flushable in any type of sewer or septic system. The litter biodegrades in any septic system as would any organic product.

CLUMP’N FLUSH (corn)

Completely harmless to plumbing, sewer, and septic systems, this highly absorbent natural cat litter is made from processed corn cobs.

Is it "apt to absorb any water"? Flushable clay clumping litters absorb 18 times their weight in water, where corn absorbs 4 times the weight (and corn is lighter). Toilet tissue absorbs water, but does not cause clogs.

The 'clumping' is from the natural corn starch, which disolves in the toilet flushing water.

Presumably your waste pipes are functioning properly (otherwise you'd have obvious problems from all the other things that go down the drains).

Corn litters are completely safe when flushed with appropriate toilet water volume (in other words, one wouldn't pour a whole litter box into the bathroom sink drain with just a few cups of water and let it sit).

I think it's a very good biodegradeable product to use.

Give kitty a squeeze for me!

[yy4me]

2. Thank you so much. The bag of litter does not make any of

this information clear. One more thing not to worry about. I didn't want to find out the hard way which is what happened with the rice down the disposal years ago. My husband had to work with a snake for quite some time in the cellar, through one of those screw on fittings in the copper tubing drain.

We learn from our mistakes and I didn't want to find out I should not have used this stuff.

The kitty will enjoy your good wishes, she is so cute but so thin. Only 6.8 lbs and full size. She has eaten 4 cans of food and some dry since I brought her home Saturday PM. No problems with her at all. She seems glad to be here. I just have to get a little meat on her skinny bones. It will take a few weeks.

Your help is really appreciated.

[Stinky The Clown]

3. I tend to worry - maybe more than I should

No matter what the product says, I would not risk flushing it.

As I said, maybe I worry too much.

[troubleinwinter]

4. I would not flush ANY CLAY litter, claimed to be "flushable" or not.

But I searched the subject of corn litter users (not just advertisers) back to 2005, finding NO problems with it. It de-clumps upon hitting the toilet water. I can't see a difference between that and putting dry corn bread down the garbage disposal, or two tablespoons of cornmeal down the toilet.

But I guess those who worry shouldn't use it.