The least dusty cat litter....

[Lorifrances]

My cat has had a couple of wheezing episodes this past week and I started researching and found this could be signs of asthma which could result from dusty cat litter. I'm currently using an Arm & Hammer scoopable cat litter but does anyone know of the ultimate cat litter in terms of generating the LEAST amount of dust. Most of my home has wood flooring except for two rooms and there are no smokers. I'm trying to think of other possibilities for what could be irritating my cat's lungs. I did use some incense the other day....oops, maybe that is the culprit, I completely forgot about it. But I do notice the cat litter generates a nasty dust when I scoop it.
Thanks so much in advance!, Lori

[columbine]

I use Yesterday's News litter - it's pellets made out of old newspapers, so there's hardly any dust at all. Do have the wheezing checked out by a vet, though - it can be caused by many different things.

Love, Columbine

[freckledimple]

Dusty cat litters irritate our nose and eyes. Our favorite litter is Pro Pet Fresh Results. It is a natural, non-clay, clumping litter. It has very little dust, and controls our cat box odors well. It clumps quite nicely, too. Good luck and God bless.

[Medusa]

I use Tidy Cat. It isn't dusty but the granules track and that drives me even nuttier than dust. I continue to use it because it's great for keeping the odor down.

[kb2yjx]

Our cat Spunky, was an asthmatic. Litter dust was not the only cause of his problem. He was maintained for years, successfully, on homeopathic rememdies. I also had prednisone on hand at the house, to stop a status asthmatis attacks. Good luck with your cat!

[zookeeper524]

My recommendation is World's Best Cat Litter. It's made from corn. This is wonderful stuff!! It's not cheap, but I find it lasts longer and works better than anything else. We use it in 5 regular boxes and 3 Litter Robots with great results. Plus it is flushable - and septic safe.

[carole]

I also use a product the same as columbine, changing my litter quite some time ago, there is minimal dust, and it is a rather good and economical product ,its called breeders select here in NZ, and is recycled paper pellets with no additives or chemicals.

However i do think the incense could be contributing to the problem, if my daughter lights any in her bedroom it affects my lungs terribly, i do not have asthma, but am a chesty type person, and have sensitive airways.,maybe your kitty does to.

[emily_the_spoiled]

I use Feline Pine (both the clumping and the pellts - depending on which litter box). They have no dust, but do create some saw dust when the cat walks out of the box. I put a mat in front of the litter box and it traps the saw dust so it isn't tracked around the house.

[moosmom]

I've used Feline Pine for years and love it! There's no silica dust to get into their lungs. Mollie Rose has kitty asthma and any litter with silica dust aggravates it. Besides, the the Feline Pine holds the odor and lasts longer than the scoopable stuff.

[Lorifrances]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions, I will definitely be looking into those brands that were mentioned. Yes, this Arm & Hammer seems to generate a dusty cloud that when I pour new litter, I have to hold my breath and jump aside until it 'settles'. I don't mind spending some more on cat litter if it means the dust situation will go down. So far he hasn't exhibited that wheezing again (unless he's done it when I'm not around but I am at home quite a bit). It sure is wonderful to have these boards as a resource for information instead of trying to figure things out by elimination....there are a number of cat litters on the market.
Thanks again!, Lori

[Pinot's Mom]

I also use Tidy Cat - non clumping. My vet recommended years ago NOT to use clumping and through all our cats we've used Tidy Cat with no problem.

Good Luck!

[krazyaboutkatz]

If you want to continue using a clumping litter, I highly recommend Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra or Classic. You can buy these at Petsmart and they're unscented and there's very little dust. I started using the Cat Attract Litter by Dr. Elsey when I was having urinary problems and it's also great but more expensive. Now I mainly use the Precious Cat Ultra and I love that it keeps the odor under control without using any scent and my cats love it too. Good luck.

[AvaJoy]

I have always used Arm & Hammer unscented but having 10 litter boxes, I was getting fed up with the awful dust clouds. After taking a poll of breeders at a cat show, I pretty much settled on forking out the extra $$ for World's Best and Swheat Scoop, mixed together. Really like the natural scents of both. However, I found the odor control and clumping ability of both brands to be inferior to clay brands, so then added Tidy Cat (blue lid) to the mix. Then someone told me Arm & Hammer came out with a Multicat formula and it isn't very dusty so reluctantly I tried it and (hooray!) it IS much less dusty. Now my blend is Swheat Scoop, World's Best and A & H Multicat unscented. Hope this helps someone.

[Anikaca77]

I use Tidy Cat. It isn't dusty but the granules track and that drives me even nuttier than dust. I continue to use it because it's great for keeping the odor down.

Same here, I tried a cheaper brand once and it was just miserable, the smell was bad but not with Tidy Cat.

[gigiwalt]

I believe this topic is rather old but I'm grateful to find it. I was just cleaning my ONE litter box, choking from the dust and wishing desperately to find a litter that didn't give ME asthma every time I cleaned the box! LOL I have used all the A&H brands, all the Tidy Cat brands, and many others and none of them (especically A&H and Tidy Cat) are even slightly less dusty! I was shocked to read that some of you actually suggest these...Why am I having such a different experience with those?

Anyway, the city I live in is actually getting a PetSmart this SATURDAY! Yay!!! I'm going to go the day it opens (1/22/2011) and I can't wait - for this very reason. I've made a list of every type you guys suggested and I'm going to try them all! Not at once; I'm on a tight budget...LOL Thanks so much!

I have 2 other things not related to 'dust' I'd like to ask you guys:

1) Am I the only one who hated the World's Best Cat Litter or having to lug the used portions to the bathroom to flush? I love the concept but I just didn't find it very 'every day applicable'...

2) Have any of you every tried the homemade litter? I recently bought a book telling me how to make it and it seems relatively easy. Does it really work? It is much cheaper, and sounds great, but I go with the philosophy if it seems too good to be true, it usually is...LOL

Thanks, again!