silica litter

[ScantyNebula]

I just bought the *eeek* expensive silica litter for Toby, the smell of the regular crap was making gross smelling dust in our room and I got fed up .. so anyway he seems to like it and such, and it doesn't smell at all! I was wondering, those of you who use it, how long it should last? I have one container, dumped in the whole lot ... is it worth the money to keep getting it?

[Songlover]

Hi there in Newfoundland!

I have never heard of this kind of litter. Can you tell me something about it? How much does it cost in Newfoundland? Should be similar here in Montreal, I imagine. It will be worth it if it kills kitty odor, that's for sure....regards from Deborah in Montreal (*born and brought up on beautiful Cape Breton Island!)

[ScantyNebula]

My stuff looks like the white/blue litter on the right .. Apparently when the blue crystals start to fade the litter has to be replaced ... and so far so good .. he jumped in the box and explored as soon as I put it in .. and he's used it 4 times or more so far and no smell at all As for price here, I paid over 6 dollars for one litter box full worth ... maybe it should last a month? Its not really expensive .. but compared to the other stuff that cost 4 dollars and lasted 4 or more months.. lol

[Russian Blue]

I've also heard good things about this type of litter, but I haven't tried it yet.

Here's a link to more information on the product:

Silica Litter Info


Here's the link from PetSmart:

ExquisiCat Pearl Fresh Cat Litter

**My dad was born and raised in Cape Breton! I adore the maritimes and can't wait till I can come back for a visit!

[Songlover]

Dear Scany Nebula and Russian Blue, thanks for sending the photo and the information re: this silica litter. I will definitely look into it and it is also quite affordable.

The good news is that Toby jumped right in to "do his business", as that is the number one priority here

Regards from Deborah in Montreal, former Cape Bretoner and soon-to-be returning to Toronto where I lived for many years!

[HayleyRosie]

Where did you buy the silica litter? What is the brand name? How long have you been using it? I know, a lot of questions!

My cat Sydney (RB) tried this out about one year ago. He didn't mind the change; but I surely DID NOT LIKE IT!! While scooping out the "poop" and clumps, I couldn't stand the awful smell . The stuff also stuck to his paws ; several times I slipped whan stepping on those crystals, and once I really hit the ground...!
I will never ever buy this stuff again; it is too expensive, and surely less effective than the litter we use now("Compact Ultra" by Vitakraft) !
Let us know about your experiences with this!

[ScantyNebula]

Wow...you must've had a different brand or something lut .. mine is nothing like that...the other regular clay litter REEKED ... this stuff is odorless! And it doesn't stick to his paws at all .. in fact he hasn't dropped one pellet yet .. the clay litter however, is sprinkled on the carpet next to his box.

Rosie, I bought it at Sobeys (Merrymeeting Road) There was only one brand there, can't remember the name, but it was in a plastic jug.

I am having good experiences so far...

[Uabassoon]

I used to use that silica litter and I really liked it. Sometimes some of the crystals would escape the litter box and it would really hurt when I stepped on them. And after around 3 weeks it would have a horrible amonia smell, which is when I would change it. The reason why I stopped using it was because one day Corkscrew decided that he didn't like it and started using the floor next to the litter box. WHen I changed to scoopable litter he started using his litter box again. I like the scoopable litter, if I scoop out the clumps every day it doesn't smell at all, and it's a lot cheaper.

[smokey the elder]

The original brand of silica gel litter was Litter Pearls. I know there are other brands out there. I'm of the if it's not broke don't fix it school and use scoopable. My cats don't mind which brand, thank goodness! BJ's store brand is cheap and very good quality!

[carole]

Yes i have seen that litter pearls here, and wondered if they are worth buying, too expensive for my budget at around 12dollars for a small bag, i buy the budget brand here, and its around 7.95 for 10kg bag in supermarket, admittingly there is dust which i am not very keen on but lexie does not seem to mind it at all.

[batgirl1980]

I tried them before Eliza came to live with us, so I only had Bach and Mozart at the time...
I didn't mind it, the problem was.. the cats loved it a little TOO MUCH... What I mean by that is, When they pee'd in it (or on it rather).. it makes this sound... well they LOVED that sound, so they would pee in there about 20x's a day (needless to say I didn't have to worry about them drinking enough water!), so it quickly didn't last a week with them!

Not to mention.. those things HURT to step on!!!

As for smell... it certainly didn't smell... but it wasn't economical for me, so back to regular litter we went, so that we wouldn't spend mega bucks a week on the fancy stuff that makes great sounds when you pee apparently!

But if you try it and like it, and it lasts a month or so (its supposed to last a month for one cat i think).. then GREAT! I had expected to get 2 weeks out of mine at least... but didn't make it a week, once they thought "ooh wow, REALLY cool stuff" lol.

[NoahsMommy]

Funny you should bring this up. We were in San Diego this weekend visiting my hubby's sister and they use this stuff for Moses, their black and white cat.

There was no smell at all. I asked my borther-in-law about it and he said they really liked it. He said Moses only tracks it out of the box a little.

Hmmmm.....I wonder if I should try it in one of the boxes. I DID notice how loud it was when Moses was in there!

***Mozart and Bach....you guys are too cute!!!

[Soledad]

When we got Boo, the humane society gave me this pebbley kitty litter. It smelled awful and one of my biggest reservations about getting a cat was that god awful "cat smell" that I've encountered before at friends' homes. So Sam and I saw the crystals (that's what we call the silica litter) and we have not turned back since. The stuff is amazing!! No smell, super absorbent and reasonably priced.

[Miss Meow]

Can you mix the silica/crystals with other types of litter? My in-laws are coming for a holiday tomorrow and their bedroom is next to the laundry. We clean twice a day but if Tabasco does a stinker first thing in the morning, I fear my in-laws won't be able to breathe!