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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[krazyaboutkatz]

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!

Hi and welcome to PT. I didn't know that you could make your own litter. Can you give us the recipe for it please? I'm glad that you're getting a Petsmart close by. I now buy my litter at Pet Club which is much cheaper than Petsmart. Good luck.

[AvaJoy]

[SIZE="3"]I have been using Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat exclusively for some time now. Worlds' Best is FAR from being that, and WAY too dusty, as is Swheat Scoop.

However, lately I've been noticing excessive dust from Multi-Cat, and when opening a new box to replenish there seems to be lots of powder which I assume is causing the dust. I contacted them to complain, thinking maybe they changed their formula or somehow another one of their litters got mixed in to Multi-Cat my mistake. I have been a loyal customer, and they sent me coupons.

Please let me know the formula for making litter and I will try it, as I am at my wits end![size]

[moosmom]

WORD OF CAUTION: Never, EVER flush cat poo down the toilet. Cat's poo can contain the toxoplasmosis virus, which can be spread through our water. Please, put it in the trash. Do not flush!!

[BarbPond]

I know most of these post I am making in the health threads are rather late but since I am new here that is the reason. And I want to let people here know what I think and use..... (PS.. I cant spell good, excuse typos... lol)

I use Tidy Cats litter for multiple cats and have done so for a long time now. With 10 cats we buy it in 35 lb pails!

The only problem I had with it was a problem that happened to me a couple of years ago. I am sensitive to some smells. Anyhow my hubby dumped some fresh litter he had just bought into the litter pan in the computer room where I was. I immeditally started coughing and was having trouble getting my breath so had to go outside and get fresh air. My hubby dumped the litter outside in the yard and we got another bucket of it that was normal. It seems that they had changed the "scent" and all we can figure is that this particular bucket got way toooo much scent in it when it came off the assembly line.

I ended up having to go to the doctor, a throat specialist, and it had given me a chemical burn in my throat all the way down to my larynex. It also killed my taste buds, made my throat sore, and I could only eat soft food for a good long time. It took me about 1 1/2 years before I could taste food right again!! I still cant handle acidic food and really miss not being able to have my V8 juice.

We contacted the maker of the litter (purina) and they said to send in the doctors reports and they "might" pay for my bills. Well naturally in the end they said that was no proof that it was the litter that caused it. I tried to find someone (lab) that could test the litter but no such thing existed. It seems that there are no laws about what is or is not used in cat litter and it is not regulated at all. Therefore there are no labs to test it.

Funny thing is... shortly after my contact with Purina reguarding the litter problem it disapeared from the store shelves for about a week in this area! But we are still using it and have had no other problems with it.

As far as scented candles and so forth go...
My vet says he has had several people bring their pets in with what they say is allergys and after checking the animal out and finding nothing obivous he always asks if they use scented candle. He said most of the owners did use candles and when he told them not to use the candles for awhile the pets problem would go away!

About flushing litter down toilet.....
We are on a septic system here and that is a big NO/NO. What I do is use a small trash can that a plastic grocery bag will fit into. I scoop the used litter and put it in the bag and kind of close up the bag. When the bag gets full I tie it shut and put it in the trash. This works great as it is a cheap, safe and easy way to dispose of it.