Kitty Litter

[shais_mom]

I would like to take an unofficial poll of what kind of litter everyone uses. Jodi bought me Tidy Cat when I got Kylie, and I didn't mind that it worked pretty good.
Now I am trying the pearls and even tho it works well, I am not satisified with it b/c it tracks so much. She tracked them to my bed and let me tell ya it hurts when ya roll on those little things, they feel like stones!!
I think if I can't get any other suggestions I am goint to stick to Tidy Cat.
Thanks!!!

[Fuzzy317]

We are using Tidy Cat now. We have never used the crystals/pearls.

[ July 25, 2001: Message edited by: Fuzzy317 ]

[Kitty Peon]

I use Everclean - the Antibacterial Formual. It hardly tracks and there's also very little dust, which is good because Cleo really can kick up a storm in there. In the past I tried non-clumping litter but my Cleo did not like it at all and refused to use it so I had to go back to clumping - I think that if a kitty has been used to clumping litter they rarely switch to non-clumping. I have also tried Shweat(clumping) which I personally love because it's all natural made from wheat and it says right on the bag (which I'm not sure if it's true or not) that it is safely ingested. I switched back to Everclean because it was around the time that Cleo began to get sick and we thought it may have been the litter - it was not Cleo has a birth defect. Anyway, the only bad thing about Shweat is that it is very dusty and Cleo used to come out of there covered in dust - it doesn't track though.

A little more than you asked for - try a covered litter box (if you don't already have one), they offer more privacy and are healtier (they prevent dust from coming out and they have germ filters also) for both kitty and human. Walmart has some great inexpensive ones - I got mine for $20 (cdn).

[ July 25, 2001: Message edited by: Kitty Peon ]

[cr7clark]

I use the house brand from PetValu stores (I can't remember the name). It's a clumping litter and really absorbs odors well. I've never tried the crystals/pearls. I also swear by a LitterMaid automatic litter box cleaner. It has a cover and an enclosed disposable container for the solid waste so there's virtually no odor or dust. The LitterMaid has a carpeted ramp which leads to it's entrance and it really picks up the litter off of Bo's feet.

[cr7clark]

Thanks Spencer, your information about the LitterMaid is absolutely correct. I have the more expensive version and I think it's worth every penny, especially the robust motor. When we want to clean the LitterMaid, we simply unplug it, disassemble and clean, reassemble (after making sure it is COMPLETELY dry) and refill with litter. When we plug the unit back in, the filter comb runs once and goes back to it's starting position. In case we have a power outage or the LitterMaid fails for some reason, we do keep a regular litter box. It's also nice if we want to clean the LitterMaid and need another place for Miss Bo to go.

[AvaJoy]

I have never had to completely discard the litter in any of my boxes since I've been using Scoop Away clumping. I use extra big litter boxes and fill each 2/3 full (about 4 inches deep). I scoop twice a day and have no odor problems. As is usually the case with a product I love, Scoop Away has modified (once again!) their formula. I always use fragrance-free, yet the last "new/improved" batch I bought has a slight perfume fragrance to it Maybe some of the scented got mixed in with the unscented at the factory? Well, if the next box I buy has the same smell I am ready to try another clumping brand like EverClean or Tidy Cat, as long as they are completely odor-free.

I have thought about getting a LitterMaid, but don't think it will hold enough litter. I am particular about my cats' litter boxes, and really don't mind scooping; that way I can keep an eye on what's doing.

[Pam]

Avajoy...I am sort of a compulsive litterbox scooper myself. I figure if I was a cat I wouldn't want to walk in anything awful myself. You are right, a cat's litterbox can tell you a lot of things about them. I learned at Christmas that Andy had been eating my artificial tree. The evidence was right there!

[Fuzzy317]

I am a fanatic about cleaning the litter box myself. I try and clean it twice a day, one before I leave for work, and once when I get home from work. I try to keep the same routine on my days off, but I don't have great timing on those days.

We tried one of those automatic litter boxes, but with 3 cats, it was running often, and the amount of litter in it we thought was too shallow.

[catwoman]

For litter tracking problems, try putting a large raffia mat (like the ones some people use as dorrmats) underneath the litterbox, so that it sticks out on all sides. The raffia mat will "collect" the litter that gets thrown or tracked out of the box very nicely.

[Logan]

Keep in mind that my cats don't use the litter box often (they're not bad, they just prefer to go outside)! Didn't realize how bad that sounded at first!
Anyway, I use the Tidy Cat regular litter, not the clumping kind. Some of the others had such a strong odor that Mimi hated it. I get the kind that is for multiple cat households and since I don't have to change it often, it is a very inexpensive alternative.

Logan

[4 feline house]

The door mat sure wouldn't work in my house! They would never use the box! All four cats are afraid of the doormat on the porch. They leap over it when they're going in and out. Big, who's too fat to be a great jumper, sometimes sits in the doorway, pondering that evil doormat, trying to decide if he really wants to go out bad enough to try to make the jump. Because, after all, if he misses, he might accidently STEP on the horrible thing!

[aly]

I use the crystals. Shiloh never really tracks them. I do have a little kitty mat there so maybe that is the difference? I also buy the 'non-tracking' kind with larger crystals. I just don't like the other litters because of all the dust. There is a great pine litter I used to use that I liked except for the smell when Shiloh peed on it. My vote is always for natural litters but different things work for different people!

Leah, I've never heard of anything like that. All 4 of the cats are afraid of the doormat??? Hehe. That would be a funny sight to see

[shais_mom]

Thanks for all the input!! Keep em comin~!!
I will try the EverClean, and I do like Tidy Cat. Aly what kind of large pearls did you get? These are about the size of BBs. and they track horribly.

[Pam]

I just realized I never answered the original question! Like BosMom I use Pet Valu's store brand. I find it works really well (not too much dust) and is inexpensive. My Andy takes the idea of burying his "contributions" very seriously. Most of it ends up on the floor! Trevor on the other hand is a neatnik!

[cr7clark]

I have found that the Pet Valu brand of litter also works quite well in my LitterMaid automatic scooper. Although it looks like there isn't enough litter in the LitterMaid to allow a cat or cats the luxury of covering their poops, my cat has never had a problem with this. So I think the shallow look of the litter in a LitterMaid is deceiving, as long as you keep litter in at the prescribed level your cat(s) will be able to cover their wastes quite well.