Changing cat litter

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Originally posted by sirrahbed
Could the depth be the difference? I keep LOTS of litter in each box - well over half full and about 4 inches maybe? There is never cement because nothing makes it to the bottom. I only have tootsies rolls and nice biscuits to remove. Could that be it??

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I think it's the brand because I've been switching to Fresh Step slowly, a box at a time and I have no problems with a layer of cement on the bottom with it but I did with Tidy Cat no matter how deep the litter was. I tried Exquisicat from PetsMart and although entirely too dusty it doesn't make that cement layer on the bottom either.

I use yesterdays news too Love it I can composte it in my garden Its terrific.

I use the crystals, I buy the big pail at Walmart for $15. CDN, that does me the two boxes. I have four cats, and two litter boxes.

I change it every two weeks, (completely, use liners and just toss it all) you do scoop solids daily, I never EVER have a smell.

There's a formula, for changing it, 1 cat, 1 month, two cats, two weeks, and so on.

I find it really great and while it tracks some it doesnt track far.

The only problem is, the cost, $30. per month.

We thought we liked Target-brand Crystals b/c you could get a big jug of them for $9.95, which was nice b/c the Tidy Cats stuff and other Crystals are expensive. At first they were fine, but then (we have 2 litter boxes and with the crystals, we didn't have to change weekly - more like every two weeks or so), they had this weird smell to them (when it had only been a week or so) and the cats didn't want to use the box, even though we clear all the waste out of them 2-3 times per day. It was just odd.

We liked the Tidy Cats Crystals, but unless we're going to have a coupon every time, that's just too expensive for a household with 4 cats. We had the Tidy Cats Crystals Blend for a while too, and while we liked the fact that it was far less dusty than the regular clay Tidy Cats, it tracked all over the house more, and we couldn't flush it down the toilet like we like to do normally - oh, and if some got on wet floor, it would cake up. It was gross. At some point we may have to switch to something else, though, b/c I hate all the dust that Tidy Cats clay litter kicks up, though we don't have too many problems with "cement" on the bottom of our boxes (and we can't use liners b/c Leo would tear them up). With Tidy Cats clay, we usually change it every weekend and definitely clean it 2-3 times per day. Is that what you should do with 4 cats and 2 litterboxes, or can it go longer than that?

We normally don't have a smell in our house b/c we're so good about cleaning the litter, but if we're gone for a day or a little over a day, we can smell that we need to clean the litter when we walk in.

I've tried the wheat, corn and crystals. I prefer the scoopable, clumping of Fresh Step. :)

My sister-in-law has one cat and uses the crystals. I never smell anything. I think it'd be great for just a few cats. I don't know how all mine would deal with a new litter.

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Originally posted by kuhio98
We use a mixture of cheapo clay litter and Feline Pine.
Feline Pine is pretty expensive in Alaska so we use mostly clay. We don't use clumping kind at all because we flush the kitty "doo" down the toilet every day and the plumber said it would make cement down there if we did it too long.

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Can you get the wood pellets for pellet stoves? They are pretty much the exact same thing as Feline Pine. I live dang close to you and I pay 5 bucks for a 40 pound bag of pellets. Feline Pine is 40 bucks for a much smaller bag. I've been using it for years and never had a problem.

I also use Yesterday's News and love it, but with 8 cats it has to get changed alot!

And I have three boxes with clumping litter. Cheapo stuff, I hate it, the cats love it and that's what matters!

10 cat boxes in the house, three kinds of litter = vastly reduced litter boxes misses!

Just thought I would give an uppydate.

I've now switched to something called Feline Fresh Natural Pine Cat Litter. Maybe it's the same as Feline Pine down in the States. Actually it's made by PlanetWise Products in Pine Bluff, AR.

They make two kinds. One is the little pellets and the pee turns into sawdust at the bottom of the box that you scoop and flush away.

Now, they've come up with the clumping kind and this is what I'm using now. IT'S AWESOME!! The pee biscuits and tootsie rolls are all flushable and the litter smells great..just like pine. (Who would ever think that cat litter would make a good room deodorizer! :D) It only took Max and Speckles a couple of weeks to get used to it and now that's all I will use. It's completely dust free too. Another thing, it doesn't track as much as the clay clumping litter.

Now for the downside, it's $7.00 for a 6 lb. bag. I will check around at other places for a cheaper price but I think that's going to be pretty much standard. Doesn't matter to me.

Unlike Buckley's, it smells great and it works!! :)

glad you found something that is working so well Slick!

I have been using Premium Choice Ultra It works pretty well. I also tried the new Arm and Hammer and really liked it.
I used Feline Pine for a long time but after started using the clay again noticed that I didn't have the smell that I did with Feline Pine. Must have just been me? Maybe I will try it again.
My girls are so tolerant. I am soooo bad about scooping and they just keep going. Have been thinking about getting the Littermaid but haven't bit the bullet yet.

I use Fresh Step Crystals. I flush so the clumps aren't too good for that. They do scatter it but I'm lucky with a bathtub that gets no use so I put their boxes in the tub and most stays in there. I still have to sweep though and it seems like my big cat uses the little box and the little one uses the big box so I have rolls in the tub. Easy enough to scoop up with the litter scoop though.

You can earn pts with Fresh Step. Go to www.freshstep.com You can get free things.

A scoopable pine litter? Interesting. And it is still flushable?

I like the pine, I use it when I have foster kittens, but it is too expensive for my entire household. :(