Yesterday I went to get some more cat litter for the litter box. I was noticing all the different types of litter. Cheap stuff, clumping, crystal, natural, etc.
My question: Do you have a favorite brand? I have always used Arm & Hammer multi-cat, but I want to make sure that's the best option. I prefer something that clumps - makes it easier to clean. I tend not to be very good about scooping the litter box daily. :-)
Should I go for the "natural" litters? I don't want to get litter that is going to leave me needing to spend hundreds of dollars skin care products for my cats later on! I also like the idea of minimizing my footprint on this world, but right now I don't have an extra arm and a leg to spend.
What is "crystal" litter?
Your advice would be most appreciated! You can read more Works For Me Wednesdays here.
10 comments:
First off - my cat hated the crystal stuff, must feel like walking on glass to him so I don't suggest that stuff. I have always used Fresh Step just for the smell but I think it is equivalent to the Multi-cat so I suggest whatever you have a coupon for. The natural stuff is ok but I found they don't cover up the smell as well and since I don't scoop daily either, I need the strong stuff. I also buy mine in bulk at Sam's/BJ's with the coupon if possible so it saves some money there too.
I'm an A&H girl too, and, like you, don't scoop nearly as often as I should. Someone mentioned sifting liners a few weeks back, and I actually found some this week (Petsmart didn't have them, but Walmart did!). We'll see how helpful they are. If nothing else, they might encourage my husband to help with the task since there's no longer any 'poo touching' involved (not that there was before, but you know what I mean).
We've got 5 indoor cats and use Tidy Cat multi-cat scoopable stuff. We buy in bulk, and use the empty litter containers for scooping the clumps into - makes it handy to take out on trash day.
Hmmm... we get whatever litter they have. (there's not a lot of choice here) Aren't I helpful? Hehe. And anyway, Chai doesn't really seem to use the litter box, she goes outside...
I'm a vet tech and have tried just about every typ eof litter.
I've found that the clumping stuff tracks easily, so I skip it because I don't want to constantly vacuum. Also, if you have a long haired cat, if they ingest too much of it, it can cause digestive issues.
I tried a brand made of corn hulls, but that was messy too.
My favorite is a brand called Yesterday's News that is made from recycled newspaper. It's pellets instead of small pieces, so it doesn't get tracked all over the place. It is more expensive than clay versions.
I've always found the scented litters to be offensive to my sensitive nose, so I scoop twice daily (at least) and change out the entire box once a week.
Feline pine is awesome, we were a 4 kitty household, now we have 3 and I have not found anything better then feline pine.
We use pine litter. I usually just buy Petsmart's brand since it's cheaper, but we'll use Feline Pine if it's on sale. We used to use a clumping litter, but it was too dusty, and one of our cats was having behavior problems (spraying in the house) that we later realized was a litterbox issue. We've had no spraying problems since we switched to pine litter a couple of years ago!
With the pine litter, you just shake the litter box, and the solid waste rises to the top. You just scoop that out and flush it. Urine turns the litter to sawdust, which forces you to switch out the litter more frequently (I change it once a week with 2 cats in the house), which keeps the box cleaner. And it's environmentally safe. You can dump the used litter in the garden if you want.
However, I will say that I don't think there's necessarily a litter that best for everyone. It's really a personal choice about what you and your cats prefer.
I use Petco's Pet Gold clumping litter. It does track, but I like how it forms nice clumps that are easy to scoop (unlike some of the cheaper grocery store brands), and that you can take the container back and refill them at Petco for a reduced rate. I feel like I'm doing my part to minimize landfill usage.
I second the Feline Pine suggestion!
Thanks, everyone, for your input! I'm going to have to try that feline pine.
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