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I only use non-clumping Tidy Cat. I get the appeal and the convenience of clumping, but non just seems more natural. The local foster lady told me about a litter I am considering testing out - made with walnut shells. I haven't taken the time to research or pursue that option yet.
Do you honestly think your cats care? As long as they can bury what they want to bury and run away at lightning speed I dont think they care what is in the litter box most of the time.
I use a clumping litter for the reasons everyone has stated: it's easier to scoop out the soiled litter, it holds odors better, it requires fewer complete box changes. I use Precious Cat Ultra- it's unscented and not dusty at all.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tamatem
The local foster lady told me about a litter I am considering testing out - made with walnut shells. I haven't taken the time to research or pursue that option yet.
I've heard that stuff is very dusty, but I've never used it.
I've used both but prefer the clumping. It's so much easier to scoop the cat pee when it clumps.
I've tried some of the alternative litters made from wheat, corn, pine, etc, but neither the cat nor I was happy with any of them. The pine one smelled too strongly, the corn one made a horrible mess, and the wheat one didn't control odor AND was apparently infested with bugs - ewwww!
Do you honestly think your cats care? As long as they can bury what they want to bury and run away at lightning speed I dont think they care what is in the litter box most of the time.
*I* care, and it's just a choice I have made for my kitty.
I use only clumping. I have tried many brands but always come back to Tidy Cats. If anyone ever invents the perfect cat litter, he will replace Bill Gates on the Forbes list of the richest men in America. I have tried every form of litter box known to man over the past 40 years and am currently using a big steel wash tub surrounded by a 12" piece of plastic with an opening large enough for the 3 cats to jump in and out. Otherwise, they have a nasty habit of simply peeing over the side onto the floor and wall. I typically scoop it 5 times a day and still find pieces of litter from one end of the house to the other every morning. The dust is my biggest objection - every brand says "99% dust-free," but that remaining 1% must be the bad one because the laundry room in which we have the litter box requires dusting every other day. I would pay $10 extra for any brand that was truly dust-free.
Another Precious Cat Ultra user here - I really do not see any dust except maybe a little when I'm pouring it into the box. It clumps really well and is odorless. The only downside is that it's quite heavy.
When we first brought the kitten home, we got a bag of corn litter but we could not stand the "natural forest scent" that it was supposed to have.
I've seen a tv ad for a new "lightweight" litter, has anyone tried it ? I haven't seen it in any store yet.
Don
I've seen it in Target but I'm afraid to try it, even though it's Tidy Cats which is the brand I use. I just worry it won't clump as well or it'll be different enough that my cats don't like it. Toby gets really picky about the litter box. I tried the scented Tidy Cats once and fortunately I only used it in one box instead of both because he refused to use that box.
I've used the Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat blue bag for the most part, but also have tried Cats Pride clumping in the green jug, which I believe is a lighter weight product, and Petco store brand clumping.
My criteria are: "99% dust free" (I have no issue with whatever remaining dust there is, if it wasn't that it'd be cat hair...) clumping, clay litter, unscented.
I don't like the weird corn/wheat/pine stuff. I think it's just catering to a trend to look for "natural" things...clay is natural stuff, too!...and it was so light that the particles clung to Nimbus' fur and paws, and he'd track it everywhere and still wind up having to "wash" it off his paws....at which point he is not only ingesting his own waste potentially, but definitely ingesting some weird plant fiber dust. Not OK with me. I've also wondered about allergies...some cats can be pretty sensitive to stuff like wheat.
A strange thing happened the last time I cleaned out Nimbus' litterbox. He immediately jumped in there and layed down and wallowed and rolled in it. Maybe because the clean box didn't smell enough like the cat...but I have a theory. I think he was attempting a dust bath. Like chinchillas do. It even seemed to loosen up the mats under his "armpit" that I've been trying to work on gently for weeks! He might just be onto something...
EDIT: Might also be why he used his second litterbox as a bed when we first got his stuff set up. I got rid of the second box and put a blanket there...maybe he was just trying to get his dust bath on? I don't know.
Clumping! Plus I scoop once or twice daily so my cat always has a clean box.
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