My Litter Box Saga
Ok, well not my litter box, the litter box my cats use. Ever since we moved I’ve been trying to figure out a better litter to use for my cats. I had been using Fresh Step but I would often find that there would be little bits of litter caught in their paws and sometimes their entire coat would smell like the litter after they had been in there. So I wanted to see what I could do to make it better for my cats and I’ve tried a few different kinds.
I first tried Feline Pine and got the clumping kind. It seemed to work ok for the cats and there wasn’t much smell to it, but I ended up with little crystals all over the floor of my bathroom. Then I tried Swheat Scoop. The first thing the one cat did was eat it, proceeded with throwing up all over my bath mat. The smell was also not at all pleasing. Then I decided it was time to try the LitterMaid, and oddly, my cats are afraid of it. They would sit on the bathroom floor and just wait for it and watch it while it raked the litter. I ended up with more stuff that should be in the litter box on my bathroom floor because of their fear. The LitterMaid also wants you to use their “premium” clumping cat litter. Again, the smell was not something I could live with.
At this point, I’m back to using Fresh Step, still using the LitterMaid but keeping it off most of the time and just turning it on once a day to rake the litter for me. I’m hoping the cats slowly get used to it. I would still like to find a better cat litter that is healthier for my cats but still controls the smell and doesn’t end up all over my bathroom. If anyone has any advice, ideas or products I should try out, please let me know.
Tags: , environment, green
September 2nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
Your experience with Swheat Scoop differs drastically from mine! I just had my new kitten spayed and declawed, which meant non-clay litter was required. I was looking for the shredded-newspaper-like variety at my local pet store, and couldn’t find it. But they did have this wheat-based product, which claimed to be sterile for declawed cats, so I thought I’d give it a try.
The cats don’t seem to mind it, even though my older cat has been using mostly the same litter(s) for ten years now. They use their boxes with the Swheat Scoop, and I’ve even consolidated two litterboxes into one. I don’t think it seems as messy around the box, and I’ve not noticed any unusual smell from this product. It also seems easier to scoop, for some reason. Maybe because it feels lighter?
At any rate, sorry to hear about your Swheat Scoop woes. I don’t know if you had a bad batch (again, mine doesn’t smell) or it’s just the differences between cats. Maybe you should look into the shredded newpaper kind of litter if you want a more environment friendly solution?
Otherwise, I’ve been using Fresh Step myself (the white and blue variety), and Glamour Kitty. One of the Arm & Hammer litters was pretty good for me as well. I think the courser litters “track” less; it’s the fine scoopables that stick to coats. Good luck!
October 28th, 2008 at 1:27 am
You’re on StumbleUpon.
Also- when I lived at home, we had 5 indoor cats using 2 litterboxes. Fresh Step all the way, man.
October 28th, 2008 at 1:28 am
i arrange my litter box at the end of my hallway, with a mat placed in such a way that the cats have to walk the length of it after doing their business. the mats i buy are nubbly plastic outdoor mats, about 2.5 by 3 feet. i get em from walmart. $14.99. i just shake the mat outside, and if it gets too dirty to salvage, i just buy a new one. works like a charm.