# What kind of litter do you use?



## Aoi (Jun 15, 2014)

Ie. 
Gravel
Wood
Bacterial
clumping

and why? I use gravel at the moment. With Miu it only needed the poops taken out daily and changed once a week. Luka's pee smells, so I was wondering if a different kind of litter would be better for them? It is none clumping gravel I use.


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## larsan (May 3, 2014)

I have used clumping for years. When Gizmo developed allergies, the vet suggested switching because his skin was coming in contact with it and that may be the reason. Went to several different "natural" litters but that apparently was not the cause. Went back to the clumping clay. We clean litter twice daily and have no smell problems.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I personally don't like the gravel kind, I need the ones that take away the pee smell. I do like feline pine, which is great if you only have a single cat, but not the best if you have more than one. I use it for my feral when she sleeps in the garage all winter, and I love it. So easy, and you have to only use a few inches of it at a time. 

But I have 4 litter boxes, and 4 cats inside. My goal is to keep the boxes as close to immaculate as I can. I love the clumping ability of Scoop Away, I think it is the best, but it is very, very dusty. It does settle after you pour it, but when you initially pour it, you almost need a dust mask. It works great though. I put all 35 pounds of the box of 2 that I buy in one of the large, rubbermaid containers I use for a litterbox, and as long as you keep it 4-5 inches deep and scoop it daily, you can go a long time without having to completely clean it out. I do wipe the sides down once a week though. I don't have a lid, my cats jump in and out of it just fine. I have 3 boxes like that. 

I do like World's Best Cat Litter, which is great if you only have 1 or 2 cats, I think it would work great, but for multiple cats, I think it gets gross pretty quickly. 

Arm and Hammer is great also, and usually cheaper than some of the others. Tidy Cat is also really good. Those are the go to ones that I usually buy.

I did have a Breeze litter box, and it was great. It uses plastic pellets that last a month and the urine is caught on a super absorbent pad that you change weekly. There is no litter tracking, which is awesome. I loved it and was able to get my cats to use it, but they preferred the ones with clumping litter and would pick it over the Breeze, so I stopped using it. But the concept is great, and if you only have 1 cat, it would be my pick. If you are super picky and hate litter tracking, it is a great choice.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Arm & Hammer clumping.

Keep trying other brands and always come back to A&H.


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## ttilmo (Oct 31, 2007)

Anyone use a disposable litter tray?

I have a Friend who uses one as she hates scooping poop etc and all she has to do is to remove a layer of litter every four days which is in a bag and get rid of the whole lot. Then there is another layer of litter in another bag underneath.

I think their are five layers in each cardboard tray and then you get rid of the tray. I think it sounds rather good especially if you hate scooping and cleaning out the boxes.

I'd be interested if anyone else has tried them before.

Thanks


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## Victoria.McG (Jul 28, 2014)

What does tidy cats fall under? And is it normal for cats to bury there pee? I thought it was just poop?


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## Mandy and Ellie (Oct 22, 2013)

I actually use the Walmart "Special Kitty" clumping litter. It works AWESOME, I like it so much more than the scented Tidy Cats I was previously using! And it's much cheaper, only $10 for 40lbs.

Surprisingly, the Special Kitty unscented clumps AND controls the pee smell better than the scented Tidy Cats. It was almost as if the scent would just mix with the pee and create a horrid smell...

Also, Ellie liked it better as well. When I put it in her litter box for the first time she had a BLAST kneading it for almost an hour, then went straight to pooing and peeing! lol

I love the SK litter because it clumps perfectly, has almost no dust, is soft for my Ellie's feet, and controls odor.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Victoria.McG said:


> What does tidy cats fall under? And is it normal for cats to bury there pee? I thought it was just poop?


Yep, totally normal. Some just do their business and walk away while some go through a very elaborate of digging a hole as deep as possible and peeing or pooping then burying it. 

Personally I prefer the pee and go guys because then it sits on top and can be scooped easier. :thumb 

The diggers manage to get it on the bottom of the pan and you need a jack hammer to get it out. :roll:

Tidy Cats fall under clumping (if it actually IS clumping), otherwise it is just clay litter that needs to be tossed completely out ever couple days.


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## Victoria.McG (Jul 28, 2014)

Now to Walmart for the $10 kitty litter! I think I paid 9.00 the first time for a small one tray bag at Walgreens


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I use two types of litter. In the general house I for my 5 resident cats I use scoopable clay litter like Tidy Cats. I don't like how it tracks and gets all over the place but it is an acceptable price to pay for the convenience of scoopable litter. Tidy Cats costs me $5.50 for a 20 pound tub at the military commissary.

In my foster cat room where I have 11 kittens and one momma currently, I am using pine pellet horse bedding sold at feed and seed stores like Tractor Supply. It is cheap and effective - 40 pound bag costs $5. I bought 2 sifting litter pans that I really, really like and I don't waste any litter with these. I just scoop out the poop and sift the urine soaked saw dust into the bottom pan and toss it out.


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## Victoria.McG (Jul 28, 2014)

Sifting litter pans, where can I find that? When I went to petsmart they had plastic ones and covered ones, I didn't see sifting ones.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I bought mine at Petsmart but have not seen them again since there, at least not at the one by Sam's Club here. It is made by Martha Stewart and is a 3 pan system. Search for "sifting cat litter pans" on Amazon and you will see several examples.


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## Victoria.McG (Jul 28, 2014)

Thank you, and I over looked your post on the peeing question. I was wondering why I wasn't getting any smell from the litter box since I put it down, I do sift through and scoop before and after work, but I haven't smelled the chemical pee smell people have written about, but I have found the dark chips under hills and tried to take as much out as possible, since it some times sifts through my scoop.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

There should be no smell if scooped regularly and you use a good quality litter. Even the pine litter absorbs odors if scooped regularly. Neutered cats' urine is not pungent like unneutered males' is. If you want to smell the difference just stop by the shelter. I can ALWAYS tell if an unneutered male is in the cage room because it will reek.


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Marcia said:


> while some go through a very elaborate of digging a hole as deep as possible and peeing or pooping then burying it.


Yeah -digging a hole, peeing or pooping, burying, smelling, burying, smelling, burying, smelling - eesh, it's buried already lol :roll:

To stay on topic, I recently started using Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief and will probably never use anything else, I love it so much. My cats do too - it clumps really well, has NO dust, and is truly unscented unlike most of the 'unscented' litters out there. No odor whatsoever from the boxes either.


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## KsKatt (Jul 6, 2014)

World's Best, and I have the definition of multiple cats!:mrgreen:
With the clay litter I had to clean the dust off my glasses between boxes, not with the WB. If my glasses got covered just cleaning, I don't like the idea of how much my cats could be inhaling. They are a lot closer to it than my glasses are.


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## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

Yeah, what did it for me was when I cleaned the box and put some litter in before I used the Dr. Elsey's, then Sunny got right in to 'christen' the box and started sneezing his head off. I didn't like to think what that was doing to their nasal passages and lungs.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I have been using wood pellet for more than 2.5years now and am very very pleased. I'm using it with a 2-tier sifting litter box, its economical and controls pee odor so well and not dusty at all, you don't see a layer of dust on the sides of the box. My litter box still look ***** and span after 2.5years using it. However, if I needed to go on a vacation, I won't be able to use it cos it doesn't cover poo odor well. I will instead go for crystal litter in a regular box and another in Scoopfree.

I tried clumping litter recently and vowed never to have anything to do with clumping litter again, makes breathing hard, messy, tracks badly, dusty and more work having to scoop pee and poo. ET loved clumping clay, but I hated it so much.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

I have a huge roll around bin of the wood pellets in the cat room and when I opened it and turned my back Zizi jumped in and peed in it! I must remember to keep the cover on it!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

All Pine Litter Box - Why a All Pine Self Cleaning Litter Box?

Here is a good box to use with the pine pellets. Pellets are much cheaper at a feed and seed store. It's essentially just horse bedding.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

hahaha...glad they took to the pellet well. 

Long ago, I removed the top tier and placed it on a layer of newspaper then removed the lower tray for washing in the bathroom. ET crept back into his room, went straight into the litter box and peed, w/o the lower tray and I don't remember if I still had the pellet in the upper tray, except that the newspaper below was soaking with pee. I can only stared at him with mouth wide opened at the door entrance and the clean lower tray in my hands, lol. 

He did nothing wrong, he was peeing inside his litter box, except that what went wrong was, the lower tray wasn't in place and I believe there was no pellet in the upper tray. I learnt a lesson, if ever I needed to wash the litter box, I'll have to lock him out, lol.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

The boxes I bought have 2 lower pans. I just take the one with the sawdust in it out and put the sifter in the bottom box. That way there is always a clean pan in the bottom. I'm SERIOUSLY thinking of going with the pine pellets for all my cats, not just in the cat room. It does not track and does a good job with odor control. It means replacing all my fairly new litter boxes AGAIN, but may be worth it in the long run.


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## shamrockmommy (May 28, 2011)

Right now I'm liking Tidy Cats instant action. I also use the Litter Lifter scoop, which is the best scooper I've tried, you just run it through and the chunks stay in it and the rest of the litter falls through. 

I've tried Swheat Scoop and World's Best, but then I'm allergic to both wheat and corn, so it gave me breathing trouble, cat didn't really like them anyway. 

I've tried feline pine but I felt like it was harder to clean.

For litter box, I use a BIG storage bin, with the side cut down a little bit to make jumping in easier. My cat is big, and not even the largest litter pan in stores could accommodate his needs. Plus... the bin is around $7 vs. litter pans which are considerably more.


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## ~*Regina*~ (Apr 16, 2008)

I've been using Swheat Scoop (Muilti Cat) for over a month now and I really like it! No smell, clumps great and best part, NO DUST!!
My top choices are the Swheat Scoop and Dr Elsey's (blue bag)


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

I use Tidy Cats 24/7 Multiple Cats. I scoop at least once a day but usually twice with 2 litter boxes and 2 cats. I only have to do complete changes every 1 1/2 to 2 months. Never have any smell and no dust.


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## Comet (Dec 8, 2012)

We are using a clumping flushable kind because we are toilet training. If it wasn't for that, it would be a regular flushing kind. This stuff turns to mud pretty much. Yuck.


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## ~Siameseifuplz~ (May 6, 2007)

We use clay clumping litter, fresh step right now. Fresh step has enormous amounts of dust but it clumps so well that it's worth it, the dust is only really a problem right when I pour it into the box. I do buy the odorless kind though, the perfume in the regular is enough to knock you over. My brother had some sort of non-clay litter for his cat...can't remember if it was corn or wheat or something else but I couldn't stand the smell of the litter itself, it made the whole room smell. It wasn't a bad smell, just a smell, but I don't want to smell the litter box at all.


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## Kashmir&Eleanor (Feb 22, 2014)

I tried using the clumping stuff, but for me it was just too messy and no matter the brand, I could still smell it.
I started buying Good Mews, it's a recycled paper pellet and they all took to it right away. Super absorbent and I can't smell it. 
Really tempted to get one of those self cleaning boxes though, but not sure I want to blow $100 on an experiment.


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## Kaylesh (Aug 22, 2010)

We don't have much choice here in the UK. I order mine from an online shop. It's clumping litter and comes from Canada.
Golden Grey Master Cat Litter at zooplus


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## Oliver's_Mummy (Aug 13, 2014)

I started of with pine pellets for Olli, but recently tried the woolworths brand of clay littler and am loving it so far... Is super cheap and there is no smell (I scoop out at least once per day)


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## Princess Kitty (Aug 26, 2014)

I use Yesterday's news , which is a paper litter. I find for the odour it is pretty good but the main reason why I use that and not a clumping type is because clumping rocks have a tendency to stick to kitties paws, and my rats have free range time and I wouldn't want them to find and munch on a piece of litter that kitty would have traveled on her paws. 

I also use the same litter type for my rats so it's a money saver too !


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## sweetcuddles (Jun 30, 2013)

I use whatever I can afford at the time. 20lbs of litter will last Skittles about a couple months or so. I scoop every day. Refresh when needed, which is about once a month. I do use clumping as I like it better than nonclumping.


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## V-paw (Mar 30, 2013)

I use the clumping clay from Costco. I like it much better than ones we've used in the past. 3 cats.


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## Time Bandit (Aug 17, 2010)

I use Dr. Elsey's Multi Cat litter (blue bag). It's incredible. Little tracking, great clumping, and best of all no smell (my husband has a super sensitive nose and he can't smell the litter boxes at all!). It's pure clay, with no dyes or perfumes. Great stuff!


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

I use pine litter! Fantastic stuff! Easy to scoop and no odors! One odd effect: I've sometimes noticed heat coming off of it. It seems it effectively becomes compost...


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## deanna79 (Aug 13, 2014)

I've tried the Arm & Hammer Kitty litter, clumps well, but can't stand the smell after a few days. Tried the walmart special kitty litter, does not clump well, easily breaks apart. I'm using Fresh Step multi cats which clumps really well and since it's outside for the ferals to use, works great.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

bluemilk said:


> I use pine litter! Fantastic stuff! Easy to scoop and no odors! One odd effect: I've sometimes noticed heat coming off of it. It seems it effectively becomes compost...


FUNNY! I wonder if that is what is happening. To break down into compost it would need moisture so you are saying the urine is causing it to break down or is it getting wet in the bag?


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## Aoi (Jun 15, 2014)

So many different litters!! At the moment we are still using the gravel but have added bi-carb to get rid of smells. I am changing to worlds best cat litter they are big 28lbs bags I have heard good things about them and at $25 a bag I really hope they work!


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## texasgirl (Feb 27, 2013)

I've been using Yesterday's News unscented original pellet kitty litter. Works great. No dust. It is harder to clean since it doesn't clump but it doesn't track around the house so it's a small sacrifice. My kitties love it.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

*"Perfect Litter" have you tried it?*

This isn't available in Canada (yet), but wondering if anyone has tried* "Perfect Litter" *that changes color to indicate PH in urine -- "dark pink" means "call the vet". A friend in U.S. loves it as does her cat and she bought it from Amazon.com

Amazon.com : Perfect Litter...Odor Controlling, Ultra Light, Natural Cat Litter : Pet Supplies


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## happy_panther (Aug 4, 2014)

Started on clumping clay type and I could not handle the smell! Switched to crystals and it's been great, less smell and lasting ages. But lately they seem to be peeing a lot more (I have introduced a lot more fluid with their meals) and it ends up soggy at the bottom even if I clean it out 2ce a day, seems to be smelling more and also they flick it EVERYWHERE and I hate stepping on it. So I am looking to change but there don't seem to be as many options over here.


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## Sabrina767 (Sep 5, 2014)

The Worlds Besr Cat Litter is what I am now using. Was afraid of all clumping litters for kitten due to the dangers if they ingest, so I started with Sweat Scoop, but bought two bags infested with moths!! Called company, yadda yadda long story short sent me full refund coupons for free bags, told me how to read freshness codes, said moths entered from pet store distributor warehouse, not their company. Searched for fresher bags, could not find any, switched to this and LOVE IT. No smell, scoops perfect. No worried if she swallows some off her feet or something. Happy mama happy Charli.


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