# Cat Litter Questions for cats with CH?



## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

So both my new kittens have Cerebellar Hypoplasia (1 is mild, 1 is moderate),
they're currently used to a regular, clumping clay cat litter.
Because I have a dog, clay cat litter isn't safe to use(incase she eats some), so I'm looking for alternatives.
My current cat is just using recycled newspaper pellets, but I'm not sure how to go about transitioning the kittens on to this, or if pellets are feasible with their disabilities.

If anyone has any tips that would be greatly appreciated!


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I don't see why the pellets wouldn't work. I might start with the litter not particularly deep, and see how they handle it, but I think it should be fine.

You could also look at Swheat Scoop or ...that corn litter that I cannot recall the name of... Those clump, but would be safe for your dog (and the kittens) if they were ingested. They also have the same texture as clay litter.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Kaye, 
Is there one room you could gate off from the dog, that the kittens could call their very own safe room?
I've done this in my house and it works beautifully! The cats, if they want to use their litter boxes, snooze or play with their toys, can do so, without any interference from my dogs...
And it definitely takes care of any dog that considers kitty poo, to be the equivalent of a Tootsie roll or almond roca!
The clumping litter they're used to, will also control odors a lot better.
Dogs should not be eating kitty poo!
It's not healthy for them, makes their breath stink...and as for getting a doggie kiss...ewwww!!!
Sharon


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

I know this is gross...but it actually isn`t unhealthy for a dog to eat poo. Assuming it`s not rolled in clay litter of course.

Dogs do eat poop. Goose poop, rabbit poop, cow poop, horse poop, other dog`s poop. They`ll eat it. There`s nothing wrong with them eating plain old poop (but if your dog does eat poo from wild animals they should probably be dewormed every 3 months or so, just for safety`s sake), it`s gross to us, but not actually unhealthy.

It DOES make their breath stink, and grosses us out, but realistically those are the only reasons to prevent it.

Lol, sorry Sharon!

That being said, a dog-free zone isn`t a bad idea. Especially since your kittens may have a tougher time than most accessing a box, and that sort of accommodation could mean you can`t prevent the dog from getting into the box without fully restricting them from the area.

Since they are kittens I`d still suggest switching the litter from clay clumping litter since kittens sometimes nibble their litter, and the clay kind is NOT meant to be ingested. I use Swheat Scoop, but the newspaper pellets would likely be fine too.


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

10cats2dogs said:


> Kaye,
> Is there one room you could gate off from the dog, that the kittens could call their very own safe room?
> I've done this in my house and it works beautifully! The cats, if they want to use their litter boxes, snooze or play with their toys, can do so, without any interference from my dogs...
> And it definitely takes care of any dog that considers kitty poo, to be the equivalent of a Tootsie roll or almond roca!
> ...


The dog is currently blocked off in my room while I am away(since the kittens are still new), however I don't want this to be a regular thing, as she's used to having the run of the whole house. I keep a litter box in every room, to ensure that the cats can go where ever they want. They will have a room blocked off for them always but they have a hard time aiming their bodies thorugh the opening of the baby gate.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

LOL! Becky this from this book on dogs:
View attachment 68937


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Rats! Try this again!


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

librarychick said:


> I know this is gross...but it actually isn`t unhealthy for a dog to eat poo. Assuming it`s not rolled in clay litter of course.
> 
> Dogs do eat poop. Goose poop, rabbit poop, cow poop, horse poop, other dog`s poop. They`ll eat it. There`s nothing wrong with them eating plain old poop (but if your dog does eat poo from wild animals they should probably be dewormed every 3 months or so, just for safety`s sake), it`s gross to us, but not actually unhealthy.
> 
> ...


I'm not worried at all about her eating the poop, she eats goat and horse poop all the time at the barn, and cleans up after the rabbit has her floor time. She gets into the cat's poop too sometimes but she prefers the rabbit poop.

I'm definitely going to check out the corn cob litter, as it will work better for the kittens and my current cat, and I don't have to worry about the dog getting hurt by it.

I do have a baby gate with a cat door set up in front of the spare bedroom, where the cat tree and toys are, but the kittens have a hard time getting through the opening with their CH, and if the opening is any bigger, then the dog can crawl through it... so I'm kind of at an impasse with that one (no pun intended)

I do make sure that there is a litter box in every room, since I have a large house I don't want the kittens to have to go far to have access to a box.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Sharon, I can see the pic, but it's too small for me to read the words. :/

There are many species (some canids even!) that practice corophagia as a normal and healthy part of digestion. Guinea pigs, rabbits, hares, arctic foxes...I'm sure there are many others too!

There are a lot of myths about why dogs eat poop, but it generally comes down to 'because, to them, it smells good'. *shrugs*

Kayepaye, it sounds like you're doing all the right things...the only other option you could try is facing the entrance to the litter box towards a wall - leaving just enough room for the kittens to sneak in. The trouble there, again, is the difficulty these particular kittens might have in getting into such a small space. As a temporary measure I'd lock the kittens up when you're not home. It won't hurt them at all, and might be good for their litter box habits and home (you'd be amazed what kittens can get into in a short period of time...) and letting your dog roam free.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Yeah...Sorry about the pic!

What this vet says:
"Most of the time, eating feces is simply a bad habit. It's also unhealthy--it can transmit intestinal parasites, contribute to tooth decay, and cause stomach problems. "

So I wasn't pulling something out of thin air!!


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

librarychick said:


> Sharon, I can see the pic, but it's too small for me to read the words. :/
> 
> There are many species (some canids even!) that practice corophagia as a normal and healthy part of digestion. Guinea pigs, rabbits, hares, arctic foxes...I'm sure there are many others too!
> 
> ...


I have to use low sided litter boxes for them so they don't have to work very hard to get in, they seem to get around well until they really try to aim where they are going, then they struggle.

It's actually probably a good idea to keep the kittens locked up during the day and let the dog out, I'm sure she would appreciate it hahaha.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

10cats2dogs said:


> Yeah...Sorry about the pic!
> 
> What this vet says:
> "Most of the time, eating feces is simply a bad habit. It's also unhealthy--it can transmit intestinal parasites, contribute to tooth decay, and cause stomach problems. "
> ...


Oh I know you weren't!  It's just mostly not that big of a deal. The parasites thing is true...but TBH if your dog goes out they can - theoretically - get parasites from almost anything; tooth decay should be managed by brushing (or regular raw bones  ); and the tummy troubles generally only stems from eating too much - which is true of any food.

IME our obsession with preventing poop eating mainly comes from the gross out factor. *shrug* My opinion is that as long as you're taking basic care of your pet, and they aren't over indulging (and you don't have clay litter)...not that big a deal.



kayepaye said:


> I have to use low sided litter boxes for them so they don't have to work very hard to get in, they seem to get around well until they really try to aim where they are going, then they struggle.
> 
> It's actually probably a good idea to keep the kittens locked up during the day and let the dog out, I'm sure she would appreciate it hahaha.


I figured the kitten aim would be the tough part, and if you've got a small dog it just gets trickier to try and prevent your pup from getting to the boxes.

Aside from confining the kittens while you're away I'd also do a bit of back to basics training on a good 'leave it' and 'come' for your dog. She can't be eating kitty poop if she's coming to you! lol


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

It's not the eating of the feces that is an issue it's the litter that would be stuck to it, right?

I don't see why you cannot use pine pellets. I bought a sifting litter pan and pine pellets (you can get pine pellets from a feed and seed store WAY cheaper than the pet store) and you can get a sifting litter box from any pet supply store. The urine breaks down the pellets into sawdust which drop through the sifting pan to the lower pan. You just dump that sawdust in the lower pan and scoop out the remaining (uneaten) poop. It leaves nothing but clean pellet in the top.


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

librarychick said:


> I figured the kitten aim would be the tough part, and if you've got a small dog it just gets trickier to try and prevent your pup from getting to the boxes.
> 
> Aside from confining the kittens while you're away I'd also do a bit of back to basics training on a good 'leave it' and 'come' for your dog. She can't be eating kitty poop if she's coming to you! lol


Oh she's not a small dog, she's a yellow lab, but she can somehow magically squeeze her 60-pound self through the tiny little cat door hahaa. And she can't jump over it, she has hip dysplasia and can barely get on the bed without help.

She will never ever go near the cat litter when I am home, and honestly she very rarely ever eats the cat poop when I'm away. I'm just over paranoid and don't want to risk it happening and her getting sick from the litter.

I clean the litter boxes before I leave for work, and as soon as I get home.

I just picked up a bag of the corn-cob litter, so hopefully I can transition everyone to this!


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

Marcia said:


> It's not the eating of the feces that is an issue it's the litter that would be stuck to it, right?
> 
> I don't see why you cannot use pine pellets. I bought a sifting litter pan and pine pellets (you can get pine pellets from a feed and seed store WAY cheaper than the pet store) and you can get a sifting litter box from any pet supply store. The urine breaks down the pellets into sawdust which drop through the sifting pan to the lower pan. You just dump that sawdust in the lower pan and scoop out the remaining (uneaten) poop. It leaves nothing but clean pellet in the top.


I always heard that pine is bad for animals? Is this not the same with cats? I have many small animals and have always been instructed to stay away from pine.

My old barn cat was used to peeing in the horse stalls, so when I took her home I used aspen shavings in a litter box to encourage her to go, it was shavings though, not pellets haha.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

Oooh! You have a Houdini-lab; I've met a few of those. lol

Pine isn't really that big of an issue. It's cedar that you can't use. Aspen is better for small animal pets, but for a cat's litter box it's not going to be an issue either way.

Switching to the corn cob will make her eating the poop not as much of an issue - assuming you don't mind, lol. Clay is bad...the corn she can at least safely pass.


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## kayepaye (Aug 15, 2014)

librarychick said:


> Oooh! You have a Houdini-lab; I've met a few of those. lol
> 
> Pine isn't really that big of an issue. It's cedar that you can't use. Aspen is better for small animal pets, but for a cat's litter box it's not going to be an issue either way.
> 
> Switching to the corn cob will make her eating the poop not as much of an issue - assuming you don't mind, lol. Clay is bad...the corn she can at least safely pass.


Yeah Houdini is an understatement hahaha.
I really don't care if she eats the poop... and she doesn't all that often, and never when I'm home.
She only eats the rabbit poop after I've given her permission, and that's only like once a week haha.

I'll pick up a bag of pine pellet litter too and try both to see which they prefer!

Thanks so much for all the tips


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