# Feline pine pellet vs. swheat scoop



## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Hey guys!
So Some of you might remember we took in a second cat in October; a stray we found with FIV. My current cat had used the human toilet the entire time I've had her. So, I've had zero experience with litter and litter cleaning. So long story short is that we've had an ordeal. we realized our dog eats litter... so we don't have alot of places to put a box. We put a cat door in the bathroom and put his box in there. We are currently using Swheat Scoop. I've recently realized its kind of expensive and my friend uses feline pine pellets and she loves it. She said its easy to clean. I want to use something natural. Oo I tried to toilet train Seamus when we got him. It didn't work out too well. He had trouble at the ending stage. Plus I don't think he liked when I would use the toilet. He got kind of bothered by me sharing his toilet space. So we gave him a box which is new territory to me. We are still mulling over trying to train him again in a couple months because he did so well at first... but I don't know. I just don't think he's the type of cat that can learn things easily. We are still training him to use the cat door lol and my other cat I purposely did not train to use the cat door is using it lol. She has started to use his box... which I'm kind of shocked by because when he first moved in.. we had a box for him and she would sniff it and then use the toilet. We deduced that she wasn't comfortable with him enough to share a box with him. but yea they both use it now. 
I'm just trying to find my niche with litter boxes... I've never had one.. and there is so many types and I know that if Seamus keeps his box I'll give asia one... But I have no clue where to put it haha. Theres no other place to hide from the dog. Anyone else have issues with their dog eating the litter? Also our closets have sliding doors, so we cant put it in there... and we rent.. so we had to buy a door to put a cat door into. So I'm pleasantly surprised that they can share a box. I'm very lucky that they get along so well. 
Does feline pine flush in the toilet? does it track like swheat scoop? Whats the best type of litter box. Right now we just have the standard big tray and he knocks the litter out of the box everytime he goes
help! ahh


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Katrina-
I've only used wood pellets and clay (sorry, haven't tried swheat scoop), so I'll give you the list of my Pro's and Con's of the pellets:

Pros:
-Completely controls urine odor (no ammonia scent whatsoever)
-Breakdown form of litter turns into sawdust, which can later be used for composting (no solid wastes!)
-Very minimal tracking (occasional pellet here & there)
-Natural, "woodsy" scent
-Can be very cheap if you buy generic wood stove pellets without any additives (make sure it's safe for animals, such as equine bedding)

Cons:
-#2s not likely be buried, will smell, causing more removal/scooping per day
-if kitty has loose stools, can be especially messy to scoop/clean
-scooping out sawdust from pellets can be time consuming
-if sawdust isn't scooped often enough, can track around litter box area
-pellets cannot be flushed

There is a special litter box made especially for feline pine pellets, but I've never bought it because I liked my boxes to be high sided. (One cat is a digger!) 
All Pine Litter Box - Why a All Pine Self Cleaning Litter Box?

I've reverted using unscented clay because one of my cats kept going outside the box even after medical issues were ruled out. It was when I went back to clay that they expressed a huge approval: they'd sit or play in the brand new litter and get super excited when I put new litter in, and over all, not a single "accident" after using clay. What it _really_ just boils down to is that it simply depends on your cats....

Perhaps others can tell you their experiences with both Sweat Scoop and Feline Pine, though, so you get a better idea.
Good luck!


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Yea I think that since both cats are happy with Swheat scoop that I should just stick with it. I don't think I can have anything scented because a huge aversion to toilet training was that I cleaned the toilet haha. So, I won't be buying scented litter. I use scentsy in my house( warmers with scented wax in the them to scent my home) and he will actually go over and sniff my warmers when I turn them on. he is very into what things smell like. which is weird because Asia could care less. Seamus is a digger too... so I think I need a high side litter box. I like the look of a dome litter box.. but the actual litter area looks pretty small to me and our cat is pretty big. So I think it's best not to push it. Thanks for your insight into pine!


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Katrina you mentioning that your cat is pretty big, got me to thinking about this as a solution, many of our members use a large Rubbermaid container with a hole cut in it for a door, lots of room for a large cat to do their thing!


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

Another plus is that it's definitely cheaper than any commercial litterbox out there, lol. I personally use a sterilite one, but also have one box called "NVR miss" which has a side opening. They usually "hop" outside regardless, then zoom around! Lol.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

At our shelter we use horse bedding pine pellets. $7 for a 40 pound bag. You can buy it at a feed and seed store. It is pine pellets that absorbs odors and turn to saw dust as the pellets collect urine. Each day we put about 1" of it in cardboard litter boxes (about 12"x 15" - they are actually the cardboard bottoms that things like water bottles or energy drinks come in), then dump it and refill the box with a new 1" layer. When the box gets grody or someone gets adopted, we toss it and give them a new box. Can't get any cheaper or more convenient than that.


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Ive thought about using the rubbermaid containers... even the big giant ones that are like double the size haha but we dont have the room for that in this place. I'm gonna go look a petsmart this coming weekend to try and find something high sided... the pellets look like a good option... im scared he wont like it though and its a huge bummer to me that its not flushable


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

The only litter other than wood pellet I have ever used is paper pellet and only 2 small bag of it before I switched to wood. I never turned back, I love it so much, have never had any problem with ammonia smell except poo smell every once in a while cos ET doesn't bury. I said every once in a while cos MOST times his poo doesn't smell very bad.

Anyway, I am using a 2-tier high side sifting box specifically for wood pellet, so sawdust will be collected at the lower tray and the top pellets are still good to use. I just need to throw out the lower tray sawdust and top up 1 bowl of pellet every 5-7days or so. One 19lb bag lasts me 5-7months.

I am so pleased with wood pellet, I won't switch unless I decide to buy a Litter-robot, lol.


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Snowy it seriously sounds like dream litter I just live on the fourth floor of an apartment complex.. so if I cant flush it ill be taking a ton of long trips outside.. I think I will certain try switching once we move to a floor level place

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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

katrina89 said:


> Ive thought about using the rubbermaid containers... even the big giant ones that are like double the size haha but we dont have the room for that in this place. I'm gonna go look a petsmart this coming weekend to try and find something high sided... the pellets look like a good option... im scared he wont like it though and its a huge bummer to me that its not flushable


Our cats at the shelter take to it pretty well. Only occasionally will a cat totally reject it. Try it, it's cheap and it may solve your problem except for flushing. I bought my very high sided boxes at Petco. I love them. About $22 each.


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Thanks Marcia ill checkout psycho this weekend

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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Psycho*

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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Petco* ugh autocorrect

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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Cat litter can cause one to become a little "Psycho" , LOL!


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Petco High-Back Open Litter Pan at PETCO


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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

Oo thank you for the link!

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## katrina89 (Jul 30, 2013)

10cats2dogs I have become a psycho about this. I can smell the litterbox even when its clean.. its like a wheat smell.. a funky wheat lol but I dont want to use something I cant flush im so torn... also... I want a hidy tidy cat cabinet... when we move to a bigger place.. but for now I need a litter box thst he wont kick litter out of

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