# Three questions concering litter types and sanitizing a litter box.



## CrystalC (Oct 20, 2010)

Hi everyone. I'm hoping to adopt a cat in the not too distant future, and I've been trying to research a good cat litter that is available here in Canada. I want one that is virtually dust free, safe for my cat(and us) and helps reduce odor. As far as I can tell from research I've done so far, I found this very detailed article Cats which says the President's Choice Green is a good one. Has anyone on here had any experience with that as well? 

My husband and I are both very particular about keeping our apartment clean, and once we get a cat we want it as odor free as possible. So I know we'll be scooping the litter box at least twice a day, but when it comes time to change the litter completely, I'm just wondering about the safest, best way to clean and sanitize the litter box to keep it from having a bad odor. Any advice on that? 

Also, I just read somewhere the other day, that there's supposedly some sort of litter box that is made of a particular type of plastic that does not allow odors to penetrate it, but now I don't remember what it was called or where I can find it. Anyone heard of such a thing and know if it actually works?


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

Vancouver, Canada.

I've only tried two types. World's Best and Swheat Scoop. World's Best came first. I was pleased with it because 'I' detected no odor and it clumped rapidly (Absorbed moisture fast). Swheat Scoop I found to be dusty and didn't absorb moisture fast. They recommended three inches deep, but this required more pushing around with the scoop, and more dust. Tisol was the store I shopped and they have a good selection. World's Best costs more.

I wash the box with washing soda.

This is just my experience.


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## ShellyBird (Aug 11, 2010)

You guys should order the cat genie. It washes itself, as soon as the kitty goes potty (or at timed intervals). You don't have to touch the crystals. You should take a look at it. Just google cat genie. They are expensive, but in my humble opinion, the least smelly, you do not have to touch it or worry about the mess, just buy refill supplies for the soap and the crystals.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

I live close to Toronto. I use Purina Maxx "Small Spaces". I wouldn't normally recommend Purina products (cat food, etc.), since they tend not to be high quality, but their litter is excellent. It is more expensive than most (per kg), although I find it lasts a long time, resulting in cost savings at the end of the day. I have no problems with dust and it provides highly effective odor control. 

I scoop twice a day, but I rarely do a full change out of litter, because the litter forms very firm clumps. So, I rarely experience clump "breakage", resulting in a longer life for the litter. Once a week, I scoop out the boxes, empty the remaining (old) litter from one box to the next and wash the empty litter box with Dawn dish detergent. I then refill the empty box with the previously-scooped litter and top it up with new litter. Despite rarely doing a full change-out, I have never had issues with odor.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Here's a thread about automatic litter boxes. I don't think they're a good idea for lots of reason, mostly because you can't keep an eye on your cat's litter habits and won't notice if they have diarrhea, not peeing as much, peeing too much, etc.

http://www.catforum.com/forum/36-ca...-litter-box-2-cats-1-box-other-litter-qs.html


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

I think World's Best Cat Litter is the best. It has one pitfall-it's _very _expensive. It clumps well, controls odor, hardly any dust, and is safe for both humans and cats. I use chicken feed in place of WBCL because of the cost (I'd be spending close to or over $100 a month on WBCL verses about $23 a month on chicken feed). It works exactly the same, except for odor control. It doesn't control odor from stinkies very well. Odor control for urine is superb though. I do add baking soda which helps tremendously for feces odor, but it still isn't quite as good as the WBCL.

As far as sanitizing goes:
I empty all litter boxes weekly and haul them outside. I rinse them all out with hot water. Then I spray them all with a cleaning mixture of water, Dr. Bronner's Castile soap and vinegar. I let it sit for a minute or two and scrub them down. Then they all get rinsed out thoroughly with more hot water (litter scoops get washed too). I dry them out and put them back where they go after vacuuming litter off the floor and wiping it down with some floor cleaner. Then I fill them back up with litter and baking soda.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

$100 per month for WBCL! Holy smokes! When I said the Purina was expensive, I wasn't thinking along those lines. I maintain four litter boxes and use, on average, 2 containers of Maxx Small Spaces per month at a cost of $16 per container, so it costs me about $32 per month to maintain four litter boxes. That said, I only have two cats, so the four boxes are not used as much as they would be if I had three or four cats.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

> I then refill the empty box with the previously-scooped litter and top it up with new litter.


Whew! Glad I'm not the only who doesn't throw out the "unused" litter when they clean the litter box.


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## NinjaCat (Oct 6, 2010)

Susan said:


> $100 per month for WBCL! Holy smokes! When I said the Purina was expensive, I wasn't thinking along those lines. I maintain four litter boxes and use, on average, 2 containers of Maxx Small Spaces per month at a cost of $16 per container, so it costs me about $32 per month to maintain four litter boxes. That said, I only have two cats, so the four boxes are not used as much as they would be if I had three or four cats.


Yeah. For a 34 pound bag it's $39. I need at _least_ two bags a month for four litter boxes (three cats). Which would be at least $78. Without tax. Three is better, because I can make the depth deeper (I have a digger. She digs and digs and digs and digs and digs.....one time for up to 8 minutes). I would buy three bags. That's around $119. Without tax. Needless to say I set out to find an alternative. I save about $96 a month using chicken feed. :smiles


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

marie73 said:


> Whew! Glad I'm not the only who doesn't throw out the "unused" litter when they clean the litter box.


I too am glad I'm in good company!  

Seems to me that throwing it away is a waste of good litter! If one uses a good clumping litter with good odor control, and one is diligent about daily cleaning, then there's no need to do a full change out (except in unusual circumstances, such as if the cat had ongoing diarrhea).


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## Ummm (Jul 16, 2010)

I use WBCL - 2 cats, 1 litter box, and a 34lb bag last for 2.5 months. Cost about US$35. I stocked up when I had some coupons so it ended up around US$30 each.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I like Arm 'n Hammer regular (not multi-cat), and there is no odor. It's not as expensive, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Why change if the results are what you need?  I'm sure the World's Best is good too, but I'm not going to buy it.


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## CrystalC (Oct 20, 2010)

Susan said:


> I live close to Toronto. I use Purina Maxx "Small Spaces". I wouldn't normally recommend Purina products (cat food, etc.), since they tend not to be high quality, but their litter is excellent. It is more expensive than most (per kg), although I find it lasts a long time, resulting in cost savings at the end of the day. I have no problems with dust and it provides highly effective odor control.
> 
> I scoop twice a day, but I rarely do a full change out of litter, because the litter forms very firm clumps. So, I rarely experience clump "breakage", resulting in a longer life for the litter. Once a week, I scoop out the boxes, empty the remaining (old) litter from one box to the next and wash the empty litter box with Dawn dish detergent. I then refill the empty box with the previously-scooped litter and top it up with new litter. Despite rarely doing a full change-out, I have never had issues with odor.


So with the Purina Maxx, you don't notice a lot of litter dust, either? That's another major concern of mine.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Prior to joining this Forum, I wasn't even aware that dust was a potential problem with litter! I then read some posts that spoke of dust being a problem with some brands and thought "Hmmm....I wonder what that's all about". So, long story short, I've never had any problems whatsoever with dust. I note that Purina Maxx makes various brands of litter, and the "Small Spaces" is their premium brand. I can't speak to the other Purina Maxx brands, but the Small Spaces is excellent for both odor and dust control.


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## OctoberinMaine (Sep 12, 2006)

I do a complete change-out on litter every 2 weeks. I'm not a germophobe by any stretch, but it does seem like there might be bacteria on used litter even if it looks clean. I don't know....I also wouldn't mind saving some money on litter costs, because I use S*Wheat Scoop and it does get expensive, even for one cat.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

October said:


> I do a complete change-out on litter every 2 weeks. I'm not a germophobe by any stretch, but it does seem like there might be bacteria on used litter even if it looks clean. I don't know....I also wouldn't mind saving some money on litter costs, because I use S*Wheat Scoop and it does get expensive, even for one cat.


You're correct in saying that there would be bacteria on used litter even if it looks clean, but that's true even a few hours after you do a complete change-out, so there's no avoiding bacteria in the litter box. The article below is one that is often recommended by myself and others on this Forum when dealing with litter-box issues. It also contains a section called "Cleaning the Litter Box -- method to save time and money" (see the list of topics in blue font toward the top of the article and you can click on this topic). This article similarly concludes that a full change-out is generally unnecessary, provided you keep the box clean on a daily basis, use a good clumping litter and avoid breakage. The approach recommended is basically the same approach I use, except I don't (can't) use bleach products (due to issues with my sewer/septic system).

The Litter Box From Your Cat's Point of View by Lisa A. Pierson, DVM


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

jusjim said:


> I've only tried two types. World's Best and Swheat Scoop. World's Best came first. I was pleased with it because 'I' detected no odor and it clumped rapidly (Absorbed moisture fast). Swheat Scoop I found to be dusty and didn't absorb moisture fast.


I wonder if these products are just inconsistent or what.

I actually use 50%/50% mix of World's Best and Swheat Scoop.

I like the performance of World's Best, but it didn't seem to absorb the odor as well as Swheat Scoop and it dusted a lot more since it was a much finer mix than the big clumps.

There ARE multiple formulas of either though.

In both cases, I went with the highest clumping formula, which for World's Best is the Red Bag and for Swheat Scoop is labeled "multicat" with Green on the bottom.

















If the bags look different, that might explain the less moisture absorbing or dust differences. Petsmart had the best prices, and I love that either (or mixed) is flushable. So convenient, and its better for the environment and for our kitties than clay (last longer too). 

I clean mine using diluted simple green and liberal hosing off and drying in the sun.


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## Ducman69 (Aug 28, 2010)

Susan said:


> This article similarly concludes that a full change-out is generally unnecessary, provided you keep the box clean on a daily basis, use a good clumping litter and avoid breakage.


That is the method I use as well. They seem to cycle through the litter fast enough that its continuously being replaced with fresh stuff, so its not like old litter is staying in there for ages.

I roll my litterbox 2-3 times daily though (I know, overkill), to ensure they always have a clean flat surface to do their business on, and because if they accidentally stepped in poo I don't want them tracking that around the house, and they HATE having their paws cleaned.

I do plan on completely dumping every six months though, just to err on the side of caution.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

I use Premium Choice all natural unscented scoopable litter. It's the same brand used by the place I used to volunteer. I had to get one of the supposedly premium multi cat brands in a pinch recently and was really surprised how extremely dusty it was compared to my bargain brand. It also smelled awful - too much perfume. With eight cats I don't want to pay for the expensive brands of litter, especially when the Premium Choice works so well. 

When I do a complete change of litter I let it get pretty low in all the boxes. Then I clean out one box first and dump all the used litter into that one. The other boxes are then scrubbed clean and bleached and filled with fresh litter.


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