Litter

There are so many kinds of litter: scoopable, unscoopable, paper-based, grain-based, silicon-based, dust free, not dust free, scented, unscented….etc.

Scoopable (clumping) or Regular (unscoopable clay litter) – Some prefer the clay litter which is unscoopable because of its economical value. It is by far less expensive. You just put it in the box, use it for a few days, and throw away all of what’s in the box after the desired amount of time. This can work well for some people who don’t want to be bothered by daily scooping. However, you generally have to use a greater amount in the box because they will have a harder time finding a clean section in the box if it isn’t being scooped. With this litter the animal waste becomes more distributed throughout the box because when they scratch to cover it up, the litter doesn’t have the effect of encapsulating the waste as does the scoopable kind. Scoopable litter is more expensive, and needs to be scooped once or twice a day. This allows for the cat to go, cover it, and it will be contained in one clump. This enables the litter box to remain cleaner longer since the wasted doesn’t get all distributed and mixed in with all the litter in the box. Once you scoop out the clumps, it’s clean again. However, it doesn’t free the owner from disinfecting (cleaning out) the box periodically. To avoid illness, the litter should be dumped completely periodically, not just scooped and fresh litter added. Clumping litter can be harmful if your cat (usually kittens) eat it. It will cause intestinal blockages if enough is consumed.

Paper-based litter can work well for some. This is often made of recycled newspaper. There is also pine based. Some of these can be scooped as well. I had a problem with the pine-based since I have an allergy to pine.

Grain-based can be made of wheat or corn, or other grains. Problems with the wheat-based is that they tend to not really clump well and get pasty. Also more importantly, your cats may be tempted to eat it. Two of mine wanted to eat it right away, and I couldn’t use it. The complaint I have heard about the corn-based is that bugs have been found in it at times.

Scented litters are used to mask the smell. Often times cats don’t like the scented smell. They may be inclined to not use the box if the scent is bothering them. I’m allergic to most of these highly perfumed litters and only use unscented.

Dust is a real concern in using litter. Cats like to dig and scratch in there and their faces are right above the litter and they ingest the dust into their lungs. This can cause respiratory problems and infections in your cats. It’s best to limit the amount of dust they are ingesting.

WHAT DO WE DO?

In general, we are using Dr. Elsey’s Premium dust free litter. However, with our new kittens, we will be using non-clumping clay litter and recycled newspaper litter. This will avoid the kittens from ingesting the harmful clumping substances while they are in the exploring stage. This is just for litter training and they will be transitioned to Dr. Elsey’s once they are ready.