Changing cat litter

happylion1

We use woodbase ( Wilko brand ) 5 litres does from 3 days to 1 week depending on usage ( allow 10 litres per week as have two indoor older cats, aged 13 and 12).One litter tray each.Like this better than clay litters( less smell).Cats seem to prefer it too.
For scooping we use a ladle ( strictly for cat's loo !)shaped like a giant spoon also from wilko's kitchen section.Much better than a regular litter scoop.

Sensemaya

Just acquired adorable six month kitty called Tommy.

I was given some Catsan and now I'm running out. Been doing some research on cat litter and getting confused with clumping, silica and so on.

Catsan has good reviews, but is it the best for the price from the supermarket or would I be better off purchasing online and getting something else?

Also been looking at this Bozita cat food. Tommy is currently on two Whiskas pouches with dry food inbetween per day.

I was thinking of trying this and could order with a recommended cat litter too.

Many thanks.

Fire_Fox

You should not use a clay clumping litter with a kitten, as they sometimes eat the litter and it can block up their insides. There have been question marks over the safety of silica litters too - cats will breathe any dust and lick their paws so some will always get inside even if they do not actively eat the litter.

Many people with kittens prefer to use a litter based on maize or wheat (Worlds Best and chick crumb, both are clumping) or wood (OkoPlus which is clumping, own brand pellet which are not). You can also get recycled paper litters but be careful the toxic inks have been removed, also straw and hemp but these are not easy to source. Each type of litter has a different absorbency, more absorbent tend to smell less:
http://www.friendshipestates.co.uk/vmchk/friendly-natural-cat-litter/view-all-products.html

Which litter suits your lifestyle is also a matter of personal taste, ethics and finances. Clumping types scoop easier; some cats won't go in a soiled tray so you need to use clumping so you can scoop regularly. Non-clumping and silica you wait until it needs changing and throw the lot which saves time but can be wasteful. Clay litters are mined and not biodegradable so bad for the environment BUT they tend to be much cheaper. Cats tend to prefer litters with a finer grain as they would naturally go in sand, but fine grains mean the litter tends to 'track' (walk all over the house!).

If you want a recommendation then you might want to post if you have a budget in mind, if you mind the litter tracking, if you are trying to be 'green' or not, how often you prefer to be scooping and cleaning the tray and whether you are bothered by smells!

Buttonmoons

I use the Tesco value litter. I must go through just under a whole bag of it a week. 2 cats, 2 trays.

It's not that great for coming out in the WHOLE clump, but I find it better than the lidl's stuff for some reason, and the Lidl;s litter is dark coloured, is not good scraping back litter to look for a wet patch and accidentally scraping across a pee patch and flicking it back on yourself.

Fire_Fox

I don't scrape and hunt, Buttonmoons, I have a deep tray which I tip everything to one end to isolate the clump then everything to the other end. Also easy to antibacterial wipe the tray if there are any stuck on bits!

Abbafan1972

Well we have got a new cat and I bought a new litter tray and some clumping cat litter from pets at home to tide us over.

When we collected the cat from the RSPCA, we bought a bag of their litter and it was the pellet type. So when we ran out of the first bag, Mia refused to use the stuff from the RSPCA and we had to dispose of most of it. So I got a bag of the clay stuff from Wilkos, but it's not the clumping one and she seems quite happy to use it.

Am definitely going to use the pets at home one again as it was good. We will only be using the litter tray as a temp measure until Mia can go outside (we have a cat flap).

Sensemaya

Fire Fox

Thank you very much for your informative reply.

I will try out the cat litter you have recommended next month via internet cos my CC is maxxed out for this month.

Just purchased Wilko lightweight 14kg...on offer for £2.74...so I will see how he gets on with it.

h007

i use cats best too - i find it more economical as even though it costs about £8 a sack it lasts for ages with my 2 cats

~Chameleon~

I use silicate cat litter which is highly absorbent and anti-bacterial. I use one 4litre bag per fortnight between 2 cats, so works out approx £2 per week.

http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_litter/silicate_litter/153112

I ran out last week so picked up a bag of Bob Martin's Clumping Litter from Asda ... hate it!! Horrible grey sticky mess in the bottom of the tray and tracks all over the bathroom. The packaging leads you to believe the granules are white, similar to Catsan, but it's the horrible grey clay stuff


Has anyone tried Asda Tiger brand litter?

Buttonmoons

Fire_Fox wrote: »

I don't scrape and hunt, Buttonmoons, I have a deep tray which I tip everything to one end to isolate the clump then everything to the other end. Also easy to antibacterial wipe the tray if there are any stuck on bits!

Didn't think of doing that, one of the trays is pretty big and is sloped at the front because it's a hooded one (though they won't use it with the lid on tsk)

I don't fancy a crumb of poo rolling down that side and onto my feet :rotfl:

Also, why does my male cat HAVE to poo down the side of the tray. Who knew cats were capable of making skidmarks everytime. Must be a man thing