Changing cat litter

Dizzyduck

bowsider5 wrote: »

We use peat free compost which we buy from B&Q for about £5 for 60 litres. We have two cats and a pretty big litter tray which we empty out completely every other day. The Council collects the compost as part of green waste collection for recomposting and the cats seem happier than when they were on clay cat litter. The only real problem is the occasional pawprint on the sofa if it's raining and they dash straight back in from the roof rather than stopping off for a quick wash.

I can see where you are coming from but generally you are advised not to compost cat waste due to the bacteria in the faeces, also you shouldn't be puting cat pooh down the loo. Better and safer to "bag & bin it".
I've been using the wood pellets and it works really well as long as you remove the solids so cat doesn't get upset.

Lemony

My local council put a printed flyer through people's doors saying they must NOT put any animal waste in their compost bin. I can't remember the reasons why but I'm sure if you google it there will be some information somewhere about it.

Regarding cat litter I have been using Morrisons value cat litter which costs about £1.50(ish) for 10 litres. It is ok but is quite dusty. I have recently tried Sainsburys clumping cat litter (in a blue bag, not the value range) which costs less than £2 for 8 litres and I have to say I prefer the Sainsburys one. I find it clumps better making any waste easier to pick up, it smells fresher (I think it has some kind of deodoriser in it) and it is less dusty. It lasts longer than the Morrisons one probably because I waste less of it. I normally scoop out any 'mess' once a day and top up when I do it, and I empty and wash the litter tray completely about every 10 days or so. I line the bottom of the tray with newspaper and make a sort of paper tray that tips out easily. I use antibacterial wipes to clean out the tray because I don't really want to wash it in the kitchen sink (ewwww)! I really want one of those covered litter trays because the dust gets everywhere (and I mean EVERYWHERE), but I don't know if my cat will like it and they are quite expensive to buy.

Fire_Fox

Dizzyduck wrote: »

I can see where you are coming from but generally you are advised not to compost cat waste due to the bacteria in the faeces, also you shouldn't be puting cat pooh down the loo. Better and safer to "bag & bin it".
I've been using the wood pellets and it works really well as long as you remove the solids so cat doesn't get upset.

You can flush cat poop, it goes to a place set up for decontaminating faecal waste. You shouldn't be putting cat poo into a normal rubbish bin as this is a risk for the refuse collectors - bear in mind the bags all get squashed and break in the back of the lorry. Agreed you should not compost but IIRC you can use a wormery.

Dizzyduck

Fire_Fox wrote: »

You can flush cat poop, it goes to a place set up for decontaminating faecal waste. You shouldn't be putting cat poo into a normal rubbish bin as this is a risk for the refuse collectors - bear in mind the bags all get squashed and break in the back of the lorry. Agreed you should not compost but IIRC you can use a wormery.

I work for a Water Utility on the waste side. Sewage Treatment Works are set up to deal with various effluents including human faecal waste. The cat gut bacteria varies from human and should not be flushed. As with all sanitary refuge (incl towels and nappies) "bag & bin it!"

Abbafan1972

I put the cat poo in the bin, but I wrap it up in newspaper first.

The litter tray I bought from pets at home is really good, it has a removable rim round the edge to minimise "flicking", so I can take it off for easy emptying of the tray.

Dizzyduck

I bought a large litter tray with a hood from PaH for £12.99. Initially I left it uncovered so kit could find it easily but after a week put the lid on and no problems, my previous cat seemed determined to get all litter out of the tray before he left it.
Visited PaH yesterday and it's down to £9.99.

boliston

I swear by "World's Best Cat Litter" http://mpmproducts.co.uk/worlds_best_cat_litter.asp?in_section=worlds_best as it is a clumping litter made from corn kernels.

The main advantage is that it's FLUSHABLE yet is still "clumping" so ideal as I live in a flat so the is nowhere to easily dispose of used litter apart from flushing.

A large bag lasts several months for 2 cats even though it's about £35 for a bag. I've tried both Clay based and wood based but would never go back to this after using "World's Best".

rita-rabbit

Dizzyduck wrote: »

I work for a Water Utility on the waste side. Sewage Treatment Works are set up to deal with various effluents including human faecal waste. The cat gut bacteria varies from human and should not be flushed. As with all sanitary refuge (incl towels and nappies) "bag & bin it!"

when I said flushing cat litter was a bad idea I was `shouted down':mad: on this site

thanks again:T

Natty68

Yike I feel a bad kitty mummy now. I line my hooded tray with paper, then put two bin liners in it then fill it up with Asda SP cat litter. Here's the bad bit, I only take out the poopy bits (or the dogs do ) and then I change it every other day for my two cats. Oh gawds I feel a bad mummy now..

boliston

Dizzyduck wrote: »

I work for a Water Utility on the waste side. Sewage Treatment Works are set up to deal with various effluents including human faecal waste. The cat gut bacteria varies from human and should not be flushed. As with all sanitary refuge (incl towels and nappies) "bag & bin it!"

I would have thought that cat poo would bio degrade in the same way as human poo and that some of the chemicals & bleaches that people chuck down toilets would have more environmental impact.

If you have an outside bin then having it full of poo is fine, but if you live in an apartment block then you are not going to want a bin full of festering poo in your living room.