Cat Litter On A Budget - 4 Cats, Jumbo Boxes!!

sweetblackpaws

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Please any suggestions for cat litter on a budget with 4 FAT cats that use JUMBO BOXES (I'm talking 10.5 - 19 pound cats). One of them has occasional bouts of asthma so I have been doing well with Dr. Elsey Respiratory Relief, but I see it has now gone up to more than $ 14.00 for the 20 lb box.

My "system" has been to wash pans and do full litter replacement monthly, but I still go through a LOT (I scoop every chance I get).

Would non-clumping be more economical even though I would be changing the boxes more? Dust is an issue for my asthmatic boy, so I can't go super cheap.

:winner:
 

maggiedemi

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I just use the store brands of 40 pound boxes of clumping litter for $10:
Walmart Special Kitty green box:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Special-Kitty-Fresh-Scent-Scoopable-Clumping-Cat-Litter-40-Lb/50003619

Tractor Supply Paws & Claws scented or unscented:
Paws & Claws Multi-Cat Scoopable Cat Litter at Tractor Supply Co.
Paws & Claws Dual Odor Control Scoopable Cat Litter for Multi-Cat Households, 40 lb. at Tractor Supply Co.
Paws and Claws Scoopable Cat Litter, 25 lb. at Tractor Supply Co.

BJ's Berkley & Jensen (photo is wrong, it comes in a blue box now, not yellow)
BJs Wholesale Club – Product
If you have a club warehouse store like BJ's sometimes they send $3 off coupons in their booklets for Arm & Hammer Double Duty 42 pounds, Scoop Away 42 pounds, and Tidy Cats in the 38 pound bucket.
BJs Wholesale Club – Product
BJs Wholesale Club – Product
BJs Wholesale Club – Product
 
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duckpond

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I have a guy with asthma and he cannot have dust either. My favorite litters for him are Abound grass litter that i get at kroger, or litter maid walnut litter that i get from walmart. Not sure if they would be cheaper or not, in the long run. The grass might, smaller bags, but its fluffy and last a long time, because it clumps well, and the box stays clean. I know there are several brands of grass litter out now. might be worth a try. The Abound grass litter is so dust free, fragrance free its my fav, and the best i have found for my guy.

I also tried another litter recently, my guys are so so with it, they prefer the grass, but they used this one. small bags, but enough volume as it is a light weight litter. clumps well, not much dust, no smell.

Hartz / Litter / Litter & Accessories / Cat - Free shipping at Chewy.com
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Thank you! I can see I have quite a few choices! I am not a member of a big box store, however, I am in a very urban area and have access to grocery stores, PetSmart, Petco, Wal-Mart, etc.

I should probably stick to unscented due to my boy's asthma, though. I do see on Chewy that Tidy Cats now has a hypoallergenic version (Fresh and Clear or something like that), at only $ 12.99 for the 35 pound pail makes it .37 per pound, vs. .70 per pound for Dr. E and .68 per pound for Everclean (another one of my favorites).

I will research the others mentioned here!

What about non-clumping? Could that end up being more economical by the end of the month?
 

maggiedemi

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I didn't have very good luck with the non-clumping because you have to change it once a week, and the pee doesn't clump, so you can't really see if your cat has any urinary problems. Plus it got a little stinky, since the pee stays in there for 7 days.
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Good point about not being able to monitor urine output! It was my understanding that usually shelters use non-clumping due to cost, but yeah, it would be near impossible to monitor. :poop:

Although, with so many kitties I have a tough time telling who is doing what. :headscratch:
 
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sweetblackpaws

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I used non-clumping years ago when I only had one cat and I had no problem with it. It seemed to "soak up" the wee, not sure where it went, lol! Then I would scoop the poop and change box weekly. There was no chiseling, it was cheap, it smelled good, no tracking.

But with 4 cats and 4 litter pans, I don't think it would necessarily be any less costly now since I would be changing all pans weekly.
 

Ginger Tabby

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We use wood pellets without additives that you buy from a Home Depot or Lowe's. Approximately $5 for 40 lbs. There isn't an odor problem, but we only have one cat. He is currently being treated for small cell lymphoma, so we wanted to provide him litter that wouldn't cause inflammation. The economical part was a bonus. The only disadvantage that we have is lugging the 40 lb. bag home.
 

Purr-fect

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Please any suggestions for cat litter on a budget with 4 FAT cats that use JUMBO BOXES (I'm talking 10.5 - 19 pound cats). One of them has occasional bouts of asthma so I have been doing well with Dr. Elsey Respiratory Relief, but I see it has now gone up to more than $ 14.00 for the 20 lb box.

My "system" has been to wash pans and do full litter replacement monthly, but I still go through a LOT (I scoop every chance I get).

Would non-clumping be more economical even though I would be changing the boxes more? Dust is an issue for my asthmatic boy, so I can't go super cheap.

:winner:

Do you have access to a "canadian tire" store in canada?
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Wow, $5.00 for 40 pounds might be worth throwing my back out for, lol! That is a great deal! Sorry about your baby, I do hope his treatments are going well. :hugs:

Purr-fect, I am not in Canada. But I am close to everything. It is hard for me to lift heavy, though. I can lift the 20 pound boxes or jugs, but even those feel kind of heavy!
 

basscat

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I use the cheap non-clumping litter ($4 for 40lbs). He stands on the edge to do his thing, so....it takes 25lbs of litter to keep the litter box from flipping over.
I scoop it twice a week using a litter scooper for one thing, and a small fireplace ash shovel for the other thing. (the ash shovel is flat and small and has no slots in it).
After every scooping, I add a pint jar of Sweet PDZ Horse Stall Freshener to combat the ammonia smell. (it works)
Once each week I add more litter to keep it around 25lbs.
Dump it all and clean it up once a month.
Basically, $4 is what I spend on litter for this box each month.
BUT, it's no less dusty than any other "typical" litter that I have used.
 

Ginger Tabby

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Wow, $5.00 for 40 pounds might be worth throwing my back out for, lol! That is a great deal! Sorry about your baby, I do hope his treatments are going well. :hugs:

Purr-fect, I am not in Canada. But I am close to everything. It is hard for me to lift heavy, though. I can lift the 20 pound boxes or jugs, but even those feel kind of heavy!
Thank you, my kitty's treatment is going well.
 
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sweetblackpaws

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Basscat, what is the name of the $ 4.00 (40 lbs) non-clumping litter that you use?
 

1 bruce 1

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We use wood pellets without additives that you buy from a Home Depot or Lowe's. Approximately $5 for 40 lbs. There isn't an odor problem, but we only have one cat. He is currently being treated for small cell lymphoma, so we wanted to provide him litter that wouldn't cause inflammation. The economical part was a bonus. The only disadvantage that we have is lugging the 40 lb. bag home.
That's what we've been doing, too, to cut down on dust for our asthmatic.
I dump boxes every 2-3 days, but I don't bed the box very deep.
Odor only becomes a problem after several days with several cats, but I've found it to be a good option for our cats, for now, and the asthmatic does well so I'm happy!
 
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sweetblackpaws

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I live next door to a Lowes, I will see if they have the wood pellets. I thought they needed some kind of treatment so as not to be of any toxicity to cats, or maybe that is just marketing hype for the expensive pellet litters? :hellocomputer: It must be okay since several people here are using them....:thumbsup:
 

1 bruce 1

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I live next door to a Lowes, I will see if they have the wood pellets. I thought they needed some kind of treatment so as not to be of any toxicity to cats, or maybe that is just marketing hype for the expensive pellet litters? :hellocomputer: It must be okay since several people here are using them....:thumbsup:
I've used these as well as kiln dried pine made for horse stalls, no issue =)
I started using yesterdays news, and while I had no complaints I was paying a lot more for 40 pounds than I am now.
 
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