A Mat For Wood Litter?

[narelle]

My cat Astrid is some kind of wizard at tracking litter. She gets it everywhere. She did it when she had clay litter and has continued to do it with wood litter. (We use Okocat Soft Step.)

Litter mats I've used in the past, the rubbery plastic ones with the curly thread texture, haven't done much to combat her tracking. I want to get a bigger, better mat.

My problem is that all the mats I'm finding really look like they've been designed for clay litter and won't work for wood litter. The little bits of wood are really light, they aren't exactly going to fall right into convenient gaps and holes the way clay would.

I'm considering just getting a little throwaway rug or doormat to use instead. This stuff really sticks to carpet and fabric. But I was wondering if anyone else has had luck with any mats preventing or at least limiting tracking of their cat's wood litter?

 

[Ardina]

I normally use clay litter, but the dust and weight was getting too much, so I decided to give okocat soft step a try. Oh the tracking! It's everywhere. I have one of those rubbery automotive type mats and then a rug next to it, and they're not working either. I've heard that the long hair version tracks less. Unfortunately I think all natural litters will likely track more, just by virtue of being lighter. Hopefully someone else has found a mat that works!

 

[Neo_23]

Have you tried using the longhair version of okocat? I use it with my shorthair cat only because it tracks less than the regular. It still does track some, but far less than the regular kind. I think the softstep is actually the worst for tracking because it is the lightest.

 

[narelle]

How does the grain size compare? I use the soft step as opposed to the regular clumping version because the regular one's grain size is too big. It's hard to tell from pictures, but what I can see from pictures of the longhair version looks even bigger than the regular one.
(I also just ordered 21lbs of soft step, so I can't exactly switch litters any time soon.)

 

[Neo_23]

How does the grain size compare? I use the soft step as opposed to the regular clumping version because the regular one's grain size is too big. It's hard to tell from pictures, but what I can see from pictures of the longhair version looks even bigger than the regular one.
(I also just ordered 21lbs of soft step, so I can't exactly switch litters any time soon.)

The longhair one is actual wood pellets, so it is the largest kind. That’s why it doesn’t track as much. But if you have a cat with sensitive paws then it may not work.

 

[Ardina]

I also got the regular Okocat to try (hopefully it'll track less), but I think the pellets with the longhair version will be too big to work with the Omega Paw litterboxes. I'm also finding that the clumping is awful with the soft step - the clumps literally fall apart with the slightest pressure. Is this a problem for all the Okocat litters?

 

[Ardina]

I thought I'd update on how the Okocat (regular version/blue box) is performing. It's way better than soft step in terms of tracking. It tracks even less than clay, and most of the tracked out litter stays on my usual mats. Which is impressive considering that it's much lighter than clay! It also works with the Omega Paw - I have to do a little more shaking to make the filtering grate work, but I don't mind.

That being said, only Mishka has used it so far, and only to poop. I have another box that is still filled with their usual clay litter, so Saipha has been preferentially using that one. I'm pretty hopeful about this litter, so if the clumping action is good and I can get Saipha to use it, I'm probably going to switch over for good. Can't comment on odor control as their poop doesn't smell like much, but I'll update this if I every get them to pee in it. It's also about as dusty as clay litter (though less than soft step), but it mostly gets dusty when I filter it all through the grate. I don't think the dust kicks up as much when they're just digging in it.

I think I figured out why the soft step clumped so poorly for me. I had to put in a layer of their old clay litter on top to get them to use it, and I suspect that the wet clay litter doesn't bind to the wet okocat litter, so the whole clump falls apart, especially now that their digging has thoroughly mixed the two types together.

 

[susanm9006]

for about $20 you can buy a 30 inch square plastic washing machine tray, which has a two inch lip all around. It works great to keep litter contained or for cats that sometimes miss the litter box.

 

[Ardina]

I was so excited about the Okocat, but Mishka finally peed in it and the clumping is awful. Sigh. And I didn't even mix any clay litter in it, so can't be that. Also, Saipha refuses to use it.

Back to clay for now. And the search for a natural cat litter continues...

 

[Neo_23]

I was so excited about the Okocat, but Mishka finally peed in it and the clumping is awful. Sigh. And I didn't even mix any clay litter in it, so can't be that. Also, Saipha refuses to use it.

Back to clay for now. And the search for a natural cat litter continues...

It's really strange.. I had been using okocat longhair for a couple months and everything was going great. The other day I opened a new box and the pellet pieces were longer than usual and it clumps awfully. I'm so frustrated, I hope this isn't going to be a common occurrence because I'll have to look into a new litter again.

 

[Ardina]

It's really strange.. I had been using okocat longhair for a couple months and everything was going great. The other day I opened a new box and the pellet pieces were longer than usual and it clumps awfully. I'm so frustrated, I hope this isn't going to be a common occurrence because I'll have to look into a new litter again.

Yeah, I was surprised about the poor clumping because all the reviews I'd read mentioned the tracking, but no one really complained about the clumping. Let's hope it's a bad batch. If not, let me know what other litters you end up trying.