Anyone else have problems with Fresh Step litter?

sharonwitch · Feb 2, 2013

Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar problem with Fresh Step litter - regular clay (not clumping). . . A few months ago I switched from Tidy Cat Multi Cat litter, which I have used for many years with no issues, as my CRF kitty needed a more absorbent litter. The last few bags have been the "extreme odor control" variety and i have noticed more dust than usual, along with a very perfumey smell, which i kind of liked because it definitely helped with any odor. My one cat, Squeak, ever since she was a kitten, has been a little of a noisy breather - snores at night a little, but nothing really bad. Her vet said its a congenital thing, nothing to worry about - by the way, she's 10-1/2 years old. About a week ago, she was doing this wheezing kind of thing - only lasted a minute or so & she was fine; then the one day she was sitting on my lap & I thought her breathing was a little noisier than usual. I took her to the vet on Wed & he listened to her heart & lungs really well & said everything sounded normal. Now today, she did that wheezy thing again & I'm wondering if the Fresh Step litter could have something to do with it. I changed the litter boxes back to Tidy Cat & am hoping that helps. Honestly, she would smell very perfumey when she would come out of the FS litter and it seems very dusty. Even though I changed the boxes an hour or two ago, I swear its still in my nose! So maybe since her little nasal passages are a little compromised to begin with, it's really irritating to her. I actually found some people posted on the internet that they had issues with FS litter too.

Sorry this is long, but I was curious if anyone has had problems with their cats sneezing or being allergic to litter.

Thanks!

Sharon

vball91 · Feb 2, 2013

I've never tried FS, but I have read that scents bother cats, so if it smelled very perfumey to you, you know it's way stronger to her. It does sound like the new litter may be aggravating her sinuses. I think you did the right thing by switching back. If it continues, at least you can rule that out and can start looking for another reason.

Willowy · Feb 3, 2013

Every time I use Fresh Step, my entire house smells like the litter perfume! :lol3: It's just too strong,

faye nguyen · Aug 9, 2016

Yes it's true, it is very strong; but it's better than smelling poop and pee.

faye nguyen · Aug 9, 2016

My Kitty who is also 10, was having the same problem, so I got her some Hydroxyzine HCL 10 mg tablets. They work very well, she hasn't sneezed since. I bought the bottle in May, 2016; and I only used 2 tablets. You can order it from 1800PetMeds. but you will need a prescription.

DavidF1 · Dec 3, 2018

I've used Fresh Step for years. When they started adding Febreze I tried to avoid the versions of it that had that as an additive. I finally got some, then a few weeks later my cat began having these itching fits. Not just normal cat scratching from time to time. I took her to the vet. No fleas. The vet prescribed an antihistimine. The itching stopped, for a while. After a month, we stopped with the pills. More scratching. More pills. I changed littler. I usually purchase my litter at the grocery store. They have several varieties of Fresh Step, few without Febreze. This was about a year ago. Recently we got a second cat. Just to see I bought a small box of the Febreze Fresh Step. The original cat is itching again, and the new cat has literally chewed bald spots on it's front legs. No more Fresh Step for me until Febreze is gone. I liked the original Fresh Step, but not drugging my cat's just to use it.