Best Litter / Litter Box Solution

[catlady85]

Hi everyone!

I have two big long-haired cats that love to make a mess in the litter box. Right now we use one large Tupperware container and one hooded litter box with regular unscented clumping litter. They go to the bathroom ALOT which means I'm cleaning the boxes a minimum of once per day. They also love to dig in the litter and it usually ends up everywhere. I live in an apartment so can't just "put it in the garage."

I've tried various things in the past to make it cleaner / easier - top entry, sifting litter bags, perforated litter mats, the breeze system (no one liked it) - pretty much everything short of the robotic litter boxes which I've always been hesitant to invest in. Wondering what everyone else's favorite litter/box solution is and if there is something I'm missing.

Thanks!

 

[Daisy6]

Welcome to TCS Cat Lady! What are the names of your cats?

I wonder if "everything" includes a litterbox with three high sides to prevent them from kicking litter out. Some boxes are high on all four sides with a lower opening at one end for the cat to walk in. I prefer those instead of covered litterboxes.

 

[KarenKat]

For the last week I have had no litter on the floor at all! What I did was go on vacation and rent a cat-free Air BnB

Seriously, though, I have not found an amazing solution to the Litter Problem. We have diggers and the house we rent has all hardwood floors. One suggestion I don't see often is turn the litterbox away from the rest of the room (assuming this does not discourage the cats from using it). Then the litter that is flung out when they leave doesn't go all over and a light sweep/vacuum is all that's needed.

My friend has a top-entry litterbox in a tiny apartment, she says she doesn't get a lot of litter all over. We have some clumsy kitties so I don't think that would work for us.

 

[duckpond]

I have diggers too What i do, it helps, but wont totally fix the problem. Is more litter boxes, with a bit less litter. And clean 3 or 4 time a day. If there is anything in my boxes the guys try to work around it...but not touch it...lol so they end up digging more litter out of the box, if there is anything in the box when they go. They dont do this so much with clean boxes. I have 4 cats and i keep 6 boxes around the house so there is normally a clean one or two at all times. More boxes, but less mess.

 

[maggiedemi]

After I scoop, I kind of tilt the litterbox back so that it leaves an empty space at the front of the box for the cats to kick litter. It seems to help.

 

[Pucks104]

I know it may not be for everyone but I decided to go with the Litter-Robot Open Air 3 Connect. I use Everclean litter. George and Louie took to it immediately and by day 3 were using it exclusively. It makes the chore of litter box maintenance so easy. The boys always have a clean place to go whether I’m home or not and I can tend to the waste reservoir at my leisure. The Connect app lets me track how often the kitties use the box and allow me to see if there is a change in the pattern of box use. The boys love to watch it go through its cleaning cycle. The Litter-Robot is pricey but so worth it to me!

 

[FeralHearts]

So I'm bringing this post back to life.

With two cats in the house with Asthma and one of the girls ingesting too much clay as she sits right in it when she pees... I'm trying to change the litter in the house.

The one vet suggested "Yesterdays News" while W.L is recovering - so I did that for her box. I love and hate it.

Love: She's not getting it stuck on her bum. Love that it's less smelly. Love the no dust. She has no issues with it.
Hate: I can't tell how much she's pee'd. I'm having to completely change it more often and it's really expensive.

As I have three cats in atm and one more to come, cost is going to be a factor. I have to make sure I can afford the vet costs and good food. These are high up on the list so lots of changes have to be made for me financially to ensure this.

I spoke to my other vet about using horse bedding pellets. She likes the idea.

I'm going to start on that next week.

I can already see two factors of the hate will probably still be there... Changing more often (less of an issue as the cost is so low) but the Pee factor is going to bug me. I'm trying to sort out if there is some mathematics way I can determine she is peeing okay by the amount of breakdown as it breaks down into saw dust.

Any suggestions or anyone with experience with pellets or for inexpensive litter for 4 that would be less / no dust or help me determine pee factor would be great. I know that pee factor is going to worry me.

 

[MargoLane]

F FeralHearts Grass litter might be a good solution for you! I haven’t tried it yet, but as soon as my last bag of clay gets low, I’m definitely getting some.

It’s just made of grass seed, nothing else, so your cat eating some shouldn’t be a problem. Plus it’s supposed to be amazing at clumping, so you’ll be able to see how much peeing is happening.

 

[FeralHearts]

Thanks MargoLane I saw that was a relatively new thing and it looks absolutely amazing. Please let me know how it works for you.

The cost factor is still up there right now though - so I've hesitated because there are 4 of them - so LOTS of litter. The cost of the pellets is only 8$ Canadian for a 30 pound bag. :-\

 

[MargoLane]

Thanks MargoLane I saw that was a relatively new thing and it looks absolutely amazing. Please let me know how it works for you.

The cost factor is still up there right now though - so I've hesitated because there are 4 of them - so LOTS of litter. The cost of the pellets is only 8$ Canadian for a 30 pound bag. :-\

Can’t beat $8 a bag!

 

[FeralHearts]

Can’t beat $8 a bag!

Not really... but I know the "not seeing how much they pee" thing is going to make me NUTS.

The vet did say - no pine and no cedar. Apparently the oils in those can mess up some organ testing and are very problematic for cats with any respiratory issues.

 

[Tobermory]

The sanctuary where I volunteer uses pellets. I’m not sure how you would be able to tell who is doing what or how much. When they could see that one of the kitties had diarrhea, for example, they had to put each one in isolation so they could see who had the problem. They are cost effective, though, which is why the sanctuary uses them. And they’re surprisingly good at odor control. Either volunteers or staff scoop daily.

 

[Q2U]

Our Andy has very long hair. He used to get poop all over him and he'd end up smelling very poopy because it was so difficult to clean him thoroughly. As a result we ended doing the following which remedied Andy's poopy-butt condition...

• Using "Yesterday's News" (paper litter)
  
• Cleaning out his litter box immediately every time he goes poop
• Changing out his litter several times a week
• Cleaning his butt with baby wipes every time he goes poop
  
• Using an electric shaver to keep his hind-quarters (and his tail) fur very short
• Giving him a bath once every week

I would imagine that some folks are going to find it hard to believe that a cat would tolerate an electric shaver, baby-wipe butt wiping, and a weekly bath but -- indeed -- our Andy does and this is only because Mrs. Q2U is a cat whisperer.

We began much of this when Andy was a kitten when we were trying to prevent round-worm reinfection (he was a feral kitten we found) and it simply carried over to the present. Andy is 1-year old now.

These steps are not easy -- and they take a lot of discipline -- but the result is that Mr. Andy is no longer Mr. Stinky Butt.

 

[FeralHearts]

The sanctuary where I volunteer uses pellets. I’m not sure how you would be able to tell who is doing what or how much. When they could see that one of the kitties had diarrhea, for example, they had to put each one in isolation so they could see who had the problem. They are cost effective, though, which is why the sanctuary uses them. And they’re surprisingly good at odor control. Either volunteers or staff scoop daily.

Tobermory That's what's making me nervous. I won't be able to tell how much they've pee'd etc. and soon - who did what. Oh the trouble with cost vs best for the kitties vs being able to monitor their poops and pee's.

I want to get away from the clay for the dust and for the kitty's in general. I can get it cheap enough too but knowing the clay litter isn't being good for them...

I'm use to one cat. Now there are three - and soon to be 4. So cost has very quickly become a factor.

Q2U What a sweet boy! Awesome video. It's a lot of work for a long haired cat but it's much better for him in the long run. Completely changing it a few times a week is where it becomes cost prohibitive for four cats - at least for me.

 

[Tobermory]

If you’re going from clay to pellets, you may have a problem with the cats wanting to use it. A lot of them seem unwilling to walk on the pellets because they’re very hard so there may be a longer transition time or some litter box avoidance.

 

[FeralHearts]

Tobermory Very true. I thought it might be an issue.

W.L (White Label) because she's feral, and only inside recently, has adopted to the newspaper pellets fine - so I'm thinking as the horse bedding is similar - she might be okay.

Charlie has been in clay his whole life - that might be a challenge and I will need to look and learn about transitioning. (multi types for a bit?) Mia - the other Feral has been inside two months now - her it's a toss up.

Braveheart isn't in yet - I'm going to start on her it right away.

It may mean several litter boxes with different types for awhile.

 

[Tobermory]

Tobermory Very true. I thought it might be an issue.

W.L (White Label) because she's feral, and only inside recently, has adopted to the newspaper pellets fine - so I'm thinking as the horse bedding is similar - she might be okay.

Charlie has been in clay his whole life - that might be a challenge and I will need to look and learn about transitioning. (multi types for a bit?) Mia - the other Feral has been inside two months now - her it's a toss up.

Braveheart isn't in yet - I'm going to start on her it right away.

It may mean several litter boxes with different types for awhile.

That's a good strategy, although you may have trouble knowing who prefers what unless you're there to watch! (The things we do....)

The sanctuary recently added two boxes with clumping clay (in addition to the four with pellets) to the general population cat habitat because one of the current residents, Rain, has some issues. Although the cats still use the pellets occasionally, they've all really migrated to the clay. Of course.

I've used a brand called Okocat before. They have six kinds: four are clumping wood, one is non-clumping pine, and one is non-clumping paper. I tried one of the clumping wood kinds and thought it worked well. When I tried it, it was less expensive than other options, but I'm afraid they may have raised their prices. I don't know if it's available where you live, but it's an option to explore. Here's the link: Products | okocat | Healthy Pet

 

[FeralHearts]

I think clay feels more nature to them? Maybe that's why they migrate to it?

I love the way this Okocat looks. Sadly again - price point.

I'm on my first bag of the paper litter, which, is cheaper than the the Okocat. White Label has gone through nearly the bag in a month. 26 pounds.

I can certainly grab a box of Okocat and see how long it lasts, but, if I suspect it's going to be about the same. It's hard to tell as it, like the grass, will probably weight less than the clay by a long shot. I buy 50 lbs of the Costco litter at about $9.00 (Canadian). The Okocat here is $25.00 (Canadian) for 19 Pounds. I'd have to work it out in Volume somehow.

Looks like I can order it at petsmart.ca and pick it up at the store as they don't seem to carry it all the time.

On a side note. The litter I buy, in fact any clay litter I've ever bought says 99.9% dust free... my remark to that... I NEVER want to see what even 90% dust free looks like because, yeah, it's dusty!

 

[Tobermory]

I can certainly grab a box of Okocat and see how long it lasts, but, if I suspect it's going to be about the same. It's hard to tell as it, like the grass, will probably weight less than the clay by a long shot. I buy 50 lbs of the Costco litter at about $9.00 (Canadian). The Okocat here is $25.00 (Canadian) for 19 Pounds. I'd have to work it out in Volume somehow.

I’m actually experimenting right now to see how long a bag of Smart Cat clumping grass litter lasts with my three cats. It’s $30 for a 20-lb. bag but it seems like it lasts awhile. There’s a big upfront cost, of course, to fill multiple litter boxes.

You could consider mixing the inexpensive Costco and a more expensive variety like Okocat. It would cut the cost and reduce some of the dust. I used a mix of Dr. Elsey’s Ultra clumping clay and Smart Cat clumping grass for months and it worked well. I even added some Okocat for awhile because I still had a box of it!

I agree about the dust. They’re all dusty, and it’s even inconsistent within brands. One bag will be almost dust-free and the next much more dusty.

 

[GreyLady]

Cat litter dust is annoying. I found Paws n Claws brand (10.50 US for 40 ilbs) to be the best as far as low dust so far.

When I had rabbits I exclusively used wood pellets for them (I think they are the same as the horse pellets) it's like $4 for a giant bag at the hardware store. I never had any problems with it. Sometimes the bottom gets mushy if its been a little while since it was changed because it doesnt clump but not really a problem, just something you have to deal with with non clumping litter.