Can Cat Litter Cause Allergies In Humans?

[candicew]

Hello all! So we recently switched from using very expensive litter(Swheat) the using 'cheap' litter(clay).. but now am wondering if the hives/rashes all over my youngest son body + the pain and itching he is having ever day is being chased by this cheaper clay litter!?
The poor thing has been really bad since the end of December and I am really drawing at straws.. but I think that it was a a week or less before all the symptoms came about that we switched litter!

 

[Willowy]

A possibility! Try an unscented litter, see if that helps. It's usually the scent that causes allergies. If not, and you need a less expensive natural litter, many people use chicken feed. It's very similar to World's Best cat litter, and a big bag is pretty cheap.

 

[Kieka]

As someone allergic to scented litters or Dusty litters, yes it is possible. Symptoms can vary by person so an all over rash would be unheard of. Just switching to unscented or a different brand of an equally cheap litter may be enough because sometimes it is the oddest trigger (I can eat only certain brands of ketchup for example).

It could also be something totally unrelated. As a kid I suddenly started getting rashes on my legs. My Mom tried everything she could think of. Changed so many things, tried all sorts of remedies. It turned out that I had developed a sensitivity to our laundry detergent (which has turned into a sensitivity to any artificial scents, I'm special). We only figured it out years later when I started doing my own laundry and I bought a random unscented detergent because I had a coupon.

 

[candicew]

Ah man!
So this is the one I'm using.
http://litterpurrfect.com/

I never realized it was scented I just saw that it was clay litter with baking soda and then all it said it had was odour control crystals I didn't know that meant Saturd I never realized it was scented I just saw that it was clay litter with baking soda and then all it said it had was odour control crystals I didn't know that meant SaScented..
I'll go out and find an unscented one tomorrow !!

Thank you!

 

[Kieka]

You would be surprised how many things are scented.

 

[Margret]

Ah man!
So this is the one I'm using.
http://litterpurrfect.com/

I never realized it was scented I just saw that it was clay litter with baking soda and then all it said it had was odour control crystals I didn't know that meant Saturd I never realized it was scented I just saw that it was clay litter with baking soda and then all it said it had was odour control crystals I didn't know that meant SaScented..
I'll go out and find an unscented one tomorrow !!

Thank you!

I have to get unscented litter; both my husband and the woman who cleans my house once a week are allergic to scented. If you read the label carefully (including the back label) you can almost always find the word "fragrance" in the list of ingredients. That word is a great big (small print ) red flag. Please note that you don't need to buy litter with baking soda in it; it's really quite easy (and cheap) to buy baking soda separately and add some whenever you add litter, and it will help immensely in controlling the odor.

I recently began having trouble with my back itching, which I was putting down to irritation from a new bra, until I went online to research prices at different retailers for my laundry detergent (All Free [of perfumes] and Clear [of added dyes], with Added Stain Lifters). Instead of a list of retailers who sell it cheaply I found whole web pages dedicated to warning about allergens in All Free and Clear. I no longer use it, and my back no longer itches. Roger doesn't seem to be allergic to it (at least not yet - these things can develop over time) so, since we tend to do our laundry separately anyway, he is using up the last of the All Free and Clear.

Margret

 

[Furballsmom]

Sodium bentonite clay dust, used in quite a few litters, can cause issues. I hope the new litter switch helps!

 

[candicew]

OK thank you so what would you think the best thing to do in the situation if I think this might be it I gave a good vacuum yesterday but I suppose I'll go get unscented litter dump and clean all the trees and try it out in just a few of them and then give a good vacuum around the house as well to get rid of what's left . Do you think like if it is the seventh or whatever it is in the litter would pretty much be gone in the day ?

 

[Furballsmom]

I was thinking it might take a couple of days, but how are things now?

 

[candicew]

I was thinking it might take a couple of days, but how are things now?

Well I have my son on several steroid cream's as well as Benadryl I also give him warm oatmeal baths to help with the itching at night . Last night was the first night in over two weeks that he actually slept and didn't scream the entire night clawing at his body and face . When I was scooping litter this morning he walked by the bathroom and started instantly sneezing and I told him to run to the other side of the house that maybe it was the kitties litter making him sick ! He did and I'm still going to go to the local pet store and pick up just the plain old cheap clay litter in the mix my own baking soda in it and go from there and see if this helps

 

[Furballsmom]

oh my goodness. Hang in there!!