Cats won't allow litter to clump

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carnivalnights

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I actually some research on crystal litter with my previous cats because I thought about switching and didn't like what a found. :( The blue dye chemical (cobalt chloride) is known to cause cancer in both cats and humans, the crystals can be very uncomfortable on their paws and can cause some cats to stop using their litter boxes (if you have older cats with arthritis like I did, for example, that would be a bad idea I'm sure), the crystals can cause death if ingested (and my current cats are only 1.5 years old and very curious troublemakers -- my lord, they have caused mayhem in my little apartment already!), and the crystals are taken from beaches and environmentally destructive and end up in landfills just like clay litter so... it's not like it's any better that way either. Of course, you could use crystal litter and everything could be fine. But it seemed riskier to me than clay litter. So in the end I decided I didn't want to use it.

But I love the idea of my boys acting like an automatic litter box! Hahaha. That would be nice.

How about crystal litter? Have you looked into it yet? The whole idea is that the crystals soak up the urine and do not need to be removed until you dump the entire litterbox. You actually need to stir it every day to distribute the fluids evenly so it can soak it up properly. With your boys you might not even have to do that because they would do it for you … like an automatic litterbox :cool:
 

IndyJones

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Crystal litter is actually silica gel. The same stuff in the "do not eat" packs found in new shoes, pill bottles etc.

I did try it once but my guys refused to use it and it is super messy and doesn't control oder at all. I ended up using the rest of the bottle for cleaning up fluid spills in the garage.
 

KittyFriday

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My cat isn't an excessive digger but I've found out that litter matters. I like Arm and Hammer litter - but they have like a 40 lb box that is cheaper than some of their other lines and it is absolutely the worst. It clumps, but it is an awful texture and smell terrible. I just suck it up and buy their "clump and slide" which is just awesome.
 

IndyJones

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My cat isn't an excessive digger but I've found out that litter matters. I like Arm and Hammer litter - but they have like a 40 lb box that is cheaper than some of their other lines and it is absolutely the worst. It clumps, but it is an awful texture and smell terrible. I just suck it up and buy their "clump and slide" which is just awesome.
I use arm and hammer clump and seal. Works really well and cats like it. I have used the slide version as well but I use liners so I'm not sure it makes much difference for me.
 

Willowy

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Crystal litter is actually silica gel. The same stuff in the "do not eat" packs found in new shoes, pill bottles etc.
It's not toxic. The only put "do not eat" on it so you don't think it's part of the snack. They wouldn't be allowed to use it in food packets if it were actually harmful.

But I also don't think silica litter is any more cost-effective than clumping litter, and it tends to absorb humidity so it doesn't last as long as you want it to in the summer, unless you live in Arizona or other dry place. I've found that de-clawed and arthritic cats like Vibrant Life (formerly Mimi) silica litter (very fine crystals), but most silica litters have large crystals and I haven't had any success with them.
 
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