Clay vs Pine Pellet?

[seaturtleswims]

Hi there, 

So I have been using TSC equine pine pellet bedding for cat litter because it's soo cheap and is the same thing as equisicat pellet litter only less than half the price. I've been thinking of switching back to tidy cats/clay litter even though it's more expensive and less eco friendly because I'm worried about odor control. 

What are your thoughts on clay litter odor control vs pine pellet odor control?

 

[basscat]

We used Equine Fresh Pellets, and (as was suggested by a breeder), some sort of granular horse stall stuff.  (Sweet PDZ maybe?) or something like it.   It's a white granular stuff for controlling odor in horse stalls.

I was told to put about an inch of the granular stuff in the bottom of the litter box, then put the pine pellets on top.

I KNOW that works.  But, our little booger likes to try to eat the pellets.  Chews them up and turns them into sawdust.
So, we went with the really cheap non clumping clay AND mixed the white granular stuff in with it.

That worked well.
He's now old enough to use pretty smelling clumping litter.  So, we don't do the other any more.  But, it did work to control the odor.

White granular stuff. Sweet PDZ, or something similar.  Found it in the horse stuff at Attwoods.

 

[SeventhHeaven]

I'm a strong Pellet user cannot stand clay litter it's SO MESSY for tracking, holds odors.

Never have a problem with pellets NO odor issues clean ups a breeze, no clumping goop stuck everywhere.  5.50 for 40lbs  (Canada.)  Pellets used as animal bedding are made to be safe, or you can

buy fireplace pellets must specify Non-toxic healthy for kitties. *If you use oils you can make pellets any scent you wish with a few drops...  Have no idea what the white powder was that breeder suggested

to add to your litter? Just straight plain pellets works fine.

  I  

 

[basscat]

I think the granular stuff is Sweet PDZ.  (breeder said to use that with pellets).

I kind of felt bad asking, but, I had to know.  Cats and Kittens everywhere. Half a dozen litter boxes.... but, the place didn't smell like pee or poop. 

I had to go with clay because kitten was eating the pellets.  But, I mixed the granules with the clay....no stinky. 

 

[msserena]

I've used Arm & Hammer Super Scoop for like over 20 years. There is rarely an odor, it clumps well & Walmart used to carry it. It was my go to litter. I've run into some breathing issues & now I'm sensitive to the dust. The bed is in the same room as the litter box so I've been looking into non clay litters.

I tried Arm & Hammer Essentials clumping litter & can't believe that product is even on the market. After like a day or two the whole box smells like urine & when you try to scoop, guess what? They fall apart then little pieces get everywhere & the smell just doesn't go away unless you dump the whole thing. I will never buy that again & try to let others know about it.

So I go back to clay, I buy Tidy Cat 24/7 Multi cat because people were saying that was pretty dust free. It is a little but I could smell the dust in the room each time a cat scratched. Then I tried Dr Elsy Precious cat because people were saying that is totally dust free. It's not. I had a film over my clothes because of that cat litter. That was more dusty than the A&H!

I also tried the Blue Buffalo clumping but it crumbled & fell apart. I also tried Hartz Multi Cat, that was a good litter. It was good clumping & no odor but dust yes. I also tried S-Wheat scoop, but it really didn't have good odor control. Sleeping in the same room, I don't want to smell the litter box!

So after my bad experiences with non clay, I pretty much gave up on other materials. I did more research & found people mentioned Fresh Results clumping, I decided to try it. Oh my gosh, it's the best non clay litter I've tried yet! I really don't know what it's made of, maybe corncob but it's super light & clumps really well. The clumps stay together & there is zero odor, zero dust. The only bad thing about it is when you open the bag, it's super scenty, like pine. After about a day the smell wears off though. I LOVE the smell of pine but this was like gag me pine smell.

Hope that helps

https://www.walmart.com/ip/8In1-Pet-Products-Cat-Litter-Fresh-Results-10-Lb-Cats/10450484

 

[SeventhHeaven]

 
I think the granular stuff is Sweet PDZ.  (breeder said to use that with pellets).

I kind of felt bad asking, but, I had to know.  Cats and Kittens everywhere. Half a dozen litter boxes.... but, the place didn't smell like pee or poop. 

I had to go with clay because kitten was eating the pellets.  But, I mixed the granules with the clay....no stinky. 

Any powder chemicals added to litter the cats will inhale -  online Zeolite dust which is in Sweet PDZ  is not good to inhale.  That may be a concern?  Thanks for sharing 

 

 

[basscat]

 
Any powder chemicals added to litter the cats will inhale -  online Zeolite dust which is in Sweet PDZ  is not good to inhale.  That may be a concern?  Thanks for sharing 

 

It's not a powder. It's Granular.
I'd be more worried about the carbon monoxide coming off of wood pellets.

 

[seaturtleswims]

Thanks for the ideas on the PDZ. I currently add baking soda to the pellet litter every week but might investigate the horse odor control. I scoop daily, add new litter a couple times a week and do a full change once a week. The litter box is in my apartment bedroom closet where I used to live in a house and it was in the basement so it's a bit of an adjustment!

Thanks! I will try the PDZ before I decide to switch back to clay or not, because I'm with you guys in that clay is toooo dang dusty haha 

 

[catmom marcia]

Pine pellets, hands down!  I have used both in my foster room and the pine pellets do a fantastic job of absorbing the odors and are MUCH neater and easier to clean up.  I have found they are much easier to use with the Feline Pine sifting litter box (available on their website - go to "products").  I've tried different donated sifting litter boxes but they are inferior to the Feline Pine box and the FP boxes are well worth the extra shipping costs!  You can order up to 5 for the same S/H.

I also buy the Tractor Supply bags - 10 at a time!  They are 40 pounds but with one or two cats it will last a very long time.  In order for the sifting litter box to work you MUST put a layer of pine pellets in the bottom to absorb the urine that might seep down when kitty scratches a place to pee in.  I get compliments all the time that there is no smell in my foster room (a 13x15' room) with 14 kittens and 7 boxes.

 

[basscat]

I don't know if it's the pine pellets, or the PDZ.  But, the LACK of odor at the breeders place was NOTICEABLE.  (enough so that I probably asked a rude question..."Why doesn't it smell bad?").

For the last four months, my little terror has had Clay and PDZ mixed together.  The clay seems dusty when poured into the litter box, but, I don't notice any dust when scooping. 
His two litter boxes are side by side, in the house, in the sunroom.  He pees in one, poops in the other.   The only odor I smell is when scooping, and I only scoop twice a week.  BUT, lack of odor may have something to do with raw food diet also.  (don't know, but, I've heard that helps?).

I do know the other cat that lives on the back porch, outside, eats kibble, has pretty smelling clumping litter.....His litter box gets scooped every other day and it'll make your eyes water.

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Sharing routine habits (everyone is different )= NO odors 

Have 6 cats ONLY 2 boxes ( normally 3) one large, both uncovered. 

I scoop 1-2  times a day if I see something, evening sift one box per night removing "Sawdust" refilling topping off both boxes. 

Both boxes are also in bedroom (moving soon.) 

Using a huge tote box to contain more cleaning less YES you will have odors

Littermaid box using clumping litter maybe a better option.

Train kittens with pellets they taste everything once 

 

 

[basscat]

Mine wasn't a one time thing. 
He would dig wood pellets out of the litter box, onto the pad that the boxes set on.   I had piles of sawdust every day for two weeks (when I changed to clay...which I hate).

Almost forgot, he was also sleeping in the litter boxes when they had wood pellets in them. 
I would rather use wood pellets than clay, but, I had to do something and clay cured it.  I doubt most folks have this problem with pellets though.

Our other cats use normal clumping litters (comes in a plastic bucket).
We use the empty buckets for all sorts of stuff.   When scooping litter boxes, the waste goes into one of those empty buckets.  Lid seals pretty good, and easy to carry.

 

[Bocce]

Ok, have done the pellets from day one, they used them at Peggy Adams here in FL. The odor is bit of an issue so I have gone one inch clay clump and topped off by inch of pellets. No more smell. I am going to go all clay-clump and see where that goes.