Could Wooden Litter Cause Any Health Problems In Cats?

[purplesnitch]

I started using the Cat's Best Pine Wood litter about two weeks ago, and since then my cats are sneezing quite a lot and seem to have clogged noses.

Was wondering if the litter had anything to do with it. It breaks down into what is basically sawdust, so could inhaling the dust possibly cause them any problems?

They are fully indoor cats, by the way.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! It could be the dust, it could be the scent or a chemical used in the processing, not sure.
Can you try a different litter?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If the litter you use is NOT kiln-dried then it could well be the issue, as it still contains volitile oils. OR, you may have cats that are allergic to pine, although it would be rare to have more than one in a single household. Kiln-dried pine litter should NOT cause problems unless there are allergies.

 

[purplesnitch]

Hi! It could be the dust, it could be the scent or a chemical used in the processing, not sure.
Can you try a different litter?

Sure, the Cat's Best one is almost finished anyway!

 

[purplesnitch]

If the litter you use is NOT kiln-dried then it could well be the issue, as it still contains volitile oils. OR, you may have cats that are allergic to pine, although it would be rare to have more than one in a single household. Kiln-dried pine litter should NOT cause problems unless there are allergies.

I looked it up on the litter company's website but they made no mention on whether it was kiln-dried. ‍

However, Feline Fresh (another brand) did mention it, so I think I'll use that one next.

It does seem odd that all four of my cats have the same allergies...

 

[Jem]

It could just be the dust. I changed to a different litter one time that contained baking soda for odor control, it was VERY dusty and all the cats would sneeze when using it. Got a different litter again, and things got better.
Do you have a covered litter box? If you do I would try not having a cover so the stirred up litter/dust can dissipate. But in all honestly, you probably just need to get a different litter that does not produce as much dust. They probably don't all have an "allergy", but an irritant to the nasal passageways is an irritant whether there are allergies or not. And depending on where you live and what the weather is like at the moment, you might have just added the catalyst in an already budding issue.
For example, it is winter where I am, and it was a cold one this year. Our house is dry, the air is stale, and this year it seems I can't keep up with all the dust in the house. We have humidifiers, and I do clean, And this helps tremendously but it's just a loosing battle, everyone in the house gets stuffy, sniffly and itchy. I should buy stock in facial tissues and skin lotion!!! LOL!
I really can't wait till spring!!!!!

 

[FelisCatus]

Chiming in to agree, yes it must be kiln dried to be used as cat litter. Since the litter you bought has ‘Cat’s Best’ in the name, I would hope they would do this... but if they do it should be advertised on the packaging/website.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hekitty likes the corn or walnut based litters. They clump well, do a good job of odor control, and have almost NO dust.