Crystal Cat litter maintenance

[syzygycat]

I haven't used the stuff before. My eldest male won't pee on clay anymore, I got him Vibrant Life Unscented mini crystal litter (walmart brand I think)


I've been scooping the soiled spots

Do the cats really not care that the peed on crystal and mixed in with the clean ones.

The instructions just say to remove solid waste (which doesnt apply to me), rake the litter, and replace every 30 days.

I'm sure, like with all litter, changing it depends more on usage than exactly every 30 days.
Is 30days for one cat generally too little, or too often?

I know if it starts smelling like urine, or urine is pooling under the crystals you've waited way too long. Is there a way to tell if it needs to be changed sooner?

The clean crystals looks like fine translucent rock salt, the peed on crystals are opaque light yellow. Raking it makes it all look dirty to me.

 

[Willowy]

I've used that off and on for years, especially for one old de-clawed cat who wouldn't use anything else.

Yeah, about a month for one cat, maybe 2 weeks if they pee a lot (diabetic or kidney disease, etc.). It really depends on your cat. You'll know when it needs to go, lol. It'll last longer in a dry area; bathrooms and damp basements are terrible for it.

 

[SpecterOhPossum]

I'm confused and scared of what raking litter entails.. I don't use crystals but I use pine, I've found that a small garden spade works very very well for removing the used parts and not mixing it all together..kinda go at it like you'd do when scooping ice for example.. Plus small metal garden spades are good on the wallet and environment as it's gonna probably last a lifetime!!! unlike those little plastic pooper scoopers.. can't tell ya how much I've wasted on those for them to snap in half.

 

[syzygycat]

... It'll last longer in a dry area; bathrooms and damp basements are terrible for it.

So this DIY litter box I made from sawing the sides off of a giant 45 gallon tote, then placed directly under a fish tank is ...perfect
Luke pees standing (hence the puppy pad splash guards) took 6 months to realize the box was as much a problem as the litter.

 

[syzygycat]

I'm confused and scared of what raking litter entails.. I don't use crystals but I use pine, I've found that a small garden spade works very very well for removing the used parts and not mixing it all together..kinda go at it like you'd do when scooping ice for example.. Plus small metal garden spades are good on the wallet and environment as it's gonna probably last a lifetime!!! unlike those little plastic pooper scoopers.. can't tell ya how much I've wasted on those for them to snap in half.

This stuff is more like wet sand, doesn't well like pine or 'yesterdays new'. The pee sinks down, not so much out. a deep plastic measuring 1/2-tablespoon was sacrificed for the job, a spade wouldn't work well for this.
Agree with you that plastic litter scoopers are terrible, Ive been using steel ones for almost 10 years. IDK if they last a lifetime though, I accidentally bag them up and throw them away with the litter more often than I'd like to admit.

 

[Willowy]

Under the fish tank should be OK unless it's leaky . But definitely not a bathroom, noooo. Well, unless it's the spare bathroom and nobody takes a shower in there.

 

[IndyJones]

This is actually silica gel litter. I personally don't like it because it seems unhygienic to leave pee soaked silica around for a month. Cat pee especially can start to smell pungent in that quantity. The one and only time I used it it was so horrible it burned my nose. Scooping any "yellow" crystal helps a bit but it still smells pungent.

One of my current cats is not picky about her litter but my older boy hates any kind of litter that isn't clay. He will literally hold his pee until he wets himself.

 

[syzygycat]

This is actually silica gel litter. ...

,
I didn't realize its the same thing! Turns out I am already an expert with crystal cat liter
I'm guessing the blue bits are indicator crystal that turn clear when its full saturated?

use it as air filter cartridge media to prevent atmospheric gases and liquids into stability chambers. And manufacturers use it as a desiccant to keep moisture out of all sorta of products. Each grain of silica can absorb and retain 40% of its weight in water, wouldn't feel wet until it passes that point. And it also absorbs gasses heavier than oxygen, so all the stink that comes off animal waste. Whick explains the raking, gets un-saturated crystal to the surface to absorb gasses as they rise. AND salts have an affinity to bond to silica-get, for get urine, that;s a huge difference... its kind of the perfect material for cat litter. Kudos to whoever first sold it as cat litter.

The big disadvantage is its absorbing moisture from the air all the time, so even if its unused, if it sat open long enough it would but full saturated and cat pee will just pass it by. Hence the 30 day rule. Use or not, its no good after 30 days.

 

[minish]

I used silica litter for practical reasons (less tracing much lighter to handle) although not healthy. but it's really impractical once it's soaked enough. The packages always say you can use for a month. Total lie. With 1 cat, the most we both could endure was 10 days, with 1.5 packs (around 5 liters) If you must, I'd suggest put small amounts and change it whole as well as cleaning the box every 5-7 days. Otherwise pee pools under the box before it can be absorbed

 

[syzygycat]

Keep us updated. Hope this passes soon. Take care.

The closest store to us is in Canyon Country and they ship free over $49.

yup free shipping at Tractor Supply purchases over $49 (pet food was never part of that deal before)my order got here in 3 or 4 days. Muuuch faster than chewys 16 days, amazons 7days, petco 10 days, warmart 20+.... AND every 4 cans were tripple wrapped in card stock. Hands down the best packaging of any cat food, I had to unwrap18 rolls of cat food which was a pain, but a good problem to have.


Sad new,the"in gravy" versions are not extruded rectangles of food,with almost no gravy. It used to be my cats' favorite 4Health.. Now have to mush it into a paste before the cats eat it.Otherwise moderate success.


















'

 

[syzygycat]

I used silica litter for practical reasons (less tracing much lighter to handle) although not healthy. but it's really impractical once it's soaked enough. The packages always say you can use for a month. Total lie. With 1 cat, the most we both could endure was 10 days, with 1.5 packs (around 5 liters) If you must, I'd suggest put small amounts and change it whole as well as cleaning the box every 5-7 days. Otherwise pee pools under the box before it can be absorbed

Are you raking after each use. I .use the cheapest version out there, daily mixing it lasted 25.

letting it sit and it gets peed on a again it will pool. the crytals need time to dry.

 

[minish]

I used to rake at least 3 times a day when I used it but maybe the packages I can get here are smaller. And there was the bathroom factor, more moisture. Since minish refuses to cover her poop in it and starts to go to the bathtub after couple of days, I switched to clumping clay