Crystal Litter?

[zoneout]

Right, I know we can't be certain that something is 100% safe but we know that some products are 100% unsafe.... For instance clumping clay litter made with sodium bentonite is known to cause respiratory problems in cats and death in kittens if swallowed.

It always comes down to trade offs in whatever we choose. Some litter tracks more, some absorb more, some kill odors better, etc. So basically the choice comes down to which product sucks the least and is affordable.

The ultra pearl I found at Shoprite here and some but not all pet supply stores have it. It's also on amazon but buying litter on AZ is expensive cause of the shipping cost. If you do look for it know that they have about 4 different types. The large pearls were the original but then they came out with a low-tracking one, a micro-pearl one, and another which I don't recall. In my experience the large pearls last longest, are less dusty, and don't quite hurt as bad as the jagged crystals in case you step on one barefoot- ouch!

 

[duckdodgers]

Right, I know we can't be certain that something is 100% safe but we know that some products are 100% unsafe.... For instance clumping clay litter made with sodium bentonite is known to cause respiratory problems in cats and death in kittens if swallowed.

It always comes down to trade offs in whatever we choose. Some litter tracks more, some absorb more, some kill odors better, etc. So basically the choice comes down to which product sucks the least and is affordable.

The ultra pearl I found at Shoprite here and some but not all pet supply stores have it. It's also on amazon but buying litter on AZ is expensive cause of the shipping cost. If you do look for it know that they have about 4 different types. The large pearls were the original but then they came out with a low-tracking one, a micro-pearl one, and another which I don't recall. In my experience the large pearls last longest, are less dusty, and don't quite hurt as bad as the jagged crystals in case you step on one barefoot- ouch!

That's (part of) why I'm trying to move away from clay litter entirely.  I have Stella's box filled with the arm and hammer corn litter, but the clumping abilities leave something to be desired.  The main causes for concern that I have seen with the crystal litters have been inhaling any dust produced, and if they were to eat the litter.  With the exception of a few tiny pieces at the bottom of the box, and they pretty much settle and stay there, there is almost no dust produced.  The cats also show no interest in eating it, so I feel better with that than something dusty. 

Yeah, which product sucks the least is right.  There seems to be some major flaw in everything out there...

We don't have a Shoprite here, but I may look around at a few places to see.  I'm not willing to buy online unless I could find someone with free shipping (costs= ouch!)  Also, even without shipping, it appears to be about twice the price of the Exqisicat, though I imagine that you could find it for a lower price if you looked hard enough.  It's strange that the smaller "pearls" track less- I would expect the larger ones to be less likely to get picked up!  I think that Stella would probably be more accepting of smaller crystals than the larger ones from Pet Pride and Exquisicat, but her box will be located in a humid bathroom, and I don't want to sacrifice lasting time and limited dust production. 

And yes, those jagged crystals can be painful!  It's not very many of them that get tracked out of the box, and most of those few get left on the litter mat around the box.  However, I occasionally step on one while doing laundry or feeeding Alafair, and it is unpleasant!

 

[nekochan]

I've used Fresh Step crystal litter in the past. The odor control was pretty good and it didn't seem too dusty, there was some tracking but not huge amount. I had to stop using it though because my cats got foot sores/infections while using it. However my cats have a lot of allergy issues and I've found they are sensitive to most litters, they've had the same reaction to most of the litter types I've tried so I don't blame the litter for that. The only ones that don't give them foot issues are the walnut based litters and Tidy Cat Breeze pellets.

 

[zoneout]

Just an update to let everyone know about a trick to resolve the dust issue I found by chance.   I had to refill the litter box a few days ago and didnt have enough crystal litter so I found a bag of yesterdays news litter in the basement.   So I used a 50/50 mix of crystal and yesterday news and voila - no more dust. 

  It seems when you mix another type of litter with the crystal litter it acts like a magnet to keep the dust from rising even when the cats dig in.    And it still retains the other good qualities of the crystal litter.   Though it might shorten the lifespan of the crystal litter - havent had enough time to check that yet - but still might be a good tradeoff.

Now if I can just stumble onto a way to eliminate tracking... 

 

[duckdodgers]

I put the (whole) new bag of Pet Pride in Alafair's box since the move, and it seems to be working much better with more litter.  Apparently Stella has now decided that she likes this litter, and has been ignoring her box of corn litter in the upstairs bathroom.  I'll keep leaving that one out in case she changes her mind, but neither cat seems to mind using the same box.  Results are still pending, but even if I had the option I think that I would still go back to the Exquisicat. 

I've used Fresh Step crystal litter in the past. The odor control was pretty good and it didn't seem too dusty, there was some tracking but not huge amount. I had to stop using it though because my cats got foot sores/infections while using it. However my cats have a lot of allergy issues and I've found they are sensitive to most litters, they've had the same reaction to most of the litter types I've tried so I don't blame the litter for that. The only ones that don't give them foot issues are the walnut based litters and Tidy Cat Breeze pellets.

I could see the crystal litters being very drying on a cat's paws if they are prone to such issues.  After all, it IS designed to wick the moisture away!

Just an update to let everyone know about a trick to resolve the dust issue I found by chance.   I had to refill the litter box a few days ago and didnt have enough crystal litter so I found a bag of yesterdays news litter in the basement.   So I used a 50/50 mix of crystal and yesterday news and voila - no more dust. 

  It seems when you mix another type of litter with the crystal litter it acts like a magnet to keep the dust from rising even when the cats dig in.    And it still retains the other good qualities of the crystal litter.   Though it might shorten the lifespan of the crystal litter - havent had enough time to check that yet - but still might be a good tradeoff.

Now if I can just stumble onto a way to eliminate tracking... 

Ooh, clever!  Do the crystals dry out the paper pellets, or do you end up with soggy paper? 

 

[zoneout]

Well, when the pee first hits the paper it gets wet of course as usual.  But then the crystals do their thing and wick the moisture away.   

 

[lizz2034]

Thank you for asking these questions of the community. I would have asked if you didn't. I'm currently making the switch to crystal litter for a variety of reason, but still feel a little iffy about it. But after reading this thread I'm realizing like the rest of you that you just have to pick the litter that sucks the least and is best for your situation. A plus for me with the crystal litter, is that the company that sells "Ultra Pearls" and "Ultra Crystals" will send you a free bag of the litter of your choice after mailing them the UPC bars of six bags of litter.

 

[zoneout]

That's good to know about the free bag. I've switched to different crystals on and off like the fresh step since they have it in large bags at Walmart. But I keep coming back to the large round ultra-pearls. The issue I have with fresh step is the tracking and the jagged edges feel like glass barefoot. The ultra pearls seem to last longer. Don't track when mixed with feline pine or yesterday's news and of course don't hurt as much if one is stepped on. It's not a panacea but it's better than everything else I've tried - and I've tried almost all. Haven't tried the green tea litter which my pet shop owner says is a hot item.

 

[luv2cats]

Hi, new here

 and would like to join the Crystal Litter discussion.  I've tried every "natural, good for the environment, etc." litter out there, all have pros and cons, heavy on the cons in my opinion (dust, odor, etc).  I won't even go into all the litter boxes I have tried even Litter Robot and found the best box is a plastic storage box for $7.00.  For the last several years I have been using Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Litter in the blue bag, it has superior clumping (rock like hard) and is good with odor control unless, of course, my one cat does her business and leaves without any burying effort.  Recently, I changed out my one open top storage bin litter box (I have two) for a partially enclosed one (I'm not a fan of the closed ones with no ventilation, they remind me of outhouses complete with odor) and noticed how dusty the Precious Cat litter actually is - I had no idea because both boxes were open tops.  My one kitty has always suffered with allergy issues and I noticed that when she digs to China and leaves the box her eyes are actually running and she would have a fine coat of dust on her from the litter.  When I was cleaning the new enclosed box I noticed the clouds of dust, cough, cough from the Precious Cat.  This is why I decided to give crystal litter a try.  I researched the internet  and reviews of just about ever brand available in the US.  I know that I didn't want the "broken glass" type of litter because if it hurts my feet, it hurts my cats paws too.  I wanted to give Ultra Pet Litter Pearls a try but cannot find it in any stores in my area and shipping costs are to be considered.  Next in line was Dr. Elsey's Respiratory & Relief crystal litter.  I bought at PetCo a 7 lb bag for $16.99 much cheaper than on Amazon which the cost is twice as much which is absurb.

I have been transitioning the enclosed box to all crystal slowly, this litter can be dusty when pouring so care needs to be taken.  Both cats love it (thank you) and I have also noticed a change in their litter habits since changing to a soft crystal litter.  My one cat was almost OCD with digging, spinning, etc. before and after doing business (sometimes I had to call her to break her manic digging), now she jumps in, does what she needs to do, minimally digs and leaves - a miracle.  The other cat never covered anything ... ever.  Now when she goes, she covers a little and leaves the box, its almost like she now feels it is polite to cover.  I found this behavior change interesting, I emailed the company out of curiosity and they said it was probably due to the softness of the litter that changed what they do. Nice.

The second litter box is slowly being transitioned over to crystals but more slowly just in case my cats change their minds about the crystal litter.  They both now use the crystal litter box more often than the other one.  I remove the hard waste and if it doesn't have a lot of crystals stuck to it, I flush it, then stir the crystals around add some baking soda (just in case for odor) and this appears to work.  The crystal litter appears to be doing it's job and just the thought of not having to lug a 40 lb bag of litter up three flights of stairs is wonderful.  I noticed on reviews at Amazon several folks complained that crystal litter didn't clump and lowered they star ratings, obviously these people didn't bother to read the instructions and tips for using crystal litter.  My cats are happy with this litter and if they are happy Mom is happy.  My one cat's eyes don't water half as much since changing over too.

 

[duckdodgers]

Pretty old thread, but I guess I'll update since your reply.  I've since gone back to using Fresh Step.  When I moved about a year ago I put a box in the half bath downstairs and in my bathroom upstairs, and Stella decided that she preferred to use the box downstairs as well.  I couldn't really use the crystal stuff in the upstairs bathroom because of the shower, but I did downstairs.  I tried several times and a couple of varieties of crystal litter in the downstairs box, and it would work well for a short period of time.  However, after very little time it would get very stinky.  I cleaned it as per the instructions- daily scooping of poop, and mixing up the crystals- and the pee would still settle at the bottom.  The crystals would get really broken up and settle as well, making the problem worse.  It was obvious that it needed to be dumped and replaced, but spending $15 to replace the litter every week and a half was just not gonna happen.  Putting another box downstairs was not really a viable option unless absolutely necessary, so I switched back

It's worth noting that my old cat had kidney disease, so her urine output was reasonably large.  However, things were going fine with her and the crystal litter until the young cat decided that she liked that box too.  Neither cat disliked sharing a box with the other during the crystal litter period, but the litter certainly didn't!

Now that my old lady cat has passed along and I just have Stella I have thought about trying it again.  I like the idea of it, but I also want something that works, doesn't stink, and doesn't need to be replaced super often with a high price tag.  Fresh Step is satisfying those needs right now, so we'll see.

 

[luv2cats]

So far so good regarding using Dr. Elsey's R&R crystal litter, both cats are using the two boxes.  I haven't had any issues with pooling of urine or odor.  I remove any feces and mix the litter around a bit, sometimes there are lumps of litter, so I just scoop those out (I guess I could technically mix them in).  The one box has been changed over completely with the Dr. Elsey's stuff the other still has some Precious Litter in it.  I have to admit that not having so much to scoop is a pleasure and the cats seem to like this stuff better.  I've had the crystal litter in the box for 2 weeks now and it seems ok and the cats aren't avoiding it, there is no odor either.

I think the real test regarding odor control will be when the warm/hot weather hits.   My girls seem to change between which box is the toilet of the week, but I don't care which they use as long as they use it.

 

[maiaelizabeth]

Fresh step crystal litter worked pretty good for me. I lasted like a month and the 8 lbs bag is $16 my cats dont have troubles when I change litter and they liked the cristal one. Their litter box is covered but Foley likes to really cover his stuff and is very thorough so even though it's a gigantic litter box and it has a lid he finds a way to still throw some litter to the floor. They have their special litter mat and everything but we're always walk bare foot around the apartment and it hurts like hell when you step on the crystal litter. When its time to change it, the color becomes darker going from a crystal blue to a dirty crystal lol and you will know when yo change it because of the smell otherwise it doesn't smell at all. I really like crystal litter but dont like the pain in my soles when I step on it and the clay fresh step works well for me too

 

[duckdodgers]

 
So far so good regarding using Dr. Elsey's R&R crystal litter, both cats are using the two boxes.  I haven't had any issues with pooling of urine or odor.  I remove any feces and mix the litter around a bit, sometimes there are lumps of litter, so I just scoop those out (I guess I could technically mix them in).  The one box has been changed over completely with the Dr. Elsey's stuff the other still has some Precious Litter in it.  I have to admit that not having so much to scoop is a pleasure and the cats seem to like this stuff better.  I've had the crystal litter in the box for 2 weeks now and it seems ok and the cats aren't avoiding it, there is no odor either.

I think the real test regarding odor control will be when the warm/hot weather hits.   My girls seem to change between which box is the toilet of the week, but I don't care which they use as long as they use it.

I guess that the weather may have something to do with it in my case?  I don't know though... I tend to keep it within several degrees between the seasons, so I don't think it would make too much of a difference.  I think having the two cats using it what really did it in.

 

[louise1987]

Hi I bought a bag of sanicat crystal litter, in the uk it cost £4.30 and it was from pets at home so probably paid a little bit to much for it. I decided to try it as other litters I have tried since getting my new cats were either really dusty and trailed on cats paws or I had to change the litter twice a day because of the smell. It claims it only needs changing after 30 days for one cat and less if there is more then one cat, I don't think it will last as long as it states but definetly seems better on odor control but not sure the extra expence compared to other litters are worth it

 

[davisrd3]

I've been using crystal litter for years.  Unfortunately, it's hard to find in large quantities and a little pricey..  I got a notice today from Petco that they will no longer carry their brand which I was getting delivered every 6 - 8 weeks in a 30 pound bag.  It saved me money and also from having to carry that large a bag any farther than the front door to the closet I keep it in.

As far as odor, I find it leaves no to very little odor.  I change the box once per week.  Of course the poop gets removed immediately.  All littler tracks.  It doesn't matter what is used.  I like the crystals because they are so easy to pick up.  The dust is minimal, although now that I have to change brands, the jury is still out.  I'll have to see what this new brand (Exquisicat), I'm going to try, is like before I make a final decision.  I found a 21 pound bag on sale at PetSmart for $21.99. The 30 pound bag at Petco was $44.99 plus shipping, so this will be less expensive.  I may just go ahead and buy 2 so if I like it, it will save me another trip back.  If I don't like it, guess I'm out of luck!

Everyone has their own preferences, but I happen to like the crystals. 

 

[luv2cats]

I am a new user to crystal litter and have been using it for a little over a month.  My one cat has allergies and in despiration I tried Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief silica litter - both cats like it and the one with allergies has less problems with her runny nose and tearing eyes.  I was glad to find something that could give her some relief, but the next time I went to purchase at PetCo and PetSmart no one had it.  I went to 4 stores and everyone told me it was backordered.  I did message Dr. Elsey's and ask if it was being discontinued, they said no, then suggested I try chewy.com for that litter.  They did have it and I even signed up for auto delivery every 30 days - shipping is a flat fee of $4.95.  It is annoying to have to pay shipping but at least this litter weighs next to nothing vs lugging a 40 lb bag of litter up three flights of stairs.  I purchased the Dr. Elsey's Senior slica ltter (as a substitute) and it is a lot dustier, when my allergic cat used the box she came out with tears running down her face.  I don't like the tracking it seems to get tracked everywhere in large quantities but if it help her that is what counts.  I also like the softness of this litter and not having to lug tons of used litter to the trash every day.  So far my cats are fans and so am I.

 

[zoneout]

My 2 favorite litters are crystal and pine - in fact sometimes I mix them to get the benefits of both.... less tracking and dust with longer odor control.   

 

[oceanbreathes]

What about the risk of silicosis?  I was heavily leaning towards trying a crystal litter(Dr. Elsey's RR) but it sounds risky.  

 

[zoneout]

It`s not the same kind of silicone.  They are totally different molecules.   Sodium silicate and silica gel.   There is no risk in breathing it.   But having said that you do not want dust anyway - just for cleanliness.   Some crystal litters are more dusty than others - the Mimi from Walmart being the worst.   You can reduce dust to nothing by putting the bag into the litter box and slit it open then remove the bag - instead of pouring it out from 3 feet up.   I dont remember using Dr Elseys - but the other products from them I have used were top-notch.   The one I usually got was actually from Shop-Rite called Ultra-Pearls.   They were large round pearls.   The benefit is the more air that can circulate between the pearls - the longer the odor control.   The downside is when they get out of the litter box they roll around like marbles.

 

[mydaddysjag]

How is it with long haired cats?  We tried feline pine to find that it static clings all over our kittens long hair, not even just his feet.