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How many pounds do you buy each time and about how long does it last (and for how many cats)?
Especially interested in cats on canned food.
Especially interested in cats on canned food.
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How long does your cat litter last?
- Thread starter xcourtney3
- Start Date
Two very small cats (about 6.5 and 8 pounds). Wet food only (canned or rehydrated freeze-dried).
I buy 40lb bags of Dr Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra unscented. This is a clumping litter made from sodium bentonite clay.
With an already filled box, each bag lasts for a few weeks of topping up. Perhaps 3-4 weeks, seems like as much as 4 weeks. There are two cats but they are on one level of a smallish house, and they've continued to use one litter box. (I know I could be pressing my luck someday, but they've been fine for a year and a half this way.) The box is large (it's the Nature's Miracle corner box that they sell at Petsmart). If I fill it from empty, it takes at least a whole 40lb bag and maybe a bit more. I fill to a depth of about 4 inches I think.
I do not dump and clean fill often. If the litter clumps well, this is not necessary too often. When the litter clumps as well as this one does, it makes that decision easier. I can go months between dumps and it doesn't smell. I'm sure some of this is also down to the types of food they eat and such. In fact, I had the most rejection of the box (just weird reaction to it, not actually going outside it) the last time I started with a clean box and clean litter. I have a second box so I can rotate them, but the last time I did a swap and filled with fresh litter (which is now some months ago), they reacted oddly to the clean box. My new theory is that I will swap for a well-cleaned box every so often but I will poor the old litter (or most of it) in there when swapping.
The key to the box remaining in good shape for a long time is depth of litter (nothing ever gets to the bottom of this box), scooping regularly (daily is ok with this setup for the little cats and large box, or at least for these particular cats, but in some cases you may need a couple times a day), and a litter that doesn't fall apart when you scoop it. I remember watching a video a while back with I think Jackson Galaxy where he recommended to only fully scrub the box a couple times a year. And here's an article written by a vet who says she does the same thing: http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat...ten-do-i-really-need-clean-my-cats-litter-box
The size of cats, number of boxes, types of food (even within canned food), etc. would all have some effect on how much litter you go through.
I buy 40lb bags of Dr Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra unscented. This is a clumping litter made from sodium bentonite clay.
With an already filled box, each bag lasts for a few weeks of topping up. Perhaps 3-4 weeks, seems like as much as 4 weeks. There are two cats but they are on one level of a smallish house, and they've continued to use one litter box. (I know I could be pressing my luck someday, but they've been fine for a year and a half this way.) The box is large (it's the Nature's Miracle corner box that they sell at Petsmart). If I fill it from empty, it takes at least a whole 40lb bag and maybe a bit more. I fill to a depth of about 4 inches I think.
I do not dump and clean fill often. If the litter clumps well, this is not necessary too often. When the litter clumps as well as this one does, it makes that decision easier. I can go months between dumps and it doesn't smell. I'm sure some of this is also down to the types of food they eat and such. In fact, I had the most rejection of the box (just weird reaction to it, not actually going outside it) the last time I started with a clean box and clean litter. I have a second box so I can rotate them, but the last time I did a swap and filled with fresh litter (which is now some months ago), they reacted oddly to the clean box. My new theory is that I will swap for a well-cleaned box every so often but I will poor the old litter (or most of it) in there when swapping.
The key to the box remaining in good shape for a long time is depth of litter (nothing ever gets to the bottom of this box), scooping regularly (daily is ok with this setup for the little cats and large box, or at least for these particular cats, but in some cases you may need a couple times a day), and a litter that doesn't fall apart when you scoop it. I remember watching a video a while back with I think Jackson Galaxy where he recommended to only fully scrub the box a couple times a year. And here's an article written by a vet who says she does the same thing: http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat...ten-do-i-really-need-clean-my-cats-litter-box
The size of cats, number of boxes, types of food (even within canned food), etc. would all have some effect on how much litter you go through.
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Two cats - 11 years (12.5lbs) and 2 years (9.5lbs). They both eat canned and homemade ground raw, but Mo is only allowed to have food that has been watered down with at least half as much extra water as there is food so he pees a LOT. We have two 21 gallon plastic totes that I fill about 5"-6" high since Mo's a digger and will pee directly onto the plastic if he doesn't think the litter itself is deep enough.
I could probably fill one of those totes with a 40lb bag of clay unscented litter. I buy one or two 40lb bags at a time, depending on who or what I have to help me carry it to the car/into the apartment since I can't carry even one bag by myself.
Every time I do a full litter box dump, I tend to use a full bag to replenish it. I do one box about every month and a half to two months and try to stagger the boxes' cleaning times. So one 40lb bag lasts me about a month and a half to two months with two wet diet cats. Doesn't include top ups though. By the time I may need to top up, Mo's probably already peed on the plastic so I just do a full clean.
I could probably fill one of those totes with a 40lb bag of clay unscented litter. I buy one or two 40lb bags at a time, depending on who or what I have to help me carry it to the car/into the apartment since I can't carry even one bag by myself.
Every time I do a full litter box dump, I tend to use a full bag to replenish it. I do one box about every month and a half to two months and try to stagger the boxes' cleaning times. So one 40lb bag lasts me about a month and a half to two months with two wet diet cats. Doesn't include top ups though. By the time I may need to top up, Mo's probably already peed on the plastic so I just do a full clean.
One 6 kg. cat on a mainly canned diet with one jumbo litter box goes through 15 kilograms of fine clumping litter every four weeks. I could probably stretch that to 6 weeks but prefer a complete change of litter at least every four weeks.
