How To Switch Kitten Litter?

[-Mia-]

I was wondering how difficult it is to change kitty litter... Does anyone have any advise on how to accomplish this, and also any recommendations for clumping litter?

Thank you!

 

[lavishsqualor]

My cats aren't picky at all, but I am. I use Fresh Step and nothing else. I tried World's Best because I liked the idea of being able to flush it but I found it to be too dusty and that the clumps were not hard at all. They would crumble when I tried to scoop and that made the box more difficult to clean.

 

[jcat]

Have you seen the Reviews section? Litter & Accessories | The Cat Site

The safest/easiest way to switch litters is to put out another litter box with the new litter, while leaving the old box and litter, and see whether your cat uses it. It's also possible to mix increasing quantities of the new litter in with the old, but then it's difficult to tell whether the new litter has the qualities you're looking for.

In my experience, most cats prefer very fine-grained, unscented clumping litter.

 

[maggiedemi]

I've tried many different litters with my cats and they only had a problem with two of them- Tidy Cats 4-in-1 with the black label and Tidy Cats Glade. They were just too highly scented for them. Other than that, I haven't had any problems.

 

[MeganLLB]

Are you talking about switching brands but the same type? Like switch frim Arm and Hammer ti Tidy Cats, but both are clay clumping litters? Or are you talking about switching to a different type of litter. Like switching from clay to newspaper or corn?

Some cats are more picky than others and don't mind if you just change the brand. But I would only change the type of litter if you absolutely have to. Last time I tried to do that I had poop and pee all over my house. And I followed all the steps, separate litter box, introducing gradually. It just resulted in litter box avoidance. Are you changing litters because your cat can't use your current litter or just for your convenience or desire? If you really don't need to don't do it.

 

[MeganLLB]

Also the best clumping litter I've used is Ever Clean. But I also use Paws and Claws Odor Control. It isn't the greatest but it is the cheapest litter I've found that does a decent job.

 

[Neo_23]

I think the difficulty depends on your cat and which litters you are switching between. If they are the same kind of litter then it shouldn't be too hard. Usually you begin by pouring some of the new litter at the bottom of the pan, with the old liter on top, and then slowly reduce the amount of old litter and increase the amount of the new litter.

I was using non-clumping pine litter for a while and decided to switch to clumping. It was an easy transition for me to Okocat clumping wood litter because it was similar material. I am happy with the switch.

 

[-Mia-]

Thank you for all the advice above!

I really don't have to switch litter. I am currently using Arm & Hammer Clumping Litter -- Unscented, Multi-Cat (even though I only have one kitten). I wanted to use litter that I could find anywhere locally. I didn't have a preference, other than I knew that I wanted clumping litter (for ease of cleaning) and I wanted unscented. We're happy with the litter, but lately, it doesn't seem to be that easy to find in stores. They have lots of Arm & Hammer Clumping Litter varieties, but I don't always find the one with the Multi-cat and unscented combination. Now, the unscented part is important to me, but the multi-cat part, not so much since I only have one cat. That's just what we happened to get the first time, so we've been sticking to it.

And so, my thought process was, if I have to make a change anyway, maybe I should explore other options now, since I didn't really explore a lot of options in the beginning. That's why I was asking for input.

I was first going to explore switching between Arm & Hammer varieties, vs. switching to another brand (but staying with clumping litter). So, if switching to another Arm & Hammer variety, is that still considered switching?

I also did recently contemplate switching to a non-clumping litter, because I have a difficult time monitoring her litter box usage. I can't always tell if the output is good, lol. I have tried breaking them apart to check, but I don't know what I'm looking at, lol. And if I switch to a non-clumping litter, it would only be temporary because I definitely prefer the clumping type. So, maybe I should definitely nix this idea?


And jcat , thank you for the link to the reviews section!

 

[maggiedemi]

Non-clumping litter has to be changed once a week though. That's why I stick with clumping. I think you can try different clumping litters with no problems. My cats never seem to notice unless it is really highly scented.

 

[Neo_23]

Just be careful of the ones made from food (wheat, grass). My cat eats them.

 

[-Mia-]

Non-clumping litter has to be changed once a week though. That's why I stick with clumping. I think you can try different clumping litters with no problems. My cats never seem to notice unless it is really highly scented.

Yeah, I think I'll stick to clumping litter. I just have to figure out a way to check on those softer poops. I would probably notice if something doesn't seem right. I think I would notice if she's had a change in her pooping habits, simply by the frequency/amount of poop, and also any urgency in how or when she goes.

I might try to switch between brands or varieties though, so she doesn't used to one brand or one variety. I'll just stick with the better known and trusted brands and go with unscented and low/no dust varieties!

 

[-Mia-]

Just be careful of the ones made from food (wheat, grass). My cat eats them.

I don't think any of the big brands carry those made from food, right? But, in any case, I will be on the lookout for those, and avoid them.

 

[Neo_23]

I don't think any of the big brands carry those made from food, right? But, in any case, I will be on the lookout for those, and avoid them.

There are a lot of popular wheat ones like Swheatscoop and World’s Best.

 

[maggiedemi]

Normal poop is formed logs. Soft poop is more like a cow pie or a blob.

 

[PMousse]

-Mia- Did you end up switching your cat's litter to a different brand or type?