I Hear A Little Whistle In Mango’s Breathing When I Put My Ear Near His Face

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Hi, I’m just wondering if there’s a way to tell whether this is congestion or if it’s a respiratory thing like too much dust in the air. It’s not wheezing and it’s pretty faint, breathing doesn’t seem labored. I use Dr. Elseys so there is some dust like all clay formulas have.

Thanks for any input

 

[Devilmunch]

Hi, I’m just wondering if there’s a way to tell whether this is congestion or if it’s a respiratory thing like too much dust in the air. It’s not wheezing and it’s pretty faint, breathing doesn’t seem labored. I use Dr. Elseys so there is some dust like all clay formulas have.

Thanks for any input

If in doubt, change litters. Try Ever Clean. Really low dust, clumps hard.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

If in doubt, change litters. Try Ever Clean. Really low dust, clumps hard.

Thank you, that’s kind of the conclusion I’m coming to as well, I’ll look into the everclean. I also had a friend suggest some kind of walnut litter but I’ve never heard of that

 

[duckpond]

I have a cat that hacks like crazy with any clay or scented litter. Not sure about yours, maybe a vet check just to see if anything else is going on?

I tried everclear, and dr. elseys, both too dusty for my guy. I have not tried one clay litter that he can use.

I use Litter maid walnut litter that i get at walmart, have not found it any where else. I used Blue walnut litter for a while, but its still a bit too dusty. The Litter maid is dust free as far as i can tell.

I also use a grass litter, either pioneer pet that you can get from chewy or amazon, or Abound that i pick up from Kroger.

The only Elseys litter i can use is the respiratory relief silica crystals.

These three work well for my guys, no hacking, no fragrance and no dust. I like them too because they are light weight!

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

I have a cat that hacks like crazy with any clay or scented litter. Not sure about yours, maybe a vet check just to see if anything else is going on?

I tried everclear, and dr. elseys, both too dusty for my guy. I have not tried one clay litter that he can use.

I use Litter maid walnut litter that i get at walmart, have not found it any where else. I used Blue walnut litter for a while, but its still a bit too dusty. The Litter maid is dust free as far as i can tell.

I also use a grass litter, either pioneer pet that you can get from chewy or amazon, or Abound that i pick up from Kroger.

The only Elseys litter i can use is the respiratory relief silica crystals.

These three work well for my guys, no hacking, no fragrance and no dust. I like them too because they are light weight!

Thank you so much this is extremely helpful. Gonna go shopping tomorrow!! Are the walnut litters expensive in comparison to the clay ones? Also will it smell a lot more? I appreciate your info

Edit: will it be stressful for him to switch the litters? If I am remembering correctly he was using some sort of pellet shaped things before I got him and he had no accidents or anything when switching to clay

 

[duckpond]

Thank you so much this is extremely helpful. Gonna go shopping tomorrow!! Are the walnut litters expensive in comparison to the clay ones? Also will it smell a lot more? I appreciate your info

Edit: will it be stressful for him to switch the litters? If I am remembering correctly he was using some sort of pellet shaped things before I got him and he had no accidents or anything when switching to clay

I dont find the Litter maid at walmart to be very expensive. there are some Cheaper clay litter, but they are usually the dusty ones. it is $8.00 something a bag, i have a x-large litter box, so i use 2 bags. If you scoop carefully, like with clay and dont get a lot of dirty crumbles back in the clean litter it should last you as long as clay. I find the smell to be much better than clay. no scent to the litter itself, and as long as cats cover, no poo smell, at least no more than the better clay litters. my cats took to it right away, no problems. i really cant find much bad to say about this litter. except i cant find it anywhere other than walmart.

The grass litter is the same as the walnut pretty much. It may be a bit fluffier in the litter box, so if cat is picky with litter you may not want to use more than 3 inches or so to start with. It took mine a week or so to get use to stepping in and sinking a bit, its fluffier than the walnut. They still used it, but i could tell they thought it was odd But after about a week they were fine with the grass too.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

I dont find the Litter maid at walmart to be very expensive. there are some Cheaper clay litter, but they are usually the dusty ones. it is $8.00 something a bag, i have a x-large litter box, so i use 2 bags. If you scoop carefully, like with clay and dont get a lot of dirty crumbles back in the clean litter it should last you as long as clay. I find the smell to be much better than clay. no scent to the litter itself, and as long as cats cover, no poo smell, at least no more than the better clay litters. my cats took to it right away, no problems. i really cant find much bad to say about this litter. except i cant find it anywhere other than walmart.

The grass litter is the same as the walnut pretty much. It may be a bit fluffier in the litter box, so if cat is picky with litter you may not want to use more than 3 inches or so to start with. It took mine a week or so to get use to stepping in and sinking a bit, its fluffier than the walnut. They still used it, but i could tell they thought it was odd But after about a week they were fine with the grass too.

One last question about the different litters, would any of the options you suggested work in my sifting litterbox? Will be switching to a lower dust litter(probably walnut) regardless of whether it works or not with the sifter.. but just asking so I will know if I need to pick up a basic litter pan while im out getting the new litter.

Thanks again you’ve been very helpful.

This is the box he is accustomed to:

 

[Tobermory]

I can’t speak to the Litter Maid brand that duckpond mentions, but from what I can see from the photo, the Pioneer Pet brand grass litter—SmartCat it’s called—should work. It’s expensive at the outset. I pay about $30 for 20 pounds. But I think it equals out to Dr. Elsey’s in the end. It’s fluffier in the box so you aren’t actually using as much volume even with three inches in the box. It seems to last a long time for me and I have three cats and three boxes. And it’s so nice not to have to muscle those heavy bags into the car and house!

I transitioned them slowly, even more than it suggests on the bag. They do sink in it and it kind of unnerves them for awhile.

One other thing since you have a Maine Coon. I have two long-haired cats and the grass litter is so light, it tends to stick to the fluff in their toes and some comes with them when they leave the box. But I do like it.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I have a cat with allergies/asthma coughing, and have had the opposite experience of duckpond in regards to the type of litter for a cat with respiratory allergies/sensitivities! I do think that vets I've interacted with on feline asthma recommend trying the silica-type litters, and it looks like duckpond has luck with that type, too. My cat won't use silica litter, though.

In my experience, it doesn't matter it you use walnut, wheat grass, corn, clay, pine, et cetera... pellets or crushed, clumping or non-clumping... any cat litter can have dust or can have finer, more airborne particles. If a cat spends time in the box really covering their pee or poo with wild abandon, there is a greater chance of those fine, airborne particulates being inhaled into the cats respiratory system. They can also ingest litter by cleaning their paws and body hair, so there are pros and cons with most litters anyway. Some cats can just react to one type of litter, but not another type. I've just found that fluffy and light litters don't work with my asthmatic kitty.

I've tried several kinds with my cat, grass pellets, silica, walnut & the like (I stay away from corn and pine), and she actually does much better using Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief clumping clay. However, in order to go even further with getting the dustiest portions of litter removed from that Dr. Elsey's, I sift bulk amounts of that litter before use (putting it in a big plastic, pourable container for later use) so that there is even less of the smaller-sized particles that could be breathed in. The less dust or smaller particles, the more you have just heavier litter that will tend to keep "low" in the box and not become as airborne. That's what works with my cat.

I think that, like with their food choices, our cats will either like or not like certain litters -- it can feel like a frustrating crapshoot, and you just have to try to do the best you can!

 

[duckpond]

I have a cat with allergies/asthma coughing, and have had the opposite experience of duckpond in regards to the type of litter for a cat with respiratory allergies/sensitivities! I do think that vets I've interacted with on feline asthma recommend trying the silica-type litters, and it looks like duckpond has luck with that type, too. My cat won't use silica litter, though.

In my experience, it doesn't matter it you use walnut, wheat grass, corn, clay, pine, et cetera... pellets or crushed, clumping or non-clumping... any cat litter can have dust or can have finer, more airborne particles. If a cat spends time in the box really covering their pee or poo with wild abandon, there is a greater chance of those fine, airborne particulates being inhaled into the cats respiratory system. They can also ingest litter by cleaning their paws and body hair, so there are pros and cons with most litters anyway. Some cats can just react to one type of litter, but not another type. I've just found that fluffy and light litters don't work with my asthmatic kitty.

I've tried several kinds with my cat, grass pellets, silica, walnut & the like (I stay away from corn and pine), and she actually does much better using Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief clumping clay. However, in order to go even further with getting the dustiest portions of litter removed from that Dr. Elsey's, I sift bulk amounts of that litter before use (putting it in a big plastic, pourable container for later use) so that there is even less of the smaller-sized particles that could be breathed in. The less dust or smaller particles, the more you have just heavier litter that will tend to keep "low" in the box and not become as airborne. That's what works with my cat.

I think that, like with their food choices, our cats will either like or not like certain litters -- it can feel like a frustrating crapshoot, and you just have to try to do the best you can!

just interested to know if you have tried Dr. Elsey's respiratory relief silica litter? I have tried several other silica litters, that have larger chunks. my cats hate those , as well as Elsey's long hair silica litter, its chunky. The respiratory relief silica litter that elsey sells is very fine and sand like. my cats hate chunks, but like the fine sand. Different litters work for different cats. 3 of mine can use anything and are ok with it. my other guy, well i have tried everything out there, and most cause him to hack. i guess we have to keep trying till we find the right one for the particular cat

 

[duckpond]

One last question about the different litters, would any of the options you suggested work in my sifting litterbox? Will be switching to a lower dust litter(probably walnut) regardless of whether it works or not with the sifter.. but just asking so I will know if I need to pick up a basic litter pan while im out getting the new litter.

Thanks again you’ve been very helpful.

This is the box he is accustomed to:View attachment 225471

I think all of the ones i use, walnut, grass and silica would work with a sifter pan. i would just be gentle with the sifting so small particles dont break off and fall back in the clean litter. The silica you only want 1 1/2 to 2 inches of litter in the pan, so it might not be deep enough for the sifter?

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

I’m super conflicted about which litter to choose because Mango isn’t hacking or coughing, his mouth is closed when he does a burp or hiccup looking thing and it looks like he’s trying to regurgitate or something. He’s been to the vet for it because it freaks me out but they didn’t discover anything wrong. It doesn’t happen often I’ve seen it on only 3 occasions. I wish I had a better term for what this looks like. To me it seems like it would have to be hairball issues, gas issues, or respiratory issues. I can’t afford to go out and get a remedy product for each of these potential health problems to do a trial and error but I can probably get 1 product per week to try. Having trouble deciding which to pursue first. Since people commenting have had experience with respiratory issues, do you think it would be more apparent/constant if it was respiratory?

 

[Tobermory]

One last question about the different litters, would any of the options you suggested work in my sifting litterbox? Will be switching to a lower dust litter(probably walnut) regardless of whether it works or not with the sifter.. but just asking so I will know if I need to pick up a basic litter pan while im out getting the new litter.

Thanks again you’ve been very helpful.

This is the box he is accustomed to:View attachment 225471

Here’s what the SmartCat looks like: similar in size to clumping clay but very light and can get staticky when the air is dry.

I agree with PushPurrCatPaws . None of the litters I’ve used are completely dust free. I also tried sifting out the smaller, dustier particles. I even made my own sifter and sifted in the back yard. But I just got too lazy to keep doing it! I go through so much litter with three cats. I decided that I’d rather have them digging and inhaling grass than anything else. It just feels cleaner to me and they’re used to it now.

 

[duckpond]

If you have a kroger store near by, or any other grocery that carries Abound grass litter, you might want to give it a try. smartcat was my first grass litter, and i like it, but it is a bit dustier than Abound. Abound never shows dust. my kitten with the issues has a fluffy butt...lol. with Smart cat he does have a bit of grass dust accumulate on his fluff doesnt seem to be dusty enough to make him cough, but still a bit of dust on the fluff Using Abound grass litter there is no dust on the butt fluff..lol

the litter maid walnut litter, and elseys silica litter do not dust his fluff

 

[duckpond]

I’m super conflicted about which litter to choose because Mango isn’t hacking or coughing, his mouth is closed when he does a burp or hiccup looking thing and it looks like he’s trying to regurgitate or something. He’s been to the vet for it because it freaks me out but they didn’t discover anything wrong. It doesn’t happen often I’ve seen it on only 3 occasions. I wish I had a better term for what this looks like. To me it seems like it would have to be hairball issues, gas issues, or respiratory issues. I can’t afford to go out and get a remedy product for each of these potential health problems to do a trial and error but I can probably get 1 product per week to try. Having trouble deciding which to pursue first. Since people commenting have had experience with respiratory issues, do you think it would be more apparent/constant if it was respiratory?

I think either litter would be a good start. pick one, then maybe next time you need litter try a different one. best way to tell which one you like best. my cats like all 3, but if i had to pick one that was their all around favorite it would be the Litter maid walnut litter.

 

[Tobermory]

If you have a kroger store near by, or any other grocery that carries Abound grass litter, you might want to give it a try. smartcat was my first grass litter, and i like it, but it is a bit dustier than Abound. Abound never shows dust. my kitten with the issues has a fluffy butt...lol. with Smart cat he does have a bit of grass dust accumulate on his fluff doesnt seem to be dusty enough to make him cough, but still a bit of dust on the fluff Using Abound grass litter there is no dust on the butt fluff..lol

the litter maid walnut litter, and elseys silica litter do not dust his fluff

I’ve seen you mention Abound before, and I looked for and found it at Fred Meyer (which is Kroger-owned). I haven’t bought it yet but if it has fewer tiny particles, I’ll definitely give it a try!

 

[duckpond]

I’ve seen you mention Abound before, and I looked for and found it at Fred Meyer (which is Kroger-owned). I haven’t bought it yet but if it has fewer tiny particles, I’ll definitely give it a try!

I thought there were some other stores i just didnt know which ones. I do find it less dusty, not that pioneer is really dusty, but the pioneer often seems that some of it has broken down? i dont know. the Abound i dont find to be as dusty, or broken down? I Abound does not leave the residue on my kittens fluffy bottom that the pioneer does. hopefully you know what i am trying to say...lol

 

[Tobermory]

I thought there were some other stores i just didnt know which ones. I do find it less dusty, not that pioneer is really dusty, but the pioneer often seems that some of it has broken down? i dont know. the Abound i dont find to be as dusty, or broken down? I Abound does not leave the residue on my kittens fluffy bottom that the pioneer does. hopefully you know what i am trying to say...lol

Oh yeah. I totally know what you’re trying to say. With two long-haired cats, I often find litter pieces on their fluffy butts and caught in the long floof between their toes. I carefully trim their little hairy pantaloons, but there’s not much I can do about the toes! I particularly love it when I can hear them scratching in the litter box at night, and then they hurtle into the bedroom and race across the bed.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

I think all of the ones i use, walnut, grass and silica would work with a sifter pan. i would just be gentle with the sifting so small particles dont break off and fall back in the clean litter. The silica you only want 1 1/2 to 2 inches of litter in the pan, so it might not be deep enough for the sifter?

I got a bag of the walnut to try, it says on the bag that one bag of this is equal to 3 bags of clay litter in absorbency im guessing that is an exaggeration? If not, wow

 

[FakeGourmet]

My suggestion is to let your vet know about this issue with your cat and what you are trying first. We have a lot of dust in the basement living area (long story) and one of the cats sneezes a lot (but she won't stay upstairs!). Vet said that she was fine so long as I didn't hear any labored breathing or...yes... whistling. If I heard that, or other indicators that she is unwell, then bring her in.