Litter that scoop can't get, and contamination concerns

[taty caty]

Hello

My kitty roams everywhere; my bed, the kitchen counter ...etc, so cleanliness is a concern for me.

I'm worried about the litter box. I do my best to clean it daily, but what if my kitty steps on litter that has some germs and then starts spreading it all over the place?

I clean the hard matter and the clumps, but there will always be clumps that break into fine pieces that the scoop can't get and get mixed with the litter. Sometimes the litter does not clump, and leaves what looks like wet sand.

I'm currently using this type:

I've tried this before:

But my cat ate it! and I don't feel comfortable using corn (food) for my cat to do its business on it! 

I'm currently throwing the whole litter and putting fresh one every two weeks. I guess this should not be the case. A clumping cat litter should not be throe, but rather cleaned and extra litter added when needed.

Is what I'm doing right?

Any stories to share, suggestions?

Is there a spray or something that can be added to the litter to fight germs?

Thank you.

 

 

[red top rescue]

 
Hello

My kitty roams everywhere; my bed, the kitchen counter ...etc, so cleanliness is a concern for me.

I'm worried about the litter box. I do my best to clean it daily, but what if my kitty steps on litter that has some germs and then starts spreading it all over the place?

I clean the hard matter and the clumps, but there will always be clumps that break into fine pieces that the scoop can't get and get mixed with the litter. Sometimes the litter does not clump, and leaves what looks like wet sand.

I'm currently using this type:

I've tried this before:

But my cat ate it! and I don't feel comfortable using corn (food) for my cat to do its business on it! 

I'm currently throwing the whole litter and putting fresh one every two weeks. I guess this should not be the case. A clumping cat litter should not be throe, but rather cleaned and extra litter added when needed.

Is what I'm doing right?

Any stories to share, suggestions?

Is there a spray or something that can be added to the litter to fight germs?

Thank you.

 

Yes, what you are doing IS right.  Actually, a clumping cat litter SHOULD be totally thrown out every 1 to 2 weeks to get rid of exactly what you were worried about, the tiny pieces that are NOT scooped out.  Eventually the litter will develop a low level smell which is not present when it is brand new, and the box also needs to be washed on a regular basis with an antibacterial dish soap to keep it clean and fresh.  I have used both the litters you mentioned, and when the PetsPride litter makes a puddle, it's either too shallow or you have a cat that digs all the way to the bottom of the box no matter how much litter is in there.  I have one cat that prefers that litter so I have a couple of boxes around.  I never add clean litter to it.  When it gets too low because of my digging out solids and clumps, I dump the box, wash it, and add new litter.  In my house, that's about once a week.  I also use a corncob based litter in other boxes and find it to be more absorbent, but again I never refresh it -- when it gets low, I dump the remainder, wash the box and put in all new litter.  As for your fear of germs, in healthy kittens and cats, the urine is completely sterile, no germs at all, and healthy poop has normal intestinal bacteria (probiotics) just like ours does, nothing toxic like salmonella or shigella that would make you sick.  Dogs eat it all the time with no bad effects other than grossing out humans.  Just wipe down your counters and table tops before you prepare foods there and don't worry about anywhere else.

 

[jcat]

I'd look for another litter if I were you. The litter I use (European brand - Cat&Clean) is very fine and extremely absorbent. The jumbo litter box takes a little over 30 lbs. of it - the higher the level, the better. It gets scooped 3 - 5 x a day, and the clumps don't break up, so a complete change isn't needed every week or so. I dump all the litter every 3 - 4 weeks, mostly 3, but know that many people wait 4 - 6 weeks. As an aside, are you waiting a few minutes after your cat urinates to scoop, so the clump gets a chance to harden?

You could take a look at the Reviews section to see what litter our members recommend.

 

[taty caty]

 
Yes, what you are doing IS right.  Actually, a clumping cat litter SHOULD be totally thrown out every 1 to 2 weeks to get rid of exactly what you were worried about, the tiny pieces that are NOT scooped out.  Eventually the litter will develop a low level smell which is not present when it is brand new, and the box also needs to be washed on a regular basis with an antibacterial dish soap to keep it clean and fresh.  I have used both the litters you mentioned, and when the PetsPride litter makes a puddle, it's either too shallow or you have a cat that digs all the way to the bottom of the box no matter how much litter is in there.  I have one cat that prefers that litter so I have a couple of boxes around.  I never add clean litter to it.  When it gets too low because of my digging out solids and clumps, I dump the box, wash it, and add new litter.  In my house, that's about once a week.  I also use a corncob based litter in other boxes and find it to be more absorbent, but again I never refresh it -- when it gets low, I dump the remainder, wash the box and put in all new litter.  As for your fear of germs, in healthy kittens and cats, the urine is completely sterile, no germs at all, and healthy poop has normal intestinal bacteria (probiotics) just like ours does, nothing toxic like salmonella or shigella that would make you sick.  Dogs eat it all the time with no bad effects other than grossing out humans.  Just wipe down your counters and table tops before you prepare foods there and don't worry about anywhere else.

Thank you Red Top Rescue for the informative reply.

My cat is a digger. So what I do is that I place plastic liner n the box. Sometimes he tears the liner though.

But this makes cleaning the box easier. Just throw the liner and put another one.

Well, I was expecting the clumping litter to last at least more than a week or two before dumping it. Because where I live, the clumping types are almost 3-4 times more expensive that non-clumping ones.

Wow! It is cool to know that our fury friends have a sterile urine. Do you have a link to a reference about this?

Thank you.

 

[taty caty]

I'd look for another litter if I were you. The litter I use (European brand - Cat&Clean) is very fine and extremely absorbent. The jumbo litter box takes a little over 30 lbs. of it - the higher the level, the better. It gets scooped 3 - 5 x a day, and the clumps don't break up, so a complete change isn't needed every week or so. I dump all the litter every 3 - 4 weeks, mostly 3, but know that many people wait 4 - 6 weeks. As an aside, are you waiting a few minutes after your cat urinates to scoop, so the clump gets a chance to harden?

You could take a look at the Reviews section to see what litter our members recommend.

Cool. I'll look for it and give it a try. I'm not full happy witg Cats Pride clumping power.

 

[red top rescue]

Here's a link (you asked for a link about the sterility of cat urine)

http://www.justanswer.com/health/5s0pu-sterlie-cat-urine-harmful-gey.html