Need A Cat Dust Bath Diy

[catsknowme]

You could also consider giving him a chicken feed/sand blend. I have an elderly cat who likes that litter best (he likes the laying hen Krumbles/krackettes but laying mash is good when cats need a softer litter). When I first made the switch, one of the younger cats and a couple of my foster kittens were rolling in it & they hadn't done that with the regular litter.

 

[tarasgirl06]

You could also consider giving him a chicken feed/sand blend. I have an elderly cat who likes that litter best (he likes the laying hen Krumbles/krackettes but laying mash is good when cats need a softer litter). When I first made the switch, one of the younger cats and a couple of my foster kittens were rolling in it & they hadn't done that with the regular litter.

GREAT ideas, catsknowme ! (Now why didn't I think of those? My chickens were kept separate from my barn cats, so they didn't get a chance to experience this, but at least we know these feeds are safe!)

 

[catpat1230]

I bought some shredded pine product that says safe for basically all pets. they also had red cedar which said the same but yes cedar does naturally repel insects and I guess that's because it's toxic to them.

Anyway, I bought a shallow, large bin from Walmart for like $6, sprayed it with 90% alcohol and washed it with hot water, let it dry and then put the shredded pine in it, put my cat in it and rubbed the stuff on him === no good, it sticks to their fur and will track everywhere lol.

So I guess just sand is the next option. Yes I emailed and double checked the sand they sell at lowes and home depot in bags from sakrete and quikrete which say in the description that they are sanitized already will be fine.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I bought some shredded pine product that says safe for basically all pets. they also had red cedar which said the same but yes cedar does naturally repel insects and I guess that's because it's toxic to them.

Anyway, I bought a shallow, large bin from Walmart for like $6, sprayed it with 90% alcohol and washed it with hot water, let it dry and then put the shredded pine in it, put my cat in it and rubbed the stuff on him === no good, it sticks to their fur and will track everywhere lol.

So I guess just sand is the next option. Yes I emailed and double checked the sand they sell at lowes and home depot in bags from sakrete and quikrete which say in the description that they are sanitized already will be fine.

I would seriously consider foregoing all of these substrates. I don't believe any of them are 100% safe for cats, who lick their coats and are therefore susceptible to all kinds of negative effects from any of these. Just IMHO.

 

[catpat1230]

I would worry about with 'sanitized' sand is grittiness getting into their teeth and wearing down the enamel. I don't know much about cat digestion but swallowing a bit of sanitary sand now and then probably won't hurt considering cats in nature groom themselves.

If I don't provide a rolling box, he will continue to use the litter box, and I use clumping litter which turns to glue when wet/licked can't be good for a cat to lick.

I was thinking, despite that he seems to prefer to roll in soil/dirt outside, he also rolls on the concrete patio. I don't think this rolling bin needs to be full of so much fine sand that will get everywhere, maybe I can just put a piece of carpet in the bin and then a bit of sand on top of that and he'll roll in it. But as someone mentioned they might do this rolling in dirt to mask their scent (dunno why he'd do the opposite though and roll in his own litter box , which is cleaned multiple times a day BTW but still must smell like his litter),
so maybe the cat does sometimes want to cover himself with dirt and so a piece of carpet with some sand on it in the bin might not be what he wants.

I'll start with something like a cut piece of carpet with some sand/gravel though and hopefully he just wants to rub and not coat himself with something finer like garden soil which he does outside.
Would be perfect if something like crushed marble rocks or pebbles would satisfy the cat's urge to roll/rub because pea-sized gravel won't track everywhere or be stuck to fur when grooming for the most part. Even non clumping litter might be an option but I will have to make sure I get the cleanest type of that with no additives etc and contact manufacturers.

He HATES the bath but getting better at it I guess, I only bathe him about 2x a year though but it would be a big project to try and train him to stop rolling in his litter and bathing him after each time he does and then worry he will be wet and cold, sometimes he's got this obvious grit/coating on him from the clumping litter and smells like it so I know he had been rolling in the litter box, but other times I'm not sure if he did or not.

Also, I use all types of combs and brushes on him too all the time, so it's not like his coat is in bad shape or anything - he just rolls in dirt by instinct and apparently some roll in the litter box if they're mostly indoor cats like mine.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I would worry about with 'sanitized' sand is grittiness getting into their teeth and wearing down the enamel. I don't know much about cat digestion but swallowing a bit of sanitary sand now and then probably won't hurt considering cats in nature groom themselves.

If I don't provide a rolling box, he will continue to use the litter box, and I use clumping litter which turns to glue when wet/licked can't be good for a cat to lick.

I was thinking, despite that he seems to prefer to roll in soil/dirt outside, he also rolls on the concrete patio. I don't think this rolling bin needs to be full of so much fine sand that will get everywhere, maybe I can just put a piece of carpet in the bin and then a bit of sand on top of that and he'll roll in it. But as someone mentioned they might do this rolling in dirt to mask their scent (dunno why he'd do the opposite though and roll in his own litter box , which is cleaned multiple times a day BTW but still must smell like his litter),
so maybe the cat does sometimes want to cover himself with dirt and so a piece of carpet with some sand on it in the bin might not be what he wants.

I'll start with something like a cut piece of carpet with some sand/gravel though and hopefully he just wants to rub and not coat himself with something finer like garden soil which he does outside.
Would be perfect if something like crushed marble rocks or pebbles would satisfy the cat's urge to roll/rub because pea-sized gravel won't track everywhere or be stuck to fur when grooming for the most part. Even non clumping litter might be an option but I will have to make sure I get the cleanest type of that with no additives etc and contact manufacturers.

He HATES the bath but getting better at it I guess, I only bathe him about 2x a year though but it would be a big project to try and train him to stop rolling in his litter and bathing him after each time he does and then worry he will be wet and cold, sometimes he's got this obvious grit/coating on him from the clumping litter and smells like it so I know he had been rolling in the litter box, but other times I'm not sure if he did or not.

Also, I use all types of combs and brushes on him too all the time, so it's not like his coat is in bad shape or anything - he just rolls in dirt by instinct and apparently some roll in the litter box if they're mostly indoor cats like mine.

Well, the patio concrete, and/or carpet and/or a piece of carpet, wouldn't do any harm.

 

[catpat1230]

I took him out the other night, he was rolling in the gutter (where the street meets the curb and where oil etc from cars drains into the sewer) there was some sand in the gutter and I had to stop him from rolling in that.

I bought a bag of regular non clumping cat litter, cut a piece of carpet to fit the shallow bin and put about 1 cup of the kitty litter in it and on his own he was rolling around in it, and has been for the last few days, but the non clumping litter still leaves a pasty crud all over him similar to clumping litter. The bag (non clumping) says sanitary, and if you google the ingredients of most common non-clumping litter they all seem harmless or possibly even beneficial as minerals but I don't want him basically licking cement off himself when he grooms, so I don't think any litter would be good. Just sand maybe on a cut piece of carpet (because if you put sand in the bin and no carpet it would kind of just slide around on the slick plastic bin bottom, whereas with carpet it stays in place and can give a more satisfying scratch to the cat IMO.

another possibly good option would be just use a very abrasive front door welcome mat, as long as it's of safe materials which I would suggest emailing the manufacturer - this way there's no sand/wood shreddings, or cat litter etc to make a mess and the abrasive welcome mat should do a good job of scratching the cat - as long as like someone mentioned, cats aren't sometimes purposely trying to coat themselves with dirt etc in order to mask their scent.


next thing I will try is remove the non clumping litter from the carpet in the bin and use about 1 cup of regular sanitized sand, and then try just an abrasive welcome mat or some sort of abrasive textile mat if I can find out that it's harmless materials to a cat.
take care.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I took him out the other night, he was rolling in the gutter (where the street meets the curb and where oil etc from cars drains into the sewer) there was some sand in the gutter and I had to stop him from rolling in that.

I bought a bag of regular non clumping cat litter, cut a piece of carpet to fit the shallow bin and put about 1 cup of the kitty litter in it and on his own he was rolling around in it, and has been for the last few days, but the non clumping litter still leaves a pasty crud all over him similar to clumping litter. The bag (non clumping) says sanitary, and if you google the ingredients of most common non-clumping litter they all seem harmless or possibly even beneficial as minerals but I don't want him basically licking cement off himself when he grooms, so I don't think any litter would be good. Just sand maybe on a cut piece of carpet (because if you put sand in the bin and no carpet it would kind of just slide around on the slick plastic bin bottom, whereas with carpet it stays in place and can give a more satisfying scratch to the cat IMO.

another possibly good option would be just use a very abrasive front door welcome mat, as long as it's of safe materials which I would suggest emailing the manufacturer - this way there's no sand/wood shreddings, or cat litter etc to make a mess and the abrasive welcome mat should do a good job of scratching the cat - as long as like someone mentioned, cats aren't sometimes purposely trying to coat themselves with dirt etc in order to mask their scent.


next thing I will try is remove the non clumping litter from the carpet in the bin and use about 1 cup of regular sanitized sand, and then try just an abrasive welcome mat or some sort of abrasive textile mat if I can find out that it's harmless materials to a cat.
take care.

I would suggest removing that litter right away. Diatomaceous earth, which is the material clay litters are made from, is not good to be breathed or ingested!
The mat is a great idea. If you can get one made from copra (from fibrous husks of coconut), this would be harmless, trackless and dustless, and definitely a good surface to "scratch his itch" -- IDK the availability of them but they should be pretty easy to find at home or hardware stores.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
Say, I just came across this and thought of you, (from a TCS article titled "Why Do Cats...?")

Why Do Cats Roll in the Dirt?
Your cat may be rolling in the dirt simply because she feels happy, but there’s actually a huge health benefit from this odd cat behavior. Believe it or not, it has to do with your cat’s digestive system.

Like all animals, cats have good bacteria in their digestive tract that aid in digestion. If your cat doesn’t have enough of these beneficial bacteria, she can develop digestive issues or simply not feel her best. But, a quick roll in the dirt covers her with good bacteria which she then ingests while grooming.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Hi!
Say, I just came across this and thought of you, (from a TCS article titled "Why Do Cats...?")

Why Do Cats Roll in the Dirt?
Your cat may be rolling in the dirt simply because she feels happy, but there’s actually a huge health benefit from this odd cat behavior. Believe it or not, it has to do with your cat’s digestive system.

Like all animals, cats have good bacteria in their digestive tract that aid in digestion. If your cat doesn’t have enough of these beneficial bacteria, she can develop digestive issues or simply not feel her best. But, a quick roll in the dirt covers her with good bacteria which she then ingests while grooming.

So just letting cats out to roll in dirt, supervised of course, is all that's needed. TYSM, Furballsmom !

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[catpat1230]

True, thanks for the suggestion, a coconut husk mat (or rolls material I'm seeing for sale online, or maybe a hemp mat or something harmless like that [will have to do some email confirmations]) should be good. And with some sand on top maybe, or even clean dirt from the middle of the forest.

But as someone mentioned a couple posts back, maybe he's doing it for digestive bacteria (might explain why he's ok with rolling in litter), so maybe I will find some pure clean dirt in the forest to use (nothing with fertilizer residue or anything like that even though I use all organic at home).

Fertilizer is why I don't want him rolling in random dirt outside. Nor how he was rolling in sand in the gutter the other day (car oil etc)

Having said all that, I think it still might be necessary to start this off with some actual cat litter in the bin since that's what he's accustomed to rolling in - but then slowly transition it to have no cat litter in the rolling bin.

 

[tarasgirl06]

True, thanks for the suggestion, a coconut husk mat (or rolls material I'm seeing for sale online, or maybe a hemp mat or something harmless like that [will have to do some email confirmations]) should be good. And with some sand on top maybe, or even clean dirt from the middle of the forest.

But as someone mentioned a couple posts back, maybe he's doing it for digestive bacteria (might explain why he's ok with rolling in litter), so maybe I will find some pure clean dirt in the forest to use (nothing with fertilizer residue or anything like that even though I use all organic at home).

Fertilizer is why I don't want him rolling in random dirt outside. Nor how he was rolling in sand in the gutter the other day (car oil etc)

Having said all that, I think it still might be necessary to start this off with some actual cat litter in the bin since that's what he's accustomed to rolling in - but then slowly transition it to have no cat litter in the rolling bin.

That might be an idea...