Using Plain All-purpose Sand In Litter Box

[caro123]

Thinking of buying a 50 lb bag of all-purpose plain sand and using it as litterbox sand with adding some baking soda as a deodorizer. The cost is about $2.97 for 50# as compared to
$4.97 for 25# of the cheapest commercial cat litter. I can also use it in the winter for traction on ice. Anyone done this ?? Thoughts ??

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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Loose sand weighs roughly 150 grams per cubic centimeter. Two inches' depth in the "large" size PetSmart litter box would weigh just over 51 pounds, so your volume cost is about the same as using kitty litter, minus the cost of the baking soda. Sand is very fine, and has exceptional adhesive qualities, and your cat(s) should be able to track the top ten pounds pretty much all over the house within the first week, in addition to eventually ingesting enough through normal grooming to add a quick trip to the vet. When enough sand has accumulated to require being vacuumed up, it will clog the vacuum's filter almost instantly, adding another twelve to twenty bucks in costs. If you don't catch the clogged filter in time, add the cost of a new motor for the vacuum cleaner as well. Put some extra cash aside in case the overheated vacuum cleaner motor catches fire as well. Might be a good idea to pull all the cars out of the garage beforehand too.


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[DreamerRose]

My mother used to do that with a very small box. It stank to high heaven, and since it doesn't clump, you have to dump the whole thing frequently and refill.

 

[susanm9006]

That's what we used at home when I was a child. Sand doesn't absorb, the urine sinks through to the bottom of the box and poop doesn't dry out so the whole box stinks to high heaven and must be completely emptied, washed and refilled at least once a week. Can't imagine why you would want to do this.

 

[caro123]

LOL to 1 Cat over- guess it is a NO from you. What about plain gravel?? The litter gets on the floor anyhow but the boxes are in the kitchen so I sweep not vacuum.
Dreamer- I don't like the clumping kind - might be stupid but all I can picture is a big clump in their stomachs from cleaning it off paws. I empty it everyday anyhow.
Ever notice that the ingredients in litter are not on bag? I'm presuming it is mainly clay or gravel of some kind.

 

[susanm9006]

Give Yesterday's News a try. This is newspaper pellet litter which is in bigger pieces than regular litter. It is non clumping, light weight and easy to sweep up. I used it for a couple of years when one of my cats had paw issues and it was good at absorbing moisture and keeping odors down.

 

[caro123]

SusanM- Mainly because there is such a huge mark-up on pet products and that it is getting worse- I would rather spend money on a quality cat food then on litter for them just to poop in if there is a cheaper-environmentally safe alternative.

 

[caro123]

Susan - I'll look that one up.

 

[susanm9006]

I don't think gravel is the answer. I would be concerned 1) if cats would use it and 2)what might be mixed in with the gravel since it isn't meant to be used as litter 3)it's going to be as gross and stinky as using sand. Long and short of it is if you have indoor cats you need some kind of commercial litter.

 

[orange&white]

Seems like it would track grit everywhere. But heck, for $3, it's worth a shot. Might as well experiment. (Bet you'll be back to clay in no time though. The ingredient in clay cat litter is "clay", potentially with fragrance and/or baking soda added. )

 

[Kat0121]

Some people here use pine pellets used for horse bedding as an alternative to clumping clay litter with good results. This one from Tractor Supply Company is a good example. If you look through the reviews, many of them are from people who use them as cat litter. If you don't have a TSC near you, you should be able to find them at a local livestock feed store. Tractor Supply Pine Pellet Stall Bedding, 40 lb. at Tractor Supply Co.

 

[caro123]

Kat0121 AHA- lol -just found that at the TSC site- $5.99 for 40# bag while I was looking up Susan's suggestion.A lot of people are using it as rabbit and cat litter- might be just what I've been looking for. They started using it under reg. cat litter at first to get cat used to it. There is a pine pellet litter made for cats but of course it is a lot more costly.

 

[basscat]

I have a sand litter box in an outside enclosure. Plain cheap non-clumping clay inside.
1) If he can, he will WAIT until he comes inside and use that litter box.
2) He doesn't dig, scrape, hide, or cover anything. (that being said, he's dug and scattered the sand all over an 8 foot radius around that outside sand box). Inside, it's rare to even see a few grains of clay litter outside the box.
3) Much to my surprise, you can't really "scoop" the sand. Best method is just to go treasure hunting wearing latex gloves.
At the end of the day, once everything is taken into consideration. CLAY BY FAR!

 

[Willowy]

You should be able to find the very cheapest clay litter for about $1 per 10 pounds. Check Tractor Supply, your local grocery store, or Walmart. You aren't going to find anything cheaper than that (a 50-pound bag of sand is about the same volume as 15 pounds of clay litter so it's not actually cheaper). Some people say that sweeping compound (which is just clay granules like litter) is cheaper but I haven't found that to be true. If you dump it every day it doesn't matter if it's good at odor control.

That is absolutely the cheapest option.

TSC, $6.99 for 50 pounds (and don't they also sell a cheaper generic brand? I forget): Paws & Claws Non Clumping Cat Litter, 50 lb. at Tractor Supply Co.

And I know I just bought a 10-pound bag of Kitty Diggin's at Walmart for $1.18.