Venting - why do all litter suck?

sanfran_kitty_lady_21

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I have been blessed with a cat who is not too picky about litter. So I've been trying out different litters because I keep hoping I can find one that doesn't drive me insane. But OMG I hate them all!
  • It's important to me to use a litter that's not actively bad for the environment. That probably removes a lot of options.
  • I first tried Swheat Scoop but I found the scatter to drive me insane. Literally would find it in my bed.
  • I then tried Skoon because if I loved it then I could justify $30 a month on litter. But the dust was so bad I had to wear a KN95 mask when scooping otherwise it would trigger my asthma. Oh, and the dust also lead to a ton of tiny footprints leading out of my bathroom. The other thing that bothered me - once the litter was "full" (soaked up all the urine it could) the smell was bad
  • I went back to a clumping litter but World's Best this time. I will say I like this litter the most so far. But the scatter is still there, it's just not as bad as Swheat Scoop.
  • I did actually try Dr. Elsey's even though it didn't meet my environmental requirements. I found it stuck to my bare feet so I found litter anywhere I walked and put my feet up (like my couch). So that became a very quick no.
  • I really wanted to try tofu litter - large pellets (less scatter), biodegradable (I think) but every one that I look up has horrible reviews.
Is this just me? I do use a litter mat (Gorilla Grip). Maybe I need a better one? Anyone absolutely love their litter?
 

Furballsmom

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Hi

Have you considered Littermaid Walnut? You could mix it with Worlds Best and see if that works, it's what I do.
 

Furballsmom

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In my situation, I didn't like the dustiness from the clumping clay litter for both me and for Poppycat. I don't remember what initially prompted me to try it but adding some of the Littermaid to the litterbox cuts down on the dust from the clay litter, and I still get the clumping effect which I prefer for easier cleanup :)
 

LTS3

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You could toilet train the cat and that would eliminate the litter issues completely although you should have a litter box anyways just in case :)

Some people use chick feed as litter. Here's info: Chick Feed As Litter - My New Fave !!!!

Other people use wood pellet for litter.

The problem with litter mats is that they don't do a thing to remove litter stuck between the toes, only what is kicked out from the litter box as the cat digs. A lot of people just keep a small hand vac to do a quick clean up of the litter mat and around the box as needed.
 

catloverfromwayback

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I used to find clay litter in my bed, too,lol.

I only changed from it because the Woolworths brand went from being quite decent and very cheap (AU$3.50 for 4.5kg) to absolute rubbish, more gravel than litter, it wouldn’t even clump properly. I tried the Breeder’s Choice paper litter, which was okay for maybe three days but after that just reeked of urine - and I’m home all day and scoop pretty much whenever I hear them use it. Currently I’m using soy/tofu litter, first the Coles brand and now the fractionally cheaper brand from The Reject Shop. Both are very good. Being the long pellets, they don’t track nearly as much as the grain types. They clump well and control odour very well without being strongly scented (at least to my nose). The Coles is slightly better than the RS for that. The only problem is that being only small bags they don’t last all that long, certainly not the two weeks I used to get out of 9kg of clay litter, and they are pricey - $17 for the Coles one. But the way supply lines are at present, it’s a case of buying what you can when it’s available.
 

sidneykitty

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Hmm. I usually use Swheat Scoop or World's Best (depending on sales/price) and don't have too many problems. Clay litter is just awful, dusty and tracks everywhere, but this isn't too bad. I have a very large litter mat just like this: FRESH KITTY Jumbo Foam Cat Litter Mat, Gray - Chewy.com. it's cheap, waterproof, works very well to trap litter. I don't have problems with it tracking too far around the house, just a little bit.

The only other idea I have is to use recycled paper pellet litter like Yesterday's News. It doesn't clump but it may not track around the house as much. I'm not personally a fan but some people (and cats) love it!
 

sidneykitty

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I think there is also grass seed litter, but not sure about its environmental impact and if it tracks around like other litter, I've never used it. Being small seeds I imagine it would but I don't know myself. I looked at it once but I thought it was a bit pricey.
 
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