What Is The Safest But Still Good Litter For Kittens?

[xenathecrazy]

I've been reading that clumping litter shouldn't be used for young kittens because they can ingest it. I really like clumping litter because I can be more aware of his urine habits but if I should wait another month or more so he doesn't eat it, I can deal with it for now.

He's medium haired right now but should grow his hair longer so I'd like for it to not be so messy with dust on the coat. I just bought a 16 week old male Maine Coon kitten. He is currently using the Breeze box since that is what he's familiar with, but he is going to outgrow that very quickly. I also don't find it as economical either between the cost of pads and pellets. What is the safest but still good litter for young cats? Odor control must be really good. I also need no to low dust and not too bad on tracking. What should I look into? Are the more natural clumping litters a little safer than clay or is it just the clumping factor that is dangerous irregardless of what kind of clumping litter is used?

Thanks in advance.

 

[duckpond]

The danger with clumping clay litter is the sodium bentonite clay, Other clumping litters, such as grass, walnut, corn do not normally have any bentonite clay.

There are pellet litters you can try, in a normal litter box, would not have to be the breeze box, i think feline pine, and yesterdays news are two popular one, unfortunately all 4 of my guys hate both of these. and neither one clumps.

there is another paper pellet type one i tried recently, one of my 4 likes it, and it actually clumps quite well, i was a little surprised at how well it seems to work..
Hartz Multi-Cat Strong Clumping Cat Litter, 4.3-lb bag

Otherwise my favorite litters are grass based litter, i either use the abound brand from Kroger, or the pioneer pet one from chewy. These both clump and controls odor quite well. a bit of tracking but no worse than clay in my opinion.

I also really like liter maid walnut litter that i get from Walmart. May not clump quite as well as the grass litter, but close. May track a bit less, and odor control is good. I actually mix the walnut and grass most of the time, best of both worlds.

For Clumping litters these are the cats, and my favs right now. and they should all be safe for kittens too.

If i had to use a different one for some reason i would most likely got back to the okocat, i have used theirs in the past, and like them. they are just a little bit more dusty than what i use now. not bad, just a little imo.

 

[xenathecrazy]

I do have Kroger so I can see if they carry the grass one. I did see the walnut litter at Walmart yesterday. I like the idea of pellets and he's used to it but it's hard to gauge if he's peeing and I know it's important to keep watch of that especially as he gets older. If it's just the bentonite clay that I need to be careful with then I may want to try the natural clumping ones first before going to pellet litter. The pellets do have a plus to no tracking around which is really nice especially since one of the boxes is in my bathroom.

 

[duckpond]

I have not used clay litter in quite a few years. I have a cat with slight asthma, and clay litter causes him to hack, even the most dust free of the bunch. And to be honest i worry about male cats and bentonite clay, that it could contribute to blockage.

The other clumping litters, that use grass, walnut or guar gum to clump i dont worry so much about. I think i have tried every litter out there in my quest for the perfect one.

i like the abound, and the littermaid walnut, i think i like them best mixed in equal amounts in the box. I like the paper pellet one i linked to, but only one of my 4 likes it. they all like the grass, the walnut, and the okocat litters. I also use Dr. Elseys crystal respiratory relief crystals, i like to give my cats choices, i keep 5 boxes and one has the crystals. this is the only crystal litter my guys like, its very fine and easy on the feet, and the only one i like because it is dust free. The crystal litter is probably the easiest, and the least tracking of any litter i use.

When i was testing a lot of litters i kept a few boxes with what i knew they liked, then would fill another box with the new litter. Sometimes took the a few days to try the new one, but usually within a week i could tell if they would like it, and if i would.

 

[xenathecrazy]

Would the regular non clumping clay litter such as Tidy Cats or Fresh Step be safe for a male regarding blockages? I’ve read some things about clay litter possibly affecting males but does it apply to only the clumping kind?

 

[duckpond]

Would the regular non clumping clay litter such as Tidy Cats or Fresh Step be safe for a male regarding blockages? I’ve read some things about clay litter possibly affecting males but does it apply to only the clumping kind?

I don't think there are any problems with the non clumping clay litter. Its a bit dusty, and heavy for me to deal with, i have gotten spoiled with the grass and walnut litter. But i think non clumping clay is safe .

 

[wealthy1]

I use Dr. Elsey’s kitten litter. I ordered the litter robot, so I need something that will clump.

 

[vanstar]

I use Dr. Elsey’s kitten litter. I ordered the litter robot, so I need something that will clump.

May I ask a 10-week-old kitten use that litter? I am thinking about getting a litter robot as well.

 

[stephanietx]

I would suggest an all natural litter such as World's Best Cat Litter. It clumps well, but you don't have the chemicals like clay litter. I am not a fan of automatic litter boxes personally. I would think at his age, you would want to use several smaller regular litter boxes until he's older. When my guy was about the age of your kitten, I used aluminum cake pans or roaster pans as litter boxes in the rooms that don't have a permanent litter box. That way he was close to a litter box no matter where he was in the house. When they are that age, when they have to go potty, they have to go NOW. As he got older, we removed the aluminum pans.

 

[wealthy1]

May I ask a 10-week-old kitten use that litter? I am thinking about getting a litter robot as well.

Yes. I adopted my kitties and I wanted to make sure they were litter train. They love it a little too much because they would jump and rolled around in it.

I love the litter robot! I went away for the weekend and no issues! My Missy was a little under the 5 pound requirement for it to operate automatically. So I would go pass and cycle the litter. But other than that, it’s so worth the money!

However, I do recommend buying the warranty. If there’s an issue it can be returned for no charge.