My Cat is the Goldie Locks of Litter! Help!

missinthesouth

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When we got Carl, he was used to Feline Pine, and the odor control was fantastic, so we kept using it. Other than it being expensive b/c we were throwing out so much litter weekly, life was good.

Last time we were at the vet, he noticed that his (excuse the TMI) anal glands were distended, and mentioned that he might not be using the bathroom enough. Maybe it was the litter, b/c he couldn't burry the BM and then didn't want to go twice in the dirty box?

So we got World's Best. Too dusty and he tracked little paw prints all over the rug. BUT, we found out that he did, indeed want to burry his BM and he now goes #2 twice a day rather than once. Oh, and his anal glands look 100% again.

Then we tried Swheat Scoop. No dust, great clumping, flushable....but the odor control isn't so hot. It actually woke me up last night after Carl made a visit to the box, and the box is about 50 feet from my bed in a totally different room!

So now I am on the search for the perfect (or at least most livable) litter! I am going today to Petsmart to get another brand (we are almost out of SS).

I am looking for something that is clumping, able to burry stuff in, flushable, not dusty and it HAS to contain odor. We live in a one-bedroom apt that is too small for litter box odor! I can live without all the options, but the only things that I HAVE TO HAVE is burry-ability and odor control.

Can anyone help me out???
 

rosey

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I like the arm and hammer personally. I've tried a few litters and that's the one that works the best for us.
 

missymotus

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I'm not much help as I just use the cheap store brand litter, but for odor control you might want to change to a higher quality diet. That will greatly help with the smell.
 

gizmocat

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I've tried all those other brands and the one that matches your needs is NATURE'S MIRACLE.

It is a terrific odor controller, there is some tracking but never outside the bathroom where the box is, the cat can bury everything, and there is NO dust.

It's available on amazon.com if you cannot find it in the pet store. Best of all it lasts three weeks without a change.
 

meow meow

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I use Fresh Step clumping because that is what my kitten used at his previous house. I am fine with it. I buy it at Costco and it is outstanding value for a 40lb container. It does well on odor but there is a bit of tracking (that's what brooms are for I guess). The fact that I can buy it in bulk at the warehouse club seals the deal for me.
 
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missinthesouth

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Well I went to Petsmart last night (had to stock up on cat food for the sitter), and I picked up Tidy Cats Small Spaces crystals blend. I mixed some with the Swheat Scoop last night and I haven't smelled a thing.

I also got myself a Christmas gift...a Littermate (or is it Maid?)! With the Tidy Cat, I can't flush it, and odor control is a huge priority with such a small apartment, and it was on sale for $12.00! I set it up last night and so far so good! It took a little while to figure out the whole getting the bag to stay on the wheel thing, but other than that, all is well and odorfree at our house!

I think I am going to order some Nature's Miracle after Christmas when we will be home to receive it, I have heard such great reviews!

Oh, and I feed Carl the Nature's Choice (or Max Cat, whatever that brand is) Indoor dry and Meow Mix Market Select wet (the only wet he will eat), and his stuff isn't all that smelly really, but I have a very sensitive smell....
 

sharky

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I use chicken feed ... less dust than worlds best and about 1/3 of the price ..
 

junglebutterfly

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I am glad you posted this because I was just about to ask the same question we just switched from tidy cats scoopable which was so dusty you cant see in the room to premium gold which sucked with urine cause it just stuck to the litterbox bottom then we switched to yesterdays news which I hate because it has horrendous oder controlling capabilities which is my number one need and also after about a week of mixing in the urine one of my cats hates it soch she goes pee and poop in the bathtub!!! so I think I will try some of these litters everyone has mentioned.
 

tru

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Originally Posted by sharky

I use chicken feed ... less dust than worlds best and about 1/3 of the price ..
I too use Chicken Feed. I get the Purina Layena which ig round pretty fine. It clumps well, controls odor well and is a good choice for a member of the dozen cat club.


I have to add though that I also use Nature's Miracle in the box that sets in the kitchen. I use it in a Booda Clean Step so the litter is pretty much off the paws when they come off the steps. I really like it, but can't afford to use it exclusively in 9 boxes. (I have seven in my house and two in MIL's that I maintain)
 

ping

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We use fresh results cat litter. Its a corn cob based litter and we all love it. Controls odor pretty good, clumbs well, no dust and not over whelmimgly perfumey.

As for tracking litter across the floor we bought a 2$ large indoor/outdoor mat. It has could down drastically the amount of litter tracked through the house.
 

shambelle

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Have you tried a covered litterbox?

While many cats don't care for them, both my current cats love covered boxes. They love the privacy, and the smell is well contained (and my cats REALLY stink sometimes). The other thing my cats don't mind (again, this could be unique) is putting either Stick-Ups on the boxes, or using something scented near the box. I place Renuzit cone air freshener things (don't know what they're really called!) on top of a nearby bookshelf.

I know someone else mentioned quality of food, and I know for PJ, that makes a huge difference. PJ stinks when she eats particular foods.

As for litter tracking, my cats are crazy - they get litter across the room the boxes are in, and into the next room just stepping out of the box. They have floormats/doormats that I love - just regular ones for your kitchen or entryway - with deep grooves that catch most of the litter. One of my cats has completely webbed toes, though... so he gets litter into everything since it gets stuck in his paws!
 

tuxedokitties

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I second the Nature's Miracle & Fresh Results suggestions. I've been using Fresh Results since around the first part of this year, and love it.

Fresh Results and Nature's Miracle are made by the same manufacturer, so I suspect they're essentially the same product, though I'm not 100% sure. The same manufacturer also makes a litter product called One Earth, found in some health food stores.
http://www.eightinonepet.com/product...play=51&main=3

Nature's Miracle can be found at some pet stores (I've seen it at the local Petsmart and Petco stores). If you can't find the litter, ask the store manager if they'll order it. Fresh Results can be found at HEB (a Texas grocery store chain) and Wal-Mart. It's in a purple bag with a white cat on it.
 

mrsbrak

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Ever Clean litter has been the best so far. The pros far outweigh the cons. PROS: It's low tracking, low dust, works great at keeping the stink down (we have to keep the litter box in our bedroom and it's hardly noticeable), and I have to change it out completely only once every 3 weeks. CONS: a little more expensive than some (but since you don't have to change it as often, it balances out) and it's not flushable.

My cats like Ever Clean. I've tried Nature's Miracle (great at first, but just did not control the stink for very long), Dr Elsey's Cat Attract (cats loved it, but it did not control the stink at all), Tidy Cat (also had a funky odor after a week, even if scooped frequently), and Feline Pine (gave me upper respiratory problems because it's so horribly pungent and it's so fluffy it tracks everywhere).
 

dusty's mom

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One little trick I use is to put the litter pan inside a 10 gal. drawstring garbage bag - drawing up the drawstring and tying losely. Then when I change the litter, I turn the bag inside out containing all the used litter, and releasing the pan. The plastic pan rarely needs cleaning unless Dusty has clawed holes in the bottom.
 
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missinthesouth

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Well I switched Carl to Tidy Cat Blend Small Spaces 2 weeks ago (mixing it with Swheat Scoop about 50-50) and have liked the results so far. The Tidy Cats clumps SO much better than just the SS, and the odor has gone down a whole lot.

When we are home, I clean the box finatically (2-3 times per day usually) and so that combined with the new litter is working odorlessly!
Even being gone a week with the sitter coming once a day, it only smelled a little like litter (not even a fecal smell, just sort of a cat smell). I have loved the Litter Locker, but I am kind of OCD so I turn it a full time around each time I put in a BM and therefore go through the little O faster (just changed it last night after about 10 days). So we will see how that goes.

As for Carl's diet, there isn't much I can do...he is as picky about food as he is about litter. He doesn't drink a lot of liquids, so I feed him about 60% wet to 40% dry (he gets 3-5 ounces wet depending on how hungry he is) and 1/4 cup dry everyday (he free-feeds on 1/2 cup a day and only goes through about half of that). Of course the only wet he will eat is Meow Mix Market Select...
which smells like death. I have gotten him off the fish flavors and onto the meat flavors since they contain less fish (and therefore smell less). Since we started the higher wet diet he has really blossomed, gaining about half a pound and his coat is just sleak now! He is also using the litter box more often which has meant that we no longer have to worry about those pesky anal glands, which was a literal PITA for us both!
 
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