My own grand litter experiment

Well, given that I have 10 litterboxes, who better than to do a litter experiment these are the levels: great, good, ok, awful

Premium Choice- this stuff is great for clumping, GREAT on dustiness, ok on odor, kitties seem to like it
Target Brand- ok on clumping, if you accidentally stab a clump it will fall apart, ok on odor, great on dustiness. This also seems to be the preferred litter by my crew, it's a sandy texture similar to Scoop Away
Fresh Step- great clumping, great odor control (I actually like the smell of this litter) but the dust is AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost choke every time I scoop and this is a week later. The box isn't used very much, so the kitties don't like it either.
Tidy Cats (blue bucket)- good to ok across the board, need to try the red bucket, but it's never in stock for the price I'd expect better clumping, cats use it
Arm & Hammer- I hate this litter, I really do it clumps good and the odor control of the actual cat waste is good, dustiness ok, but I hate the smell of the acutal litter- I will never buy this
Scoop Away- this is what I was using before, but thought I would experiment a little. IMO, this litter is the best, the clumping is GREAT, odor control is GREAT, the only problem is the dustiness, but I'm thinking about adding the Premium Choice to it (used to add Tidy Cats, but PC is cheaper) to cut down on the dustiness since PC is totally non-dusty and it should be even better since PC clumps better than Tidy Cats. kitties also seem to like this one

just thought you might be interested in my findings

Thank you for sharing. I used to use fresh step but changed to the target brand because it is so cheap and I would rather sepnd the money on a high quality food.

It's interesting to me - you like the brands that I can't stand the smell of and hate the one that I LIKE the smell of! I've found several of those (especially the Target brand) to be VERY perfumey, and I can't breathe near it.

I've been experimenting too, and am waiting for my first bag of World's Best to arrive.

I've been having breathing issues due to the litterbox that is kept in my bedroom, so I thought that would be THE place to try out WBCL. I understand that althouhg it is a lot more expensive, it also lasts a LOT longer than the clay litters, so if I spend more up front but less over time, that would be GREAT.

I'm going to try the WBCL as soon as it arrives, and will let you know what I think!

If you've got accesss Katie, try the Wal Mart brand Special Kitty litter. Might like it.....I know I mix Wal Mart, Target(when I drive that far to get it), & TC.

The best litter for us is chicken feed crumbles, mixed with some swheatscoop.

I switched from the blue to the red Tidy Cats and I like it MUCH better. The clumps don't break apart like the blue one did. I haven't noticed much difference between the two regarding dust or odor, but it scoops MUCH easier!

Where is the premium choice sold?

I use Tidy Cat in the red bucket for my 8 boxes. I tried the chicken feed and swheatscoop and just couldn't handle the smell.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

I've been experimenting too, and am waiting for my first bag of World's Best to arrive.

I understand that althouhg it is a lot more expensive, it also lasts a LOT longer than the clay litters, so if I spend more up front but less over time, that would be GREAT.

I'm going to try the WBCL as soon as it arrives, and will let you know what I think!

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That has certainly been my experience.

Thanks for the info. I've been experimenting with litters myself. I just tried some of the Arm & Hammer litter and I don't think I'll be using it again. It's excellent at odor control and clumping but I just hate the smell of it. I've used Scoop Away and Tidy Cats but don't like the dust in Tidy Cats. Of the three, I prefer Scoop Away.

I tried the Arm & Hammer once and I really hated the smell of it. It's like bad bathroom deodorizer spray or something. It's really strong. My cat's didn't seem to mind and used the box it was in equally with the second box, but with their sensitive noses I just can't imagine it being pleasant to them.

I recently switched from Tidy Cats Small Spaces (orange top) to Dr. Elseys Precious Cat that I can get in 40lb bags at PetSmart. When using the Tidy Cats I noticed Forrest coming out of the box with a white ring around his little black nostrils so I needed to find a less dusty litter. The Precious Cat clumps really hard and has no scent to it and almost no dust at all. Forrest comes out of the box looking the same as he went in. Decent smell control also.

Litter goes a long way in our house, because the kids all prefer to go outside, regardless what's in the box. But when the weather gets wet -- like from now until spring -- and the ground gets yucky, comfort wins and they use the litter. I've been using WBCL for quite some time, and they are fine with it, and I love it. It's great for clumping, takes care of odours very well while having only a light grain aroma of its own, does not track, is not dusty. To be sure, it's more expensive than others, but to my mind, it's worth every penny.

I really liked scoop away over tidy cats but moving to a 7 cat household it was too expensive. We now use BJ's brand. I enjoy the smell. It clumps the best and it's not dusty when I scoop. There is some dust when I pour fresh into the pan. It's $8 for 40lbs.

Katie,

Have you tried World's Best or Sweatscoop? I would like your thoughts on them compared to the others.

Tidy Cat with crystals in the clear bucket is what we normally use in the bedroom. We also use the Special Kitty in the red bag for everyone else. I will not use Worlds Best unless they changed it. Every bag I bought earlier this year was dustier then the last bag. When the kits would use it, there'd be yellow paw prints all over the place.

Is Premium Choice the Safeway store brand? If so, that was the first clumping clay litter I've used and I thought it was ok until I switched to PetCo's store brand. I switched because I like that I can refill my container at PetCo (so less landfill buildup). The PetCo stuff is really dusty BUT it has excellent clumping ability and is good with smell. Out of those 2, I definitely prefer the PetCo stuff.

I'm gradually switching over to Nature's Miracle Clumping Litter, I LOVE LOVE LOVE it. I don't think I will ever use a clay litter again. I might go back to trying crystal litter in the future (the Dr. Elsey stuff for long-haired cats, it's a finer crystal than the other brands) though. I did like that too (I never tried it on its own though, just mixed in with clay litter).

Thanks everyone for your opinions! I might try that Precious Cat from Petsmart

Paula, I get Premium Choice form Pet Supplies Plus, but I've also found it at all the feed stores I've ever gone to, and it ight be the same as the Safeway brand

I don't have a BJ's near me, but I have used the Sam's Club litter and liked that a lot, but I don't have a membership so it's kinda hard to get it when I need it

As far as the WBCL or swheat scoop, I'm kinda reluctant to try it, I really only have time to scoop once a day and with 15 cats, some boxes get heavy usage and I'm not sure if those kinds of litter would be able to stand up to my crew, plus with them being so expensive I really don't think I could afford it

I have got to get my hands on some red bucket Tidy Cats though to try that out!!

Betsy, I honestly didn't smell anything off of the Target litter, and while the Scoop away is scented, I don't mind the smell of it at all, but the A&H, whew!! gag me!!

Originally Posted by white cat lover

If you've got accesss Katie, try the Wal Mart brand Special Kitty litter. Might like it.....I know I mix Wal Mart, Target(when I drive that far to get it), & TC.

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I use the Special Kitty (in the green box) for my boys. I really love it, clumps well & has minimal dust

Originally Posted by babyharley

I use the Special Kitty (in the green box) for my boys. I really love it, clumps well & has minimal dust

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oops, forgot to adress that one, I actually try to avoid Wal-mart as much as I can I might give it a go for the kitties sake!!

Originally Posted by babyharley

I use the Special Kitty (in the green box) for my boys. I really love it, clumps well & has minimal dust

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Slight hijack/pop quiz!

How is the Special Kitty in the green box different from the SK in the purple/maroon bag?

I've used the stuff in the bag...and only recently saw the stuff in the box.

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Slight hijack/pop quiz!

How is the Special Kitty in the green box different from the SK in the purple/maroon bag?

I've used the stuff in the bag...and only recently saw the stuff in the box.

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I'm not sure? Is the stuff in the bag clumping?

I've just used the green box because it says clumping, I've never seen the stuff in the bag- the green box is $5.28 for 28lbs - whats the bag?