Need advice on getting a new brand of litter...

Being the cautious buyer I am, before I brought my new kittens home I did a LOT of research on what type of litter to use. I read lots of reviews, etc. Based on those reviews and my experiences with the brand name, I decided on Arm and Hammor Multicat... it scoops and clumps very well, and the smell protection is fine. I don't really have any first hand experience to compare it to.

The problem is... it is SO dusty. This wasnt a problem untill I switched to a covered litter box, and I am worried about my kittens and the fumes that are stirred up as they kick and dig. Also, it tracks around the house, and my Swiffer vacuum doesnt do too well on tile... leaving me on my hands and knees sweeping several times a day. I have a mat that doesnt seem to help much.

Any suggestions? Once this box gets close to running out, I am looking to switch

I am still in the process of slowly transitioning from A&H to World's Best Cat Litter. I think I started in November - I'd have to search through past threads to see.

WBCL is quite expensive, but it lasts SO long that I am already seeing a BIG savings, and I haven't yet finished transitioning. Currently I am using a 3:1 ratio, three parts WBCL to 1 part A&H.

I did try Walmart's Special Kitty and Tidy Cats before choosing to settle upon WBCL. I found that they were also extremely dusty, and the Special Kitty bothered my allergies.

The WBCL still produces some dust, but it is corn dust rather than clay/silica dust, so I feel less concerned about the kits and I breathing it into our lungs.

World's Best is certainly my recommendation. I've tried the clay litters and will never use those again, especially around small kittens, I've done Swheat Scoop which was much too dusty. WBCL isn't very dusty and clumps beautifully. I gave my neighbour some when I was cat-sitting for her and now she's hooked on it.

It is expensive, but it does last a very long time in comparison to any other I have used.

I use WBCL and I love it, plus its flushable!

How is WBCL with odor protection? I have 6 boxes and I scoop a minimum of 3+ times a day, but with usually more then 6 cats inside, I still need major odor protection. I personally swear by Scoop Away as far as the odor goes, but lately I've been buying A&H b/c I've had coupons for it. It isn't capible of keeping up with my crew though, and I won't use it again, coupon or no. I can see maybe with only a few cats, but the odor control doesn't hold up with all mine coming and going.

3 x daily! You'll have no smell at all! Another vote for WBCL here. 17 cats, 12 litter boxes...

The only smell issues I have with WBCL are when the cats first drop a bomb - WHEW! You could knock me over with a feather.

But it dissapates really fast, and when I am scooping, I rarely smell anything other than a very slight scent of "barnyard." It's the corn scent, really.

I use Dr. Elsey's. I cannot stand scented, perfumed cat litters - I get all sniffly and stuffy from them and it is my best guess that my cats don't really care for them either since their noses are so much more sensitive. To compensate for non-perfumed litter I make sure my boxes are scooped.

Dr. Elsey's seems to be more dust-free than other brands I've tried.

I've always been told to use the clay type litter until kittens are 4 months old - they can lick off clumping types and get clogged up inside.

How is the WBCL at tracking? Like the OP I am constantly sweeping up with my little broom and dustpan around the litter box and often feel like I'm walking on cat litter throughout the upstairs!

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

How is the WBCL at tracking? Like the OP I am constantly sweeping up with my little broom and dustpan around the litter box and often feel like I'm walking on cat litter throughout the upstairs!

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I use the extra large petmate mats which catch everything. I find that the WBCL tracks much less than the A&H.

Originally Posted by AlleyGirl

How is the WBCL at tracking? Like the OP I am constantly sweeping up with my little broom and dustpan around the litter box and often feel like I'm walking on cat litter throughout the upstairs!

Click to expand...

I have the Booda Dome which has the little ramp so by the time they exit their feet are cleaned off.

Unfortunatly my baby will only use clay, even though I would love to use something else. Elsy's is the best I have found for dust...but it tracks A LOT IMO. Tidy Cats small spaces was good to me as well!

I have tried alot of the brands from walmart, and the only one i like is tidy cat scoop for multiple cats, I use the tidy lock immediate odor control formula.. I have a really big issue with smell. This is the only kind that i can stand the smell of when it is used. All the others i have tried just smell like a locker room covered up by perfume yuck. The kitty only has to use it once and i can smell it. The tidy cat I cant smell that smell.

I have to watch the budget, so kitty litter is something I save on. We use Wal-Mart Special Kitty scoop. And if it's on sale, I will buy the 40lb box of Petsmart's Exquisicat Unscented Scoop. That works out to close to the same price per pound as walmart's litter.

My Exotic sneezes from the cat litter my Birman has been using for years, Fresh Step (NOT the clumping kind! that's another story)

So I have one litter box with Fresh Step, and two with World's Best Cat Litter (not the advanced kind, just the regular) It really is the best and he doesn't sneeze.

I used that for awhile - will agree that its dusty and while the dust would be contained in the covered pan, I agree its not good for kitty's lungs!

We have switched to the Petco's version of Feline Pine and really like it (tho it breaks down fast, but leaves NO smell). I'll be looking at the wood stove pellets next time I'm in the feed store - its cheaper for more pellets

Is the Feline Pine stuff kiln dried? I love that sort of smell, but I remember from my days as a rat owner that the natural wood oils found in pine and other soft woods (like cedar) are really bad for animals to breathe in. Kiln dried pine was the only option, because the process removed enough of the oils.

Ditto. I stopped the Feline Pine because of the dust and also because it smelled up the fastest.