Non-clay litters?

momto3cats

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I am in the process of finding a new cat litter, and would like some advice. I am sick and tired of the dust from clumping clay litters - some are dustier than others, but all I've tried are problematic.

For a while, I used the crystal litters - I really like them, no dust or perfume, and no clumps to stick to the box and break when I try to scoop them. Unfortunately my cats don't seem to like the feel of the crystals on their paws, so after trying several brands I gave up.

I don't want a food-based litter like World's Best or Swheat Scoop; I suspect they would attract pests.

So, that leaves me with wood, paper, and a few other types of litter (corn cobs, wheat grass, pea-pods). I would love to know everyone's experience with these. If you have tried any of these types, can you tell me:

What brand?

Do your cats like it?

Is it scented?

Does it track badly?

How dusty is it?

Any other comments?
 

white cat lover

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Currently using chicken feed in my LBs. Like it, 50 lbs. is $11. Not the best clumped, OK on odors.

Yesterday's News is OK, but I suspect if they don't like crystals they won't do pellets.

Feline Pine scoopable is fluffy, so the kits end up dusty. If they're white or have white on them, they'll soon be brown tinged.

Tried PaPurr....stuff was junk....ended up everywhere, no odor control....terrible to scoop.
 

river

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Have you tried Dr Elsey's precious cat ultra, barely any dust.
 

tamgirl99

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I just switched my cat to Nature's Miracle which is a corn-cob based litter. It clumps and hides odor wonderfully and is completely flushable. Now I no longer have stinky trash. The only downside is that it does seem to track a tad more than the clay litter, but it's much easier to clean up than the tracked clay.
 

whiteforest

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

Feline Pine scoopable is fluffy, so the kits end up dusty. If they're white or have white on them, they'll soon be brown tinged.
We use regular Feline Pine type stuff, same thing just a cheaper off brand, and our mostly white cat hasn't had any discoloration. Is it just the scoopable?
 

mschauer

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What brand?

Feline Pine pellets.

Do your cats like it?

Obviously, or I wouldn't use it.


Is it scented?

It has a natural pine scent.

Does it track badly?

No. With 4 cats there are usually a few pellets that need sweeping up and that's it.

How dusty is it?

No dust.

Any other comments?

I love the FP pellets. It is so easy to keep the litter box clean. There are no disgusting urine balls to stick to the sides or bottom of the litter box. The pellets disintegrate into sawdust that falls to the bottom of the pan when you shake it.
 

white cat lover

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Originally Posted by whiteforest

We use regular Feline Pine type stuff, same thing just a cheaper off brand, and our mostly white cat hasn't had any discoloration. Is it just the scoopable?
The pellets I had no issues with. It's the purple container of FP that is like...ummm......sawdust. Yeah, I have 2 white cats, plus ones that are mostly white....all were yellow-ish.
 

jkgyuro

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I live in Germany, but I'm sure there is an equilivant in the States and my cats love it! I use recycled wood pellet cat litter. No tracking issues at all. I only change the litter every 3 weeks or so (of course I clean it out everyday!!)
 
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momto3cats

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Thanks for the input, everyone.

I have another question - those of you who use the wood pellets, how did you transition your cats to it? Did they recognize it as litter right away, or did you have to teach them?
 

jennywhite686

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I changed to feline pine pellets around 2 months ago and i LOVE it. So much cheaper than crystals, it doesnt need a full change for 3 weeks or so (depending on how many cats you have I guess, I have 2). It was hugely different to the fresh step crystals I was using previously, but neither cat had any problem transitioning, they used it straight away and both cats scratch less. Fresh step used to lead to 10 min scratching sessions that drove me insane

The feline pine pellets havnt discoloured any of the white fur on my cats so far, and I personally highly recommend it.
 

tamgirl99

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Originally Posted by jennywhite686

I changed to feline pine pellets around 2 months ago and i LOVE it. So much cheaper than crystals, it doesnt need a full change for 3 weeks or so (depending on how many cats you have I guess, I have 2). It was hugely different to the fresh step crystals I was using previously, but neither cat had any problem transitioning, they used it straight away and both cats scratch less. Fresh step used to lead to 10 min scratching sessions that drove me insane

The feline pine pellets havnt discoloured any of the white fur on my cats so far, and I personally highly recommend it.
Have you tried Nature's Miracle or any other corn-cob based litter? I'm wondering how these compare. I love the NM but am always looking to make sure I have the best option for me and my cat.
 

mschauer

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Originally Posted by momto3cats

Thanks for the input, everyone.

I have another question - those of you who use the wood pellets, how did you transition your cats to it? Did they recognize it as litter right away, or did you have to teach them?
3 out of 4 of mine took to it immediately with no transition steps. My latest addition, Jeta, obviously had no clue what that box of pellets was for. For her, I basically followed the Feline Pine instructions. I put a layer of scoopable litter (I used Cat Attract) on top of the pellets gradually increasing the ratio of pellets to scoopable over the course of about 1 1/2 weeks. I didn't take as long to transition as what they suggest because I found the combination of pellet sawdust and scoopable litter to get very ucky once there was a significant amount of sawdust. Fortunately, Jeta got the idea pretty quickly.
 

mschauer

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BTW - If you use Feline Pine pellets I *strongly* recommend using their sifting litter box also.
It makes daily litter box maintenance a breeze. You shake the box, the sawdust falls to the bottom level and the poop "floats" to the top. You scoop out and flush the poop daily and dump the sawdust from the bottom once a week or so.

http://www.felinepinelitterbox.com/

If you need or want a larger box or just want to save a few bucks, it's simple to make your own sifting boxes. I can point you to a thread where I posted instructions if you are interested.
 

jennywhite686

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To Tamgirl99, no I havnt tried NM or any other corn based litters. For the longest time I was a Fresh step crystals fan, but on getting a second kitten it was getting too soggy too quickly and cost a fortune. The first alternative I tried was Feline Pine and I settled with it because Im so happy with it. Its super cheap too
 

tamgirl99

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Originally Posted by jennywhite686

To Tamgirl99, no I havnt tried NM or any other corn based litters. For the longest time I was a Fresh step crystals fan, but on getting a second kitten it was getting too soggy too quickly and cost a fortune. The first alternative I tried was Feline Pine and I settled with it because Im so happy with it. Its super cheap too
Thanks! Is it also flushable? That's what I love about my NM litter. No more stinky trash!
 

jennywhite686

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I havnt actually tried it... someone else might be able to fill you in! One of the reasons I LOVE it so much though is that it eliminates so much odour. Ive never had a problem with smelly trash, or a smelly box. Believe me... I DO have smelly cats!!!
The litter does a wonderful job of taking the smell out though. It does have a pine scent, not overpowering. Personally I quite like it!
 

tamgirl99

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Originally Posted by jennywhite686

I havnt actually tried it... someone else might be able to fill you in! One of the reasons I LOVE it so much though is that it eliminates so much odour. Ive never had a problem with smelly trash, or a smelly box. Believe me... I DO have smelly cats!!!
The litter does a wonderful job of taking the smell out though. It does have a pine scent, not overpowering. Personally I quite like it!
The NM also has a pine scent to it which I like. However, I don't smell it a day or so after I replace the litter. The NM also eliminates the odor, so it sounds like they are very similar. The other reason I like NM is that it is extremely light weight which makes it very soft on their little paws. Of course this is also what causes it to track a bit, but nothing I can't handle.
I may give the FP a go on down the road. Thanks for your input!
 
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