Concerns with clay litter

birco

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I've just started switching to clay litter from corn litter, because one of my cats might be allergic to corn litter.
I bought a bag of Dr Elsey's Precious Cat, and it's really dusty (althought it claims to be 99.9 % dust free) and gets stuck on the cats' behinds.
Did anyone experience a problem from the cats inhaling the dust or ingesting the litter?
What are the risks with the clay litter and are their any safer clumping clay litters?
 

goldenkitty45

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Have you thought about using the wood stove pellets. I HATE clay litters - they don't control smells, and they are too dusty for me or the cats.
 

korina

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Ok first of all, if you got your cats working on corn litter, dont change.

I would consider one of two alternatives, the Wheat litter is excellent.

I never used Precious Cat, but I did buy the Purina Chicken feed which I understand is likely the same product, and it didn't have dust.

What it did though was smell funny and I know my cat didn't like it.

The MAJOR pro to Chicken food is that it is REALLY cheap, like 75% less than Precious or Swheat.

Clay litter is bad for my cat, she gets it on her fur which is fine and fluffy (mink bengal) and it stinks and I dont want her licking it, and does idiotic things like stick her tail between her legs when she pees (also does it when she eats or gets a little nervous)
 

kkh

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Well, that's one of the reason I switched it to Swheat Scoop & Feline Pine(the original pellets kind) as I was concerning on my cat ingesting or inhaling it. May not be too much of a deal in a short term but think of long term...it does not sound so safe for my cat. I've used WBCL but it's too dusty, also we didn't like the smell either. I'm about to use a kind called "Greentea leaves" to see how much it covers odor, also if it's not dusty.
 
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birco

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Thank you all for your comments.

I'd stick with the World's best cat litter if I could, but the doctor says my cat's claw infection might be from an allergic reaction to the corn litter (and Swheat scoop as well).
Other possibility is pemphigus, which costs too much to diagnose throught a biopsy for me.

My cats don't really seem to like Yesterday's news.
And I don't like how the crystal ones don't clump.

Is it possible for cats to get sick from the clay litter dust?
Are there any brands of clay litter that aren't as dusty?
What do you think of the clumping pine ones as an alternative?
 

katgoddess

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I've tried a few clumping clay litters and the one that had the least dust, believe it or not, was Dr. Elsey's. I didn't like the corn litter either, so I gave up and started using a cheaper version of Yesterday's News, aka Good Mews.

IMO, the clumping pine litters are just as bad when it comes to dust and tracking.
 

punkygirl0101

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I actually don't seem to have the same problem everyone else seems to have with clay litter.I think it controls odor just fine, and I like it because it works better than say clumping fror multiple cats.

I have 23 cats, so I can't really spend a lot of money on litter. I prefer spending my money on their vet bills and thier food. And the litter is very disposable, and I use a LOT of it!
 

lovemykitty3

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I use an inexpensive clay litter (25lb bag for $2.99) and it has worked out fine with my cat. It is only dusty when I pour it (which I do in the garage) but after that I don't notice dust, it doesn't stick to him and he has never gone to the bathroom outside his box. (I use a big Litter Maid mat under the box because he's a digger!) Like the previous poster, I'd rather spend money on buying him good quality food rather than on litter.
 

weldrwomn

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I have tried just about every litter available including
Feline Pine
Disney Aristocats pine crumbles
WBCL
Stove pellets
Tidy cats clumping litter
Fresh step clumping
Various other clumping clay litters

The best one that I have found that has virtually no dust and is really nice and long lasting and covers odor is the Arm & Hammer natural clumping litter

http://armandhammeressentials.com/litter.aspx

unlike WBCL, this doesn't seem to be made of the edible corn pieces so I feel it is better. Plus, it is a LOT less dusty than WBCL or chicken crumbles.
 
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birco

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thanks all.. I just wanted to make sure that there are no health risks involved from accidentally ingesting the clay litter. I was worried after reading on the internet that sodium bentonite which is the clumping agent, can make kittens sick. well i guess i'll try different brands and see which is the best..
 

faith's_mom

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I've actually 'discovered' an even cheaper alternative to clay, or annoying tracking powdery 'pine' litters, and that is pine shavings, I prefer the finest shavings I can get.

My kitties never have smelly paws anymore, don't drag litter out of the furnace room, and the actual 'kitty box' smell is pretty much non existant. I just shake the box every day, pick up the clumps, and smooth it out. There is no dust, and the cats adjusted to it just fine.
 

korina

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Has anyone compared directly the difference between Purina Layena Chicken food and Worlds Best Cat litter?

Anybody else have an idiot for a cat who sticks her tail in between her legs as a reaction to everything, including peeing in her litter box?

Imagine what happens to the tail of a mink spotted bengal when her wet tail relaxes into the grossness of clay litter............

If your still reading, Im trying to find the "non-rip off" alternative to Swheat litter (I say this as many consider chicken food that alternative to WBC)
 
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