In search of another litter

I don't know if it ever goes on sale, but the two litters I use tend to be cheaper and last longer than normal scooping clay.

I use Arm and Hammer Naturals, or ProPet Natural litter. Both are based on corn and I think pine fibers. The Arm and hammer has a stronger fragrance, that's really the only difference I've found. Both have superior odor control, unbelievable absorb-ability, and don't turn sticky, like clay litter does. (an issue since I have a cat who does not groom his claws, and he tends to get infections from the left-behind litter.) It seems to be dust free.

The problems are that it is much lighter than normal litter, so when you first switch, aggressive diggers may make a bit of a mess. Mixing it 50/50 with a heavier litter might solve that though. If I clean the box every day, the litter lasts at least a month before I feel like I need to change it. It's usually more than fine with just being topped off with more litter.

If you want something for odor control, I do suggest Citrus Magic. It's a borax based litter deodorizer. It has a very pleasant citrus scent, from real citrus oils, and I've never used anything that works as well. It doesn't cause the scaly, flaky or cracked spots on my cats' paws that Baking soda tends to, either. Of course, your experience could be very different. With litter it's just more or less a trial by error. Unfortunately.

Best of luck on your hunt!

First of all, I LOVE the name Ricky Bobby...

I used to use pine litter for environmental reasons, but due to budget tightening I've switched to Tidy Cats in recent months. I don't like the clumping litter simply because I've read too many negative things about it, so I use the non-clumping. If you have a Big Lots in your area, check there... Here they have the Tidy Cats 10lb (I think?) bag for just a few dollars. I've also found coupons for $1 off Tidy Cats in the Sunday paper before.

My Holland is the first cat I've had, so I don't know if I'm lucky or if it's normal, but she has never had a problem with any of the litter I've brought home. She's a little trooper...

Edit: Just re-read your post about the tracking. I don't know if it's my cat or the litter, but I do have stray nuggets of litter just about everywhere within 10 feet of the litter box. I don't know how high non-tracking is on your list of priorities, but in my experience, Tidy Cats is not exactly low tracking. I haven't experienced a lot of dust, though, outside of when I pour it into the box.

I recently switched to Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance clumping and I love it! It clumps wonderfully, and has great odor control because it releases a Febreeze-type smell everytime a cat digs to bury their poo (or when you scoop it), which is great for multiple cats. It is very low-dust, and while it *does* track, the granules are pretty uniform in shape and size so they vacuum up easier than any other litter I've used. I'm not sure if I've ever seen it on sale but I buy a 35 lb canister at regular price for $11 or $12. Another plus is that the canister it comes in has a resealable lid so you can use it to put the poo in when you scoop then just throw it out when you get more litter.

I won't use clumping litter, we use wood pellets. We have the special sieve trays, but you can make your own the wet pellets break down to sawdust, a quick shake a few times a day and the remaining pellets are fresh.

Of course solids are scooped out.

Wood pellets are inexpensive, last a long time, don't track and no dust.

I use Tidy Cat also. It is wonderful for controlling odors. It clumps great. I have never heard of problems with clumping litter. I even asked my vet and he has no problem with it.

Odor control is very important. I have 11 cats and you would never know it!

After a LOT of experimentation (with 17 indoor cats, litter is becoming a specialty, LOL), my favorite is Special Kitty (Wal-Mart brand) Citrus Magic clumping litter (orange box). I like the scent, the cats don't disagree, and I like how it clumps. Plus there's not a lot of dust. Tidy Cats is OK in the clumping department, but I don't like the scent. And it's a bit dustier.

I use chicken feed ... with one other litter mixed in... right now it is good mews which is a paper based litter but not clumping and it does not break apart when peed on ....