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Dangers in corn litter too?

post #1 of 14
12/3/10 at 5:52pm
Thread Starter 
(I hope I'm posting this in the correct section. Apologies if not.)

With Gus and Liz's sea-sawing health issues, I'm trying to make sure that I'm looking after their health on all fronts. I've always used clay clumping litter with them, but after hearing about the dangers in the dust (both carcinogenic and just the dangers of it hardening in the lungs), I've looked into switching to an alternative.

I've considered crystals, but am nervous about silica gel. I've thought about pine litter, but without going into a large tangent, we can't risk her being allergic to it with her very touchy health and need to stay away from pred and antibiotics as long as we can. I've most recently considered something "natural" like clumping corn-based litter (like World's Best Cat Litter), but I started wondering: Wouldn't that kind of litter (no matter how natural) still run the risk of it clumping in their lungs because of its powder/dust particles?

Corn litter was what I was leaning towards, but concerns about inhaling it's dust makes me nervous too.

Any suggestions on what would be natural, low probability of allergic reaction (I doubt they're allergic to corn since I'm pretty sure they may have had corn products before), low risks of clumping in lungs, and low odor?

Or does such a thing even exist...?
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post #2 of 14
12/4/10 at 5:53am
All I can offer regarding this is that I use WBCL and I don't see any dust. The particles are bigger than clay litter, but no dust.

My cats adjusted to it very quickly with no problems. I made one pan, lined up among the others, the WBCL to see what they would do. They ignored it and only used the clay litter pan for a couple days. Then gradually they started using the WBCL pan. After that I just topped the other clay pans with WBCL for a few days. Then changed them all to WBCL.

HTH

Robin
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post #3 of 14
12/4/10 at 6:12am
Because of Dexter's allergy to someting in clay litter, we have used WBCL for several years.

We use 1 & 1/2 - 17lb bags a month in a very large litter box.
When I pour a new bag into a clean litter box, there is almost no dust.
However, over time, because of my cats digging and my scooping, it tends to break down.
My black kitty's feet, after about 2 weeks of a new litter bag, are covered in corn dust when she gets out of the litter box.

IMHO, there is no perfect litter yet.
For us, WB is a compromise.
As far as causing lung issues with long term use, I just don't know but my guess would be...maybe.
We just don't have any other options, that I know of, at this time.

Good luck with your sweetie pie.
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post #4 of 14
12/4/10 at 6:13am
I hope you find a litter that you like, but just in case the kitties end up preferring clay litter (and from experience, I know at least some cats have very very strong preferences!), have you ever tried the Dr. Elsey line of litters (Precious Cat, etc.)? They have a couple of formulations, including some quite low dust clumping litters, including the invaluable Cat Attract litter.

It can be hard, I know - litters I've liked for various swere vehemently rejected by my boy!
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post #5 of 14
12/4/10 at 6:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by darlili View Post
I hope you find a litter that you like, but just in case the kitties end up preferring clay litter (and from experience, I know at least some cats have very very strong preferences!), have you ever tried the Dr. Elsey line of litters (Precious Cat, etc.)? They have a couple of formulations, including some quite low dust clumping litters, including the invaluable Cat Attract litter.

It can be hard, I know - litters I've liked for various swere vehemently rejected by my boy!
I agree, Dr. Elsey litter is the best clay out there.
Unfortunately, Dexter, my asthma boy, had a life threatening asthma attack, just 2 weeks after trying it.

But for kitties who do not have a sensitivity to something is clay litter, my experience is that Dr Elsey's litters the least dusty out of all the clay litters.
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post #6 of 14
12/4/10 at 8:12am
Unless your cat has a corn allergy or respiratory issues the WBCL should be fine. If your cat does have respiratory issues there's the tidy cat breeze and the smart cat box systems - breeze uses pellets and the smart cat box uses smaller safflower seeds. There is no dust, but neither clumps or offers any sort of odor control.
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post #7 of 14
12/4/10 at 12:57pm
Many have noted the respitory end of it... corn litter is that corn.. it is at least semi digested thus not much rick of clumping inside
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post #8 of 14
12/4/10 at 11:53pm
I have used World's Best and Swheat Scoop.

I have a pretty good air-filter in both the walk in closets that hold the four litterboxes.

Neither dust a lot, but the filter in the WBCL closet is ten times as dirty as the one in the Swheat Scoop closet, and they are identical shaped closets in both the guest rooms and the same litterbox designs.

World's Best is corn though, so unless there is a corn allergy, I don't see how a tiny bit of dust would matter.

Swheat Scoop is made from wheat on the other hand. If I had to choose between the two, I'd go w/ Swheat just for the odor absorption.

Note that this is using the max clumping red bag WBCL and the multi-cat clumping formula Swheat in the green bag. There are multiple formulas for each.
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post #9 of 14
12/5/10 at 10:46am
I've been interested in that Swheat Scoop litter, mostly because of the amount of chemicals put on corn, and wheat is a bit better that way. And it is interesting that you say the odor absorption is better than WBCL.

But wasn't there a thread recently about bugs found in that wheat litter?

I wouldn't like that!


Robin
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post #10 of 14
12/5/10 at 11:30am
If the breeze or smart cat box ideas that StrangeWings mentioned are appealing to you, I'll post pics of my DIY version - I drilled holes in a regular plastic litter box, stacked that in another litter box, prop it on one end at a tilt with a piece of wood, and use whole unpopped popcorn kernels as litter. We searched hi and low for safflower seed locally and couldn't find any and I didn't want to buy online til I was sure she'd use it.

Of course she adapted with about a 2 week transition from clay and since she doesn't mind the corn, we haven't bothered to get safflower since then.

Since her box is right next to my toilet, pewps get cleaned as soon as I notice, and I check for pee at the same time, which I just rinse out & pour into the toilet as well. Maybe not so great for more than one kitty thou.

I'm glad for the info on other options cuz our houseguest needs something dust free after his surgery this week anyway.
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post #11 of 14
12/5/10 at 11:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by funDivaChristy View Post
If the breeze or smart cat box ideas that StrangeWings mentioned are appealing to you, I'll post pics of my DIY version - I drilled holes in a regular plastic litter box, stacked that in another litter box, prop it on one end at a tilt with a piece of wood, and use whole unpopped popcorn kernels as litter. We searched hi and low for safflower seed locally and couldn't find any and I didn't want to buy online til I was sure she'd use it.
Interesting idea...
I would love to see a picture of that.
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post #12 of 14
12/5/10 at 12:27pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for all the input. This seems like it can set us in the right directions.
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post #13 of 14
12/5/10 at 2:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by funDivaChristy View Post
ut & pour into the toilet as well. Maybe not so great for more than one kitty thou.
I actually use DIY boxes, too. I can't get the smart cat box or tidy cat breeze locally. And it works fine for multiple cats, of course you need more boxes - but not the one box per cat +1. I have 4 boxes, this equals a box in every room they go into (aside from the kitchen) and one in the hallway. I dump bottom box out daily, rinse it, spray a little bleach water in and rinse a few more times, then dry it. Every other to every third day I'll pull the top strainer box and give it a thorough scrub (along with everything else).

As long as everything is kept dumped and scooped you don't have any odor except for poop smell right as and immediately after a cat goes - but nothing can help that no matter what you use.

I actually like being able to just dump the urine out in the toilet. Less trash going to a landfill that way.
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post #14 of 14
12/5/10 at 3:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bastetservant View Post
I've been interested in that Swheat Scoop litter, mostly because of the amount of chemicals put on corn, and wheat is a bit better that way. And it is interesting that you say the odor absorption is better than WBCL.

But wasn't there a thread recently about bugs found in that wheat litter?

I wouldn't like that!


Robin
That can happen with any edible plant protein (which naturally includes corn), but I've gone though tons of the stuff and never encountered this myself.

In the rare instance you opened one and saw bugs, I am sure you could just tape it back closed and exchange it at Petsmart. Mine even accepts opened dry food if your cat won't eat it. Great customer service.

Right now I actually just mix the Swheat and WBCL. Swheat is less dust, better odor absorption, and smells better than the corn based litters, but the WBCL is a finer formula and has superior clumping and tracks less than the big pieces of wheat which can get stuck in toes for a couple steps. Combining the two masks not only the poop smell but the odd stale cornflakes odor, and works really well for clumping in my experience.
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