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Alternatives to clay litter

post #1 of 3
5/7/11 at 11:46am
Thread Starter 
Kitty litter is probably one of the biggest expenses as far as cat care for me, and it gets expensive to have to spend $15 a week on clay pellets.

So I'm considering looking into possible alternatives...not necessarily homemade litter, but just stuff I can use that won't be so pricey. I've seen suggestions in other places for cat litter, which were things like shredded newspaper, sawdust and even plain old soil.

I'm leaning toward soil maybe mixed with baking soda since the cats' boxes aren't near any carpeting. And having a big yard, there is no shortage of dry brown dirt. I figure once the box needs cleaning, I can just toss the dirt back outside.

Any suggestions for other things I can pour in a box for my kitties to do their business on?
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post #2 of 3
5/7/11 at 12:22pm
The single most important thing is, while you transition to any new litter, to make sure you have a box of the litter they're successfully using now available - just in case. Many cats are extremely sensitive to texture and/or scent of litter - and if a kitty doesn't like the litter, she won't use the box.

Also, you can read up on how to transition litter - usually you gradually mix the new into the old, increasing the percentage bit by bit, until you're using only the new stuff. But, again, that only works if the cat accepts the new litter.

What kind of litter are you currently using? I spent about $13 for a 20 pound sack of Cat Attract litter which lasts a month split over two boxes - I do scoop twice daily and just change out the litter entirely once a month.
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post #3 of 3
5/8/11 at 1:12am
Thread Starter 
I use Special Kitty litter, fill three boxes with it and change the litter every week. I have to - with three cats, the litter gets very stinky very quickly. And each sack of litter I get is about 20 pounds as well. Maybe I'm making the litter too deep - usually I pour it to about a depth of 2 or so inches.

I have a spare catbox, so I might just try filling it with dirt and baking soda and seeing what they do with it. They seem to use one box for urinating, one box for defecating, and the other one is rarely ever used, for some reason. I might just use that neglected box for a dirt experiment and see how they like it. I mean I'll remove any rocks and bugs and stuff from any dirt I find. I'd like to see how it clumps, holds in odor, and how much it gets used compared to their usual brand.
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