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Litter nearly killed my baby!

post #1 of 19
9/7/11 at 8:01am
Thread Starter 
Hi Everyone..

Just wanted to give a fair caution to the new Wal-Mart litter (Cat's Pride), I had for a year since I got the babies (Smokie - age 8 years, bandit 9 months) been using Tidy Cats scoop multiple cats 24.7 performance.

I love to save money, who doesn't so when I saw "Comparable to Tidy Cats" Cat's Pride litter in Wal-Mart for $1 cheaper, PLUS a coupon attached to it for $1.50 I couldn't resist.

Long story short, Smokie slowly started getting sick- itchy paws. Yesterday he had a 105 fever, which is really high for cats- so we went to the vet and he has a massive upper respiratory infection, plus he had been chewing his paws to get the itch off.

The vet suggested the litter was the issue, and said there had been many issues with the Cat's Pride litter and to steer clear of it. Apparently the dust can give cats respiratory illness.

Anyway, little babe is on antibiotics and seems to be doing better (Clavamox) - No fever today and is actally walking, eating, and drinking-

I just wanted to let everyone know!!!
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post #2 of 19
9/7/11 at 8:25am
It might be new at Wal-Mart, but they've sold it at grocery stores for years. And I know people who have been using it for years with no ill effects. I wonder if they've changed the formula, or if your poor boy just had an allergic reaction (which can happen with any litter). Poor Smokie, I'm glad to hear he's improving.
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post #3 of 19
9/7/11 at 10:37am
I suppose there could be a deodorant added to it that could cause a problem.

But, so far as I know, there's only one major manufacturer of cat litter in the USA. There may be other, smaller ones that I haven't dealt with, but virtually all the cat litter in the country is made by a company called OilDri. Yes, that's right, cat litter started as a commercial product used in industry to absorb oil spills.

There may be some up-and-coming competitor that WalMart uses. I wonder if it's imported?

So, there are good odds that Cat's Pride is made by the same people as Tidy Cat. But it's hard to find that out. There may even be something on the container that says who manufactured it, but I have also picked stuff up from a manufacturer that says it wasn't manufactured by that manufacturer!

What I'm getting at is what the previous person said. That brand has been around for a long time, it likely is identical to Tidy Cat, and the only difference is likely to be an additive like some scent or something, which can certainly cause a reaction in a certain percentage of cats, but that would be true of almost any brand you buy.
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post #4 of 19
9/7/11 at 10:40am
Sounds like an allergic reaction perhaps to a perfume added in.

I would take note of what specifically was in that litter, so that you can be sure not to buy another one that it shares ingredients with.

Personally, I'm a big fan of natural litters like Swheat Scoop, World's Best, Feline Pine, and other litters that don't contain silica and sodium bentonite, are from renewable sources that don't contribute to strip mining, and are biodegradable or can be flushed so as not to contribute to land fills. BUT, you can potentially have the same thing, if you or your kitty are allergic to wheat then a bad reaction is possible.
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post #5 of 19
9/7/11 at 10:49am
I have been usingt Cats Pride Natural for a while now with no ill effects. it says on the container that Johnny Cat liners are the best to use with it so maybe the same manuacturer? Good luck to your kitty I hope he gets better soon
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post #6 of 19
9/7/11 at 11:43am
Poor Smokey! Glad he is getting better. I think he had an allergic reaction to some ingredient in that litter. Bandit was fine, right? Thanks for the head's up.
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post #7 of 19
9/7/11 at 12:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nebula View Post
Hi Everyone..

Just wanted to give a fair caution to the new Wal-Mart litter (Cat's Pride), I had for a year since I got the babies (Smokie - age 8 years, bandit 9 months) been using Tidy Cats scoop multiple cats 24.7 performance.

I love to save money, who doesn't so when I saw "Comparable to Tidy Cats" Cat's Pride litter in Wal-Mart for $1 cheaper, PLUS a coupon attached to it for $1.50 I couldn't resist.

Long story short, Smokie slowly started getting sick- itchy paws. Yesterday he had a 105 fever, which is really high for cats- so we went to the vet and he has a massive upper respiratory infection, plus he had been chewing his paws to get the itch off.

The vet suggested the litter was the issue, and said there had been many issues with the Cat's Pride litter and to steer clear of it. Apparently the dust can give cats respiratory illness.

Anyway, little babe is on antibiotics and seems to be doing better (Clavamox) - No fever today and is actally walking, eating, and drinking-

I just wanted to let everyone know!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
It might be new at Wal-Mart, but they've sold it at grocery stores for years. And I know people who have been using it for years with no ill effects. I wonder if they've changed the formula, or if your poor boy just had an allergic reaction (which can happen with any litter). Poor Smokie, I'm glad to hear he's improving.
I use Wal-Mart Special Kitty brand cat litter. I know that is not the same but I have never had a problem with that "brand". I also know people (friends and coworkers) who use the above cat litter and have had no problem. I have also seen it used in shelters across the USA and never seen such an issue.

Just as Willowy said it is likely an allergy that is specific to your cat. I mean it could happen to other cats but I would not say it is going to happen in all cats. I would also say it is NOT the litters "fault". Also as Willowy said it could happen with any cat litter.

I am glad your cat is getting better and you found the issue .
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post #8 of 19
9/7/11 at 7:50pm
I have to agree that your poor kitty may have had an allergic reaction to something, but I have used this litter for years with no issues. I also tried the new product that they just added in WalMart ( fresh and light) and I think it's awesome! Low dust, low tracking and it's lighter weight than most litters...but somehow it's the same amount of litter as the other brands I have used. I hate carrying the litter up 3 flights of stairs to my apartment and this litter is supposed to be about 25% lighter and it was! Plus, my babies loved it! Maybe you should give it another try. I'm glad your baby is feeling better, but to claim a litter almost killed your cat is pretty extreme.
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post #9 of 19
9/7/11 at 8:00pm
Ooh, I wouldn't recommend trying it again. Once a cat has had an allergic reaction, it'll probably happen again. Not worth it.
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post #10 of 19
9/8/11 at 4:29am
I have 6 cats and have been using that litter for years..Never had a problem.Your cat must have a allergy to something in it...Don't use it again.
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post #11 of 19
9/8/11 at 8:10am
Wow Nebula! Thanks for the heads up So sorry you had to go through this. I'm guessing it's one of the additives in the litter your little meezer had the reaction to. I would really make sure I would know all of the ingredients in that particular litter so you can avoid buying another litter that might possibly contain the ingredient(s) your baby is allergic to.

I've been using Fresh Step Multiple Cat for years and years with no problems but have wanted to change litter because I don't like the dust from it. Every time I've tried to use a different litter the cats avoid that particular litter box like I've put poison in it I would like to try a more natural litter. Thanks again for the post.
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post #12 of 19
9/8/11 at 8:51am
Different continent here, but I've been getting very bad asthma attacks - the first in my life - and have pinned it down to the cheap brand of cat litter I've been using (in large quantities with all the new rescue kitties). It's very dusty, and can't be good to breathe all that in.
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post #13 of 19
9/10/11 at 7:23am
We got this litter too when we adopted our new kitten. Usually we use tidy cat but I actually bought this litter and it is extremely dusty even I have asthma attacks when I am scooping the litter dust gets everywhere! We were hoping to wait until Sheila was over her coccidia before we changed but she went back to her vet yesterday and has an upper respiratory infection so we changed her litter to the Mimi litter.

I'm not telling people to stop using the litter immediately or anything if it works for you and your cats that's wonderful. Unfortunetely it just didn't mesh with my crew.
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post #14 of 19
9/10/11 at 7:28am
Thread Starter 
I am so glad it isn't just me!! Anyway, I have a brand new jug of it still I think I will be taking back to the store!
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post #15 of 19
9/11/11 at 8:31am
we just dumped the boxes and went with mimi litter which the cats are using no problem. Unfortunetely it's so hard to find it out by us if you don't buy it the day you see it it's gone! She seems to be doing a little better too since the change and everything else.
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post #16 of 19
9/11/11 at 10:57am
I just wanted to pop in to say I'm so sorry for anyone who's had problems with litter. I have asthma, and can't afford the Dr. Elsley's Precious Kitty allergy/asthma litter. I've had really good success with the Walmart Special Kitty litter in the green box. (UNSCENTED!) (Walmart brand is Special Kitty, it's not available elsewhere like the Cat's Pride is). Some people who have CATS with asthma say the Walmart Special Kitty litter in the green box is too dusty for their kitties, but it does say it's 99.9% dust free, and I saw a noticable difference in and around the litter boxes (and in my breathing) once we started using it.

All of that said, Walmart is a long drive for us, and the litter boxes were getting really low, and an ability to get to Walmart wasn't on the horizon. Cat's Pride hypoallergenic, unscented litter was at the supermarket - the only unscented litter available there. We purchased it, and it was great. It's just more expensive.

So the problem was obviously something used in the scented version.

Personally, I'd recommend using unscented litters for anyone, not just people or kitties with allergies.
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post #17 of 19
9/11/11 at 12:23pm
I don't think cats actually have any love of most of the scents humans like. Flowers, pine, etc., just overwhelm their delicate olfactory senses. We and our cats would probably be better off if that stuff disappeared from the market. But I don't see that happening, any more that scent is going to disappear from soap, shampoo, etc.
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post #18 of 19
9/11/11 at 2:13pm
Actually, the green box Special Kitty isn't technically unscented. It says it's supposed to be "fresh scent", but I've never been able to smell it. I like the Special Kitty scoopable litters (orange and green boxes, not brown), but they're not my favorites right now.
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post #19 of 19
9/11/11 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 
Not going to use anything other than Tidy cats scoop for mltiple cats 24/7 performance clumping, don't want to risk anything else!
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