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What Cat Litter are You Using?

post #1 of 52
8/31/06 at 4:14pm
Thread Starter 
Hello everyone- I am looking for a new cat litter- we have a kitten that is just getting over worms and our house is getting smelly. can anyone reccomend a good cat litter that absorbs odor and inexpensive?

Thanks!
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post #2 of 52
8/31/06 at 4:18pm
Hmmmm...I've actually found that World's Best Cat Litter has earned it's stripes (and it's name) as far as odor control, clumping, and the amount of time it lasts goes. It's on teh pricey side, but it lasts over a month with just one kittens, it doesn't have that nasty perfumey scent and it doesn't create a mushroom cloud of dust when you pour it into the box. I've always added a coupld cups of baking soda to the box no matter which litter I use. I also have found that the litter met I use traps the WBCL better than it trapped any other litter.

Exquisicat Unscented was ok and dirt cheap. It was just extremely dusty and tracked a lot...but it was good with odor.

Also, WBCL is safe for your kitten to use. Kittens should not be using regular clumping litter because of their tendency to eat it. WBCL is just ground up corn husks.
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post #3 of 52
8/31/06 at 4:46pm
i was a World's Best user...loved it for a year or so.

then, i lost my job and needed something on the less $$$ end of the spectrum.

i'm now using PetSmart's house brand (Exquisicat) of unscented clumping litter, and i've found that it clumps harder and faster...which means less "crumbs" from broken clumps. it also does a really nice job of controlling odor (we have two furbabies), which is really nice, since the litterboxes are in the laundry room, in the FOYER.

i haven't had any problem with dust or tracking. if anything, the dust is LESS that WBL. and for some reason, the cats seem to be kicking less of it out of the boxes. go figure.

i caught it on sale - $9.99 for a 40lb box.

i do agree, though. if your kitten is still a baby, stick with a non-clumping litter (or WBL) until he/she is older.
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post #4 of 52
8/31/06 at 6:03pm
I use Jonny Cat Scoop. It's a clumping litter and it has a nice floral scent that my cats seem to like. It's a fine texture though, like sand, so it tracks. I'm forever sweeping my bathroom floor because it feels like a beach, hehe.

I buy the 8Kg bag and that lasts me almost 2 weeks (10 to 12 days depending how active my cats are in there) for 2 cats, at which time it's very low and I do a complete disinfecting and litter change.
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post #5 of 52
8/31/06 at 9:15pm
Right now I am using Feline Pine. I love that it turns to saw dust when the cats pee...and Inever smell urine. Its just that when they poop THEY STINK TO HIGH HEAVEN and it needs to be scooped out IMMEDIATLY, but this is with everyother cat litter i have tried too ( fresh step, Worlds best, Arm and hammer) I have 3 cats and one being a 7w kitten with worms and is being treated and has mooshy smelly poop right now.
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post #6 of 52
9/1/06 at 4:10am
I am back to WBCL after a period of trying a cheaper clay litter (Arm & Hammer Unscented). The clay litter did a good job with odor control and clumping, but it was very very dusty and I was coughing when I cleaned it, so I figured my little kitty was getting it worse when she was digging. She also had some tummy issues lately and since she has thick, longish fur I didn't like the idea of her ingesting any of the clay litter cleaning herself. WBCLcosts a lot but does a great job, it is completely safe, and lasts a long time. Kitty loves it.
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post #7 of 52
9/1/06 at 9:10am
I'm a newer cat mommy.. We now have 3 babies.. 1 small kitten and 2 larger kittens. We tried Tidy Cat Multi Cat Formula, we hated it.. Doesn't clump good, the beads didn't attach good to either the pee or poop. I really really like Scoop Away. The thing about it the sandy like litter,, and it absorbs quickly and doesn't allow very much break away.... I go with the smell good fresh scent, because it really smells better then poop or pee smell.

Just my thoughts,, i can see paying a ton of money on Cat Litter... All the higher brands I've bought turned out not to be soo good... As for tracking the sandy like litter through the house,, doesn't happen. I have a small rug in front of the litter box,, it was like .85 cents at Walmart or something. And it works great!!!!! Really great!!!

There's my thoughts...
Heather
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post #8 of 52
9/1/06 at 10:56am
Thread Starter 
Thank you so much everyone for all of your feedback- you ladies are great!
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post #9 of 52
9/1/06 at 5:46pm
I am sold on WBCL, even though its expensive, it clumps well, has good odour control, isn't too dusty and lasts ages so isn't as expensive as it seems as you buy less per month
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post #10 of 52
9/1/06 at 6:15pm
I Use Nature's MIracle and it works very well.
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post #11 of 52
9/2/06 at 5:01am
Right now, I am using Fresh Step, it clumps great, but is high on dust, but odor control is very good.

Shanynne
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post #12 of 52
9/2/06 at 7:32am
I also use Fresh Step mainly because that what my kitten's foster home used. It is excellent as far as clumping and odor control. It does have a "carbon-y" scent and he does track it into my hallway. I buy it in the 40lb tub at Costco so it is a very good value.
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post #13 of 52
9/2/06 at 7:44am
I use chicken feed... it the best I have used for the price
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post #14 of 52
9/4/06 at 8:49pm
out of the ones ive tried i like special kitty clumping the best, its also the cheapest. its not perfumey at all and keeps my apartment smelling great.
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post #15 of 52
9/4/06 at 11:19pm
We have 5 fur babes and use Tidy Cat Multi Cat litter.... the odor control is great but it doesnt seem to clump we are going to try Fresh Step this month and see how that works.


.Myles-Anthony
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post #16 of 52
9/5/06 at 11:09am
I use Swheat Scoop and I have to say that I LOVE it. But then again, it's the only thing I've used other than clay (we recently switched to Swheat Scoop a couple of months ago). But even though it's new and I'm enthralled by it, it's pretty obvious that I'm not biased. There's NO smell anywhere, either from the litter itself or the poop/pee (well, when Molly poops, it's a different story, but it has nothing to do with the litter, lol). The litter clumps great; it doesn't clump as fast or hard as clay but it gets the job done (why would you want a rock when just a semi-hard mound does just fine?). Plus, it's flushable, which is saving a lot of labour for my back. Even when I dump the old used litter in a bag and take it outside, I can notice a difference. The clay was HEAVY but this Swheat Scoop is so light in comparison, and I use the same amount as I used for clay!

People have complained that Swheat Scoop glues pee to the bottom of the box and you have to use a jackhammer to free it. I haven't found that problem unless I've let the box stay unscooped for more than a day or so. If you aren't going to be diligent about keeping the box clean, then you deserve the extra effort of freeing the poor pee! lol
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post #17 of 52
9/5/06 at 7:04pm
I am 100% sold on Worlds Best, yet it is a bit on the expensive side. A 17 lb bag lasts me 1-2 months. It is amazing, clumps wonderfully, very low dust, and since it is made from corn you dont have to worry if they happen to eat any of it. I watched a guy(a sales employee from WBCL) at a pet show eat some of the litter. I thought he was crazy. I brought home a small bag for free and fell in love. As for tracking, just use a mat in front of the litter box and PRESTO it solves that. The only downfall is if you kitty is an excessive digger in the litterbox, they tend to come out with some yellow dust on their feet and leave nice lil footprints on anything they come in contact with. One more great thing about WBCL, if you save I think it is 9 UPC's from the litter bags, send them into the company and they will send you $28(or something close to that) in coupons. That is a free bag of cat litter right there.
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post #18 of 52
9/5/06 at 9:17pm
I use Frsh Step and Scoop Away. Really like the FS better, though. Clumps grat, doesn't smell real horrible specially if you have an unaltered male cat.

I used to love World's Best until my one girl got an allergy to it. Now she only uses the Fresh Step litter box.
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post #19 of 52
9/12/06 at 10:10am
I use crystals, been using it for years. I like it because the crystals absorb the pee and keep the odor inside, there is minimal tracking, and minimal dust, and also I have to check my cats' urine ph regularly and the crystals are great because it takes a few minutes for it to absorb the pee so I can get in there with a dipstick and get the ph before the crystals soaks it up.
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post #20 of 52
9/12/06 at 10:43am
I use either Arm & Hammer Super Scoop or Tidy Cat's Scoop- depending which is on sale.

Bryan
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post #21 of 52
9/12/06 at 12:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sicycat View Post
I use crystals, been using it for years. I like it because the crystals absorb the pee and keep the odor inside, there is minimal tracking, and minimal dust, and also I have to check my cats' urine ph regularly and the crystals are great because it takes a few minutes for it to absorb the pee so I can get in there with a dipstick and get the ph before the crystals soaks it up.
what brand is that?
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post #22 of 52
9/12/06 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MylesAnthony View Post
We have 5 fur babes and use Tidy Cat Multi Cat litter.... the odor control is great but it doesnt seem to clump we are going to try Fresh Step this month and see how that works.


.Myles-Anthony
Have you tried it since they changed it recently? The particles are a little larger now, and it has the dehydrating crystals in it. I also had a problem with it clumping occasionally, especially since I have one cat who goes right in the front of the box, everytime in the same spot, but the new Tidy Cats Scoop Crystals Blend (for multiple cats-we have 4 ,down recently from 5-foster kitty is at her new home now ) has been doing a great job, both with clumping and odor control, and since my cats are indoor/outdoor, I don't clean my cat boxes everyday .
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post #23 of 52
9/12/06 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
what brand is that?

I actually like Tidy Cat the best because the crystals are smaller than other brands (the big ones hurt when you step on them barefoot lol).
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post #24 of 52
9/12/06 at 1:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sicycat View Post
I actually like Tidy Cat the best because the crystals are smaller than other brands (the big ones hurt when you step on them barefoot lol).
ok i was curious because of what you said about less tracking which im my biggest problem right now.
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post #25 of 52
9/12/06 at 1:53pm
The bigger crystals will track even less.. because when they get out of the box they are too big to stick to their paws to track.
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post #26 of 52
9/12/06 at 3:02pm
well that will be very nice. just last night miyoko used the litter box and then jumped straight into my bed and piece of litter fell off him and landed in my eye
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post #27 of 52
9/12/06 at 10:47pm
, ( )
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post #28 of 52
9/13/06 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sicycat View Post
The bigger crystals will track even less.. because when they get out of the box they are too big to stick to their paws to track.
ok i went to the store yesterday to buy litter and i saw the tidy cat crystals but i decided to get the tidy cat scoopable crystals blend instead because that just seemed yucky to me that the cats urine stays in the litter box and doesnt get scooped out but just mixed around for a month? yuck?? isnt that kind of yucky?? hehe. i know the crystals absorb it but that doesnt mean it isnt there! it must be ok since everyone who uses it seems to think its great but i just couldnt bring myself to buy it yesterday tell me why it isnt thoroughly disgusting so i will get it next time!!
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post #29 of 52
9/13/06 at 9:03am
We use Fresh Step Crystals and love them. Barely any odor, little tracking, great.
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post #30 of 52
9/13/06 at 1:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaycee View Post
ok i went to the store yesterday to buy litter and i saw the tidy cat crystals but i decided to get the tidy cat scoopable crystals blend instead because that just seemed yucky to me that the cats urine stays in the litter box and doesnt get scooped out but just mixed around for a month? yuck?? isnt that kind of yucky?? hehe. i know the crystals absorb it but that doesnt mean it isnt there! it must be ok since everyone who uses it seems to think its great but i just couldnt bring myself to buy it yesterday tell me why it isnt thoroughly disgusting so i will get it next time!!
Once the crystals absorb the urine they are actually dry to the touch. Yes its still there but .. honestly it doesnt smell, there's less scooping, you dont have to change out the litter as often, less tracking, dust etc etc. I dont let it go a month though, that's a bit too long. I personally think clumping litter is the most disgusting thing ever. The pee sticks to the bottom of the box like cement. To each their own I guess.
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