Bugs in the litter box??

[709juggalette]

Ewww...they look very much like sawtooth beetles,which are a type of flour beetle.

I hate those things.I have never dealt with them in litter or pet food/any other food since being on my own,but several years ago when I still lived home with my parents/sisters we got an infestation of them.Not sure how it started,but they ended up infecting all of our cupboards and getting into all of the food in the cupboards.It was disgusting and still gives me willies to this day.I am getting willies now.

Mom would clean the cupboards out and we threw all infected food away and stored other food in containers,but the bugs were always there...*shudder*.Mom cleaned the cupboards out with bleach a few times every month and eventually we got rid of all the bugs and never had them again.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by KKH

One question is, though...are products with bugs in it safe to use for my cat? I am extremely concerning letting Ku Ku use litters with bugs in it whether they are dead or alive. She may ingest or inhale those bugs...

Do you know that a good portion of a feral cat and small wild cats diets are insects? Sounds gross, but if a cat can catch it they'll usually eat it.. Mine love eating moths, unlucky beetles (sometimes my mealworm beetles get out), flies, crickets - and occasionally I'll bring them a grasshopper to play with and eat. Tanna begs for mealworms and absolutely loves them.

Boo, one of my outdoor kitties, loves the huge green grasshoppers here and cicada... I feel sorry for the cicada, but watching Boo with a large buzzing bug in his mouth is funny.

The beetles and larvae pose no danger to your cat. BUT if they infest that litter long enough their poop can build up in it and that can irritate some people's airways - maybe it could with a cat, too? Your main worry isn't to your cat, though, it's if these insects get into YOUR food.

 

[709juggalette]

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Your main worry isn't to your cat, though, it's if these insects get into YOUR food.

I have to agree with this right here! Since we dealt with it and it was not fun.

 

[catlady60]

I have a similar problem but I am pretty sure it's gnats(fruit flies). I get them every time the idiots above me clog the line pouring grease down the sink. I manage to get rid of them, the clog happens again, and here we go. But they are usually not around the litter because it isn't near a sink. I don't feed wet food at all because it gets covered with them. I have been using a combination of Raid and apple vinegar(set in cups with funnels so they go in but not out) and it was working well but this last time it is not. I use Tidy Cat scoopable litter. Any suggestions?

 

[feralvr]

I have a similar problem but I am pretty sure it's gnats(fruit flies). I get them every time the idiots above me clog the line pouring grease down the sink. I manage to get rid of them, the clog happens again, and here we go. But they are usually not around the litter because it isn't near a sink. I don't feed wet food at all because it gets covered with them. I have been using a combination of Raid and apple vinegar(set in cups with funnels so they go in but not out) and it was working well but this last time it is not. I use Tidy Cat scoopable litter. Any suggestions?

HELLO Catlady - and Welcome to TCS This thread is an old thread from a year ago... Please make yourself at home here on the site. You can post a new thread in the "Care and Grooming" forum regarding the above issue. You will be able to get great support and suggestions in this forum :nod: http://www.thecatsite.com/f/6/care-grooming

Glad you found the site - you can also introduce yourself in the New Cat's forum here. http://www.thecatsite.com/f/20/new-cats-on-the-block

 

[just mike]

I've never seen bugs in my litter box or my cat litter.  Reading this thread with great interest.

 

[grannymaw]

I have the same issues with my 2 cats. They are indoors and never go out, so I'm puzzeled how one gets bugs and ear mites. They both have been treated with the revolution stuff and I even buy often over the counter stuff for fleas and ear mites. My house is clean, wash their bedding once a week if not more often, so what??? 

 

[malinda55]

OMG! I just found bugs in my kitty litter and it was Tidy Cat and it was from Walmart!!! Eww!

 

[catspaw66]

I have been noticing this thread subject pops up about every two years.  Most big store chains just shove the boxes of litter on the shelf without checking them at all.  I have found boxes that were wet, had holes in them, and smelled horrible.  Probably something in the trailer had a bug problem and it spread to everything in the load.  Check all containers of litter, food and toys that you buy before you even put them in your shopping cart. 

You should take that box of litter back to Walmart and demand your money back.  (Mr. Sam is probably rolling in his grave at the state of most Walmarts today)

 

[tyler vogt]

the fleas can live in the litterbox, they can feed on the eggsacks left by tapeworms.

 

[sunngreen]

I've been thinking about this.  Some people have this and some do not.  We live in the south and have this same looking bug sometimes with fruit.  Could it be connected to the food?  Warm climate, digestion in warm kitty, somewhat warm room, etc.?  Because we are older, we try to keep our kitty waste in a container with bag liner and lid to take out once a week.  Does anyone know of a litter that can be flushed without ruining the water system?  I always freeze flour, rice, etc, for at least a day.  Maybe I need to do so for litter and kitty food.  Will let you know!  Glad to have a place to discuss ===ahem----embarrassing topics!  Love my kitty so much.  Had to find a condo that would allow a pet!

 

[bluebo]

Have you ever tried Yesterday's News? It's a great product and I have never seen insects in it. I second the idea of freezing your bag of litter until you need it.
Good luck!

 

[sadie66]

Sorry to hear of your problem, here;s a neat trick get a jar not to large, pour in apple cider vinegar, about 1/4 to 1/2 your preference, then get like  paper towel cardboard roll after it's empty, place in jar into acv, any flying crawling bug will be drawn to it and then drown, it gets rid of nats fruit flys ect, and works quick try it but don't let your cat's drink it, and watch it does vaporize,,just add a little but you won't need to fo very long if you don't have cardboard form paper towels get a piece of cardboard from like a shirt you buy with cardboard lining or whatever you can find roll it so it's like a cone, with narrow part in acv, and top part wider so they can crawl in,it will work

 

[sable lover]

Hello,

I also have bugs in my cat box. It is a covered one, outside on my screened in porch, where my Sable lives. She is too aggressively destructive to live in my house. She was abandoned by a renter who used to live in my home.

Anyway, these bugs do not look like the ones in the photo. The bugs I have are small, with wings, black and look like fat little, short flies. They hop around on the litter. I haven't had them until this summer and just recently took the whole plastic liner out and trashed it. I put in new litter and hopefully I won't have them any more.

Now, I see my kitty has a brownish discharge from her, too. I found, using the plastic liners, keep the litter wet, so I am now thinking of not using them any more. Being disabled, it was much easier for me to keep the pan clean, longer, but now I am afraid those plastic liners, (like plastic bags) are more harmful to the kitty pan than their ease of use. Does anyone agree?

Does anyone know what kind of bugs I'm having, the winged kind? I wonder if this is why my Sable has a discharge too. I can't afford to take her to the vet right now, so if someone knows of a home remedy, I would be grateful for that, too. I am trying to help my ex-husband keep off the streets, for our daughter abandoned him and he is going blind. On my very small income, it is hard to keep him, my beloved two dogs and Sable my porch kitty. So any help is greatly appreciated. Thank you

 

[sable lover]

The link doesn't work, the "Conscious Choice" link, that is. Is there another one that will work? This link goes to another site, I'm sorry to say.

 

[sadie66]

Hi, yea because your having litter pan kinda out doors, and the plastic liners , well the plastic will sweat, and cause nats, ect, and the cats probably got an bacterial infection, prob, needs antibiotic, or probiotics, but for the other problem get apple cider vinegar, put in a glass about half full put around box but not were cat can drink it put a funnel so bugs will crawl down to investigate plus they love the smell of fruit apples ect it will work i swear by it, try it let me know thanks

 

[aristocats mom]

Because of allergies to cat litter I read up on Blue Buffalo Walnut Clumping Litter. This litter also comes in Multi-Cat, the litter has stopped my allergy problems. But now I have what looks lie fruit flies in the litter box and litter genie, I clean my litter boxes at least six times a day. Could it be the walnut in the litter?

 

[corinne adams]

Hi!!! I just had this problem. Also, my cat has been peeing on the couch too I just saw that the creases of the couch were FULL of maggots!!!! eek! It's definitely them being attracted to cat pee! I don't know what to do about this. Does anyone know? My house is relatively clean. I too thought they were fruit flies! 

I sprayed the couch and the house and I'm getting the couch and litter box removed ASAP! I'm considering giving away my kitty too I love her so much but she has accidents regularly (behavioural and not a health issue) and if bugs grow in her accident spots, I can't keep her  

Any advice would be incredible. I am so disturbed by this! 

 

[cat and dog mom]

I have been using walnut litter for months and have had no gnat/fruit fly problem around litter box. I have had gnat problem around composting, but it never spread to litter box.

 

[trevandbur]

 
I have been noticing this thread subject pops up about every two years.  Most big store chains just shove the boxes of litter on the shelf without checking them at all.  I have found boxes that were wet, had holes in them, and smelled horrible.  Probably something in the trailer had a bug problem and it spread to everything in the load.  Check all containers of litter, food and toys that you buy before you even put them in your shopping cart. 

You should take that box of litter back to Walmart and demand your money back.  (Mr. Sam is probably rolling in his grave at the state of most Walmarts today)

There's no need to demand your money back. Just be nice. I work at the customer service desk at Walmart. If someone came in and told me there were bugs in their cat litter, my immediate response would be "If you have your receipt, I can give you your money back, and if not, I can put it on a Walmart gift card for you." Honestly...we take far more returns than we really should. Walmart has a ridiculously liberal return policy. Definitley not saying that this isn't a valid return, because it is, but you can pretty much return nearly anything, for any reason, with little to no hassle.