Clay litter can be hazardous to kittens

[Maxi's mommy]

I just found out yesterday that kittens can ingest clay litter accidentally by playing in the litter box, and the resulting internal damage can be fatal. No clumping or non-clumping clay litter before age one. Paper kitty litter is best for kittens.

 

[klunick]

Interesting. I've had many kittens over the years and have never had them try to eat litter except when I used wheat litter. I stopped using it and went back to clay.

 

[mani]

How To Choose The Right Cat Litter – TheCatSite Articles

Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid clumping litter for young kittens. This prevents the risk of ingesting clumping litter as well as the risk of irritating their delicate airways. Many shelters opt for non-clumping litter to avoid putting kittens at risk.

 

[klunick]

How To Choose The Right Cat Litter – TheCatSite Articles

Generally speaking, it’s best to avoid clumping litter for young kittens. This prevents the risk of ingesting clumping litter as well as the risk of irritating their delicate airways. Many shelters opt for non-clumping litter to avoid putting kittens at risk.

Is clumping litter considered clay litter? I always considered non-clumping litter as clay. I have only used clumping litter once (the wheat kind) and stopped using it because non-clumping is easier for me.

 

[mani]

Is clumping litter considered clay litter? I always considered non-clumping litter as clay. I have only used clumping litter once (the wheat kind) and stopped using it because non-clumping is easier for me.

Quite right klunick and I wasn't clear.. I was more addressing the 'not good for kittens' thing.
I edited it to avoid confusion.

 

[Maxi's mommy]

Is clumping litter considered clay litter? I always considered non-clumping litter as clay. I have only used clumping litter once (the wheat kind) and stopped using it because non-clumping is easier for me.

Yeah, clumping litter is clay. I thought it was all chemical.

 

[Maxi's mommy]

Quite right klunick and I wasn't clear.. I was more addressing the 'not good for kittens' thing.
I edited it to avoid confusion.

I don't relay quotes from other people very well. I add and subtract words. Sorry.

 

[Willowy]

Yeah, clumping litter is clay. I thought it was all chemical.

Clay clumping litter is just clay. No chemicals (well, except for the scent in most formulas)(and also, everything is chemicals but we'll ignore that part, lol). Clay clumps naturally.

Also, not all clumping litters are clay. Some plant-based litters also clump. Those don't seem to cause problems for kittens.

However, I've never heard that non-clumping clay litter is bad for kittens (other than the usual arguments against clay litter in general). Or that cat owners should avoid clumping clay litter until age 1. I've always heard that you can usually switch to clumping clay after 4 or 5 months or whenever the kitten is less likely to sample their litter.