New Arm and Hammer Clump & Seal litter

[bluebird gal]

Unfortunately I have exhausted all savings so further diagnostic testing had to stop. No difinitive diagnosis was given.
I am treating them symptomatically now.

If you have exhausted all diagnostic testing, then how did you personally determine it was the litter?  Just curious as we use this litter and have had zero issues of any kind at all with our two boys.  I'm sure a number of folks here would agree.

 

[lamiatron]

 
I also can't stand heavily scented products and I find this litter to be strongly scented.  The scent also seems to linger much longer after pouring and comes back strongly, every time the cat goes into the box.  Another possible problem is my cat has started sneezing, repeatedly since starting with this litter.

i haven't used this particular type of arm and hammer litter, but i've used their other kinds, and i agree. arm and hammer litter is super dusty. it made both of my cats sneeze soo much. 

 

[lamiatron]

Unfortunately I have exhausted all savings so further diagnostic testing had to stop. No difinitive diagnosis was given.
I am treating them symptomatically now.

i'm sorry that your cats got sick.

what led you to believe that it was the litter and not anything else?

i would like to know...please share what you know with others on this thread so that if anyone else has similar issues, they know what to look out for.

how are your cats doing now? what litter are you using now? is that something you would recommend to others in lue of the clump and seal but a&h

 

[happyliz]

I loooove the litter by far my favorite!

 

[sam1]

I'v been reading reviews about clump and seal by arm and hammer just to see if anyone else had high vet bill or their cat needed surgery from licking their paws which put litter in their stomachs which has to be removed  with surgery. It clumps like cement  in the stomach. DON'T USE THIS PRODUCT. My cat had such a bad reaction to the chemicals in this litter hair loss on front and back legs and on stomach these turned into sores.After spending 600.00 on vet bills i finally figured out that it was the litter.READ OTHER REVIEWS ON OTHER SITES. MY CAT SUFFERED DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR CAT. cleaned cat box well to make sure all traces were gone and used fresh step i'm not a huge fan of this litter but it never made my cat sick, i used clump and seal around 2 months before i started noticing problems i just hope he'll be ok.

My bills were 600.00 by the time i realized it was the litter. My cat is better after 10 days but still i wait to see if the licking of the stomach is a blockage from litter.WE NEED TO MAKE THEM PAY ARE BILLS IF THEY PUT OUT A PRODUCT THAT KILLS OR INJURIES OR BELOVED ANIMALS

 

[remmiebrandt]

I'm looking for a new cat litter - I was using and loving scoop away for years - got it at bulk at costco but over the past year it just became a dust ball - my house and everything in it is covered with kitty litter dust - everything smells like the cat litter. The last straw was when my cats started smelling like cat litter all the time and I kissed one and got a taste of litter in my mouth and I realized it must be killing them. I read all the reviews on amazon and settled on the dr elsey precious cat litter. I tried it and what a difference - very little dust so I ordered a few bags from chewy online. Unfortunately I got to using the last bag and it isn't absorbing the odor - I asked dr elsey about the inconsistency and they said they had some trouble with their dust machine or something and were working on it. Meanwhile chewy raised the price by $5 a bag. It is too expensive to buy cat litter for $20 - with multiple cats I wind up spending more on their litter then on my lunch for the month. There has to be a litter inbetween unhealthy dust buckets and going broke - I like the convenience of clumping litter and that is what I'm used too. Looked at the reviews on amazon and they all hate the arm and hammer - but pretty much there weren't any other litters people seemed to agree on. I was hoping here would be some recommendations.

 

[mnm]

yikes, scary.
I use Swheatscoop ..it's flushable too...

 

[chromium blues]

 
i would recommend Nature's Miracle Intense Defense Clay Clumping Litter

-unscented

-clumps instantly (in 1 min or less)

-awesome odor control

-tracks very little. dust: very little

I'm guessing that tidy cats affect your allergies because they are not only heavily scented, but also it tracks A LOT and is REALLY dusty. my black kitty used to come out a different color after using the box. lololololllll

Tried Nature's Miracle clay litter with a foster cat (was given a bag), and found that it smelled like musty potting soil (pre-use). I wound up throwing it out as the litter box was beginning to smell a bit "zooey."

 

[sabycat]

My cat also has become sick.  HE is vomiting (dry heaving) and passing blood through rectum.  Also, I have personally become sick from the product.  I say "do not use it".

 

[lamiatron]

 
Tried Nature's Miracle clay litter with a foster cat (was given a bag), and found that it smelled like musty potting soil (pre-use). I wound up throwing it out as the litter box was beginning to smell a bit "zooey."

@Chromium Blues

its funny you mention this..because the recent two batches of  Nature's Miracle litter that I bought had the SAME smell....and i think there may have been a formula change...

UGHH. 

It still does a good job of clumping, but I've noticed it is wayyy dusty now. I'm so annoyed.

@sabycat

I'm so sorry to hear about your cat I hope he is doing better now with the switch of litter...and I hope you are doing better as well 

 

[chromium blues]

All clay litters can vary some with regards to dust, but if its happening all the time, its definitely a change in the formula. They're probably trying to make the stuff more cheaply. We just tried the new Kitty's Choice cat litter in one of our smaller litter boxes. I usually dump a 22lb box of Fresh 4 Life Multi in there, but decided to see what this new stuff was like, as it's 33lb for a dollar less. Its a fraction dustier, but it clumps really well and fills the litter box better. We'll still use the 40lb bags of Fresh 4 Life Multi in the larger litter boxes, but I like Kitty's Choice for the small one.

 

[lamiatron]

 
All clay litters can vary some with regards to dust, but if its happening all the time, its definitely a change in the formula. They're probably trying to make the stuff more cheaply. We just tried the new Kitty's Choice cat litter in one of our smaller litter boxes. I usually dump a 22lb box of Fresh 4 Life Multi in there, but decided to see what this new stuff was like, as it's 33lb for a dollar less. Its a fraction dustier, but it clumps really well and fills the litter box better. We'll still use the 40lb bags of Fresh 4 Life Multi in the larger litter boxes, but I like Kitty's Choice for the small one.

Hmmm...i've never heard of the brands you mention..but i'll look into them.

for now, i'm mixing the nature's miracle that I have left with some tidy cats litter, until they both run out. it's DUSTY as hell..and i feel bad for the BF as he's on permanent litter cleaning duties until my back gets better...but it is helping with the smell. I'm just really disappointed with the dust and with the odor issue...but as far as clumping is concerned, it still does an amazing job. I'm going to have to try another brand and see what works for kitties and humans both. 

The best litter type of litter I have used and liked is crystal. but with 3 cats, and 3 boxes...it gets kind of expensive. 

 

[sophie1]

I got interested in this when I read "no dust" in the original post, so I checked reviews on Amazon.  The very first one that comes up recounts a tale of a veterinary disaster:  the litter is very fine, and the reviewer's cat ingested a lot of it due to licking her paws after using the litter box.  The result was a rock hard clump in the stomach that had to be surgically removed.  Could the posters reporting health problems from this and other clumping clay litters specify whether their cats were evaluated for obstruction?  I imagine it would show up on an X-ray.

On a related note, I was at Petco and I noticed that the texture of their bulk litter is finer than it used to be, and it's incredibly dusty.  I wonder if all the clay litter manufacturers are changing their process.  I'm not a big fan of inhaling silica dust on a daily basis, either for me or my cats.  A friend told me that this same litter resulted in a clay clump in his cat's throat (sic) that had to be surgically removed.  Having had a veterinary disaster of my own (cat swallowed piece of a toy and obstructed, leading to a $6,000 vet bill) I'm not willing to tempt fate.   My friend switched to World's Best and the Blue Buffalo walnut litter.  They're both pricey, but the Blue Buffalo tracks much less than World's best and it apparently lasts longer due to greater absorbency.

So I'm giving the walnut litter a try.  Just a few handfuls in the box, to start.  So far it looks lovely, there was no detectable dust, and I've not noticed any tracking.  Hopefully the cost per month won't be too much more than standard clay.  It certainly is no worse than the new Clump & Seal brand.

 

[chromium blues]

I've been curious about the walnut litter myself, but I've had some adverse reactions to nuts in the past and didn't want to tempt fate. Not sure if breathing in walnut dust could result in a case of hives.

 

[gigi 1]

I just began using the Clump & Seal Naturals. Please don't use this litter unless you want your house & cat to smell like overpowering cheap air freshener. ARM & HAMMERS litter are usually very effective, but this just stinks!

 

[flmickey90]

I've been using this kind for a bit now. I was unsure about it at first, but had been reading on pages I liked on Facebook some time ago and decided to give it a shot. I had bought my first box when I had my first kitty, Shadow, before she went missing and continue to use it now with the cat I adopted.  There's been times I've switched between the scented and the multi cat one (even with just one cat) as the multi cat doesn't have the overpowering scent like the other.  I have heard more bad than good about any lightweight brands and refuse to get the lightweight clump and seal type and even told my mom to stay away from it if I have to ask her to get some.  

 

[Kat0121]

 
I've been using this kind for a bit now. I was unsure about it at first, but had been reading on pages I liked on Facebook some time ago and decided to give it a shot. I had bought my first box when I had my first kitty, Shadow, before she went missing and continue to use it now with the cat I adopted.  There's been times I've switched between the scented and the multi cat one (even with just one cat) as the multi cat doesn't have the overpowering scent like the other.  I have heard more bad than good about any lightweight brands and refuse to get the lightweight clump and seal type and even told my mom to stay away from it if I have to ask her to get some.  

I sometimes get the multi cat Clump & Seal. As picky as my cats are about food, they don't care which litter I use. Right now, I use Tidy Cats the most. I am very tempted to stop by Tractor Supply Company and pick up a bag of the pine pellet horse bedding to use as litter. People here use and and most reviews on TSC for the product are from people who use it as cat litter. At $5.99 for 40 pounds, the price makes it pretty tempting.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/equine-fresh-pine-pellet-stall-bedding-40-lb

 

[cloud4all]

Thanks for all the info everyone! I have a litter question. My 4 healthy cats have always used Arm & Hammer super scoop UNSCENTED clumping litter. They & I love everything about its
effectiveness EXCEPT the price. I now use Target's Boots & Barkley UNSCENTED
litter which is the same thing (also has baking soda) but less expensive. Anyone know where the same ingredients can be purchased for even less? Thanks!

 

[carol heim]

My cat is at the animal clinic right now awaiting surgery tomorrow morning. She has a blockage in her colon that won't move. X-rays show a mass with white specs that look like litter. I had just recently switched to Arm & Hammer. Hmm?  

 

[flmickey90]

@Carol Heim   So sorry you're furbaby is going through this.  I have recently switched from the multi cat and/or the fresh scent ones (mainly the multi cat) to the micro guard one and haven't had any issues.  My previous one that is missing had a UTI, but didn't seem to be linked to the litter.  Please keep us updated on how things go!

 
I sometimes get the multi cat Clump & Seal. As picky as my cats are about food, they don't care which litter I use. Right now, I use Tidy Cats the most. I am very tempted to stop by Tractor Supply Company and pick up a bag of the pine pellet horse bedding to use as litter. People here use and and most reviews on TSC for the product are from people who use it as cat litter. At $5.99 for 40 pounds, the price makes it pretty tempting.

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/equine-fresh-pine-pellet-stall-bedding-40-lb

@Kat0121   So sorry for the LONG delay in responding.  That's where I go to get Frannie's (and Shadow when I had her before she went missing) food.  I got the 4Health indoor formula for her food but had to switch when she had the UTI. Frannie, I have her on the Grain free Whitefish and potato.  I'll try to keep in mind about looking at that in person as well when I go as it does sound interesting as I've read others that have use something like that and other types that aren't litter or what people would normally get.  The only downside is for a bag that big, we don't have to much extra room for a big bag like that to put anywhere.  So far I've been pretty happy with the A&H Microguard litter