New prescription diet = litter not cutting it!

[go6car]

Hi Everyone -

I've read everything I can find on here about litter boxes and what litter to use, but I've got a new problem now -- a sticky gooey mess everytime my kitty pees since she's been on her Royal Canin Urinary SO prescription diet (and clearly also loving/using her new cat water fountain, as well!).

The combo I've been using for ~10 years (Littermaid automatic box with ExquisiteCat premium unscented clumping cat litter, or a brand from Walmart -- also premium/uncsented/clumping) has been absolutely fine until now.

I don't know if it's the pH change of the urine from the new diet, or if it's the increased quantity of it, but my current setup just isn't cutting it now. For an automatic box, I'm sure in there an awful lot smoothing out the litter and shoveling out the clumps and goo that didn't get picked up by the rake and/or is still stuck to it.

I recently tried Tidy Cats for small spaces, but that didn't work, so I'm stumped. Has anyone experienced a pH change that also caused the litter to lose its hard clumping power?

I'm open to any change but my baby is recently sight impaired, so I'm not sure I could get anything too strange for her to navigate through...

Thanks for any help!

 

[go6car]

Ok, so off to PetSmart I went. Again.

I donated the rest of the Tidy Cats litter to the homeless shelter that works out of that store, and instead came home with Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Scoopable Litter.

Going to give this a try (in the Littermaid) and we'll see what happens. I'll post findings too -- in the off chance anyone else is having a similar issue.

Thanks!

 

[GoldyCat]

I'm not sure about the gooey part, but if it's sticking the bottom of the litter box you might try putting more litter in. I find that using 5-6 inches of litter the pee doesn't have a chance to get to the bottom before it clumps.

Let us know how the new litter works.

 

[GoldyCat]

Something else occurred to me. Are you sure the gooey clumps are pee and not poop? Sometimes a sudden change in food can cause diarrhea, or at least very soft stools that make odd clumps in the litter.

 

[go6car]

Yes - its the pee +litter causing the goo. The poop is good! A vet check a few weeks ago (with xray/blood/urine tests) all resulted in a very healthy cat! (And I can relax for now that no new bladder stones are on the horizon!).

But, here's the good news - after a day with the new litter I'm really, really encouraged!

Took your advice and overfilled by just a little bit above the Littermaid "fill" line, and so far so good! Seems that with this litter consistency (a bit finer than what I was using previously) it allows me to fill the automatic box a little bit more, but the rake can still get through.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this combination stays good! Thanks!

 

[darlili]

The latest Catnip newsletter (put out by Tufts University) ave Precious Cat Ultra a 'five paws' rating, of five. Apparently the test kitties just loved it, and the human tester said the urine clumps don't break apart. I use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract, part of the same line, and love the stuff.

They reviewed eight litter brands. Only two received the five paw rating.

Hope everything goes well - who would have thought choosing a good litter the kitties like could be such a trial at times!

 

[GoldyCat]

Originally Posted by darlili

The latest Catnip newsletter (put out by Tufts University) ave Precious Cat Ultra a 'five paws' rating, of five. Apparently the test kitties just loved it, and the human tester said the urine clumps don't break apart. I use Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract, part of the same line, and love the stuff.

They reviewed eight litter brands. Only two received the five paw rating.

Hope everything goes well - who would have thought choosing a good litter the kitties like could be such a trial at times!

I've heard and read a lot of people raving about Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat litter. I'm beginning to think I must have gotten a bad bag the only time I tried it. The texture was great, exactly what my kitties like. It clumped OK, but not any better than several other litters I've tried. But I give it five thumbs-down for odor control. As in, odor control was nonexistent. I literally had to follow the cats around and scoop as soon as one of them pooped unless I wanted my house to stink for the rest of the day. Even when they totally covered, the smell was still there. I'm happy with the litter I use currently and am not about to spend more money on Dr. Elsey's just to find out if the first batch was a fluke.

 

[darlili]

hey, if you find a litter that works for the family, stick with it. But I thought the Elsey litters come with money-back guarantees. And, for me, for any kitty with a litter box issue, trying some Cat Attract litter is always a good suggestion. I've had great luck with it, and I think it does a great job of clumping and odor control as well as luring my boy back into the box.

That said, my boy absolutely didn't like his Senior kitty litter - although my girl was fine with it. Go figure.