Best cat litter/ what do you use?

[dustin92]

I recently adopted a cat and have had absolutely NO luck with cat litter! I started out with arm & hammer double duty litter and the scent was so strong the entire house smelled like cat litter! Then I tried an off brand from pamida, scoopable, and it was ok but the clumps usually fell apart before i could get them bagged up. Next up and currently I am using Special Kitty with citrus magic from walmart and it absolutely does not eliminate any odor! what do you use and how well does it work?

 

[aamassther]

I've used "worlds best" litter for about 10 years. It's a corn based litter, not clay. It clumps well enough to use in a littermaid and has decent odor control. It also doesn't have the alleged health risks associated with clay clumping litters.

 

[bugsyjones]

Firstly, I haven't the time or desire to scoop litter. I bought a Littermaid. One of the best purchases I've made. I suggest and recommend it to every cat owner.

They try to get you to buy their brand of litter but it's way over-priced.

I've tried different litters each with different results. Each one does have decent odor control.

Scoop Away - A good quality litter, but it clumps up too hard and the rake gets stuck.

9 Lives - Good odor control but the clumps are too loose preventing any litter pickup at all.

Tidy Cats - Excellent odor control and just the right amount of clump to operate smoothly. It's almost always on sale and there's often coupons for it. Even though I do not have the box in a 'small space' I buy the 'Small Spaces' multiple cats type. I find it has the maximum amount of odor control. I've never had an odor issue.

But like all litter boxes, you must thoroughly clean the Littermaid periodically to maintain performance and to keep odors to a minimum.

~Tim J.

 

[peterh770]

I use Tidy Cat for Multiple Cats 24/7 Performance. It clumps firmly and is not overly perfumy. Pricewise, it is about one step up from the cheapest.

 

[nmassman44]

Well with 4 cats we use the Fresh Step clumping litter. I swear by the stuff and I buy a 42 pound bag at BJ's for $14. That lasts about a month. The Fresh Step has activated carbon and it works.

 

[nmassman44]

Oh and we went thru 6 LitterMaids and went back to a regular box. They are not durable at all in my experience.

 

[dustin92]

ok, I am going to try tidy cats or fresh step. hopefully that will work for me! I have the time and dont mind scooping the litter out once a day, so I probably wont spend the $100+ on a littermaid.

 

[iheartmaytag]

When I had a cat, I am now kittyless after the last one died two years ago. We always used Tidy Cat. 

 

 

 

[volvoguy87]

Litter is only one part...

When I had my cats when I lived in Savannah, they came into the house eating Meow Mix cat food. We switched them to Nutro Indoor Adult Cat Food. After the switch, the litter box smell went WAY down and the cats liked the new food. You had to get it at a place like Petsmart, the grocery store didn't carry it.

David

 

[lordkenmore]

Another possible advantage to a higher end cat food is that the cat should be healthier with a better diet. A former roommate worked at a vet clinic, and saw what problems could come up with cheap animal food. As a result, my roommate's dogs were fed a high quality pet food. More expensive--but quite possibly cheaper in the long haul.

Back to the litter question, one thing some cat owners have apparently managed to do is train the cat to use a toilet.

 

[sudsmaster]

I use a clumping litter. I think it's called Fresh Step. It comes in a big green jug, which I like, because I recycle the jugs to hold stuff I take to the hazardous waste dispo site, like old engine coolant, or dirty water used to wash off engines etc.

But the key is the low tech "litter maid" substitute I use. It's called Omega Paw. Made in Canada. Basically it's a covered litter box with an internal baffle and a debris tray. You simply rotate the litter pan onto one side. The free litter goes past the baffle, the clumps and debris go into the tray. Then you right it and pull out the tray and empty it. I keep a mini stainless step-on wastebasket nearby, lined with a plastic bag, for receiving the clumps and stuff. It does require manual intervention but it sure beats having the damn litter scoop bending and then springing back, flinging dirty litter all over the room.

 

[mayguy]

I've tired Littermaid, first one worked well for a few months, then my partner went out and got another one, and that one was worst than the first one. Gave it away and got the old school littler box with shifting screen.

Used TidyCat for many years, till last year when she started doing #2 else where. Vet said use Fresh Step unscented, and she uses the box again.

I never smell anything from the litter box.

 

[bugsyjones]

Littermaid

I've had mine for 3 years without any mechanical issues at all.

I suppose since my cats are indoor/outdoor it doesn't get as much use as it would with an indoors only cat. During the warm months, they are rarely inside. They come in to eat and to occasionally nap then they're back out. In the winter, they're inside almost the whole time so the box gets heavy use then.

The only problem I've had is the type of litter. It can't clump too tight or too loose. The rake has to be able to scoop it.

~Tim J.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I use Tidy Cat Multiple Cat, but sometimes I run out when I'm short on cash when that happens I will get something cheap from Family Dollar or Dollar General and add baking soda to it until I can get some Tidy Cat.

 

[sudsmaster]

The only problem I have with the litter box is that the in-house cat rarely if ever buries her droppings. So I know fairly quickly when she's used the box, and then I go over and either tilt the box to cover the stuff or do a clean sweep to remove all the clumps and stuff. She'll spend many minutes pawing the sides of the box, but not the actual litter. It's like she doesn't understand the basic concept.

If I'm not home of course the aroma fills the air and that's not so nice, esp in the winter.

I have read up on the problem and apparently a lot of cats do this. I've given up trying to train this cat how to bury her droppings. It's said that sometimes having multiple cats will prompt a non-burying cat to start burying, but the presence of a second cat (who spends most of his time outdoors and does his littering there as well) hasn't had this effect on the in-house cat. So a litter maid might be a good choice, but I suspect that since she doesn't bury her droppings they might wind up fouling the rake anyway.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I use Feline Pine. It works so much better for me and it's healthier for your cat.. I initially switched to that from regular clumping litter because I had read that the clumping litter isn't good for cats because they lick their paws and ingest some of it, and it can cause blockage in their intestinal tract, which makes perfect sense when you see how it clumps and swells. I realize that millions upon millions use clumping litter everyday and have for years with no issues, but I switched anyway.

It's a little different and the directions say to start your cat slowly by mixing the feline pine in the bottom 1/2 and putting your regular litter on top until you've gradually got all feline pine and by then your cat will be used to it. I did just that and both my cats are fine. I think it controls odor SOOOO much better than any clumping litter I've ever used. No perfume smell at all. I'm amazed at how well it controls the odor. It just smells like a tree. There is a little tracking but not much at all compared to clay litter.

Cleanup is a snap. It should be used with a sifting type litter box where you pour the feline pine in the top portion and when they pee it turns to sawdust and you just shake and it sifts into the bottom, and for the solid, just scoop it out and into the toilet. When the sawdust gets full in the bottom I flush it. Some people trash it or compost it, but I've had no issues with flushing it for years.

I buy a big bag and it seems like it lasts a LONG time as opposed to the regular litter too.

I recommend it but I've heard that some cats don't like it. I don't know if it was the fact that the user introduced it too quickly or not. Works great for me.

They even make generic feline pine at the pet store. I buy that if they have it in stock. Works just as well

Again. If you use this stuff you need a sifting type litter box or it won't work well.

http://www.felinepine.com/original/