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-   -   is clumping litter really dangerous (http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=71815)

sandyrivers August 3rd, 2010 02:28 PM

is clumping litter really dangerous
 
I have 7 cats in my appartment, 3 adults and 4 kittens.
I have 3 litter pans scattered here and there, using regular Saular brand clay litter.
I have to change all 3 pans every 3 days in order to keep my place smellfree. I take out the poop as soon as it gets there, but the problem about the smell is the urine...after 3 days it starts to smell...
I heard that clumping litter avoids this problem by allowing the removal of urine. Thing is, i also heard horror stories that the clumping litter can be ingested by the cats when they wash and cause grave or mortal problems by making hard clumps in the stomach and intestines.
Can anyone tell me the truth about the clumping litter.
Is it really a risk for my cats... in which case i will continue using the clay and changing it every 3 days, otherwise, i would seriously consider switching to clumping litter.
Any input would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Sandyrivers

maneater August 3rd, 2010 02:40 PM

I use a pine litter which kinda clumps when they pee and poo and smells really nice. it is basically just sawdust type stuff.

Floppy Dog August 3rd, 2010 06:47 PM

I used clumping cat litter for years and didn't have any problems with my cats. I did have a cat mat in front of the litter box which helped dislodge any litter that had stuck to their paws. I switched to a newspaper based litter and mix silica crystals in it to keep the odor down.

Love4himies August 3rd, 2010 07:07 PM

I use Max Scoop clumping litter and haven't had any problems with it. It is, however, dangerous for young kittens as they try to eat everything. Once they are over the age of 8 weeks, it should be safe.

Longblades August 3rd, 2010 08:39 PM

We have used it for years without a problem but we did hear about all the stories and got something different for a wee feral kitten we had for a time.

Some people's dogs enjoy kitty tootsie rolls. I guess it would not be good for dogs to ingest the litter. Our dog leaves the litter alone. Oh boy, nice big jinx I probably just set up.

maneater August 3rd, 2010 08:47 PM

I have used regular clumping cat litter and no issues with my cats. I just like the smell of the pine stuff and it is more natural to use??:shrug:

Jim Hall August 3rd, 2010 08:59 PM

most cats once they are not kittens who wanto eat everthing wont eat litter

growler~GateKeeper August 4th, 2010 02:59 AM

For sure it is a risk to kitten who may try to eat it, or if you have an adult cat with Pica (symptoms of eating non-edibles like lint, litter etc)

The main issue I have with clay litter of any kind is the silica dust, it's not good for the animals or you to be breathing that in, makes you wonder about the clumping litter particles you're breathing in. I originally used a clumping clay litter but stopped because of the dust & I would always feel like my nose/lungs were clogged after changing litter, even with the bathroom fan running, the last bag of the brand I was using was more than half dust though it clamed to be 99% dust free.

The problem with using regular clay is your cats are walking in the urine soaked litter for days until the whole box is changed.

I much prefer the [url=http://www.planetwiseproducts.com/feline.htm]Feline Fresh pine pellets[/url] litter & scooped out the resulting sawdust daily, they do also have a clumping scoopable version. It's natural, safe, dust-free & eliminates the ammonia odor of the urine.

catlover2 August 4th, 2010 11:21 AM

I've been using clumping clay litter for quite a long time and have had no problems with it or the health of my cats or myself. It's a bit dusty that's the only drawback, but some brands are better than others. You could always wear a mask if the dust bothers you when changing the litter. I prefer ones that have [I]bicarbonate of soda [/I]added. That really kills any urine odor or you could add some yourself and mix it. I have tried other litters, Yesterdays News (didn't like the smell) and the cats weren't crazy about it, plastic crystals (cats hated those and wouldn't cover their poops), Swheat Scoop was ok and smelled pleasant---my boy liked it OK, my girl after using it for a couple of weeks started not covering her poops, pine pellets---smells pleasant but the stuff tracks. A fluffy bath mat in front of the litter box removes a lot of litter from the feet.

kanis August 4th, 2010 02:36 PM

I used to use clumping litter but now I use wood pellets for litter. Not only is ingestion of the litter from the paws a concern but also the chemicals used for the fragrance. I found that with the clumping litter my cat's urine was far more pungent than with the wood pellets. With clumping it would smell like ammonia, but with the wood pellets, it smells like wood. If there is a urine smell, then it's time to change the litter.

ancientgirl August 4th, 2010 02:50 PM

I use Swheat Scoop, which has a multi-cat clumping formula. I started using it when Vlad and Oksana were kittens, and I've never had a problem with it.

Masha August 4th, 2010 03:49 PM

I also use swheat scoop (sp?), I switched after getting concerned over the amoutn of dust in the previous littler...(it was a crystal type -- you coudl see the dust rise in the air). No more dust, but it does track all over the floor from my guy's paws...

sandyrivers August 11th, 2010 12:06 PM

thanks for the input
 
Thank you for all your advice, i guess the clumping litter is now an option i can consider.
I dont so mind dust, trailing or other messes. I was most concerned with my cats ingesting it and getting sick.

Thank you all

Masha August 11th, 2010 01:33 PM

A note on dust - I wasnt avoiding it for aesthetic reasons. It is very bad for the lungs.Both yours when you scoop, and your pets when they go in the litter box several time a day. They inhale the dust and eventually it can accumulate in the lungs and lead to health problems...

sandyrivers September 5th, 2010 07:04 PM

clumping litter
 
Thanks Masha for the update,
i appreciate all your feedbacks.

Even though its heavy to haul home, a bit expensive, and somewhat a pain to deal with in terms of changing it, and the smells that may come from it, i think i will keep going with the regular clay type...

It's what my mum used when i was a kid for our cats, and i guess old habits are settled in by now...

Thanks to all who helped out with your helpfull advice.

Sandyrivers

MirandaJoy September 5th, 2010 09:28 PM

It's the clay litters that are the problem, both for ingestion and for dust. There are a couple of brands-- World's Best Cat Litter and One Earth Cat Litter-- that are made from ground up corn cobs. They clump for easy scooping but don't have any dust. If the cats do ingest a little bit, well, corn cobs aren't cat food, but they will pass on through, unlike the clay. They also have no perfumes. As litters, I'd say these two brands perform about the same; however, I tend to choose the One Earth simply because it comes in a reclosable bag.

sandyrivers December 16th, 2010 04:57 PM

Clumping litter
 
Hello everyone!

I ended up trying out several brands of clumping litter, from the generic kind, the standard kind the grocery store sells (Maxxx Cat type), and the really expensive one i got at my local pet store.

I must say that none of the brands were satisfying to me , or to my cats for that matter.

I found that all of them did not absord the urine the way I taught it would.

I also found that it ended up costing a lot more than clay, since I had to remove almost half the contents of the litter box daily, because of the clumped urine

A 7kg supply lasted me about 2 days and a half. (I have 7 cats and 3 litter boxes)

Except for the super expensive brand, the clumping litter did not clump that well, and ended up making a "playdough" consistence mess at the bottom of the pan, which was hard to clean (I eventually gave up on one pan and tossed it in the garbage!)
I usually remove the poop and urine as soon at I hear a cat in the box. If I don't, they become very vocal and run around the house until I do!

The problem with the super expensive brand was also that some of my cats refused to use it!
It wasn't really more perfumed than the others, but they simply made their point by doing their business right beside the litterbox!
Point taken, thank you very much!

Two of the grocery store brands I purchased, I wrote an email to the company to tell them I was not pleased with the product and they gladly sent me coupons for free cat food, 2 and 3 dollars off for cat food!

:mad:It was NOT the case with the super expensive brand"s company. I recieved a very generic message telling me they were sorry I was not pleased with their product:mad:

I am back to clay...

Though I am looking into the kind that is made of clear crystals type...

Sandyrivers

chico2 December 16th, 2010 05:08 PM

I have always used clumping litter,I tried Yesterdays News,but other than being very expensive,the cats did not like it at all.
I now buy"Special Kitty"at Wal-Mart,I find it almost totally dust-free,which is important to me and also for my cats.
I also tried Pine-Pellets,no go,and the Wheat-Litter also no go.

BenMax December 16th, 2010 05:32 PM

I use 3/4 Feline Fresh pine litter mixed with clumping litter. All 5 cats are totally ok with it and it does not smell.:thumbs up

14+kitties December 16th, 2010 06:18 PM

I use Swheat Scoop and/or Feline Fresh. Both are available from Pet Valu. I have 14 cats in the house and 7 boxes. Never had a problem with either litter. All the cats use the boxes. I find they both last a lot longer than the clay type and the smell is oh so much nicer!
If you found you are using a lot of the litter up maybe it's because you do scoop so quickly afterward. Maybe try giving it a chance to "set up" a bit and harden the clumps.
A 15 kg box of the brand of litter the store I work in sells for 6.99 and fills one and a half boxes. In the house I would have to refill the box or change it out completely every 3 or 4 days because of smell. A 20 lb bag of Feline Fresh sells for 14.99 @ PV (cheaper other places I've heard), fills two boxes, and only gets completely changed out every 4 to 5 weeks. Considering I also use it in the catuary it just makes more sense for me to use FF.
Swheat Scoop sells for #34.99 for a 40 pound bag at PV. Again, cheaper at other places. I find it doesn't last as long as FF but is just as good for clumping and longevity.

Koteburo December 16th, 2010 11:55 PM

Pine litter was super good, I use clumping now for other reasons though and I have a kitten, well she has grown so much now and she never ate the litter but yes you have to be careful.
I'm going to try the arm and hammer one since I use the deodorant for the litter and it works really well, might as well try the litter.

You can always try the arm and hammer deodorant for pet litter

cpietra16 December 17th, 2010 07:29 AM

I use Pine fresh clumping as well. The only problem I had with the other clumping brands, is when one of my foster cats decided to give birth in the litter...the babies of course were wet and got all clumped up. By the time I found her, I could safe all but one baby who was so clumped she sufficated...a terrible experience:(
But I also heard that the sandy stuff is so fine that the cats can inhale it and ofcourse it accumulates in their lungs which overtime can become dangerous.

sandyrivers January 7th, 2011 04:14 PM

Thanks for all your comments!
 
Thank you all for sharing your ''litter experiences'' with me.

So far, i am still using regular clay, the Saular brand... Heavy to haul home, needs frequent changes, but so far so good.

I will soon try different brands of crystals/silica gel litters to see how it turns out.

I will post my impressions, as well as my cats! within a month or so.

Until next time.

sandyrivers

sandyrivers March 25th, 2012 06:29 AM

litter
 
Hi everyone,

I know this is an old thread, but just fir the update...

I tried several kind of litters.

The silica crystals were good for some cats, but others would hear none of it, as it makes a noise when it absorbs the cat's pee.
Some of my cats found the texture too weird and expressed their taughts very clearly, outside the box!

The pine litter was a total fiasco, I had to get rid of it the same day, as no cats would go in it! They just held it in as long as they could...poor babies!

I gave up on trying to find alternatives...I just went back to the clay.

So I am still using regular unsented clay litter to this day, heavy to haul home, since I ride my bike or walk, and needs frequent changing... but hey, I guess my cats had the final meow!

sandyrivers


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