Welcome to Sphynxlair! Connect with Sphynx owners & enthusiasts around the world!

Good litter information

ElGatoLoco

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1,467
Points
188
I usually avoid the advertisements on web sites but being an amateur web page designer I know it's the only way to bring in some revenue to supplement this wonderful site. So I try to do my part by occasionally clicking on them. Anyway, one of the ads led me to an interesting web site called http://www.thedailycat.com. I found several really good articles. Here's one on kitty litter that may be of some use.


Choosing the Best Cat Litter for Your Pet
By Jennifer Viegas


In 1947, Edward Lowe experienced a lightbulb moment. Kaye Draper, Lowe's neighbor, knocked on his door and asked for some sand, which she and many others at that time used for cat litter. Lowe happened to be experimenting with a natural clay mineral product, called Fuller's Earth, that absorbs liquids, so he gave her this material instead. Her cat loved it, and kitty litter was born.

Pet owners are now faced with a multitude of kitty litter product choices. Here, PetSmart buyer Steve Nastasi describes the pros and cons of several cat litters.

Clay Litters

Conventional clay litter is still favored by many cat owners, according to Nastasi. It's a natural product with dark-colored clays mostly mined in central U.S. and white clay mined in Florida.

Benefits:

*

It's often less expensive than other types of litters.

*

White clay absorbs three times its weight in liquid.

Drawbacks:

*

Clay is heavy, so bags and containers can be harder to lift.

*

Although clay is a natural product, it's a nonrenewable resource.

*

It can be dusty.

Scoopable Litter

Scooping, also known as clumping, skyrocketed to popularity in the 1980s, after American biochemist Thomas Nelson perfected this type of granulated clay that Nastasi says was first used "by the military to mop up oil spills.†It clumps together when wet into balls, which can be easily scooped and disposed of.

Benefits:

*

Cleanup is a snap.

*

Manufacturers usually add some kind of odor control, such as baking soda or activated charcoal.

Drawbacks:

*

The base of scoopable litters is often a nonrenewable resource.

*

Owners frequently flush this product down the toilet -- illegal in some states -- which can later clog plumbing systems and hurt the environment.

Silica Gel Litter

"It looks like diamond crystals,†Nastasi says. Made from porous sodium silicate, it has the highest absorbency of any cat litter. The crystal beads are like little sponges that really soak up urine and moisture.

Benefits:

*

It's lightweight.

*

Absorbency is no problem if the material is not otherwise saturated.

Drawbacks:

*

When saturated, urine can pool at the bottom of the litter box.

*

It's not as eco-friendly as other products.

Biodegradable Litter

Litters made from various plant resources, such as wood products, corn, wheat, barley and even dried citrus peels, fall under this category. Below are two common groups of biodegradable litter:

*

Pine and wood-based Veterinarians often recommend cat litters with large pellets for post-surgery cats, since the pellets are too large to adhere to the cat and aren't easily ingested. The size and compactness of the pellets additionally helps to eliminate dust, but they can get caught in automatic litter boxes.
* Corn "Customers either love litter made from corn with a passion or hate it,†shares Nastasi. If your cat is resistant, look for a litter made of shredded, dried corn, which seems to appeal to cats that will otherwise reject corn-based litters.

Special-needs Litter

"This is one of the newest and fastest-growing segments of the cat litter market,†says Nastasi. A pioneer manufacturer is Denver's Bruce Elsey, D.V.M., who created litter with natural components to draw your cat to its box. "Over nine million cats suffer from litter box aversion,†Dr. Elsey says. "It's a leading reason why cats are abused, abandoned and put in shelters.â€

"The bottom line is that buyers like me, as well as manufacturers, are presented with two groups of customers: the human and the cat. It's often tricky to satisfy both,†says Nastasi, explaining that what may appeal to owners could be rejected by felines. "It's up to you to know what's best for your cat and lifestyle,†he says, "while still keeping in mind that your pt would probably rather just scratch at a little dirt, cover and be done with it.â€
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Brooke

Banned
Joined
May 4, 2009
Messages
1,767
Points
0
I usually avoid the advertisements on web sites but being an amateur web page designer I know it's the only way to bring in some revenue to supplement this wonderful site. So I try to do my part by occasionally clicking on them.

Is that true, ElGato? If I click on the banner ads it'll bring some revenue to the forum?? I didn't know that! I'll start clickin', until now I've just been scrolling past them... :Laugh:
 

ElGatoLoco

V.I.P Lairian
V.I.P Lairian
Joined
Feb 26, 2009
Messages
1,467
Points
188
Is that true, ElGato? If I click on the banner ads it'll bring some revenue to the forum?? I didn't know that! I'll start clickin', until now I've just been scrolling past them... :Laugh:

Well it looks like the ads are done by Google adsense which I am somewhat familiar with. It really depends on who advertises on your site and whether they pay per click or per 1000 impressions. My web site is http//www.zoneloco.com I used to have a web site called mikeyrules.com that I had a few hundred visitors each day but I knew nothing about advertising back then. I've been testing the google adsense on it. I've made a whopping 4 cents. But if you have hundreds or even millions of visitors you can see how a few pennies per click would add up. Some advertisers will even pay a few dollars per click. The trick is finding the right content to attract those visitors who might click on those ads. For example, if gardening products were advertised on Sphynx lair you'd probably get no clicks. So you have to advertise pet products. And Google is very hush hush about the advertising program so the only way to see what works is through trial and error.

But even more enticing is youtube. Some people make almost a six figure income from their videos. Of course they are the ones who have really good content and then promote other peoples videos. There are guides explaining how to do it but the only problem is producing quality content. For good examples see these channels: ericsurf6, shaytards, lisanova, communitychannel. You know the chocalate rain guy? He makes some nice cash from his ridiculously retarded videos. Then there's ponceman who has down syndrome and does a funny show called "the retardid police man". And of course, one of my favorites, chad vader at blamesocietyfilms. They make a living off of it.

So in comparison my little Butterball videos are kinda lame. But I'll keep trying.
 

ilovemysphynx

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Messages
4,987
Points
271
Is that true, ElGato? If I click on the banner ads it'll bring some revenue to the forum?? I didn't know that! I'll start clickin', until now I've just been scrolling past them... :Laugh:

Don't worry Brooke I had no idea either and admin keeps yelling at me because I sometimes click on adds if it look like something good and I guess we are not supposed to click from our computer because it links it somehow:Question: and that is A nono in the clicking world ( yeh ok I really don't get all that stuff), but clicks or no clicks glad my husband started this site you are all great! ( I thought he lost his mind when he first talked about it) ok thats 1 time in 18 years I was wrong:Woo:
 
Back
Top