Litter

[ElGatoLoco]

I thought I'd start up this new topic with one of the most common questions of kitty owners. As many of you know, ButterBall has some extra stinky stools. So I am wondering what kind of litter you guys use. Especially one for smelly cats. Any suggestions or comments? ButterBall's litter box is making my mother upset. I clean up after him every time he goes but I guess I'm used to the stink whereas my mother has a greyhounds nose.

 

[kerrie78]

I use exuisicat hard clumping... it is low dust. Maybe think about an automatic litterbox? I have a littermaid mega elite litterbox, when Kramer goes in it an air ionizer goes on, ten minutes after he is out it scoops it into a waste receptacle & the lid closes so no smell. One receptacle lasts about a week. It makes it much easier! :tinysmile_classes_t

 

[ilovemysphynx]

I use Tidy Cat the clumping kind of litter. When we first got our Leo every time I went to the store I was trying A new litter till I found what was the best at keeping things smelling good around here, and not like (ya know). I found the clumping Tidy Cat did A good job. I scoop the litter every day but not as soon as they go, and clean the box once or twice A week. The boxes are also in rooms we really don't go in much. So if the box is close by your mom I would say move it no matter what litter you use I think it will smell if you are close by when they go, then after butterball covers it up the smell should not be so bad.

 

[Brooke]

Sounds like Butterball and my Walter have the same issue...stinky boys! I'm with Kerrie78, the automatic litter box is the way to go. I have the ScoopFree that uses litter crystals. It automatically scoops everything into a closed receptacle after 20 minutes, and the only time I have to go near the box is to change the litter tray every 3 to 4 weeks. It's AWESOME!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Wow i am A nerd with my old fashion scoop myself litter box, Kerrie and Brooke have auto scoop and silly lilly has one hooked to her toilet.Ok ElGato I don't think you should listen to me on this one, we both need to listen to them. Ok guys what are the pros and cons on the boxes you have? Seems like I have to go shopping:tinysmile_twink_t:

 

[kerrie78]

Well the one I have is the "Elite" littermaid... reason i took interest in it is because it is silver & black & matches his water fountain & dishes & my kitchen & has a accessory cabana to go on as well. But The elite has an air ionizer on the actual rake part & it goes on when the cat goes in; to clean the air, 10 min after they get out it rakes the litter & goes into a receptacle which closes after & the smell is enclosed in the receptacle. I LOVE IT! I looked at the ones that are connected to the toilet but decided that I didn't want to see it when i went into the bathroom...Kramers litterbox is in a spare room so I don't see unless i go in there.

 

[Brooke]

I have the ScoopFree that uses the litter crystals. It automatically scoops everything into a sealed compartment after 20 minutes. Every three to four weeks you replace the entire tray of litter that goes in the bottom of it. The only downside is that the litter trays are kind of expensive - $12-$15 per tray. And if you have multiple cats, that means you'll have to change the trays more often. BUT, its worth every penny for me to never have to touch the cat litter!

If you don't want to spring for the automatic box, the litter crystals are awesome, too. They actually dehydrate any "solids" and the liquids completely evaporate, so you just scoop out the dried up poops, and only have to change the litter once a month. In fact, that's why I opted for the Scoop Free box, it uses the same crystals...

I really want the one that connects to the toilet. That's awesome!

 

[ElGatoLoco]

Sounds like Butterball and my Walter have the same issue...stinky boys! I'm with Kerrie78, the automatic litter box is the way to go. I have the ScoopFree that uses litter crystals. It automatically scoops everything into a closed receptacle after 20 minutes, and the only time I have to go near the box is to change the litter tray every 3 to 4 weeks. It's AWESOME!

Holy moly! Three to four weeks? SIGN ME UP! I'm checking into that.
Thanks

 

[ilovemysphynx]

Thats what i'm talking about, and I scoop every day. DUH! :tinysmile_aha_t: I think I will look into it.

 

[streakin]

I have the ScoopFree that uses the litter crystals. It automatically scoops everything into a sealed compartment after 20 minutes. Every three to four weeks you replace the entire tray of litter that goes in the bottom of it. The only downside is that the litter trays are kind of expensive - $12-$15 per tray. And if you have multiple cats, that means you'll have to change the trays more often. BUT, its worth every penny for me to never have to touch the cat litter!

Is this the one you are talking about? ScoopFree Self-Cleaning? I was looking into that now I think that will be the next thing on my list to start saving up for. How do the cats like the crystals-feeling on their feet? did it take time for them to get used to at all?

Right now I'm just using a regular old litter box and scoop (using Fresh Step clumping), which believe me, is a pain scooping and sweeping multiple times a day.

 

[Brooke]

Streakin - yes, that's the one! I got both Harold and Walter as adults, and they both grew up using regular litter. I brought them home and immediately used the crystals and neither of them had any trouble adjusting. I would start out with the automatic box in the same spot that your regular litter box is in now, though. When the box starts sweeping, you can hear the motor and the cats love to run over and watch it sweep.

If your cat is anything like mine, you'll want to get the privacy hood that goes over the box. I don't have one - yet - and Walter kicks the litter all over the floor. The hood will keep it in the box.

 

[ilovemysphynx]

This is great I have always wondered if these auto boxes worked and never knew how to choose one! I have A friend that got one at walmart but she didn't rave about it so I didn't get it, I don't think it was A very good one. I guess it's true You get what you pay for!

 

[Luvmysphynx]

I must admit - I love my cat, but HATE litter boxes! I discovered the Littermaid years ago and use to swear by it, but when I got Oogie, he had a bad respitory infection, and seemed really sensitive to the clumping cat litter. So, I replaced my littermaid with a Cat Genie - And I'll NEVER go back to a Littermaid again! It's a bit price (I paid $300 for mine), but WELL worth the money, you have to set it up where there's both a water outlet, and somewhere for it to drain. You can set it to either automatically run up to 4 times a day, or to just do it manually. There's virtually no dust, you never have to replace the granuals (it washes them with a special cleaner, dries them, and it's ready to go again in about 10 minutes), although you do have to keep adding a few of the granules as some stick to the poop and get flushed. I also bought a refill kit off of e-bay so I can refil the sanitizer solution when the cartridge gets empty, initially it's a little pricy, but over time when you compare the savings on litter and stuff, I actually find month to month it's a little cheaper then the Littermaid, and there's no little plastic holders that have to be replaced, I have mine hooked up to drain into the toilet, then just flush the toilet and all the cat waste is gone! I just love it, I could never be happy using a Littermaid or regular cat box or kitty litter again! Check it out - www.catgenie.com

 

[silly4lilly]

I must admit - I love my cat, but HATE litter boxes! I discovered the Littermaid years ago and use to swear by it, but when I got Oogie, he had a bad respitory infection, and seemed really sensitive to the clumping cat litter. So, I replaced my littermaid with a Cat Genie - And I'll NEVER go back to a Littermaid again! It's a bit price (I paid $300 for mine), but WELL worth the money, you have to set it up where there's both a water outlet, and somewhere for it to drain. You can set it to either automatically run up to 4 times a day, or to just do it manually. There's virtually no dust, you never have to replace the granuals (it washes them with a special cleaner, dries them, and it's ready to go again in about 10 minutes), although you do have to keep adding a few of the granules as some stick to the poop and get flushed. I also bought a refill kit off of e-bay so I can refil the sanitizer solution when the cartridge gets empty, initially it's a little pricy, but over time when you compare the savings on litter and stuff, I actually find month to month it's a little cheaper then the Littermaid, and there's no little plastic holders that have to be replaced, I have mine hooked up to drain into the toilet, then just flush the toilet and all the cat waste is gone! I just love it, I could never be happy using a Littermaid or regular cat box or kitty litter again! Check it out - www.catgenie.com

i have the cat genie too! i love it. the only thing that drives me CRAZY is they kick the litter ALL OVER THE FLOOR! :tinysmile_angry2_t: it is everywhere. it gets stuck in their paws and they track it throughout the house. i was thinking about getting the reset refill kit off ebay but wasnt sure if it was worth it. what solution do you use in the kit? maybe i will look into that.

 

[Luvmysphynx]

i have the cat genie too! i love it. the only thing that drives me CRAZY is they kick the litter ALL OVER THE FLOOR! :tinysmile_angry2_t: it is everywhere. it gets stuck in their paws and they track it throughout the house. i was thinking about getting the reset refill kit off ebay but wasnt sure if it was worth it. what solution do you use in the kit? maybe i will look into that.

Honestly, that changes - Sometimes I use a product called Kennelsol - It's a really good disinfectant cleaner, and sometimes I just use a cleaning mix I make up myself that works pretty good to eliminate any odor. However, when I bought the reset kit it cam with several recommendations of different cleaners that you can use. I also bought a dome for mine - It doesn't keep all the litter in the box (I must admit - That's got to be the most expensive part, so I hate seeing it wasted!), but it does help! It really just depends on you, those little cartridges are kind of pricy, so being able to refill them really does cut down the cost quite a bit!!!

 

[PitRottMommy]

We use Dr. Elseys Precious Cat Scoopable.

We also created out own top-entry box from a sterilite tub.

Once a month I dump an entire bag into the box. Once a week I scoop the box. There's practically no clean up and no odor.

 

[sydkat7]

We use Dr. Elseys Precious Cat Scoopable.

We also created out own top-entry box from a sterilite tub.

Once a month I dump an entire bag into the box. Once a week I scoop the box. There's practically no clean up and no odor.

Wow PitRott, I have a litter box very similar to yours! I just bought a top-entry litter box called "Clever Cat" and I love it! The design of the top entry enables the litter to stay in the box and there's no poop and pee spillage outside the box. Because of this, the litter seems easier to scoop and there's not as much odor, either. Here's a link to some info about this litter box:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/clevercat.htm

The site is selling this box for $45 but I got mine at PetSmart for less than $30. One does have to also buy the litter liners that are designed for this box, though.

I don't doubt that the automatic litter boxes are much better than the Clever Cat, but it's at least a cheaper alternative until one decides to make the investment into a fancier litter recepticle.

 

[PitRottMommy]

Wow PitRott, I have a litter box very similar to yours! I just bought a top-entry litter box called "Clever Cat" and I love it! The design of the top entry enables the litter to stay in the box and there's no poop and pee spillage outside the box. Because of this, the litter seems easier to scoop and there's not as much odor, either. Here's a link to some info about this litter box:

http://www.hdw-inc.com/clevercat.htm

The site is selling this box for $45 but I got mine at PetSmart for less than $30. One does have to also buy the litter liners that are designed for this box, though.

I don't doubt that the automatic litter boxes are much better than the Clever Cat, but it's at least a cheaper alternative until one decides to make the investment into a fancier litter recepticle.

A friend of mine began using Clever cats too. Once they started getting more cats, they did what I did and began making their own. I, personally, didn't use anyone's idea when I made our box...I just thought of functionality and began a design accordingly. And I paid less than $10 to make it (3 for the box, 5 for the carpet).

When we get another cat, we've chosen to make a bigger box instead of having a second one--which I think is a great idea. I have a close friend with 4 cats. She, too, has started making her own after seeing how well ours work (especially for cats that track litter like our Sru does).

 

[Brooke]

I wish someone would invent a little vacuum that we could train the cats to stick their feet up to after they use the box and maybe a treat would pop out after or something. Seriously. Walter's box is on the complete opposite end of the house – he walks across his litter matt, 1200 square feet of tile, area rugs, and carpet, and yet somehow still manages to bring litter into the bed. I'm beginning to think he's doing it on purpose!

 

[PitRottMommy]

I wish someone would invent a little vacuum that we could train the cats to stick their feet up to after they use the box and maybe a treat would pop out after or something. Seriously. Walter's box is on the complete opposite end of the house – he walks across his litter matt, 1200 square feet of tile, area rugs, and carpet, and yet somehow still manages to bring litter into the bed. I'm beginning to think he's doing it on purpose!

That's got to be a record! lol.

Baldwin's litter circle stays 6" from the box and no more. Most of it is from him disturbing the litter when he jumps out of the box. The carpet top liner really helps keep the litter where it's supposed to be.

 

[sydkat7]

I wish someone would invent a little vacuum that we could train the cats to stick their feet up to after they use the box and maybe a treat would pop out after or something. Seriously. Walter's box is on the complete opposite end of the house – he walks across his litter matt, 1200 square feet of tile, area rugs, and carpet, and yet somehow still manages to bring litter into the bed. I'm beginning to think he's doing it on purpose!

Piglet does the same thing! LOL!!! My bedroom is upstairs on the second floor and she STILL manages to get litter on my bed after visiting the litter box in the garage on the main level! I'm not sure what to do to remedy this, except maybe have her wear booties...LOL!

 

[ilovemysphynx]

This box sounds like A great idea! Leo and Athena also seem to track litter all over the house, when I vaccum I think I suck up more litter than is in the box.

 

[cchloerun]

After years of research and tons of money, I have found the perfect combination for smell control and not having to be too hands on!
The litter robot and Fresh Step cat litter. I have used almost every new version of the LitterMaid auto boxes, and either the rake gets stuck or the motor breaks- OR, I get overwhelmed with how difficult the actual box is to clean!

I swear by this awesome litter box, and like I've said, I have 6 Sphynx who eat a lot and thus poop A LOT! lol
It isn't cheap, but it will end up saving you money in litter and you can use the payment option. I wish I had found this a long time ago!
http://www.litter-robot.com/?gclid=CIjX7qnKtZsCFQ9JagodnGkLQQ

And the Fresh Step is not some new special litter, but through trial and error, it keeps the box smelling the sweetest for the longest!

 

[Maximus]

Is it ok to be using a litter that is not dust free or should I specifically be looking for litters that are?

 

[Luvmysphynx]

That depends on your cat. Until I got my first Sphynx, Oogie, I sword by Fresh Step Scoop. Oogie, however, has a very sensitive respitory track - He just can't handle the dust, now I use a Cat Genie and could never go back to a conventional cat box!!! Haley on the other hand I keep in a seperate area of the house while I introduce her and Oogie slowly (I haven't had her very long yet), and she uses a hooded cat box with Freshstep, and doesn't have any problems with it.