What type of Cat Litter do you prefer? - Page 2

Walkssoftly · #11 10-14-2008, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bayleighmom

My SIL has 2 cats and she has used Feline Pine for years and loves it. I use Tidy Cat clumping but have thought about wood pellets. We have a corn/wood pellet stove and have wondered if I could use those pellets for litter.

I have a big rubbermaid container for a litterbox. DH cut a door in one end. My female kitty does not squat to pee. We used to have a hooded litter box but she pees so high up that it would run out. I think the majority of the smell from our box comes from the fact that she pees on the side of the box not the litter!

With pellets, do you keep adding more or dump the entire thing every so often? I would love to not use clay litter!

Tammy! That's a great idea! *DOH* Can't believe I didn't think of that! With my Sylvestor, he neverrrrr hit the box! For some reason, he'd go in, and go, with his rump facing the hole he climbed in! And out it would come every time! And overshot too! Using a big rubbermaid box with a hole in it for the entrance! Whatta great idea! And the lid can keep the dogs OUT! Ok, I have a few extras of these around.. so you can bet that's what I'll be doing! So far, these two are using the hooded one ok, but the dogs can still stick their heads in it if they so chose to. And I always worried about the clumping litter causing the dogs bigggg trouble if they got it in their systems!
I'm curious about the pellets too.. as in the same question you asked!
So do tell ppl... do you have to empty the entire thing real often? I've never used clay litter, but don't think I'd ever do so.. Always seemed the clumping is better...

Karen<~~very happy with the two new kitties..
TaTanka<~~gettin' better with them
Sequoia<~~not quite as bad as TaTanka
Mojo<~~more adventurous so far.
Tocho<~~still pretty timid.. but gettin' better.

Walkssoftly · #12 10-14-2008, 10:36 AM

Just found this online.. in a yahoo group... check it out!

Yes! And it's the best darn cat litter, isn't it?
40 lb bags are only $4 in my area, and my cat uses only 5 lbs per month. Are you using it with a sifting litter box? Because you should be. It's so perfect when used with a sifting box.

http://www.pelletheat.org/3/residential/...
http://www.felinepinelitterbox.com/

Compared to clay litter: better odor control, less maintenance, much cheaper, much lighter, not dusty or messy, non-tracking, flushable, and much better for the environment. Am I forgetting anything?

BlueXJ, use that first link to find manufacturers. Then try to find websites for the manufacturers in your area (the websites may have a store locater). If you don't find websites, then contact some manufacturers in your area and ask them for a list of retailers. If necessary, you can also call retailers that are most likely to carry pellet fuel: agricultural supply stores, hardware stores, home improvements stores, etc.

RuneAmok, wood pellets aren't very similar to Yesterday's News, but they do turn to sawdust when saturated. Believe me, that is a GOOD thing. You can buy sifting litter boxes like the FP box, or if you need to save some money, then you can make them from inexpensive stackable litter boxes, Rubbermaid containers, etc. It's awesome, because you never need to scoop urine or perform litter changes. The urine and sawdust will collect in the lower tray. You dump that as often as you wish (I do it weekly). The tray that contains the pellets stays clean and never needs to be dumped. It is NOT messy at all; quite the opposite. The pellets have an extremely mild odor, regardless of the wood that is used. The manufacturing process of wood pellets eliminates the aromatic chemicals in woods like pine (which means that the pellets are safe even for small animals, unlike pine or cedar wood shavings).

The Cat and his Human, you can absolutely compost it. Most pellet fuel is comprised of 100% wood (avoid pellets that contain additives). The waste will simply be sawdust and cat urine. That is one of the great things about wood pellets. Clay is mined, it is bulky, and it is not biodegradable. Wood pellets are made from waste material (sawdust), are biodegradable, and can be composted.

Karen

Walkssoftly · #13 10-14-2008, 07:09 PM

I picked up a 40lb bag of Hardwood pellets at Home Depot, they had two diff. brands.. One said "No additives" and the other said "Completey Organic" so I bought it.. and got a sifting litter box from walmart.. but those holes look big in it! *hmmm* Will have to see about that..
Anyway, thought I'd let anyone that's interested know that they do have it at Home Depot, and Walmart said they will be getting it (hardwood pellets) in tomorrow.. but they said theirs is $6 and something.. so it's cheaper at Home Depot..

Am anxious to try it!

K~Walkssoftly~
TaTanka
Sequoia
Mojo and Tocho

bayleighmom · #14 10-15-2008, 09:10 AM

How did the pellets work? I am still deciding whether I want to try them. Most of the litter box smell is caused from my cat standing up to pee on the side of the box rather than squatting.

And since I turned a storage box into a litter box, how would I clean the pellets? Scoop the poop daily and dump the rest every couple days?

Zannie · #15 10-15-2008, 06:16 PM

wood pellets are a great idia,we sell them at our store..let us know how they work

TossBranAbi · #16 10-15-2008, 08:16 PM

With the pellets, it turns to sawdust after it is wet and dug around in. I alays just scooped the solids out and left the box go until there were very few pellets left as they had all turned into sawdust. It would be around a week before I would have to dump the whole thing. The smell isnt really an issue because the wood soaks it up or something. I always got my pellets at Tractor Supply. Walmart does sell them too but Tractor Supply was just easier and cheaper for me.

I too use a rubbermaid tote for a litter box. My male is too big to fit in a normal sized litter box comfortably and with Bengals, they like to stand on the edge of the box instead of in it so a smaller sized box ends up being dumped when they use it. I can't use a lid or a hood though because they are social pottyers, I think they think they are gonna miss something.

I really wish I could still use the pellets, cats are too snoopy.

As for the toilet training, I would think it would be more sanitary than dealing with a litter box. You would just flush instead of dumping litter and scrubbing boxes and scooping all the time. I think it would be kind of hard for them to miss the bowl. I have three bathrooms and we only really use one so hopefully I could get them to use one of the toilets we don't use. It would also cut down on parasites passed from cat to cat. When I got Keeta, she had coccidia, giardia, and tri-trich so we had to keep her separated from the other animals so they didn't get it from the litter box.

I am still not sure if I want to do it or not but if I do decide, I will probably start while I am on break between semesters.

This is my biggest issue:
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...i/IMG00520.jpg
I took this with my cell phone the other morning while I was getting ready to go to class. I swear they have their ears tuned to hear the toilet seat when it is lifted. They would seriously play in the toilet all day if I would let them

And here is another water picture just for fun. This is Auggie in the bathtub.
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e2...i/IMG00486.jpg

Walkssoftly · #17 10-16-2008, 12:16 AM

Tossbranabbi

The pics were toooo funny! LOL! Beautiful cats! Wow.. just gorgeous! The fascination with the toilet is hilarious....
I bought a "sifting litter box".. and the wood pellets, but I thought the sifter holes looked big.. and sure enough, when I plopped a bunch of pellets in the litter box, many just fell through the slots right away.. So I'm confused... I checked out another litter box at the pet food store, and it had the same size holes.. Someone clue me in here.. I'm CONFUZLED!

Karen<~~

bayleighmom · #18 10-16-2008, 06:45 AM

TossBranAbi, I loved the pictures of your kitties! They are beautiful!

My cats also have a fascination with water but in the bathroom sink. As soon as they think someone is walking to the bathroom, they will fly down the hall to beat you there. They jump on the toilet then on the sink and wait for you to turn the water on just a drip. We do have to keep the toilet lid closed because the kitties have been surprised a few times when they jumped on the toilet and the lid wasn't closed! LOL

Walkssoftly · #19 10-16-2008, 11:16 AM

Kitties and water.. Makes me think of ol' Sylvestor.. (R.I.P.) he was so funny, my son was little, and I would fill the bathtub in the hallway with water so I could take a nice hot bath.. Wellllll I'd go back in to ck the water, and find that the hallway carpet was wet, and so was the carpeting outside the bathtub.. And I could plainly see that my son Bo, had been obviously playin' in my bathwater as it filled, because water droplets were puddled all over the edge of the tub... So I'd tell Bo to stay OUT of that water! Of course he'd tell me he hadn't been in that water! Which I obviously didn't believe..
So one day I go in, and see big ol' Sylvestor and he is in one end of the tub, it is up to his chest, even over his chest, like almost covering his body!! And he didn't see me, I watched him in shock, as he walked.. through that tub water, from one end to the other, then climbed out, water pouring off his body, onto the tub, carpet, and he waltzed out past me as if no big deal! That water was HOT! lol I couldn't believe my eyes.. Whatta screwball! I had seen him go into the shower soon as we got out, and pat around in the water, but NEVER would have believed that he'd actually get IN a tub full of water!!!! Needless to say, from that point on??? I closed the bathroom door when I ran my bathwater!
*geezzzzzzzzz*

Karen
TaTanka white male 2yrs
Sequoia white female 2yrs
Mojo and Tocho tux kitties brother and sister 1 1/2 yrs

TossBranAbi · #20 10-23-2008, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkssoftly

Kitties and water.. Makes me think of ol' Sylvestor.. (R.I.P.) he was so funny, my son was little, and I would fill the bathtub in the hallway with water so I could take a nice hot bath.. Wellllll I'd go back in to ck the water, and find that the hallway carpet was wet, and so was the carpeting outside the bathtub.. And I could plainly see that my son Bo, had been obviously playin' in my bathwater as it filled, because water droplets were puddled all over the edge of the tub... So I'd tell Bo to stay OUT of that water! Of course he'd tell me he hadn't been in that water! Which I obviously didn't believe..
So one day I go in, and see big ol' Sylvestor and he is in one end of the tub, it is up to his chest, even over his chest, like almost covering his body!! And he didn't see me, I watched him in shock, as he walked.. through that tub water, from one end to the other, then climbed out, water pouring off his body, onto the tub, carpet, and he waltzed out past me as if no big deal! That water was HOT! lol I couldn't believe my eyes.. Whatta screwball! I had seen him go into the shower soon as we got out, and pat around in the water, but NEVER would have believed that he'd actually get IN a tub full of water!!!! Needless to say, from that point on??? I closed the bathroom door when I ran my bathwater!
*geezzzzzzzzz*

Karen
TaTanka white male 2yrs
Sequoia white female 2yrs
Mojo and Tocho tux kitties brother and sister 1 1/2 yrs

Good story, made me laugh. I guess you probably learned to trust your son a little more after that one.

I am not sure Auggie would get in water that deep, about to his chest would probably be enough for him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bayleighmom

TossBranAbi, I loved the pictures of your kitties! They are beautiful!

My cats also have a fascination with water but in the bathroom sink. As soon as they think someone is walking to the bathroom, they will fly down the hall to beat you there. They jump on the toilet then on the sink and wait for you to turn the water on just a drip. We do have to keep the toilet lid closed because the kitties have been surprised a few times when they jumped on the toilet and the lid wasn't closed! LOL

Thank You! I am actually getting another one, a male seal lynx point bengal. He is currently 10 weeks old. I went to see him in real life yesterday and paid for him. He will be ready to come home Nov. 8th.

There are a couple of pictures of him here:
www.flickr.com/photos/Tossbranabi

The first 3 pictures are of his sister, then the rest are of him. (Don't mind the wedding pictures on there, it was a nightmare wedding that I photographed, nothing went right...including the marriage)