The Scoop on Cat Litter

by Dr. Ko⁽¹⁷⁶⁾ Red Star

http://cathealthstore.com

There are so many types of litter available in pet stores today that it can be completely overwhelming trying to choose between them! Are you confused about what cat litter you should use? Read onward …

Cat litter has a myriad of features, and here is a list of the main aspects of litter shopping: broken down and critiqued for your convenience!

Clumping versus Non-Clumping

Clumping Cat Litter

Clumping cat litter is best for most owners’ lifestyles because it allows for daily removal of urine from the litter box.
Clumping litter also allows you to monitor the volume and frequency with which your kitty urinates, and as a cat owner this is important to note since particular urine habits can be indicative of health issues.
Non-clumping litter medium makes it much more difficult to observe problems as they arise.

Non-Clumping Cat Litter

Non-clumping litter means that either there is excessive waste when the entire litter box contents are emptied every day or, alternatively, it means that the smell of ammonia and feces strengthens all week in the litter box until it is emptied on the week-end.
The only non-clumping litter that prevents the odor build-up is silica crystal litter … more on that one a bit further down!

Scented versus Unscented

Scented Litter

Scented litter generally means more chemicals, and while it may mean a more pleasant odor for you as the owner, it is almost certain to be unpleasant for your cat and, additionally, the chemicals will be ingested by them while self-grooming (licking and swallowing litter dust particles that settled on their coat while using the litter box).
The exception to the scented cat litter rule are those cat litters that usual natural scents – for example, pine litters and litters that incorporate cedar flakes.

Unscented Litter

Eliminate chemically scented litters from the types you are choosing amongst, and this further narrows your selection.
When litter boxes are properly maintained, there is no need for scented litter.

Dust free cat litter

Dust-free cat litter is important for both cats and owners – particularly for those who suffer from allergies, and/or asthma or other respiratory issues ...
Unfortunately, there does not seem to be such an entity as a 100% dust free cat litter at this point in time – particularly when looking for a litter that has all of the other desirable qualities as well.
That said, there two types of litter that do deserve kudos for being (relatively) dust-free and non-tracking: pine litters (multiple brands available) and Yesterday’s News made by Purina, which uses recycled newspaper. The catch though, is that these are not clumping cat litters.
Cat Attract cat litter, by Precious Cat Litters, is one of the most dust-free clumping litters that I have personally been able to find in my own search.

Clay Litter Substrate versus Alternates

Clay Litter

Cat litter – granulated, absorbent clay – was invented in the 1940s by a man named Ed Lowe, and then it was not until the 1980s that clumping clay cat litters were developed.
Clumping cat litters frequently contain bentonite clay (and/or silica), which are both thought to be inert substances that do not harm cats; however, there is some controversy about whether or not this is entirely true.
Clay clumping litters tend to have relatively good odor control and are easy to scoop.
They are not flushable, but are arguably ‘natural,’ depending on what other ingredients they contain.

Alternate Substrate Litters

There are now a wide array of cat litters made with alternate substrates such as newspaper, pine, wheat, corn, silica, and so on.
Corn litters are natural, flushable, and biodegradable. They have slightly less effective odor control in comparison with clay litters, but they do make decent urine clumps.
Pine litters are non-clumping, have good odor control, do not track easily, and are natural, flushable, and biodegradable.
Wheat litters are also natural, flushable, and biodegradable. Depending on the brand, wheat litters can form slightly ‘mushier’ urine clumps relative to most clay clumping litters.

Coarseness of Cat Litter versus Tracking Qualities

The majority of cats much prefer fine grain cat litter to more coarse makes of cat litter, and with good reason ...
Coarse cat litter is uncomfortable to step on with bare feet when it’s embedded in one’s carpet, let alone walking on an entire surface of it that has much less give!
Most cats do prefer fine grain clay litter over coarse clay litter, paper pellets, pine pellets, and silica.
Silica cat litter crystals are particularly large, rough, and angular, which creates a very uncomfortable substrate for cats to use, particularly those with arthritis, obesity, poorly done declaws, declaw neuromas, and pododermatitis problems.
Unfortunately, grain size of the litter, more often than not, correlates with how easily the litter is tracked around the house! The key here is to opt for the fine grain litter, but ensure that you are well equipped to prevent excessive litter tracking with the litter mats that will help out in this department more than any other preventative measure you can take!
Ultimately, your kitty is the one who should choose their litter substrate, because it's best to prevent urine and/or defecation problems before they even have a chance to occur.

Article submitted Tuesday, July 12, 2011 & read 130 times.

Dr. Ko is a licensed Veterinarian who works exclusively with cats. She is a passionate believer in the importance of preventative medicine and educating cat owners about its benefits for their cats. It was this ideal which was the motivation for the creation of the Cat Health Store website - http://cathealthstore.com which is a free information resource and online store for cat owners everywhere!

Leave your comments through My Pet Tale:

» left by Anonymous (291 days 10 hours ago.)

Thanks for the info...
Respond to this comment

» left by N J from USA (67 days 19 hours ago.)

Very informative. No need to search any further. Thanks so much!!!
Respond to this comment

105-0-0-0-3-ADSO

Most Recent