Litter & Litter Box Choices
While many new cat owners spend a lot of time deciding on the best litter box and where it should go in their home, they forget about which type of litter they should put in it. Did you know that there are several different types of litter? Here are some of the pros and cons of the various litters on the market:
Clay
Pro:
- This is the most common form of litter.
- Can come scented or unscented.
- Control odours with baking soda
- Clumping
- Least expensive
- Sand-like qualities that cats like
Con:
- Not-biodegradable
- Can’t be flushed down the toilet
- Can be dangerous if ingested
Crystals
Pro:
- Controls odour well
- Very absorbent
- Only needs to be changed once per month
Con:
- Can be dangerous if ingested or inhaled on ongoing basis
- Hard on cat’s feet
- Expensive
Pine
Pro:
- Biodegradable
- Flushable or compostable
- Lasts three times as long as clay
- Some odour control
- Appropriate for kittens
- Very absorbent
Con:
- Gets tracked through the house in kitty’s paws
- Doesn’t clump
- Some cats don’t like texture
World’s Best Cat Litter (Corn)
Pro:
- Harmless to cats
- Biodegradable or compostable
- Flushable
- Odour Control
- Clumps well
- Outlasts clay litter by 40%
- Appropriate for kittens
Con:
- Can be dusty
- Some cats don’t like texture
- Expensive
Wheat
Pro:
- Some odour control
- Biodegradable
- Safe and non-toxic
- Flushable
- Some clumping
Con:
- Gets tracked through the house in kitty’s paws
- Can be dusty
- Expensive
Before you select a litter or decide to change a new cat’s litter, check with the shelter where you adopted him. You will want to start your cat in his new home with whichever litter he had previously to minimize the shock of the transition. To transition from one type to another, you may want to either start mixing the old and new litter together for a while or have two boxes – one with the old litter and one with the new litter. If you rush this transition, you may have a cat who refuses to use his litter box altogether.
Automatic Cat Litter Boxes
Thinking about getting a litter box that cleans itself? Ever wonder if they are too good to be true? Before you consider purchasing one, you need to understand not only the differences in the products out there but whether your cat will use one. There’s no point spending a lot of money on an automatic box if it makes so much noise that your cat is petrified to go near it. Here is a quick rundown on the basic considerations.
Consider Your Cat’s Unique Nature
When selecting a new automatic litter box, the final goal of every cat owner is to own the one that is attractive to the cat so that he will be certain to use it. Your cat needs to feel safe and comfortable before she even approaches it. Keep these potential issues in mind before you buy.
- If your kitty is very sensitive to sounds, you will want a self-cleaning litter box that has a very quiet mechanism so that your cat is not scared if she hears it in action.
- If your feline is easily scared about mechanical devices movement, you will want to choose an automatic cleaning litter box that has minimal or hidden movement.
- If your cat doesn’t like narrow areas where she may feel trapped, an open style of automatic cat box (with optional hood) will be a better choice for him. Bear in mind that hooded box model can aid to prevent the spread of dust and smell, but may be difficult for bigger felines to use and offer poor ventilation. Also, litter boxes with clear plastic doors may contain odour but your cat may be afraid of being trapped or may not understand how to use the door.
- If you have a large cat or multiple cats, the ideal choice of an automatic cat litter box will be a larger model designed for multiple users.
- The depth of the pan and the height of the lip at the entrance need to be deep enough to handle cats who like to scoop and dig from scattering litter outside the box, but shallow enough that your kitten can easily go in and out of the box. It is recommended to buy a litter box as large as you can since your kitten will grow up soon.
Consider Your Surroundings
- If you live in small apartment with no water line, you cannot use CatGenie litter box. You may be interested in other models such as Litter-Robot, Scoopfree, LitterMaid, etc.
- If safety, health and sanitary is your primary concern, you may want to avoid using Scoopfree Litter Box, since it use silica gel that can be harmful for baby or other pets. CatGenie may be your suitable choice because it takes care of cat waste and urine while leaving reusable dry granules only. No dirty waste is stored within house.
- You will want to choose a litter box that is small enough to fit neatly into the room where you place it yet big enough to handle the size and number of cats that will be using it.
Budget Or Convenience Consideration
- If you want to keep ongoing costs down and convenience up, the ideal choice of an automatic cleaning litter box will be the one that allows use of regular garbage bags as opposed to specialized containers. Litter-Robot is a good example of durable, low ongoing cost automatic litter box.
- If you are really on a tight budget, a semi automatic model (such as Omega Paw) may be your best option. It is not fully automatic. You need to manually shake or rotate the waste into an easily removable litter tray.
- Most automatic cat litter boxes have some form of guarantee. This is an important consideration given that all have moving parts. Besides, you may need to return it if your cat refuses to use it.
Here is a comparison of the leading brands:
Litter Robot |
Cat Genie |
Litter Maid |
Scoop Free |
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| P r o s | Can operate based on certain schedule | Takes care of cat waste as it wash, rinse, dry granule automatically | Cheapest automatic cat litter box among others | No need for litter replacement |
| Bigger vessel for waste than LitterMaid or ScoopFree | Cat urine drains immediately leaving reusable dry granules | Closed container contains odours | Clean-up is dust free | |
| No waste stored within house | Has optional hood | |||
| C o n s | Cannot remove the cover. Some cats feel entrapped in covered litter boxes | Washable granule tend to scatter without hood in place | Small size of vessel requires regular weekly maintenance | Refills are somewhat expensive |
| Large in size compared to other products | Requires access to nearby cold water tap and drain | Sensitive to litter level for optimal operation | For bigger cats, 30 days tray can last just for 2 weeks | |
| Expensive | Initial set up requires some technical skill. |
Unique Litter Boxes
If your décor is important to you, then you don’t have to settle for a standard litter box that you find at your local pet store. There are so many unique and useful designs that will hide both litter and odour, create storage space for you or will add to your interior design. Here are a few designs that you may want to consider:
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And there are many more designs out there that will meet your needs for practicality, décor and expression. Do a search on the internet to find a style that suits you.
Toilet Training
Is there another option available to deal with kitty waste? Did you know that some cats can be toilet-trained? If you saw “Meet The Parents”, you probably thought that this happens in the movies but it can be done. But it is a very slow paced process and you need to start with a litter box and litter to start the transition.
There are several books on the subject as well as products such as “Litter Kwitter”, “Feline Evolution CatSeat” and “CitiKitty”. If you are interested, you should check them out. It may save you money, eliminate odour and impress your friends.
Keep in mind; you need to ensure that your cat is okay with this process. Do not force him if he does not want to, otherwise, you will have a stressed cat on your hands and a stressed cat is an unhealthy and unhappy cat.
