Other Litter Choices

I'm thinking I want to get away from the clay clumping litter that I've
used for years. I'm concerned because Rusty, for some reason in his old
age, has grown long fur between his paw pads on his feet. If he steps in
the clay clumping litter while it's wet, it can stick to this fur and is
near to impossible to clean off. I've thought about trimming this fur off
his feet, but he's not real keen on the idea.

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

Both have scoopable litters which I really do prefer because it makes it
easier for me to clean the cat box more frequently. They're supposed to be
natural and more kitty-friendly.

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thanks!

Patty

There's also the World's Best Cat Litter (corn, scoopable). It's a
good litter, but the problem I had was the pet store that carried it
would often be out of stock for long periods of time, due to the
distributor. I ended going back to clay because I could not find it
regularly, and my cats didn't care for Swheat Scoop (which is also
sold at Target, BTW).

"Patty" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking I want to get away from the clay clumping litter that I've
used for years. I'm concerned because Rusty, for some reason in his old
age, has grown long fur between his paw pads on his feet. If he steps in
the clay clumping litter while it's wet, it can stick to this fur and is
near to impossible to clean off. I've thought about trimming this fur off
his feet, but he's not real keen on the idea.

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

Both have scoopable litters which I really do prefer because it makes it
easier for me to clean the cat box more frequently. They're supposed to
be
natural and more kitty-friendly.

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thanks!


I think it might be a bad idea to change an older cat's litter, because if
he
doesn't like it, he may very well quit using his box.

A question: why is the litter wet? Cats don't usually step in their own
waste.

The two litters you mentioned are not ones I use, but I have seen them.
They are very expensive compared with the clumping kind. And my
cats are good about going in their boxes (unless Boo has some sort
of statement to make, lol) so I have hesitated to change. If I were to
change, I think it would be to the old, non-clumping clay, as that
would feel similar to the clumping to the cats. They do not like
disruptions in what they are accustomed to, as I bet you know.

On Mar 21, 5:46 pm, "cybercat" wrote:
"Patty" wrote in message

snip

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

I'm going to be trying Shweat Scoop this week. I will let you know!
I've heard good things thus far.

snip

I think it might be a bad idea to change an older cat's litter, because if
he
doesn't like it, he may very well quit using his box.

snip

Try mixing it in a little at a time to acclimate your cat to the new
litter. Just like with food, I think gradual is better than drastic.

Good luck!

on Wed, 21 Mar 2007 19:46:10 GMT, Patty wrote:

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has
tried them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)

I use Feline Pine and love it, but I agree with Cybercat; switching an
older cat's litter may be problematic.

That said, Feline Pine does NOT clump (so it's not 'scoopable' the way
clumping litters are). What happens is that the pellets disintegrate
into sawdust when they get wet. You can shake the box and the sawdust
will fall to the bottom. I highly recommend, if you go this route,
using the Feline Pine litter box (and the Feline Pine scooper, which has
bigger slots so you can spare the intact pellets). It has 2 boxes, one
is a sifter. You can shake the box and all the sawdust will fall out of
the main box into the bottom box. When the bottom gets full, you can
dump the sawdust either in your garden or in the trash. It's much
better than leaving the sawdust in the pan with the pellets. Also, you
can flush Feline Pine when you scoop out the poop. My pipes suck, but I
haven't had any problems in the year I've been using this stuff. One
final note, I buy Feline Pine and some other Pine pellet stuff,
whichever is cheaper, and my cats don't notice the difference. It's
anywhere from $7-10 for 20 lbs and it goes a lot farther than other
litters I've used.

If you switch to ANY new litter, do it slowly. Very slowly. Behavioral
problems with the litter box are not easy or fun to deal with.

--
Lynne

I don't know if you have a Fry's near you but the Pet Pride cat litter is
really good.

--
Cat Galaxy: All Cats! All The Time!
www.catgalaxymedia.com

Panther TEK: Staying On Top Of Your Computer Needs!
www.panthertekit.com
"Patty" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking I want to get away from the clay clumping litter that I've
used for years. I'm concerned because Rusty, for some reason in his old
age, has grown long fur between his paw pads on his feet. If he steps in
the clay clumping litter while it's wet, it can stick to this fur and is
near to impossible to clean off. I've thought about trimming this fur off
his feet, but he's not real keen on the idea.

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

Both have scoopable litters which I really do prefer because it makes it
easier for me to clean the cat box more frequently. They're supposed to
be
natural and more kitty-friendly.

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thanks!

Patty

Hey Pat, I've tried both of these litters in the past and the cats never
really liked it. Feline Pine has a real "pine" smell and both are really
light weight. Doesn't mean Rusty won't...but like others have said, if you
decide to switch, mix the new stuff with the old and gradually work your way
to using only the new stuff.

Sue

"Patty" wrote in message
...
I'm thinking I want to get away from the clay clumping litter that I've
used for years. I'm concerned because Rusty, for some reason in his old
age, has grown long fur between his paw pads on his feet. If he steps in
the clay clumping litter while it's wet, it can stick to this fur and is
near to impossible to clean off. I've thought about trimming this fur off
his feet, but he's not real keen on the idea.

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

Both have scoopable litters which I really do prefer because it makes it
easier for me to clean the cat box more frequently. They're supposed to
be
natural and more kitty-friendly.

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thanks!

Patty

On Mar 21, 2:46�pm, Patty wrote:
I'm thinking I want to get away from the clay clumping litter that I've
used for years. *I'm concerned because Rusty, for some reason in his old
age, has grown long fur between his paw pads on his feet. *If he steps in
the clay clumping litter while it's wet, it can stick to this fur and is
near to impossible to clean off. *I've thought about trimming this fur off
his feet, but he's not real keen on the idea. *

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

Both have scoopable litters which I really do prefer because it makes it
easier for me to clean the cat box more frequently. *They're supposed to be
natural and more kitty-friendly.

Any other suggestions are greatly welcomed. *Thanks!

Patty

Saw dust or wood shavings work well in an emergency. Shredded paper
(preferably from a machine) works good, too. We have one of those nice
(and quite expensive) new automatic litter systems. The wife got tired
of all that poop-scooping. It does it all and she no longer has to get
her hands dirty. Praise Be, the neighborhood doesn't have to listen to
that any more. And all for about the price you'd pay for the crown-job
on a tooth.


IBen Getiner

"zinzee" wrote in message
oups.com...
On Mar 21, 5:46 pm, "cybercat" wrote:
"Patty" wrote in message

snip

Anyhow, I've researched some other choices and wonder if anyone has
tried
them:

Feline Pine (which is sold at Target)
Swheat Scoop (which is sold at a Krogers near me)

I'm going to be trying Shweat Scoop this week. I will let you know!
I've heard good things thus far.
---------------
If you buy Swheat Scoop, I would advise you not to flush it down the toilet,
however. (According to the package, it is flushable). I used to use Swheat
Scoop and flush it. This was very convenient until it clogged up all the
plumbing, and the plumber had to spend hours at my house. Apparently, the
Swheat Scoop had accumulated in the pipes where they leave the house and
drain into the outside sewer. This was not a simple clogged toilet. The bill
was hefty. It's probably okay to flush a very small amount, but I advise you
to continue to throw away the lion's share (no pun intended) of the used
litter in your trash receptacle.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

On Mar 22, 10:05 am, "cindys" wrote:
"zinzee" wrote in message
snip

I'm going to be trying Shweat Scoop this week. I will let you know!
I've heard good things thus far.

---------------
If you buy Swheat Scoop, I would advise you not to flush it down the toilet,
however. (According to the package, it is flushable). I used to use Swheat
Scoop and flush it. This was very convenient until it clogged up all the
plumbing, and the plumber had to spend hours at my house. Apparently, the
Swheat Scoop had accumulated in the pipes where they leave the house and
drain into the outside sewer. This was not a simple clogged toilet. The bill
was hefty. It's probably okay to flush a very small amount, but I advise you
to continue to throw away the lion's share (no pun intended) of the used
litter in your trash receptacle.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

Cindy, very good advice, thank you!! I live in a very old building
and I don't think my landlord would be very happy to have me clog
everything up. Not to mention, if something backed up and overflowed
my neighbors below me would probably cut my throat!

I purchased the litter last night and plan on starting to integrate it
this evening. Before I do that though, what litter do you use now?
Do you find it better than Swheat Scoop? If it's claims it's
flushable, do you still avoid flushing it in hopes of preventing any
more large bills?

Thanks again,
Heather