Help With Litter

[strawbearymacarons]

so usually when im interested in a pet i do my research first and then get the animal but we found a kitten and its my first cat ever and im trying to figure everything out but i am having the hardest time understanding about litter and litterbox maintenance. i know these are probably stupid and basic questions but im lost so i need to ask.

ok quick background on what ive tried. i have a rabbit and a ferret and they use newspaper litter which im not a huge fan of but its safe for them and its cheap. i did try this with her when she first came home because it was what i had on hand but i just dont really like paper pellet litter. i have also tried pine litter in the past not with her but with them and i liked the odor control but its so dusty and i can barely lift the bag so i really dont like pine litter. right now she's using tofu litter which it says one bag should last a month but idk if im doing it wrong but one bag only lasts like two weeks at most. i have to constantly add more to the box and a lot of times it gets all goopy and stuck to the bottom and sides so i just dump it and wash the box. so thats where we're at now.

i know that a lot of people like walnut litter but i read that it stains and my house is entirely hardwood so i definitely dont want her to track little walnut stains all over or for her little paws to get stained. before having her i just assumed all cats used clay litter for the most part but when i actually looked it up it seems that clay litter is bad for them? not sure if thats true or just people online posting opinions as facts so please let me know about that. anyways id love recommendations or even just some examples of your experiences with different litters to help guide me in the right direction.

and ok so this makes me feel extra dumb but like how are you supposed to maintain a litter box? im really lost here. with my ferret and rabbit i scoop it daily and top it up the rabbit gets a whole fresh box once a month and the ferret gets one weekly because he's a stinky little angel. i guess i thought the rabbit approach would work for a cat but that doesnt seem to be the case? like i mentioned before, after scooping i always have to refill it and it gets stuck to the bottom a lot so i end up dumping and refilling the whole box frequently. which kinda makes me feel like maybe im scooping wrong? the litter bags are always like "just scoop solids daily and stir and itll last a month " my assumption would be that solids means poop and the urine that clumps up so thats what i scoop and then the box gets so low i have to pour more in like every two days. maybe i have the wrong kind of scoop and im just scooping too much litter because the soy is large pellets or maybe the tofu litter just isnt good? im not sure but please tell me how you maintain your litter boxes cuz im so confused

[Kay]

before I share my own experience with the different kinds of cat litter, can I ask what you feed the kitten on, as I think it can make a big difference in what comes out the other end, and that in turn affects what litter works best

[strawbearymacarons]

yes ok so i was a little confused about feeding too so please feel free to correct me or offer advice. i decided to give her wet food and dry food so currently she is getting one can of wet food either wellness kitten chicken or different flavors of cat person brand and for dry food she is getting 1/2 cup of cat person salmon and tuna kibble. i was kind of confused on if the dry food was even necessary but i figured i could give her both to start and then id have til the dry food bag was empty to figure it out. she's 10 weeks right now so also if im giving her to little or too much please let me know that part was also confusing...but i feel like diet is almost always the most confusing part of having a pet.

[Mollycat]

It might be the depth of litter, we use a clay clumping and if it's not deep enough she digs down to the bottom and then the clump is stuck to the tray. Do rabbits and ferrets dig before depositing? If not, that could be one difference. I have always used clay, though clumping is more recent, and sometimes more expensive is worthwhile as a good quality clumping lasts much longer than a value non-clumping and much less dusty too. Can't help with any other type though as the only one we tried was a very light papery stuff like miniature popcorn and Molly refused it point blank even when I tried phasing it in mixed with her clay litter. Come what may once the new reached a certain proportion she refused the tray altogether.

[strawbearymacarons]

ok ok so clay litter is ok then? when i found her i assumed id be using clay litter cuz i thought thats just what all cats used lol then i was overwhelmed by all the actual options. what brand do you use if you dont mind me asking? and no the ferret and rabbit dont dig at all. the just goes while grazing on hay and the ferret just backs up does the duty and scampers away. she definitely digs though which is why i keep having to add more litter in a wasted effort to stop it from sticking to the bottom.

[alanc]

I try and keep a 2" depth of clumping clay litter (Pettex) in Tilly's litter tray which seems to be enough to foil her attempts to dig her way out the bottom and stop the clump sticking to the bottom. I would not use anything other than clumping litter as it is so much easier to clean out with a scoop.

[Mollycat]

ok ok so clay litter is ok then? when i found her i assumed id be using clay litter cuz i thought thats just what all cats used lol then i was overwhelmed by all the actual options. what brand do you use if you dont mind me asking? and no the ferret and rabbit dont dig at all. the just goes while grazing on hay and the ferret just backs up does the duty and scampers away. she definitely digs though which is why i keep having to add more litter in a wasted effort to stop it from sticking to the bottom.

It's been a long time since I had a kitten and I have a feeling clumping isn't recommended in case they eat it, people who have had kittens more recently and follow instructions more than me will be more helpful on that topic.

We use Pets At Home own brand, the Ultra Performance Clumping. They have a lavender scented, and a less performance option. A box costs 9 or 10 quid (recently gone up from the plastic bag to an eco friendly cardboard box that leaks). Her trays are the large ones with a detachable rim to stop too much being dug out all over the floor, and I tip most of the box in which must be about 2-3 inches depth. Some does get fired out but as a short-hair she lacks the fluffy tufty feet of my old Boo and therefore doesn't track it all over the place as badly as he used to. I only do a full change when the clumping performance starts to drop away, which was about monthly with two trays and two cats of which one had kidney failure, now I can't remember the last time, it was months ago, so the cost is offset by the durability of the extra quality.

[Kay]

I use a very fine silica litter, which has the consistency of sand - fine clay litters are better value but I can't cope with the weight of it

fine silica litter is very lightweight, and dries out solids very quickly - the wet patches just have to be stirred into the dry - I tip it out every fortnight, and it comes cleanly out of the tray - it would last longer than 2 weeks really but as the bins are emptied every fortnight I find it easier to follow the same routine, and although the tray is in my sitting room I never smell a thing

[strawbearymacarons]

thanks so much! i definitely did read about kittens not using clumping litters til theyre 4 months but i also saw that the kitten litter by dr.elsey is clumping and for cats 8 weeks and older which she is does anyone know about this brand or if thats a false statement? im pretty sure its a clay litter so im not sure how one clumping clay would be safer than another if she eats it?

[Mollycat]

As you know from all your other animals, they don't read the instructions on what age they are supposed to be sensible enough to not do this that or the other. My partner moved in with me with his 7 year old dog and warned me that dog had been known to go rooting in litter trays for delicacies in the past, so with clumping obviously I stayed alert to the possibility, but 4 years later he never has. I've never known a kitten or cat eat litter personally though I don't use the scented ones because inevitably dust gets on their feet and they lick their feet and clay dust is enough without adding more chemicals. Just a personal issue I have with products for animals being tailored for human tastes!

eta - clumping would be much, much more dangerous if eaten, as clumps would form a blockage and my guess would be (judging by my bathtub if I don't get every trace of it out before washing the trays) stick like concrete to the cat's insides, not just to itself.

[alanc]

None of the three kittens I have had have eaten the clumping clay litter, or shown any inclination to.