Cat litter

[vanilla]

What's the best cat litter? Clumping or non-clumping?

Currently on catsan but thinking of changing to a clumping one.

[Kay]

Tesco's Ultra Clumping is great, and my cats love it - only needs topping up and hides smells really well

It does scatter rather a lot because it is so fine, but my cordless Dyson makes light work of it, and because it is white it's easy to spot

[alanc]

Certainly prefer a clumping cat litter - makes cleaning the tray a lot easier. I use Pettex, but that is because it is the only variety of clumping litter our local pet shop sells.

[Alice]

I also like clumping litter, and am very happy with Lidl's own brand, on offer at the moment at £1.55 for a 10kg bag (usually £1.79). Aldi's is very similar, and the cats happily use either.

[Ruth B]

I actually use Catsans Clumping litter, it's a bit harder to find than some, but fortunately Asda sell it. I have tried a couple of others when it was out of stock but have always come back to it, it seems far better at reducing any scent than the alternatives.

[MarySkater]

Some years ago, I read an internet article which claimed that a number of cats (mainly young ones) became ill or even died because they licked clumping litter off their fur, and it caused intestinal blockage. That put me off the idea of it. I'm not keen on clay-type litters because of the dust, so although I've tried one or two other types, I keep coming back to wood-pellet, non-clumping litter.

I did try a wood-based clumping litter on the outdoor tray in my cat enclosure. It was very light, not dusty, and clean-looking. It clumped well, which did make cleaning the tray easier, but it stuck to fur, especially with my long-haired cat, and got tracked from the garden, indoors and all over the house. I got tired of the mess and gave up on it.

The wood pellets crumble to sawdust when wet, but it doesn't track too badly. I spend a few minutes daily putting the litter from the tray through a sieve. The damp sawdust falls through. The pellets which are still solid can be used again, so that makes it quite economical.

[booktigger]

I've always preferred clumping litter, but can't find one Lucy can't get round the house, so we are currently using Sanicat Oxygen, which isn't clumping, but only needs changing once a week.

[MarkB]

I tried every kind going, but have found Sanicat professional clumping gold the best. It doesn't seem to track and it clumps brilliantly. It seems to last for ages. Annoyingly,none of the cats are using trays now and all choosing to go outside. For the mostpart, not in our own garden.I just hope they are using the closed in piece of lad behind vets old building next door. When all the cats were using trays, I got through about a 6kg box a week - despite Kylie's chronic diarrhoea. Zooplus sell 3 x 6kg for £13.99, although Tesco sell 5kg boxes for about £5 (smaller boxes in supermarkets)

[Antonio]

Clumping litter forever!
I tried several brands, but now I'm really happy with Okoplus Cat's Best Green Power. Excellent clumping ability, nearly odourless.
I like the fact that is natural rather than mineral, so the impact on the environment is much smaller, it is lightweight, it is compostable and, in certain areas, it can be collected along with the organic waste.
It tracks a lot, though. And it's a bit expensive, but it last weeks!

[Janey]

Prefer clumping and we always used Thomas, as that’s what they sell locally and it’s very good. However we started to get the large bags from PAH because they’re similar to Thomas, just a bit dustier, whiter, and cheaper. After reading this thread though I am interested in trying Aldi one, it’s very cheap, we don’t have a Lidl but they’ve just built an Aldi near us, will have to pop in.

[meriad]

I go with clumping because it's just so much easier. Would love to use clay litter as I do think it clumps best, but because 4 of my 6 are long / semi long haired I cannot. Ava esp has very long hair on her trousers and when she squats low to pee it stuck to her fur and then it would - as MarySkater said - become an issue if I wasn't home and she tried to clean it off herself.

I now use Cats Best Oko - clumping wood. And yes it tracks, but it works for me and the cats.

However, of all the litters I've tried (and believe you me there have been loads) this probably was one of the best: https://www.petplanet.co.uk/product.asp ... f_id=56918 but it's quite expensive.

[Alice]

Ria - mine are both Ragdolls, so are long haired, but I've never seen any bits of litter stuck in their fur, and I'm here most of the time.
I did put a tray of wood pellets out for a while, some years ago, which they'd used before they came to me, but they ignored it, always using the tray with clumping clay, so if that's their choice it suits me.

Janey - Aldi have two kinds of litter. The bags with BLUE print are the clumping type. Those with red print are non-clumping, so make sure you get the right one.

[Janey]

Janey - Aldi have two kinds of litter. The bags with BLUE print are the clumping type. Those with red print are non-clumping, so make sure you get the right one.

Thanks Alice I will make sure I get the blue.

[vanilla]

I think I might try the Aldi one too!

[Alice]

I should have mentioned earlier that the Aldi litter at £1.55 is a slightly smaller bag - 8 litres, than the Lidl which is 10kg - confusing when different units are used.

[vanilla]

Anyone tried this one? I think it's just come on the market.

https://www.almonature.com/en_GB/cat-litter/

[MarySkater]

Anyone tried this one? I think it's just come on the market.

https://www.almonature.com/en_GB/cat-litter/

I was willing to give it a try, and went on the website, but when I got as far as "pay," it wouldn't work, either with paypal or card. It just wouldn't load the pay screen.

If anyone has successfully ordered it via that link, please let me know, because then I'll need to look for a problem on my computer.

[vanilla]

I've ordered some. No problems with ordering.

I also got 20% off my order as I'm a new customer. Get your code here:
http://www.hotukdeals.com/vouchers/fetc ... ?vb=132043

[MarySkater]

Thanks for the code link, Vanilla. Initially I still wasn't able to complete my order, but I was using my usual browser, Internet Explorer. When I tried again using Google Chrome, it worked.

[Mayday21]

Hi I was using crystals covered with some Breeders Choice (recycled paper) now using Breeders Choice as I think TC found the crystals hurt his paws. Is clumping cheaper - we have Aldi here & my dress maker told me about it some time ago saying it was cost effective. And I bag the used litter. Vivian

[Kay]

I switched to crystals for a couple of weeks, and found it hid odours well and hardly tracked at all - unfortunately the cats hated it, and Tosker even took to climbing out of the enclosure to access the garden rather than use it - so I tried Breeders Choice in a second tray with clumping in the other and neither touched it, so that went on the compost heap

I think once they are used to the soft fine grains of a good clumping litter no other kind will do, and I must admit it is very cost effective, requires only easy scooping a couple of times a day, and never seems to smell

but the tracking is something else!!

one tip with fine clumping though - use a really strong rigid scoop to prise the concrete clumps off the bottom and sides of the tray

[MarkB]

Kay has reminded me about another thing - using the right type of scoop with a finer mesh http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... oops/98036

Maybe I have just been lucky, but I've never had a problem with tracking with this http://www.zooplus.co.uk/shop/cats/cat_ ... ter/186499

[Kay]

that looks like the Tesco Ultra Clumping, and I wouldn't have a tracking problem if I only had Tiffany - but I also have Tosker, who seems to be able to secrete the litter inside his pawpads ready for a slow release over a long period of time

I had to ban him from the bedroom when I kept finding litter in the bed - but it's easy enough to hoover it up of the floor with a cordless, and at least he doesn't kick it out of the tray, even though I fill it really deeply

[BabyBerlioz]

I am using Litter Purrfect from Costco. It seems to cover the smell really well.

[mr_frisky]

I used to use bog standard value clay clumping litter, but have recently swtiched to Morrisons Ultra Super Fine Clumping Cat Litter, as even urine collects into a ball and doesn't come apart easily, and can be hand-removed, meaning I only have to change it every week or so.

[vanilla]

Almo Nature cat litter was delivered today. I've never been excited about cat litter before!

I emptied the entire bag into the tray, kitten was curious about it and spent ages playing in it like it was a sand box!!! Had to stop this, so I mixed his previous litter into it so he wasn't confused to what it was. Still played in it! Didn't notice that he had done a poo! There was no smell at all!! Scooped out the poo to what look like bread crumb covered poo, no smell when scooping the fresh load. Later on he did a wee, I hadn't put enough litter in so he had wee-ed directly on the plastic and covered it up. Uh-oh I thought... Is it going to be cemented on? :/ I scraped it off which was not too hard and it came off the plastic rather easily and remained as a lump! No smell either!

Overall I'm rather happy about this litter. Can't wait to have it 100% in the tray after the old litter has been used up. Slight tracking at the moment but that could be from the old litter.

I wouldn't say it's totally dust free though, it's very fine and does look like sand.

[MarySkater]

Just tried Almo Nature in one tray (not mixed with anything else). To be fair, the advert doesn't make any claims about tracking. I use carpet samples as litter-catching mats, and these are the tracks left by one short-haired cat, after one visit to the tray.

I'm not fond of hoovering, and when this bag of Almo is finished I'll go back to wood pellets, which don't stick to fur. But most of the claims they make for Almo - good clumping and deodorising, soft and light - appear to be true. However, like Vanilla, I did find it raised a bit of dust. It's a question of what you most need from a litter.

[Kay]

I don't think anyone has come up with a litter which is totally dust free, and doesn't track at all - even litters which don't stick to fur or paws can be kicked out of the tray by an enthusiastic digger

I just judge by what clumps best and stays odour free, and is acceptable to the cats

and it's important to have a colour which shows up, so you know where to hoover - I used to use Nature's Calling, which is dark brown, but had to hastily switch to a white one when I had dark brown vinyl put on the floor, and had to use a torch to find the bits

[vanilla]

Almo Nature clumps nicely but like MarySkater I won't be buying it again when it's finished. The little minx keeps playing in it like a sand box!! I'm going to try the Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi ones next!

[MarySkater]

I have an indoor litter tray, and one outdoors (under cover) in the garden enclosure. My cats tend to prefer the outdoor one (unless it's raining!). I put the Almo in the indoor tray, to keep an eye on it. Both cats went to it this morning. I don't know if it's because they prefer it, or just to check out something new. Certainly my younger one, Ria, was just playing in it some of the time. It's very soft, and a cat with sore or tender paws might prefer it for that reason.

Re odour control: both cats defecated in the Almo after breakfast. I was sitting about 20 feet away, and I could certainly smell it. Maybe the odour would have been absorbed in time, but I cleaned the tray right away. The instructions are to use a layer 2 or 3 centimetres deep. I think the makers are trying to make it seem economical, but perhaps a thicker layer would have let the cats cover the waste better and kill the smell.

I've now moved the Almo tray outside. Coming from there back to the house, the cats have to cross several yards of grass and patio, so I'm interested to see if they will have shaken off the litter before coming inside. The last time I tried a plant-based clumping litter (Greenwoods) in the outside tray, it ended up getting spread all over the house, carried mainly on Ria's fur. If the Almo "sand" falls off more quickly, then it might be suitable for the outside tray.