What is the best cat litter?

sidekick

Reading through the postings here, it seems cat litter is available in two basic types: the turns-to-cement type and the wood type. Are there others?

Currently I'm using the wood variety with so-so success. Easy to clean and easy to manage. Problem is when the cat walks out of the litter box, the saw dust is spread all over the place. So not the cleanest. How do you avoid this situation? Is there a mat that I can put outside the litter box? Are there other solutions to this messy problem?

All suggestions welcome. Thanks.

Call me Socket

When I used the pellets I increased the use of the hoover!:)
I'd rather hoover more often that put up with the smelly and unsightly cement type....
Not sure if a mat would make much of a difference as the sawdust kind of clings to the fur after all the digging so it goes where the cat goes afterwards! It didn't bother me all that much...having said that, if I had a young child crawling on the floor then it wouldn't have been suitable at all.

lubie76

'Worlds Best' is by far the best one I've used. It's actually made from corn kernals and dust free which means its also really safe healthwise for the cat and as its biodegradable it can be flushed down the toilet. Really easy to scoop. Its also one of the most expensive unfortunately. About €12 for 3kg bag on zooplus.

Jack B. Badd

World's Best (corn) and Cat's Best (plant fibre) are both organic clumping litters that aren't really dusty unlike most wood pellet litter. You'll still get bits kicked/carried out of the tray but if you get a covered or high sided tray that may help. I find Cat's Best to be better (and cheaper).
Otherwise there are special mats that you can buy but they're expensive. I've heard a standard rubbery door mat (larger than the area of the tray) is a cheaper alternative.

nearly

what i can't figure out is...

can you dump the woodchip stuff in the toilet?

we bought beauticat after reading it was OK to flush down the looo.... but then i saw on the package it doesn't mention this at all. just was hoping to dump the poo scoops.

sidekick

Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas. I've order the Cat's Best from zooplus.ie - will be worth giving it a go. Cheers.

The Sweeper

I use a paper pellet litter at the moment - doesn't disintegrate, just clumps to mush around urine. Generates just enough paper dust to coat poos and make them easy to pick out and flush down the loo. Doesn't track, apart from what they might kick out of the box.

Used to use a recycled plant granule, but that turned to sawdust and tracked and it was EVERYWHERE, I had to hoover twice a day.

The recycled paper pellets are working quite well for me at the moment.

Jack B. Badd

nearly wrote: »

what i can't figure out is...

can you dump the woodchip stuff in the toilet?

we bought beauticat after reading it was OK to flush down the looo.... but then i saw on the package it doesn't mention this at all. just was hoping to dump the poo scoops.

World's Best and Cat's Best are the only ones I've tried flushing and they're fine, and when you clean out the tray totally the remaining litter can be put in the composter - having removed any soiled matter first. I would imagine that any wood chip/pellet litter that doesn't specifically say flushable could probably cause a blockage. The paper stuff probably flushes like toilet paper depending on the consistency.

PCros

For the wood pellets turning to sawdust all you have to do is put an old towel down under the tray and where your cat steps out all the time.....easy.

It takes 90% of the dust because our cat usually steps out of the tray first onto the towel and inspects her job of covering the poo, therefore most of the dust comes off.

Also you can purchase a hooded litter box, looks like a carrier and it is impossible for your cat to spill any. I'm thinking of getting one.

GeturGun

PCros wrote: »

Also you can purchase a hooded litter box, looks like a carrier and it is impossible for your cat to spill any. I'm thinking of getting one.

+1 to this. Since I got a hooded tray, the difference to the amount of litter spilling out is huge. Only the odd time when when they get particularly vigorous with their scooping do a few bits come out through the door onto the floor!
Cannot recommend them enough

Jack B. Badd

Out of curiousity, are the corner hooded ones any good? The standard hooded ones take up a bit too much space in our place.

rediguana

I've tried a few types by now and I find that the "Thomas" brand (yellow bag) is an easy winner. Don't ask me for the spec, but I wouldn't touch any other type now.

Our man in Havana

I find that Cats Best pelleted litter is the best. I don't like those fullers earth type litters.

MoonDancer256

I've tried so many types of cat litter, but have found that the best type are very very fine, clumping litters that get shovelled once a day. The tray then doesnt need a full change for a long time.

Currently using a brand I found in maxizoo (can't recall the name, and am at work...) - it's a fine clumping litter labelled as "sensitive" - that is to say it doesnt have any of those horrible baby powder / lavendar scents that so many cat litters seem to.

My cats are loving it and its so easy to clean out.

Debating trying the Golden Grey litter from zooplus soon, as that looks like a similar type of thing and I prefer being able to have litter shipped to the door.

I found those "natural" type litters like Cat's/World's Best tend to go soggy so not a fan at all.

GeturGun

you lucky people that only need to scoop every day and a full change every few days. I tried that for a while but the litter gets really 'cat wee' smelly after only a day and one of my kitties (I don't blame her) was going in the bath rather than in the litter tray. So I solved that problem by a full change every day.
I use the Tesco Value one (cos it's cheap and it's light) - might try a more expensive one and see if that stinks less.

Jack B. Badd wrote: »

Out of curiousity, are the corner hooded ones any good? The standard hooded ones take up a bit too much space in our place.

I haven't tried the corner one, the one I have is the cat-carrier type one. I'm sure as long as they have enough room to turn around, it would be fine.
Oh. the other great advantage of the covered trays is you don't have to see them do their business - good for kitty, good for owner

MoonDancer256

GeturGun wrote: »

I use the Tesco Value one (cos it's cheap and it's light)

There's your problem

I have 5 indoor cats with 2 huge trays, filled with a premium clumping litter. Shovelled and topped up once a day, completely changed every week or two. Almost no smell

I've found that with cheap litters (especially non-clumping) the overwhelming stench of ammonia fills my house within a very short space of time. It even worked out pretty expensive refilling it all the time with cheap litter. Now I just buy the good stuff and it lasts longer!

tk123

We get this one : http://www.zooplus.ie/shop/cats/cat_litter/clumping_litter/127203

There's never a smell and it's easy to scoop out the 'blocks' so it stays clean.

GeturGun

MoonDancer256 wrote: »

There's your problem

I have 5 indoor cats with 2 huge trays, filled with a premium clumping litter. Shovelled and topped up once a day, completely changed every week or two. Almost no smell

I've found that with cheap litters (especially non-clumping) the overwhelming stench of ammonia fills my house within a very short space of time. It even worked out pretty expensive refilling it all the time with cheap litter. Now I just buy the good stuff and it lasts longer!

thanks for that!
It's off to the shop for some 'good stuff' for me then!