I recommend contacting
this guy - he knows anything and EVERYTHING
cat-related!
Bob Cohen
Naturally Fresh - made of walnut shells. Cats took to it immediately. Available at Petfood Express.
Mary Farrant
We've had luck with
this litter. but can be a little on the expensive side. And
this one too. But prefer unscented litter to ones like this with added scents.
Linda Lawrence
Clay isn't too healthy. Pet Vet, great place near me
here in Richmond, recommended a clumping clay and it worked for the
kitties but turned into cement in the cat pan. Another pet
supply (Cordonices, on San Pablo Avenue in Albany) turned me on to a
litter made of ground walnuts. It seems lots of people are
buying this, now. My cats are OK with it and I followed the
recommendation to layer the pan with a good helping (say 2"?) of the
walnut mixture and then pour the clay over the top, covering the size
of the pan (so the kitties will think they're getting into their
regular clay litter). Actually, this works well for me,
too, because there is still some clay for substance but less of it,
now. The walnut brand is Blue Naturally Fresh.
100% biodegradable. it calls itself a 'blue buffalo
product'.
Marie Z
OK, I am going to sound like a commercial, but I am very pleased
with the litter I use, for multiple reasons. BTW, Another reason for
you to not use clay litter is that it contains silicones which are
problematic. The cat breathes them in, and silicone particles from the
clay get lodged in their lungs. This is a very common cause of upper
respiratory illnesses or disease.
I've tried many litters! Best biodegradable alternative: "World's
Best Cat Litter". Yep, that is the name of this litter!
It is corn based, made from husks, cobs, etc that they would normally
throw out. It clumps very well!! It is non toxic if kitty inhales
it, or licks his fur/paws. It tracks a little dust, but not as
much as other litters. It is a bit pricey, but it is totally worth it,
for all the reasons above. Because it clumps so well, you don't use as
much as other litters. I never totally empty the box to change the
litter. I just scoop waste out, and add more when it gets low. This is
the only litter that allows me to do that because it clumps so
well. If you click on the jet.com link below, it will take you to
the page with the best purchase price for it that I've found. Free
shipping. The next best price is Bernal Beast in Bernal Heights. This
litter is not meant to be flushed down the toilet-- NO litter should go
down the toilet, it is toxic for the water supply.
In regards to transitioning to a new litter: Try mixing new litter with
old litter, little by little, until you have all new litter. My cats
took to it right away, so I didn't have to take much care in the
change. But many cats get freaked out over any litter box changes. So
probably better to err on the safe side and take it slow.
Spread the word to other cat owners. Better for you, your kitty, and the environment.
Dore: You put the clumps in the compost bin?
Marie Z: No, you can't
put the litter in the compost, no matter what litter you use, even if
the litter itself is biodegradable. The city does not allow
litter in the green bin. If you have your own compost bin, of course
that would be ideal, and you could toss it in there. I rely on the city
for composting. That said, I put the clumps in a biodegradable
bags, or I use paper lunch bags, then it goes in the garbage, or black
bin, but it will bio degrade. It is the best option I've found.
Has anyone recommended to you a nice bio degradable alternative. If
there is better litter then mine, I wouldn't mind looking into it. It
doesn't hurt to hear if anyone else has a nice option, particularly if
it is less expensive. Many heads are a better then one, or, it takes a
village to raise a cat. ;)
Another reason for you to not use clay litter is that it
contains silicones which are problematic. The cat breathes them in, and
silicone particles from the clay get lodged in their lungs. This is a
very common cause of upper respiratory illnesses or disease. Two good
biodegradeable alternatives:
Jet.com - Prices Drop As You Shop.
Tim Olson, Redwood City
I used the pine cat litter. It looks like pine pellets. My cat got used to it quite quickly.
I think they like the smell. After removing the solid waste I
dumped it in the green compost bin that sets picked up each week.
Robert Weiner, Bernal Heights, SF
We’ve been using World’s Best Cat Litter for years. It’s made
from corn. It’s been ages since we had to transition a cat from clay to
World’s Best, but it went fine. It’s technically flushable, but should
not be flushed in CA since cat urine in it kills otters.
Chula Camp, SF
Klimey is a little luv bug and seconds the motion regarding the litter !!!
My buddy Dave uses corn litter, He's been using it for years. I don't
recall an issue with Mr.Charlie adjusting to it. So many new options
now. What I do know is that even though it is biodegradable, cats that
ingest it can get ill as it is not digestible. So you need to keep on
eye on that. Also it is not suggested to dispose of in the toilet in
California. Landfill (black bin) is still the preferred. Cat feces is
thought to cause toxoplasmosis in our West Coast otters. So that's my
two cents worth.
David Bryant
The ones we use are
Exquisite Cat Naturals Pine Cat Litter and
Integrity Natural Pine Cat Litter.
It's basically little wood pellets that turn to [dry] sawdust when
urine hits them, and then when you shake the litter box all the sawdust
part goes to the bottom so you have fresh pellets on top. Once you
can't get enough fresh stuff on top, you change the whole thing,
although I use a scooper to save some of the remaining pellets and put
them on the bottom of the next batch (saves about 1/3 recycling in that
way).
Our cat is 20, so I don't remember much from when we switched from clay
litter, but I seem to remember just putting a thin layer of the old
litter on top of the new litter until she got used to it. It wasn't a
big issue.
I also had a vet tell me long ago (and have since read other
places) that she didn't recommend clumping litter because cats will
sometimes ingest small amounts of litter when licking their paws, and
that the clumping litter can essentially clump inside the cat's belly.
Not good.
One other thing about the Pine litter is that they say in ads that cats
won't track it. Well, ours does track it to some extent, and every once
in a while you'll step on one of those little pine chips, and they can
really hurt if it's right on your heel! Something to keep in mind if
you like to walk around the house barefoot without your glasses on.
Juliana Graffagna
My kittens like
Smart Cat. In fact, they often eat it...
Susan St. Aubin
We've used feline pine for years with several cats. The pine
scent hides that cat box smell and the cats accept it. Our garden loves
it, too. They suggest you gradually mix it with your old litter,
but we've never had to do that.
Harry Weller
I used "Litter Green" which turned out to be expensively re-marketed
alfafa pellets,
aka rabbit food. Some people are allergic to the smell of
alfalfa, but for us, it worked perfectly - absorbs & breaks down
cat pee, flushable, cheap from pet supply place (who routinely sell it
as cat litter). "less than $15 for a 50-lb bag of the brand I
buy, Manna Pro"
Ruriko & Damien Raffa
We've had a good eco-friendly run with pine pellets (technically
billed as horse bedding!) which can be ordered on-line through Ace
Hardware for about 9 bucks (40 lb. bag!) with free delivery to your
local Ace Hardware store. (Trader Joe's sells a small bag of the same
product if you want to test a smaller quantity). The pellets are made
from pine sawdust, and since our cats are indoors only we flush all of
it.
Pat Moran
I’m a relatively new cat person, as of about a year ago.
Stella’s a rescue kitty from a local organization. The two women
there recommended “World’s Best Cat Litter,” which is what I’ve been
using, and Stella seems happy with. The multi-cat version (red
bag) costs a little more, but it has less dust, so I use it even though
I just have the one kitty. And it’s biodegradable. I can flush it down
the toilet, no problem.
Karen McCabe
best bio-degradable cat litter.
Swheat Scoop.
Terence Groeper, Diamond Heights, SF