Cat Litter For Sensitive Paws

Types Of Cat Litter & How To Choose The Right One

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With so many types of cat litter on the market today, choosing the right one can be a confusing task. How do you know what is the best cat litter for your feline friend?

The best cat litter is the one that your cat likes and will use. However, it’s also important to choose a cat litter that works well for you, too, because you’re the cat clean-up crew. Finding the perfect cat litter involves answering questions such as, how do I know what my cat likes? Do I want clumping or non-clumping? Scented or unscented? Should I talk to my veterinarian before switching to a different cat litter? Use this guide to answer these questions and help you select a cat litter that works best for you and your cat.

Garfield Tiny Grains Cat Litter

This litter is made from a blend of corn, cassava, and has a soft, sandy texture thats easy on the paws. While the litter is soft on paws, its hard on odor, providing excellent odor control on par with the best clumping clay products. Its a clumping litter that creates cohesive, easy-to-scoop clumps with the consistency of gummy bears.

One of the benefits of this litter is that it looks like glittering creamy-white sand, which makes it easy to identify the presence of blood or other abnormalities in your cats urine.

Cats Pride Unscented Complete Care Litter

This is a super-fine clumping clay litter, both lightweight and easy for cats to dig in. A win-win! Christine Sellers, the veterinary advisor at Cat Person, agrees. My go-to litter for my five cats at home and my top recommendation for my clients is Cats Pride Complete Control. The clumps are not too sticky and dont adhere to the box when scooped daily. And its lightweight.

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The Type Of Cat Litter Material

There are various types of cat litter available in the market and they range from natural to artificial. However, the types that tend to be non-tracking are natural types such as pinewood, corn and walnut shells.

Similarly, clumping cat litter is a good non-tracking option as it does not stick to paws and is dust-free. It may contain bentonite that allows the litter to form into solid clumps once it absorbs liquid like urine. It can swell up to 15 times its original volume which allows for easier cleanup. However, unlike the natural litter, those that contain bentonite may pose health risks when ingested by cats.

What Are The Benefits Of Using Clumping Clay Litter

Clumping clay litter creates cohesive, easy-to-scoop clumps. When litter clumps well, its easy to maintain a fresh litter box without regular dumping.

Cats usually like the texture of the fine clay granules.

Clumping clay litter offers good odor control and typically neutralizes fecal urine, and ammonia smells.

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Considerations To Keep In Mind

If you’re bringing home a new cat or thinking about trying a new type of litter for your current feline family member, speak with your vet beforehand to get their recommendations. Then, think about litter characteristics such as texture, absorbency and ease of use.

Texture is particularly important, noted the ASPCA, because cats are sensitive to what litter feels like on their paws. If they don’t like the feel of what’s in their litter box, they may find a different place to use as a cat bathroom .

Components To Look For In A Hypoallergenic Cat Litter

There are a handful of important components to consider when choosing a hypoallergenic kitty litter. We list them out below.

Its time to get into our top picks for hypoallergenic kitty litter!

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Symptoms Of Litter Allergies In Cats

While some cats may have general allergies, other cats could just be sensitive to certain types of kitty litter. Since cats are exposed to their litter and associated allergens several times a day, its important that you use a litter that wont cause irritation. Below are some symptoms of litter allergies:

• Runny nose
• Improper elimination
• Coughing

Cats can develop allergies just as humans can. Kitties who have been previously diagnosed with allergies could be more prone to developing allergies to their litter. Chemicals and certain materials in litter will potentially cause allergies or flare-ups. These include silica dust, sodium bentonite, dyes, perfumes, fragrances and more. When picking out a hypoallergenic cat litter, its important to choose a litter that is free of those types of ingredients.

Overall Best Cat Litter For Declawed Cats

• Super soft texture for sensitive paws
• Made with patented Odor Shield Technology
• Litter and box are biodegradable
• Naturally lightweight

This soft wood litter from Okocat is our top pick for declawed cats. The fine wood granules are gentle on even the most sensitive paws. The litter is lightweight so your cat will have no problem digging through it and covering their business. The lightweight of this natural litter is also beneficial for humans who dont want to lug around massive, heavy jugs of litter. The formula is clumping for easy scooping and maintenance.

We love Okocat litters because they are safe for the planet and our pets. Made with patented Odor Shield Technology, this litter for declawed cats will trap and control odors for up to 7 days. The granules are made from reclaimed lumber, giving the litter a natural woodsy smell. Okocat is considered a high performance litter, as it works well for multi-cat homes in a variety of situations. We like that this litter is soft and safe for your declawed cat, and is equally safe for the environment.

Pros:

• No added dyes or perfumes
• Eco-friendly and biodegradable

Pros:

• Affordable for any budget
• Environmentally-friendly

Pros:

Cons:

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The Best Cat Litter Offers Great Odor Control

The best cat litter helps keep odors at bay, but dont expect a box of litter to take over your job. Weve found that the best odor control comes from great clumping and regular cleaning.

The more waste you can remove from the box, the better. Thats why we look for cohesive clumps, minimal stickiness, and great absorbency.

Some products amp up the odor control with activated carbon and baking soda, which can significantly cut back on odors.

What Kind Of Litter Doesnt Stick To Paws

The best kind of litter that doesnt stick to your cats paws is a non-clumping litter that forms hard pellets when it gets wet.

Another option is clumping litter made from corn, paper, or wheat.

These litters are flushable and biodegradable, so they dont stick to your cats paws or fur.

The downside is that it doesnt absorb urine as effectively as clumping litter does. Ensure you keep the box clean by changing it often.

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Dr Elseys Paw Sensitive Multi

Dr. Elseys Paw Sensitive Litter is 100% natural multi-cat litter with good texture.

Its the best litter for declawed cats.

Pros:

• It provides great odor control
• It has the ideal granule size and feels for your cats sensitive paws

• It is a low dust litter great

• Forms hard clumps that are easy to scoop

• Works well with sifting and mechanical litter boxes

Cons:

• Its not completely dust-free
• May track

Change Their Litter Box

Once the vet check is done and youve placed your order for a hypoallergenic litter its important to add another item into your basket and thats a litter box.

Litter boxes, especially those made of plastic tend to absorb certain smells, and if your old litter was scented, or had certain allergens that triggered your cats immune system then some of these particles might reside in the crevices and the scratched surface of the litter box.

Since plastic can retain smells and bacteria that can trigger you and your kitty, consider getting stainless steel or ceramic litter box. They are hypoallergenic, easy to clean and they can last you a lifetime!

Another reason you might want to consider a different litter box is if your kitty is avoiding their toilet.

The Human Society states that cats prefer to eliminate in a clean area. Instinctively, cats do not want to eliminate in areas that already have a strong smell. By bringing a new litter box with new litter they might lose that negative association.

If your kitty has a sensitive respiratory system, then you might need to consider getting an open litter box. No matter how dust-free a litter claims to be it still might contain some small particles and for a sensitive cat, this might seem too much.

Of course, if you live in a small apartment, or your kitty is shy, there are closed litter boxes with carbon filters that offer decent ventilation, you could also keep the lid on and remove the door instead.

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The 5 Best Litter For Declawed Cats

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Cat declawing, also known as onychectomy, means to surgically remove the cats third and final toe bones. This procedure is carried out on the front paws, and sometimes on the back paws. declawed Cats need softer texture litters due to their sensitive paws. Keep on reading to read our recommendations for the best kitty litter for declawed cats

As a matter of fact, the declawing of a cat is often done for the owners benefit, and not the cats.

The declawed cats could go through a lot of pain, discomfort, and complications during and after the declawing. Not to mention that this could even permanently mar them, physically and otherwise.

It is important to get the kind of litter box thats easy for such sensitive cats to use. It is necessary to deal with litter avoidance issues and also to aid their declawed gait.

The best litter for declawed cats must provide them with comfort and safety while using the litter box. It should help them heal fast and must be well-textured with fine particles.

It should keep them clean at all times. Most veterinarians recommend paper litter for newly declawed cats because of its soft texture, zero-dust and non-clumping properties.

Not to forget that corn, wood, wheat and grass litters are only recommended when the cats wounds from declawing have completely healed.

Top 5 Best Litters For Kittens

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At the top of the list, youll notice a couple of non-clumping biodegradable litters. These are ideal for very young kittens, but dont offer the same hygiene and freshness that a clumping litter would provide. For those who would prefer a clumping litter, but dont want to use sodium bentonite clay, biodegradable clumping litters may provide a safer alternative. Youll also notice one clumping clay litter this one is recommended for older kittens who need an extra push to use the litter box.

Here are the top 5 best products you can use in your kittens litter box:

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A Look At Soft Cat Litter For Declawed Cats

Its common for declawed cats to start pooping or peeing outside of their litter box. The problem is that its a behavior that can be hard to correct.

The most common reason is that regular litter is too harsh on their sensitive claws. For most cats, if theyve had a painful experience with their box due to having the wrong litter, they wont go back.

Using a soft cat litter for declawed cats is vital in my opinion. Whether youre having your cat declawed or adopting one that has already had the procedure.

There are some great products on the market that youve probably never heard of as youve never needed them before.

Here is everything you need to know about choosing a litter for cats without claws , and my top recommendations.

Contents

Benefits Of Using A Hypoallergenic Cat Litter

There are several benefits of using a hypoallergenic cat litter, and human health is included! Choosing to use a hypoallergenic cat litter is a safe choice for your entire household.

Below we specifically discuss the symptoms of allergies in cats. We always recommend seeking veterinary attention if you believe your cat has allergies, asthma or respiratory issues.

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Purina Tidy Cats Lightweight Free & Clean Cat Litter

This featherweight litter gives you the same volume as regular litter, but only about half the heft. Plus, it has an ammonia blocker and activated charcoal to keep urine smells at bay. JustAnswerveterinarian Dwight Alleyne is a fan. Ive been a cat owner for almost 20 years as well as a veterinarian and so far, my all-time favorite brand has been Tidy Cat because it seems to have the best odor control, he says.

How To Choose The Hypoallergenic Litters

Here are the steps you must follow in order to choose the best hypoallergenic cat litters for your kitty:

Dust Free

In order to not cause dust allergies, hypoallergenic cat litters are supposed to be dust-free. You can choose a hypoallergenic cat litter by reading package labels which mention that the litter is 99% dust-free.

Dusty litters not only cause tracking but can also spread in the air forming dust clouds while cleaning or sifting the litter box.

These tiny particles can easily enter the respiratory tract and cause blockage or breathing issues. Therefore, choose dust-free cat litter as they have the least chances of causing allergies.

Material

The material or the ingredients used in the litter depends upon your cats preferences. Felines usually prefer clay litter as it is soft and gentle on their sensitive paws.

It is also easy to dig and bury their poop inside the litter. However, clay pellets are very tiny and can spread very easily in the air or on the floor.

Make sure to choose a material that can cause minimal dust and are safe as well as non-allergenic for your sensitive kitty. Most importantly, your cat should be comfortable in using the litter material.

Size of Pellets

The smaller the size of the pellets, the greater are the chances of forming dust and higher are the chances of it spreading in the air or on the floor.

Unscented

Unscented litter has lesser chances of causing allergies as artificial fragrances and scents can be irritating to your kitty.

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The Best Types Of Cat Litter

We only want the best for our pets, so we asked cat experts to help us whittle down a shortlist of their favorite litters, weeding out the ones that donât hold up to our standards. According to Dr. Jessica Bell, a professor at Washington State University School of Veterinary Medicine, âScientists have actually researched litter preferences and found that cats prefer clay litter to silica or wood pellets.â And the biggest turn-off for cats is smell. âCats have really sensitive noses and donât like perfumed litter,â Dr. Bell says, so always opt for a fragrance-free litter to start. Although many cat people may gripe that theyâd prefer a nice scent to cover up their catâs business, if your catâs litter is deterring them from using the box, weâre confident that an unscented option will start to look pretty good.

We evaluated litter based on a few features: from low-tracking, dust-free, and odor-free to clumping ability and flushability. We gave extra points to those that use upcycled or sustainable materials, and formulas that absorb odor rather than covering it up with scents. Now, itâs still possible that your catâs preferences may fall outside these picks, but weâd consider this a great start to a potentially lengthy hunt for their favorite litter.