Clumping Litter Isnt Always Good
Clumping litter might make your life easier but thats not necessarily true for your kitty. Au contraire, kittens are more likely to play with the clumps. Some might even ingest them. And thats certainly not good for their health. However good quality clumping litter you may get, theres still a risk of your playful kitten eating it and ending up with gastrointestinal distress. To avoid that, consider non-clumping litter.
Dr Elseys Precious Cat Kitten Attract Training Cat Litter Review
A clumping clay litter for older kittens
If you have an older kitten and need some help with litter training, this litter can make life easier. Its a clumping clay litter, so its not appropriate for young kittens. The litter has a fine granule size and texture thats gentle on kitten paws and features a kitten-specific herbal attractant to encourage reluctant kittens to enter the box.
Reviewers seem to particularly appreciate the texture of the litter, which is perfect for cats with sensitive paws.
Besides all of its kitten-targeted features, this litter delivers great odor control, excellent clumping ability, and is 99% dust-free.
The litter comes with a free Litter Box Solutions booklet. Buy It
Pros
- A clumping clay litter not appropriate for kittens younger than 3-4 months old
The Top Four Things To Look For In A Litter Box For Kittens
Newborn kittens are entirely dependent on their mothers. Not only do they need her milk to stay nourished and her body heat to stay warm, but kittens are unable to eliminate without their mothers help for the first three to four weeks. Once they can, its time to start litter box training.
Fortunately, kittens learn how to use the litter box from their mothers. By mimicking their mothers behavior and following their natural instincts, kittens generally start using the litter box fairly quickly.
If youre adopting a kitten from a shelter, its likely old enough to already have litter box usage down pat. Foster kittens may need a little extra encouragement but, for most cat guardians, the primary concern is providing kitten-safe litter and a litter box that is easy for kittens to use.
Here are the top four things to look for in a litter box appropriate for kittens:
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Jonny Cat Unscented Non
This inexpensive old-school litter, sandy and non-clumping, will need to be changed a bit more than the newer clumping clay litters. But if you are dealing with only one kitten and scooping solid waste daily, this should keep everyone happyand your kitten safe from ingesting clumps of clay.
Johnny Cat Unscented Non-Clumping Clay Litter
This old-school litter has a sandy texture that will attract your kitten to the box.
This litter is made entirely from grass and forms clumps for easy scooping. The smooth, sandy texture is gentle on kittens paws, and the litter is free of scents and chemicals.
SmartCat All Natural Clumping Kitten Litter
This natural plant-based litter clumps waste for easy scooping.
Purina Yesterdays News Original Paper Cat Litter
Fluffballs, rejoice! Long-haired cats will appreciate the large pellets of this recycled paper litter, which wont catch their fur. Youll appreciate the noticeable lack of dust. Also, for cats who have recently undergone surgery, I recommend Yesterdays News, which wont stick into the surgical site, says Brian Evans, veterinarian and medical director at Dutch.
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Petsafe Scoopfree Automatic Cat Litter Box Premium Choice
If you are looking for a premium quality litter box to last a lifetime, look no further than the PetSafe ScoopFree Automatic Cat Litter Box. This self-cleaning litter box can be left alone for days at a time and offers hands-free convenience and great control of odors. It has an automatic rake system that sweeps waste into the covered compartment 20 minutes after your cat uses it, with a unique crystal litter that is five times more effective at concealing odors than traditional litter. This litter box is also extremely efficient and uses five to 10 times less litter than traditional boxes.
Unfortunately, this litter box needs to be plugged in, so youll need to place it close to an outlet. Also, if you have more than one cat, the waste compartment will fill up quickly, typically within a day. This box is also expensive, keeping it from the top two positions on this list
This Jumbo Hooded cat pan from Catit gives your cat privacy and helps reduce smells in your home. The hooded design is removable for easy cleaning, with built-in locks for transportation, and a built-in anchor bag will keep the litter in place. The box has a disposable carbon filter to help remove odors and a removable clear door for easy access. The floor is flat and free from nooks and crannies to make cleaning a breeze.
- Thin and low bottom tray
Purina Yesterday’s News Paper Kitten Litter
This litter pledges paw-friendly and 99.7% dust-free litter particles so it’s more comfortable and safer for tiny kittens. While the odor control may not ideal compared to other products, it’s extremely gentle on tiny paws.
Plus, for any environmentally-conscious pet owners, this product is a great choice because it’s made with recycled newspaper!
- Pros: highly absorbent, unscented gentle on even sensitive paws eco-friendly and made with recycled paper
- Cons:expensive compared to traditional clay-based litter, but worth the price as far as most reviewers are concerned owners typically need to dump and refill daily
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What Were Looking For
Clump or no clump: Most popular cat litters are made from liquid-absorbing materials that clump around waste. Some clumping litters are even flushable. For the majority of cats, all of our experts agree that clumping litter is most convenient. It allows for easy removal of urine and feces and you dont have to dump the whole box of litter just scoop up the part thats soiled and then replace as needed, says Carly Fox, a staff veterinarian at Animal Medical Center. She adds that studies have shown cats tend to prefer clumping litter when offered multiple options. There are some instances when you will want a non-clumping litter, though, like if your cat recently had surgery, as clumping litter can stick to incisions.
How it smells: Its tempting to choose a cat litter that promises to mask smells, but veterinarians advise against litter with added fragrance. Laura Pletz, a veterinarian and scientific services manager for Royal Canin, says these scents can deter cats from using the litter box. As an alternative to fragrances, look for ingredients like charcoal and baking soda that absorb odor instead of covering it up. Your best defense against odor, though, is actually frequent scooping. No one really enjoys using porta-potties, and if the litter box is not cleaned regularly, that is how it smells to a cat, explains Cathy Bosley, a certified feline training-and-behavior specialist and administrative assistant at the Best Friends Animal Society Sanctuarys Cat World.
Pioneer Pet Smartcat Unscented Clumping Grass Cat Litter
This grass litter from Pioneer SmartCat is made from all-natural ingredients making it safe for kittens. Since it is made from all-natural ingredients with the base material as grass so it does not contain any toxic materials or harmful chemicals. Additionally, it is also free from any added artificial fragrance. All these factors make it one of the best cat litters for kittens.
This clumping litter clumps so fast that odors dont have a chance to escape. Since it forms clumps upon being in contact with the waste so it becomes easy to clean. Additionally, this litter in spite of being clumping is safe for kittens because it has a plant-based clumping agent and it is made from 100% grass.
It has a smooth texture that not only makes it comfortable for your kitties but also minimizes tracking. Additionally, it is also 99% dust-free and hence provides a cleaner litter box environment. This not only keeps the air cleaner to breathe but it also keeps the floor free from any settled dust.
Pros:
- Made from all natural grass ingredient
- Plant-based clumping agent makes it safe for kittens
- High absorptivity with good odor control
- Soft texture of litter makes it comfortable for your kitty
Cons:
- The clumps are not very hard hence they might break if not scooped with care
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Dr Elseys Kitten Attract Clumping Clay Cat Litter
Dr. Elseys Kitten Attract Clumping Clay Cat Litter is perfect to use for kittens that do not have a habit of using the litter box. It has a kitten-specific natural herbal attractant that piques a kittens curiosity to use the litter box consistently.
The combination of herbs, texture, and particle size makes it one of the best cat litter for kittens. With its ideal granule size and texture, it is tender kitten paws that make it comfortable for your kitty to use it.
This clay litter has superior clumping ability and hence it forms clumps upon being in contact with the waste. Due to this, it becomes easy to scoop out the waste from the litter box. Additionally, the litter is also 99% dust-free and hence does not produces any dust while cleaning or while your kitty is using it.
Pros:
- Not suitable for small kittens
What To Search For When Purchasing Kitty Litter Box
Another critical aspect is that you must submit your order on a reputable E-commerce platform. If you are still unsure about which website to utilize, seek advice from friends or follow the Quora section on Google or any other reliable source of information. And then get to work. Let’s go over some additional important aspects of online shopping.
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The Best Litter Scoop: Duranimals Durascoop Original Cat Litter Scoop
*At the time of publishing, the price was $13.
Out of five scoops we used to scoop litter at the Brooklyn Cat Cafe, the DurAnimals DuraScoop Original Cat Litter Scoop was the only one that didnt end up with a crust of pee and litter on the edge, or bits of litter stuck in the mesh.
This scoop is deeper and wider than the competition, making it simple to scoop up a large clump or to rake through the litter to pick up any bits youve missed. Its sturdy edge allows you to easily remove any clumps that may have gotten stuck to the pans edge or bottom.
The DuraScoops inventor, Chuck Firthaka the poop scoop guy, as he signs his emailssaid he invented this scoop in 2003 because he was tired of using plastic scoops that bent easily. The DuraScoop lives up to his intent, and its rubber handle is easy to grip and wont bend or dig into your hand.
Overall, the DuraScoop makes an unpleasant chore as simple as possible, a fact reflected by the scoops impressive, 4.8-star rating on Amazon. One reviewer says, 30 years, 4 cats, and countless plastic scoops later, I bought the metal DuraScoop. What a relief. Says another, I cant believe Im in love with a litter scoop! Its also a firm staff favorite at Wirecutter.
The DuraScoop is more expensive than the competition, though we think that about $13 is still a small price to pay for something that makes it easy to clean out your pets litter box.
There Are A Few Key Factors To Consider When It Comes To Deciding What Cat Litter Is Best For Your Kitten Heres Some Advice To Help You Choose The Best Fit
You may not have realised but when it comes to cat litter, there are a variety of options and one that will be the perfect match for both you and your pet. Follow our steps to find the right cat litter for you and your kitten, or simply take our Litter Finder quiz to match with the best litter for you and your kitten.
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How To Choose Best Litter For Kittens
Sometimes we cant believe how precious our tiny kittens are. How are we going to keep them safe from all the dangers they seem willing to throw themselves into head-first, we wonder? We cant stop them from climbing those curtains or jumping off that tall counter, but we can control what litter they use.
Weve boiled down how best to choose an appropriate kitten litter to these considerations:
TrainingIf youre one of the lucky few kitten guardians who hasnt discovered any gifts outside the litterbox, congratulations on your good fortune. Kittens start exhibiting natural digging and covering behaviors at an early age, but they dont always instinctively understand that they should only do their business in one location. Most of us need to navigate through the process of potty training our new furballs just as we would with a human baby.
What should you do if your kitten is late to the potty-training party? Consider purchasing more than one litterbox to place in more than one location to minimize inappropriate elimination. If you have more than one kitten or cat, make sure your kitten can safely use the restroom without interference by another feline.
Dust In addition to harmful ingredients, avoid litters that produce a lot of dust. Just as we can suffer allergies and asthma around dusty litter, our kitties can get sick, too. No one wants their growing kittens to inhale dust particles and potentially develop more serious respiratory illness later in life.
What We Didnt Like:
- One of the more expensive options on the market
- Can be tricky to scoop solid waste
- Some cats may dislike the texture of the pellets
Now that we reviewed the best cat litters you can buy, lets build a foundation of knowledge. Well start with the qualities of the best cat litter, then discuss the different types of litter and how they measure up to those requirements.
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The Best Alternatives To Clay Litter
Our experts said most cats do well with clay litter. And we think owners using clay clumping litter need to experiment less with their setup, which will save them money, too. Still, we plan to consider alternatives to clay litter in our future research. In the meantime, here are a few personal recommendations from Wirecutter staff.
Tips For Training Your Kitten To Use The Litter Box
Kittens instinctively seek out soil and sandy areas in which they can bury their waste, so starting to use a litter box is usually a process directed more by instinct than training. That said, youll need to point your kitten in the right direction, and not everyone takes to the box right away. Here are some tips to help you train your kitten to use the litter box:
- First of all, choose a litter box thats right for your kitten. Select one with adequately low sides that allow your kitten to get in and out with ease. Some high-sided litter boxes feature a lowered entryway thats just low enough to make accessing the box simple.
- Think about placement. Its recommended that you provide one litter box for each cat in the home, plus one extra. Place the litter boxes in calm parts of the house not a high-traffic area or a noisy room.
- Get your kitten acquainted with the box. At a quiet moment, gently place the kitten into the box and demonstrate how to scratch in the litter. Repeat this at times when your kitten might normally use the litter box in the morning, after naps, and following a meal.
- Until your kitten catches on to the litter box, its not a good idea to leave them home alone with the ability to go anywhere in the house. Unattended kittens should be confined to a room with non-porous flooring, food, water, a place to rest, and a clean litter box.
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Reward Your Kittens Success
Positive reinforcement can be a powerful tool when youre litter training a kitten. Remember to praise your cat for correct use of the litter box. Offering a tasty treat can also help form a positive association with the experience.
Just make sure youre quick to reward. If too much time passes, they wont connect the treat with the activity.
What Are Some Tips For Using Dry Paint Cat Litter
Dry paint cat litter is an environmentally friendly and affordable way to clean up paint spills. It is also non-toxic and safe for use around children and pets. Here are some tips for using dry paint cat litter:
-Pour a small amount of the dry paint cat litter onto the spill and wait a few minutes for it to absorb the paint.
-Once the paint has been absorbed, sweep up the dry paint cat litter and dispose of it in the trash.
-Repeat the process until the paint spill is completely gone.
-You can also use dry paint cat litter to clean up dried paint spills. Simply sprinkle the paint cat litter onto the spill and wait a few minutes for it to absorb the paint. Then sweep up the litter and dispose of it in the trash.
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Sustainability And Cat Litter
Heres what you need to know to keep your cat healthy and safe while lessening cat litters impact on the environment.
In this guide, we recommend clay cat litter above other categories for several practical reasons: It is widely available, its relatively inexpensive, it tracks less, and its easy to scoop. Plus, we found that most cats love the texture of clay litter beneath their paws. Clay cat litter is usually made from bentonite clay, which is often mined in a process that experts say can have environmental implications. According to National Geographic, surface mining displaces local wildlife, erodes soil, creates acid mine drainage, and leaks toxic elements. And even though clay comes from the ground, its not biodegradable.
Alternative forms of cat litter impact the environment, too. The raw materials for cat litter made with corn, paper, and wheat takea lot of water to produce, and they are often made with GMO crops or are treated with pesticides.
The only way to properly dispose of dirty litter is to secure it in a bag for municipal waste management to send to a landfill. Its not a zero-waste solution, but its the safest option because the US Environmental Protection Agency describes pet waste as a pollutant. That means no matter what kind of litter you buyincluding flushable corn cat litter or silica gelyou shouldnt flush it down the toilet or compost it. You should throw it in the trash.