With advances in veterinary care and concern for the environment, there are more choices of natural cat litters than ever before. The best selling natural kitty litter brands are natural pine cat litters. In America, the brand Feline Pine can be found in many supermarkets, pharmacies, department stores as well as pet supply stores. But is a natural pine cat litter right for your cat or your budget?
The Pros
The big plus with a natural pine cat litter is that it does help to cut urine odors. Cat urine is one of the strongest and most pungent of smells. Although the smell of the feces quickly fades, urine smell does not. Natural pine litter does help to cut down on the stink of cat urine and the ammonia without having to have added synthetic perfumes in the litter. It already has its own scent.
Another plus to natural pine cat litter is that you can find it in two types – clumping (scoopable) and regular. Cats with really bad respiration or allergy problems usually can’t use clumping litter because it’s too fine and gets into their throats. At least there is a choice available in natural pine cat litters for these cats.
Another big advantage to natural pine cat litter is that it’s biodegradable. Since you need less to use than with clay litters, it also takes up less space in our overcrowded land fills. Unfortunately, most brands of clay-based kitty litter are not biodegradable. Also, the clay used for many kittler litter brands is an offshoot of strip mining.
The Cons
Believe it or not, the writer of this natural cat litter review does not use pine litter for her cat. We have tried natural pine cat litter with high hopes but they quickly faded. The smell of pine was absolutely overpowering, almost to the point where you coughed as soon as you entered the room the cat box was in. Also, there was just as much dust as there was with clay based litters.
To be fair, our cat lives in circumstances unlike many other indoor cats. Since she can’t get along with the dog, they can’t be in the same room together. In the day, while the cat sleeps, the dog has the run of the house except for the cat’s room. In the night, the cat has the run of the house, except for the basement, where the dog sleeps.