cat litter

Should I Use a Premium Scoopable and Clumping Cat Litter?

If you’re reading this, you probably share your life with one or more cats. You know that cats are finicky creatures, and this is nowhere more evident than in their “potty” habits. The smell and texture of the cat litter box substrate (the material in which cats “do their business”) is very important to cats. People who live with cats are affected, as well, since a cat unsatisfied with its litter box is a disaster in the making. As a result, cat owners have begun turning to science, and science has obliged by creating a selection of premium scoopable clumping cat litters that are designed to make life more pleasant, convenient, and odor-free for cat owners, and more comfortable for cats. And after all… who wants an uncomfortable cat?
Training Litters
Even though the instinct to cover their waste products is strong—hence the invention of the litter box—some cats need a little extra encouragement to utilize the “facilities.” A feline veterinarian developed Dr. Elsey’s Cat-Attract, a premium scoopable clumping cat litter made from clay that incorporates a scent designed to arouse Tabby’s curiosity and attract her to the litter box. This type of product can be useful for training kittens to use the litter box, and also for the re-introduction of the litter box for cats that have, for some reason, begun to lose interest in using the box or that have lived outside for some time.
Special Odor Control
Several premium scoopable clumping cat litters contain special additives that are designed to provide additional odor control. This can be very important for cat owners who live in small indoor spaces. One of these is Tidy Cat’s Antimicrobial Agent Control litter, which contains chemicals that work to eliminate odor-causing bacteria. Arm & Hammer’s Odor Alert litter contains blue clumps of baking soda that change color as they become saturated.
Earth-friendly
Nature’s Miracle Odor Control Clumping Cat Litter is a premium scoopable clumping cat litter made from natural corn byproducts that also provides firm clumping action for easier cleanup. The natural enzyme action of the corn-based product provides good odor control, even for multiple cats. Pet Ecology’s Perfect Litter Alert combines a special pH-sensitive agent that changes color as it becomes saturated, alerting the owner that it’s time to change litter. It also features a lightweight, biodegradable base that won’t harm the environment. Swheat Scoop premium scoopable clumping cat litter is made from wheat (non-food grade) byproducts and provides good clumping and no clay dust, which can be harmful to cats.

What’s the Best Chemical Free Scoopable Cat Litter?

With all the variety now available in cat litter products, consumers have more choices than ever for keeping the indoor environment clean, odor-free, and hospitable to their cats. Dye- and perfume-free scoopable cat litters, biodegradable litters, and other premium scoopable clumping cat litters are available to meet the wide array of needs, budgets, and preferences of cat owners.
The Sweet Smell of Success
Fresh Step, one of the top-selling names in clay-based litters, offers Fresh Step Free, its perfume and dye free scoopable cat litter that also includes carbon for increased odor control. The company cites the product as 99% dust free, and it is designed for superior clumping capability, which means easier cleanup and a longer useful life for each bag purchased. Fresh Step also offers a formula that includes cedar chips, for better odor and moisture control.
Back to Nature
For the more environmentally conscious cat fancier, 100% clay-free scoopable litters may be more preferable. Swheat Scoop cat litter is made from non-food-grade wheat and wheat products. Its natural enzymes control odor and many veterinarians even recommend it for kittens and newly declawed cats because of its gentle characteristics. It is flushable and compostable. World’s Best Cat Litter, from GPC Pet Products, is made from corn and corn byproducts. It is offered in Original and Extra-Strength formulas, and uses all-natural plant derivatives to control odor. World’s Best is an organic, clay free scoopable cat litter that is also specifically recommended for automatic litter boxes. Feline Pine is another all-natural, clay free scoopable cat litter made from natural, renewable pine and pine sawdust. The clumping formula provides for easy scooping. The manufacturer, Nature’s Earth, also offers a rebate for the first purchase, amounting to a free bag of scoopable cat litter, just for trying Feline Pine! Pet Ecology’s Perfect Cat Litter Alert contains a special pH indicator that causes the litter to change color when it is becoming saturated. A handy convenience for cat owners! Also, Perfect Cat Litter Alert is made from all-natural products, which means that it is a scoopable cat litter, free from harmful environmental characteristics. What is more, its special, high-absorbency characteristics mean that even when wet, it weighs much less than regular cat litters, making for a much easier trip to the garbage can or dumpster!
Specialty Litters
Dr. Elsey’s Cat-Attract litter is a scoopable litter specially formulated to attract cats to the litter box, either for litter box training or “re-education” for cats that have been primarily outdoors.

Using Flushable Scoopable Cat Litter

Since 1948, when Ed Lowe pioneered the use of clay-based cat litter, cat lovers have been searching for more convenient ways to keep their indoor spaces clean and odor-free, while still enjoying the company of their feline friends. Clumping litters, introduced in the 1980s and composed of bentonite clay, have proved convenient, effective, and relatively inexpensive, which is why they make up about 60% of the total market for cat litter products.
One drawback of these litters, however, is that they are not flushable because of the characteristics that cause them to clump in the presence of moisture. But science marches on, and now there are an array of flushable, scoopable cat litters that will help keep your house smelling fresh and don’t require the labor-intensive process of dumping the soiled litter into a trash bag and hauling the heavy contents out to the dumpster or garbage can.
To Flush or Not to Flush?
Some recent studies suggest that caution is in order with regard to flushing scoopable cat litter into the sewage system, especially if you live in a highly populated coastal area with a high volume of water flow into the sea. Some researchers have noted increased mortality among sea otters and other marine mammals such as whales, believed to be caused by a parasite, toxoplasma gondii, often found in its egg stage in cat feces. In fact, pregnant women should not handle soiled cat litter at all, to completely avoid risk of contamination with this organism, which can harm developing fetuses.
The primary source of the microbe in marine mammals, scientists believe, is feces from cats that eat infected birds or other small animals, then defecate outdoors. It is thought that the toxoplasma are washed into the local watershed and, especially in coastal areas, can end up in the sea. They are thought to be concentrated in mussels and oysters, a primary food source for sea otters. However, scoopable flushable cat litter that goes into a sewer or septic system is much less likely to directly contact groundwater.
Clay or Organic Litters?
The main advantage of clay-based flushable scoopable litters is their absorbency. Some consumers also prefer the dye- and perfume-free scoopable cat litters that are widely available. However, many users prefer to use products made from renewable resources, unlike clay litters, many of which come from strip mines that can alter landscapes in unsightly ways. Fortunately, flushable scoopable litters made from corn and corn products, wheat and wheat bran, and pine are also available.

What’s the Right Scoopable Cat Litter Choice for Me?

Even if you’re a longtime cat owner, you may not be aware of the wide array of choices for scoopable cat litter. Even though clay-based litters make up 60% of the market, an array of new products is available, including some flushable scoopable cat litters, that offers more options and convenience.
Clay-Based Litters
The overwhelmingly popular choice, these scoopable cat litters offer a combination of convenient use and low price. Some varieties include antimicrobial agents that actually control odor-causing bacteria, which can be a huge advantage if you live in a small space with your feline friends. And now you can even purchase litters containing an attractant for cats, in case Tabby has, for some reason decided to quit using the “facilities” (or you are retraining a cat that has been staying outdoors). The two biggest-selling brands are Tidy Cat and Fresh Step. Disadvantages of these litters are that they are not flushable, and they are not particularly eco-friendly.
Au Naturale
If you prefer solutions that are less harmful to the environment, you may wish to consider other choices for scoopable cat litters. Feline Pine is made from pine and pine sawdust, and is available in both pellet and scoopable, flushable formulas. The pine does a good job of controlling odor and absorbing moisture, and the material is biodegradable, so it won’t build up in landfills. You can also compost it, if you happen to be a gardener. Swheat Scoop litter is made from wheat products, and many users consider it their best choice for scoopable cat litter because of its combination of low dust, biodegradability, odor control, and compatibility with septic and sewer systems. Some users, however, have noted that its lighter weight causes it to be tracked through the house more noticeably than other alternatives. A new, lightweight biodegradable product, Perfect Litter Alert from Pet Ecology, combines a special odor controlling agent with a pH indicator that changes color to alert you that the box needs fresh litter. Its light weight is a welcome advantage for anyone who has ever hefted a trash bag full of wet and soiled litter into the dumpster. As with all biodegradable litters, all the above products are more expensive to purchase than clay-based litters. However, with their combination of “green” characteristics, ease of use, and low dust generation (which can be healthier for your cat), many users still make these products their first choice for scoopable cat litter.

Choosing the Best Scoopable Cat Litter

The main reason people use scoopable, or clumping cat litters, is convenience. The soiled litter sticks together in—you guessed it—clumps, making it easy to remove from the litter box and leave the remaining litter, which can still have days or weeks of useful life, in place. But which scoopable cat litter is best for you and your cat? If you’re like me, you might not have even been aware that there were options, not only for types of cat litter, but even for types of scoopable cat litter.
Scoopable Clay Litter
This type of litter makes up about 60% of the market. Its advantages are that it provides the convenience and long-lasting effectiveness of clumping litters, and that it is relatively inexpensive. Disadvantages include the facts that it is not flushable and not too environmentally friendly. Most clumping clay litters contain bentonite clay, along with quartz or diatomaceous earth. Some cat owners have complained that scoopable clay litters are not best, since they can cause intestinal blockage or death if they are ingested by cats. However, others—including at least one veterinarian who specializes in felines—say that the risk of health problems for your cat from using scoopable clay litters is very low. For many cat owners, clay-based litters seem to be the best scoopable cat litter. The two leading brands, based on the most recent sales data, are Tidy Cat and Fresh Step.
Biodegradable Litter
If you’re interested in using a more earth-friendly product, there are also options available. Some claim that pine-based products such as Feline Pine, available in both pellet and natural clumping formulas, are the best scoopable cat litters, since they are made from renewable, biodegradable materials that can be flushed, composted, or placed in landfills with minimal long term effects. Reduced dust characteristics as compared with clay litters are also cited as an advantage, since heavy dust inhalation can lead to feline respiratory problems. Some natural products also provide improved odor control. A wheat-bran-based product, Swheat Scoop, is said by some users to offer the best choice for scoopable cat litter because of its odor control and flushability. Another eco-friendly alternative made from corn, World’s Best Cat Litter, is cited for superior clumpability. The principal disadvantage of most of the natural or biodegradable alternatives is that they are more expensive to purchase. However, if you want to use a litter that’s flushable, compostable, biodegradable, and low in dust, you may decide that one of the biodegradable choices is the best scoopable cat litter for your purposes.

User’s Guide to Scoopable Cat Litter

Millions of people love cats, but let’s face it: no one loves cat poop. Fortunately for cat owners, felines have a strong instinct to “do their business” in an out-of-the-way place, preferably one with lots of loose material that can easily be raked over the feces. For decades, cat owners used sawdust or sand to accommodate this handy trait of cats kept indoors.
And then, in 1948, a man named Ed Lowe created and marketed a clay-based product that was more absorbent than sand or sawdust. He named it “Kitty Litter,” a phrase that has since become genericized to refer to the entire class of feline litter products. Thus, an industry was born. Not long after, in the 1950s, chemists in the United Kingdom developed clumping, or scoopable cat litter. Scoopable cat litter has chemical properties that cause it to clump together when wet, which makes it easier to clean from the litter box while leaving the unused litter behind.
This convenient characteristic is the main reason that scoopable cat litter makes up around 60% of the entire market. If you’re a cat owner, and especially if you live in a confined indoor space with your feline friends, it’s important to find the best scoopable cat litter to make sure that life with Kitty remains pleasant… and relatively odor-free.
Using Scoopable Cat Litter
The great thing about scoopable cat litter, as mentioned above, is that because of its properties when moistened, it’s easy to strain out the “used” portion, leaving behind the litter that still has usefulness. However, even when using the very best scoopable cat litter, it is still important to completely change out the litter box contents and disinfect the litter box every four to six weeks to prevent the buildup of bacteria. Because of the clumping effect, it’s not a good idea to flush scoopable cat litter. Instead, dispose of it in an airtight sack or other container, along with other household garbage.
Earth-friendly Alternatives
Some object to the use of scoopable cat litter because it is made from clay that is often strip-mined. There are biodegradable litters made from materials like recycled pine sawdust, recycled newspaper (which seems almost poetic, given the poor quality of some journalism), dried orange peel, or wheat bran. These materials typically disintegrate when saturated and are much less harmful when added to landfills. They can also be composted at home, and many types are even flushable.

What You Need To Know About Natural Clumping Cat Litter

 

One of mankind’s greatest inventions was scoopable cat litter. Until the mid 1980’s, cat owners had to do a strange seizure when cleaning urine spots from the liter box. You had to keep the paper bag or trash can close and quickly shovel the wet litter into the trash can. You couldn’t linger. And, you always wound up throwing a lot of clean liter out with the wet. And now there’s natural clumping cat litter. Does it work as well as the man-made wonder of the ages?
Yes And No
Natural clumping cat litter works brilliantly, but your cat may think differently. Just as you have your own preferences in underwear and toilet tissue, so a cat will have his own preference in kitty litter. There’s no logic to it. It’s a cat thing. You’ll go crazy trying to figure it out. Just give in and buy a new brand of natural clumping cat litter.
Does natural clumping cat litter clump? It certainly does. There are many substances that does trap odors, swell up to help scoop it out easier and even helps tone down the ammonia smell. Pine and corncob natural scooping cat litters are especially good at mimicking the clumping action of conventional commercial clumping cat litter.
What About The Cost?
Natural clumping cat litter will cost you a lot more than conventional clumping litter. In the case of the brand I buy for my cat, it’s three times the cost of store brands like Tidy Cat or Fresh Step. However, the natural clumping cat litter lasts twice as long as the cheaper litters. I find I don’t have to shovel out as much litter as I did with the cheaper brands. So, the costs eventually even out in the long run.
Natural clumping cat litters are getting easier to find, especially now that big companies like Purina are jumping onto the green platform. It used to be that you could only find natural clumping cat litter at certain specialty pet shops. Now, you can find them next to the commercial clay brands on your grocer’s shelves.
Environmental Considerations
In this day and age, you must consider the environmental impact of anything you buy. Commercial cat litters are not environmentally friendly. First of all, they are made from the clay from strip mines, which is a very destructive form of mining. Also, commercial clumping cat litter isn’t biodegradable. It’ll be sitting around for thousands of years in landfills long after the organic matter it holds has faded away into oblivion.

What The Heck Is Natural Clay Cat Litter?

Is a natural clay cat litter an oxymoron? One of the biggest knocks against conventional clay litter is that it’s full of added chemicals to make it smell better and is not biodegradable. This is why there’s been such a big push to make and market kitty litter made from pine, wheat, corncob and recycled newspaper. But the very first kitty litter available was natural clay cat litter.
What’s The Difference?
Natural clay cat litter is made of just clay that has been formed into itty-bitty pellets and dried. Often, there are some ingredients like baking soda, essential oils and even alfalfa hay. When you’re looking for a natural clay cat litter, you need to check the ingredients and make sure the clay used is sodium betonite clay and not just “clay”. It’s the sodium betonite clay that makes natural clumping cat litter.
The problem of most clay-based cat litter is that the clay is harvested from strip mining. Just in the year 1994 alone, it is estimated that over 1.5 MILLION metric tons of clay was taken by strip mining just to make commercial cat litter. Strip mining completely destroys the land and makes it unusable for anything.
Silica Dust
Another ingredient that natural clay cat litter claims not to have is silica dust. This is a carcinogen found in most commercial clay-based cat litters. This dust is not only thought to cause cancers in all kinds of species (human and feline), but often irritates the nose and throat linings of people and cats. It also gets just about everywhere in the house and makes everything look as if it was coated in baby powder.
Is It Worth The Hype?
It’s really confusing to try and determine which litters are made with commercial clay with silica dust and which are more beneficial natural clay cat litters. Some cat lovers and vets claim that there isn’t any difference between clay litter and natural clay cat litter, except the price.
Many cat lovers find that it’s easier to forge the hunt for a natural clay cat litter and just move on to another kind of natural and absorbent material for their cat’s needs. Once upon a time, our ancestors let our cats poop in the garden. In the early 1900’s, people brought in boxes of their garden soil for the cat. Is this the next new trend in cat litter? Only time will tell.

Natural Cat Litter Review: Nature’s Miracle

 

After trying many types of cat litters from conventional non-scooping litter to natural clay cat litter, this writer of this natural cat litter review has decided that the best cat litter on the market is Nature’s Miracle scoopable. If that brand sounds familiar, that’s because Nature’s Miracle brand is most famous for making a stain remover. The logo and red and white design of the stain remover bottles are also seen on the kitty litter bags.
But It Costs So Much
If you’re reading this natural cat litter review to find a dirt-cheap biodegradable kitty litter, then forget it. I will readily admit that Nature’s Miracle costs about three times as much as brands like Tidy Cat or Fresh Step. However, my cat has some breathing issues and needs to have her litter be as dust free as possible. I’m willing to pay a little more in order to help her breathe easier.
If you don’t remember anything else about this natural cat litter review, please remember this – Nature’s Miracle is one of the least dusty cat litters you will find for a clumping litter. Some non-clumping litters also don’t kick up so much dust, but if you are spoiled (like me) and prefer the convenience of clumping cat litters, then Nature’s Miracle might be your only option.
You Use Less
There is one bone of contention I have with Nature’s Miracle corncob cat litter – it does not last as long as the manufacturers claim it will last. The bag instructions state that one bag will last one cat one month. That doesn’t happen. One bag lasts one cat two weeks. However, this is a minor quibble in this natural cat litter review. Before using Nature’s Miracle, the cat was going through a fourteen pound jug of Tidy Cat per week.
Be sure to use a slotted litter scoop when using Nature’s Miracle clumping cat litter to get the most out of it. Scoop under the mess and lift up. Gently shake back and forth – very gently. The clean litter immediately falls away while the soiled litter stays clumped, unless you shake too vigorously. In this way, you don’t waste any litter, like you would with Tidy Cat, where the clumps would break apart if you coughed on them.
In Conclusion
The writer of this natural cat litter review heartily recommends Nature’s Miracle corncob clumping litter. It’s not guaranteed to work for all cats, but it certainly is worth a try.

The Pros And Cons Of Natural Pine Cat Litter

 

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.