New to clumping litter...

Hi all,

This is my first post here, hope it's ok to start out with a question. I have one indoor adult cat, and I have just switched her over to a clumping litter for the first time ever. So far, I think we both like it a lot. We used to use those big clumsy plastic litterbox liners which I know that she didn't like because they used to always get in her way when she was scratching in the litter, and now I have done away with them. All seems to be going well, I scoop the clumps each day and add a little more litter to make up for what I just removed.

I did notice that I have to be careful not to try to scoop any clumps that have been too recently made, as they will fall apart before I can remove them, and some of it gets stuck in/on the scoop. Do any of you have a system, or perhaps tips or tricks that you could share, in dealing with clumping litter? I sometimes get frustrated because I think a clump should be hard enough to be removed, and then... nope, and I just make a mess in the box.

Also, how often do you completely dump out the litter, clean the box, and then refill with new litter? We've been at this for about 3 weeks now, and I think it's probably time to clean out the whole works and start over from scratch.

Thanks in advance for your input!

 

:m23: and welcome! What's her name and do you have any pics to share? I can't give you good advice on this subject, but lots of others here can.

I love clumping litter and I've also done away with plastic liners. I use the Arm and Hammer although there was a recent posting that they do animal testing on this product. To get back to your questions, I usually scoop after they've done their business for at least 15 min. It gives the clumps a chance to harden enough to scoop. I have 4 cats so I'm constantly scooping all day. We only have 1 litter box. And I'm embarrassed to say I only change the entire litter about 3x a year. I do what you do- the scoop and refill method. I will sanitize the exposed plastic litter box frequently. You sound like a neat person!

Recommendation is wash box when soiled:

taken from:

http://www.geocities.com/Petsburgh/4211/facts.htm

 

I like the clumping litter as well. I know what you mean about the not so hard clumps that stick to the scooper. When that happens I just re-dip it in the litter and bang it on the side of the pan so that it falls of the scooper and then I scoop it back out of the pan.
I scoop daily, change the boxes about every 2wks and wash the boxes out about once a month but I have 6 cats sharing 3 boxes.

 

=P~ i use both clumping...arm and hammer...and liners....tidy cats for multiple cats. the liners are very thick and just slip over the entire box...then i clamp the lid on....i have a regular kitty box with a top that clamps on to prevent them from scratching litter all over the place.

it works great...i just make sure that the liner is fit on there well...and when i want to throw the litter away its easy to do.

i change mine weekly...i just figure better to be safe than sorry...my kitties go alot...and not matter how good it clumps...there are remnants and i dont like to think it is in there for a long time. i think how well it clumps is also in part due to the kitties urine. i could never use clumping with otis...it would fall apart...but mikey and max...i scoop immediately and it hardly ever falls apart.

i have two boxes, side by side. they use them interchangeably...and will go at the same time sometimes. they dont seem to have any modesty, cause they will go as i am scooping it out!!! :shock: :roll:

good article vene!!!

 

Hi!

I do also use clumping litter for my cat. It's the only litter I'v got experience with, but it works great for us!
With Kyrre I can scoop almost immediately after hes done, which is a good thing, b/c he'll always come and "do his business" whenever I'm scooping! Ehm... Maybe hes just very social?

And I have to admit: I haven't changed the entire litter since I got Kyrre... I just refill. I've had him about a month now, is that very bad?

I started doing it last monday (a week ago), but when I poured the litter into a plastic bag I noticed that the box was perfectly clean, and the litter didn't smell or look bad at all... So I just poured it back again. Advice anyone?

 

i just dump the litter in a bag an burn it. its easier. :mrgreen:

 

My advice is to get the littermaid self-cleaning litter box. No problems with scooping there!

My cats usually "go" right after I'm done scooping. Sort of like they're saying, "Hey, I just marked that! Great...now I have to do it again!" :wink:

That geocities link has some weird advice. IMO anyway. Especially about having an "uncovered" litter box. True, some cats hate them (usually the more anxious ones) because they don't offer "escape" but the majority of all the cats I've had like the covered ones better for the security and privacy.

And haviong two litter boxes for one cat is definately unecessary for the majority of cases. I've never had (much less heard of) a cat associate peeing in on box and pooing in another just for the sake of it, unless there was some medical problem and they were going poo in the box and pee outside.

And emptying and washing every OTHER day?? What a waste of money spent on litter! Unless you have like 5 cats using one box that is SO not necessary! For one cat, I've found that emptying and washing at LEAST every other week is sufficient enough.


Like I've mentioned before, I have the littermaid littermate. It automatically scoops 10 minutes after a cat leaves the box. (motion sensors and whatnot) I clean out the 'waste receptacle' once a week and completely dump the litter once a month. Combined with the tent (which cost like $30!! :shock: :shock: and has since gotten a small rip on one corner from my cat thinking it's a bed he can lie on top of... :? ) the smell isn't bad at all. Sometimes after he lays I real stinky one I'll turn it off and turn it back on so it does a scooping cycle so I don't have to wait 10 mintues!

The only thing that took some getting used to was that the motor was loud. After I covered it with the tent it went down some (and helped with them throwing litter outside the box) and then eventually it became white noise. That and my cats think they can only go on one side of the box...so it all gets scooped into only once side of the receptacle and the other side will be empty...then it piles up and won't let the lid close and I have to use the scooper to push it over to the other side. My cats are weird.

But okay, enough rambling. I would suggest (in response to Allie Cat's original question) to get a scooper with smaller slats so it wouldn't matter when you scooped it and it falling apart wouldn't be that big of a deal. Plus, if you're using a cheaper brand of clumping litter they seem to fall apart all the time. Look for the word "premium" on them...usually it doesn't cost that much more and does a better job of not only clumping but smell control too.

 

Ok, now I'm curious! How does a self cleaning litter box look??
I've never heard of it before, mabye it only excist on your side of the "Big Ocean"? :?

If it's not to much to ask... Maybe a picture? :wink:

 

Read the reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/cu...03601-9971006?_encoding=UTF8&me=ATVPDKIKX0DER

http://www.epinions.com/pets-review-7CE6-214D2ED2-3980310F-prod5

http://www.epinions.com/content_69768023684

http://www.epinions.com/pets-review-606A-1CAE6912-3A06D1B9-prod5

http://www.epinions.com/pets-Cats-Litter_Boxes-All-Litter_Maid_Cat_Paw_Cleaning_Mat/display_~reviews

http://www.epinions.com/content_58036489860

 

Some of those bad reviews are so wrong! One said that they "insist you use Littermaid litter" which they don't! They just say so long as it has "premium" and "clumping" in the name it does just fine and I've had no problems whatsoever.

And another mentions the pad not working well to pick up litter scattered aroung the box. That's true but if you get the tent it doesn't get litter spray any more than a regular covered box.

Enough said...who would believe this jerk?!? Besides ther's no way a cat could get it's "tail stuck" and even if it did...it wouldn't be dead becasue of it.

And that last person with an opinion shouldn't even own a cat.

And she blames the tent?

:roll:

 

This is some great info ppls! i'm learning bunches and bunches.

One thing i do with my clumping little when i clean is i have a mini garbage can with a sobeys bag in it- i hold the can as close to the box as i can while scooping and very gently scoop and dump. the litter doesnt crumble as readily this way- and even tho i end up turfing some good litter it's better then allowing the balls to crumble and soil up the good litter.

 

i do something similar to eternal flame....but i use plastic zip loc freezer bags...and keep the waste in there...then put them in a garbage bag. but i really want to get a seal proof container, so the smell doesnt permeate my garage...peeeuuuuuwwww :-&

now....about this quote....

he is a total lamebrain.... :m3: :m36:

 

Wow, I can't believe how many great replies there are, thanks everyone! So much helpful info, I'm so grateful. I'm using ExquisiCat brand sold at PetSmart, and for some reason, it only seems to form hard clumps if you let it sit for at least 12 hours, sometimes longer. Anything short of that, and it's like scooping semi-wet cement. I was amazed that Vene said that she waits a mere 15 minutes, I think I need to try a different brand and see if there's a difference.

I decided to go ahead and clean out the works and refill with fresh litter, which I will probably do every few weeks. It did seem to have a bit of a smell to it when I got close and sniffed, and if I can smell it, then that means that Bemba can *really* smell it.

Vene, I'm probably one of the last people in the world who doesn't have a digital camera, but I will try to get a recent pic of her scanned in and posted soon. Bemba is a really pretty black, grey, and white mackerel torby (ha! I finally learned the proper way to describe her, I think), and she turned 3 in August.

Thanks again everyone!

 

PilotKitten, I was thinking of getting the self-scooping Littermaid at one point. I can't find the site I read from last year. It talked about people bashing the Littermaid. Usually after 6 months, the motor dies. I don't know if it's people using cheap litter getting the globs caught on the combs etc. breaking down the mechanism but there were tons of problems people encountered. If it works, I'd love to buy one for my 4 kitties. How long have you had the Littermaid?

 

I've had it for 10 months. And the motor still scoops just as good as the day I plugged it in! I have the plug in one...it still has the battery compartment, but the way this thing goes it'd probably drain them every week.

They were right about the rake getting a little weird and needing to use the scooper to sort of clean them off. Like sometimes the litter will stick in globs. But the scooper has things on it to clean in between the rake tines. Kind've like the cleaner stick for the Forman Grill if you've ever seen that.

And if you fill it to the full line it will get stuck, but even below the fill line is plenty of litter to last a week or more. And when it does get stuck the rake will back up and try to scoop it again...it tries to do this like 2 or 3 times and then goes back to the starting position and a red light blinks to tell you something's wrong.

Then, like I've said before the motor is kinda loud. But if you get the tent it quiets it a bit, and helps litter from being thrown all over the place. It definately is something to get used to. The first week I had mine it woke me up in the middle of the night.

Don't get me wrong, it does have it's problems. The tent is a little flimsy but I fixed that by supergluing all the plastic rods that make up the structure together. But overall, the problems make up a lot for having to scoop it every day. I'd probably give it a 7/8 out of 10 but it's nowhere near as bad as some of those people say it is.

 

Oh and I would suggest that with 4 cats you keep at least one other box around. I only have two using it now and the receptacle barely lasts a week before I have to dump it again. With four it seems like you'd still be scooping and dumping every day!

I know that its pricey (I didn't buy mine, it was a gift from my boyfriend :y_the_best: ) .... but I'm a full-time student and I'm going to start voluntering at the local humane society this week so between studying and keeping busy I don't have the time to scoop it everyday. It's just a great time-saver...that's all you're really paying for. That plus since it scoops ten minutes after the cat has done it's business instead of letting it sit there and stagnate all day, the stink is WAY less!

And believe me, I have stinky cats! Aoisha will be running around the house....scramble into the living room and onto my lap at the speed of light....look me straight in the eye...and fart as stinkily as possible...then run off. It's like he's targeting me or something. :roll:

 

LOL's. I'm home all day so I have too much time on my hands. I'll stick to manual scooping until I get sick of it then I'll purchase the self-scooping Littermaid. It's very nice to know that our buddy at Auspet here have actually tried and liked the product!

 

i swear, pilot kitten, every time i read one of your posts...i LMOA....
:m26:


:m34:

 

Ha ha well I try.... :mrgreen: but really my cats deserve all the credit. And my mom I guess. :roll:

Oh and call me PK...it's much quicker to type. 8)

 

:wink: :y_the_best: