Cat help - researching litter

[amalthia]

I've had two cats for about 12-13 years, and I'm just now wondering how safe is the cat litter I'm using for my health and the cats? I use Tidy Cat clumping litter and I'm not sure if any other long time cat owners are using this brand or if you've heard from other people that another cat litter is better?

I've googled this topic and I can't find any long term studies on the effects of cleaning cat litter or what types of litter they studied. I've found articles talking about silica clay and silica can cause problems.

I think I have too much free time on my hands and may be overthinking this topic. It's just now I can't stop worrying about my cats little lungs and my own! I'm 99% sure that using Tidy Cat and not wearing a mask isn't going to kill me or cause lung damage because millions of other pet owners are probably using this brand of clumping litter and if people were becoming sick and dying people would have talked about it.

Comments

[calystarose]

Because we have had a lot of cats in the past decade, as in multiple cats at one time, we switched to silica litter because it controls the smell so significantly better. There are issues with it: finding the right size/texture for your cats can be a challenge, there is fine-grain to pebble sizes; it *can* be too dusty for some people/cats, but I find it less dusty than the clay clumping litters; it can be more expensive than other litter types, but we get ours from Walmart for a price we find affordable. You still have to scoop out the solid waste, but the urine gets absorbed by the silica so if you stir the box after you've scooped the crap out it'll sort itself. I believe tidy cat makes a silica, so if your cats are already used to TC that might make a good one to transition to if you choose to try.

[amalthia]

I think the cats are happy with the Tidy Cat litter, but maybe I need to clean the litter box itself...I don't think I've ever washed it since I purchased it. One of my cats isn't willing to do a number 2 in the box anymore so that's why I'm thinking I need to maybe take the lid off or wash the bottom and put baking soda on it...or buy a whole new litter box.

I may also begin wearing a mask when cleaning out the litter to be on the safe side. :) Thanks for the advice I'll consider switching the litter if cleaning the litter box doesn't work.

[calystarose]

oh we wash out our catboxes every time we do a complete litter change, so like once every month and a half I think

baking soda on the bottom is not a bad idea too :D

[lilacsigil]

I recently adopted two adult cats who were used to using clumping litter and researched this while changing them over to the paper litter I prefer (because the council allows it in the green waste bin). All I could find was that the silica isn't fine enough to cause lung problems in cats or humans (it could possibly be a problem at the manufacturing stage, but not at the consumer end) but it can cause gut problems in young kittens if they get it on their fur and digest too much of it.

[amalthia]

This is good news. I suspect you're right, in my research it was mostly miners or people working in quarries that had problems with silica dust in their lungs.

[gwyn]

So, about a decade ago, maybe a little more, I wrote some articles on spec about trying to transition my cat to less ecologically damaging things, especially litter, and found out a lot of things. One is that commercial clay litter is heavily mined, which is fairly damaging for the environment; it's also got benzene in it. I ended up switching first to a corn litter, and then eventually to something made from grass or hay, and I don't know what chemicals they use, because it's hard to find literature on it, but I do feel at least a little better about it. I've thought about a future cat, trying the pressed wood pellets, but that's a long way in the future right now. Things may have changed dramatically since I wrote them, though, and there's definitely research out there, if you can dig.

[amalthia]

What brand are you using for your own cats? I'm willing to switch to something that is better for the environment.

[gwyn]

The kind I've been using most lately is called Smart Cat--it's a grass-based clumping litter. It's extremely lightweight so my guy ends up tracking it everywhere, is my only real gripe. It's mostly dust-free, which is an issue for me (and for where the litter box is located). My favorite litter I've ever discovered is called OneEarth, and unfortunately the store I bought it from stopped carrying it. It's ridiculously expensive on Amazon and I guess Whole Foods is carrying it now, but that doesn't work for me to go all the way there to buy litter when I've got a little locally run pet store by my house. Some people really love Swheat Scoop, which is wheat based, and I didn't mind that pee smelled a little like beer instead of ammonia when I was using it, but I found it incredibly dusty. That might have changed now. It's one of the only nonclay litters I see in groceries or chain stores.

[sakana17]

When I adopted my two male kitties way back when (both kitties have passed now), my vet told me that the clumping litter can cause urinary tract infections in male cats. I used ordinary clay-based non-clumping litter until one of my cats developed breathing problems and the dust from the litter was bad. I never tried the silica litter, but I successfully transitioned them to, first, the pellet litter made from old newspapers and, finally, to the pellet litter made from wood. The newspaper pellets worked fine, but I couldn't consistently find it at the store, which is why I tried the wood pellets. The kitties seemed to like the wood pellets better, and it did a better job against odors. The one thing, though, is that the pellets will break down in liquid, so can become dusty. For the kitty with breathing issues, this was a concern, so I had to stay on top of cleaning the box.

Another thing I'll mention is that when my kitty developed breathing issues, the vet said it would be better not to use a lidded litter box, because even with low-dust litter, the litter box hood keeps any particulate matter trapped where the kitty will breathe it. So I got rid of the litter box lid. With the wood pellets, the odors weren't too bad, although I think anyone coming inside would be able to tell I had cats.

[amalthia]

I should probably consider removing the lid on our cat litter box too. One of my cats doesn't want to be in there long enough to do a number 2, either that or I need to wash the litter box with soap and water before refilling it. Maybe add baking soda. I suspect odor is the problem because my cats were fine with using this litter box for years. It's only recently that my cat doesn't want to use it for pooping. :(

[ariunderscore]

another reason for your cat to stop pooping in the covered box might be if he's getting older and squatting down is getting more difficult for him.

[amalthia]

Well she is 12 years old now...I wouldn't be shocked if it is pain that's causing the problem. :(