Cat Litter

[Matt71]

For those of you traveling with your cat(s).
What kind of cat litter do you use? Plain? Clumping? Non Traditional?

Do you find that being in a van necessitates a different kind than what you used at home?

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I'm not on the road yet, but I've had a cat in tiny accommodations before (8x12 room mostly filled with furniture) and used my regular litter. Kept it clean and when people visited that didn't know I had a cat they were surprised when she'd come out from behind the window curtain.

I've tried scoopable litter but though others might not have the problem, it stuck between my cat's paws and left sores as well as what came off her paws leaving hard to clean up gluey masses of litter on the carpet. It also had way more scent and airborne particles so aggravated my airways and I've got to wonder how good it is for kitties to lick it off their paws. Others' experiences may vary. I've been using Tidy Cat clay for at least 35 years other than the little foray into scoopable. I'm hoping this will work on the road as well, but if not then I'll have to experiment to see what works best for us. It just won't be scoopable though.

Until I figured out that I'm going to be on the road I was going to try to teach my old cat to use a standard toilet, but that won't work in a van.

 

[gramakittycat]

I use a name brand clumping litter it works best for my cats and I've tried clay,pine,newspaper types. It really depends on what works for you and your cat.In a van I do highly recommend a high sided or covered litterbox.

 

[Matt71]

Unfortunately, I don't think our cats would be comfortable in an enclosed litter box.
Our cats are pretty big, so we use 6" high storage bins that are about 50% larger than a standard litter box. They are a little deeper too, which helps somewhat.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I've never had much luck with enclosed litter boxes. I've always adjusted the size depending on the particular cat's behavior. While several did ok with the barely 3 or 4 inch tall litter boxes that were common way back when, including the one I had when I was staying in that small room, I prefer the higher sided ones as well even though none of my cats have been bigger than typical housecats. We had one cat years ago that wouldn't go in the litter box if any of the others had dirtied it first---that was a challenge!

 

[Magicwolf]

I used (still do) clumping/scoop-able. Currently that Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal that comes in the darker maroon or blue boxes - or sometimes I use Dr Elsey's Precious Cat (low dust). My cats aren't too fussy as long as their box is clean.

I had one bad experience I should probably pass along - Maggie had an enclosed box in the truck. We tried some of the pearl-style litter which is supposed to dehydrate. Well, Maggie had an accident one day which is highly out of the norm for her. When I bent my head by that box, it reeked of ammonia so badly it made my eyes water. I wouldn't have went in there, either. We went straight to the nearest store (that I could get the tractor into) and fixed that immediately. The pearl litter hadn't been in there that long - I think that combo of the pearl litter & enclosure must have re-concentrated something instead of dissipating it. To tell the truth, I don't know if it was the brand (which I can't remember anymore) or a bad batch or what have you but I've never tried that particular combo again.

Anewbie - haha, Georgie, our kitten, gets excited when the boxes are done. He races to be the 'first' to leave his business in there. We had to start closing the door to clean because he'd get right in the box while you were trying to clean it.

 

[anewbiewannabe]

MagicWolf...hehehe...my cat barely lets me get out of the way or get the top smoothed off. I've gotten used to waiting a little to get that christening bit bagged up at the same time. They didn't have clumping litter back when I had my other cats so I don't know if it's just my particular cat. She's not as fastidious as any of my other cats were. I don't know if my having to bathe her when she was young to keep her dander down spoiled her or if it's because she was a feral kitten or what---but now she's too big for the sink! As soon as the weather warms up enough it's gonna be dishpan in the tub rodeo time. LOL It's been a while so I'm sure it's going to be a blast...NOT!

 

[gramakittycat]

MagicWolf...hehehe...my cat barely lets me get out of the way or get the top smoothed off.  I've gotten used to waiting a little to get that christening bit bagged up at the same time.  They didn't have clumping litter back when I had my other cats so I don't know if it's just my particular cat.  She's not as fastidious as any of my other cats were.  I don't know if my having to bathe her when she was young to keep her dander down spoiled her or if it's because she was a feral kitten or what---but now she's too big for the sink!  As soon as the weather warms up enough it's gonna be dishpan in the tub rodeo time. LOL  It's been a while so I'm sure it's going to be a blast...NOT!

LOL gotta love kitty bath time! I'll be doing mine soon also,all 4 of them.I like to get them all bathed on the same day so I only have to clean and bandage my injuries one time that day! the 3 males do have that" gotta be the first to christen the cleaned litter" syndrome and those cheap plastic walmart storage bins do make great litter boxes you can customize to suit your cat.

 

[Canine]

I dislike the clay. It is heavy and it doesn't break down. It's dusty and often has perfumes added. There is a turn-out where I sometimes stop and someone uses that as their litter box dump. Years of clay everywhere and it sticks to my shoes and tracks into the truck.

Litter made from newspaper didn't cut the odor at all.

I had a friend that insisted on clumping as that was the only way to go. Everything else was garbage. I highly disagree.

I know of a guy that uses Floor Dry. It's light and soaks up liquids better than any cat litter. It is dusty. It doesn't cut odor, though, so he uses baking soda which does a great job of cutting the odor. The baking soda makes it even dustier, though.

My favorite is wood pellets. They are a bit heavy to carry, but they aren't dusty and soak up liquid very well. The pine ones do a great job of cutting odor and keeping bugs away. Feline Pine is the nearly the same thing if not the exact same as wood stove pellets, but Feline Pine is much more expensive. It doesn't track as badly as clay either. It will break down relatively quickly, too. It doesn't stick to kitty paws and if it did, it probably would be less harmful to ingest than clay especially with perfume. At $5-$6 per 40 pound bag, it is cheaper than most anything out there.

 

[RainySummer]

I have an older cat, and this is the thing that keeps me from moving into a van! She is 19, and I've moved around plenty, so she's used to changing locations. My concern is that, when I have to be at work (10 hours a day 4 days a week) will it be OK if she is in my van? I live in a pretty temperate climate - no one even has air conditioners here (san Francisco area) so the van isn't going to cook, but it still could get hot. Plus... just general concerns about leaving my pet in a vehicle for long periods a day.

I figured I'd wait till she was gone... but that could be three years even! (and I hope so, because I love her, but her brother just died, so...)

Any advice?

Also, I started a blog about my van transition - please follow me vaninspirations.wordpress.com

Thanks!

 

[AbigailKitt]

I dislike the clay. It is heavy and it doesn't break down. It's dusty and often has perfumes added. There is a turn-out where I sometimes stop and someone uses that as their litter box dump. Years of clay everywhere and it sticks to my shoes and tracks into the truck.

Litter made from newspaper didn't cut the odor at all.

I had a friend that insisted on clumping as that was the only way to go. Everything else was garbage. I highly disagree.

I know of a guy that uses Floor Dry. It's light and soaks up liquids better than any cat litter. It is dusty. It doesn't cut odor, though, so he uses baking soda which does a great job of cutting the odor. The baking soda makes it even dustier, though.

My favorite is wood pellets. They are a bit heavy to carry, but they aren't dusty and soak up liquid very well. The pine ones do a great job of cutting odor and keeping bugs away. Feline Pine is the nearly the same thing if not the exact same as wood stove pellets, but Feline Pine is much more expensive. It doesn't track as badly as clay either. It will break down relatively quickly, too. It doesn't stick to kitty paws and if it did, it probably would be less harmful to ingest than clay especially with perfume. At $5-$6 per 40 pound bag, it is cheaper than most anything out there.

Floor Dry & Zorb-all have chemicals that are toxic to kitty! Please don't use! Pelleted horse stall bedding is equivalent to wood pellets or Feline Pine; also $5-6 for 40 lb bag.

 

[IanC]

For those of you traveling with your cat(s).
What kind of cat litter do you use? Plain? Clumping? Non Traditional?

Do you find that being in a van necessitates a different kind than what you used at home?

Sometimes when I'm parked by a beach, or out here where there are sandy washes (water flow rivulets) I use the sand that's there - it's free and I can do a complete change every other day - I have no problem dumping it where I found it - I've never parked near a big public beach.  After all a cat's poop is no different than the poop of any other animal that lives there naturally. Otherwise I use clumping and dispose of it with my regular trash.

 

[TrainChaser]

The best litter boxes are the clear plastic totes that are about 16" x 22" x 15"h. Some cats (esp male) like to stand to pee, and they shoot it right over the edge of regular boxes, but not with these. If you have a small or old cat, you can carefully cut a hole in the wide for access, BUT make it as high as you can, or the litter gets kicked out. TIP: to cut a hole, set the empty box in the sun before cutting, and the plastic will warm and soften a bit, lessening the chance of a crack, which can happen when the box is cool/cold. Never mind how I know that.......

If you want to change over to pellets (originally used for horse stalls), be sure to check that they don't use any chemicals. And look for the smallest ones you can find. Eagle Valley Bedding (WA) is a good one, as the chips are mostly broken. They are very good for absorbing odor. About $6 for 35 lbs.

If you're planning on changing from clay litters to pellets, I would advise that you do it gradually. Yes, it's a nuisance, but cats are creatures of habit, and many will relieve themselves outside the box rather then use something new with a different odor and texture. Start with one-quarter pellets to litter, then half, then three-quarters. When wet, they will break down into sawdust, so keep a smallish, flat-bladed shovel type of scooper handy (no perforations).

Re: the warning about FloorDry above -- Floor Dry is 100% Diatomaceous Earth (a natural product), completely non-toxic in itself, and is not treated with any chemicals. http://www.spillsupply.com/Floor_Dry.html Depending on where you buy it, a 6-gallon bag usually costs less than $10, and it absorbs 2 to 3 times more than clay pellets.

 

[Canine]

Hi everyone I'm a newbie. I've been seriously considering going on the road for about a year now but wondering about my three cats. Right now my litter box is in my garage but I just wanted to let you know of a new litter called Slide. It is amazing. Makes clean up easy and keeps orders way down. I was just about all brands out there imaginable because my cats are shitters. LOL  anyway I know it's a little expensive but it's well worth it. I'm off to read all the rest the posts thanks

 

[GotSmart]

Tidy Cat in a covered tub.  I scoop it atleast twice a day, and sweep just as often.  (OCD)  

Nobody likes a dirty cat box, especially a cat.   :s