How to pick the best litter for your cat
Lately, I have been hearing debates about the environmental impact of the manufacturing process of cat litter and its impact upon disposal. The people having these discussions are either not cat caretakers or they only have one feline.
The real debate here is: "Will your feline adjust to a new product?"
Noble intentions are great, but if your feline does not like the scent or texture of the product you choose, you will be crying the litter box blues.
Feline caretakers are bombarded with numerous choices. Clay versus clumping clay. Plant derivatives such as corn, wheat or pine are all recycled matter as is recycled paper pellets. Multiple silica gel products have hit the market in recent years, too.
In addition to your feline's wishes, you have to consider your needs. So, how should you choose? Your main concerns are probable dictated by budget, cleanliness and ease of scooping or how often.
Mined clay is the cheapest alternative on a budget. You will change the box more often because this product is messy, even the low-dusting formulas. I call this variety "my parents' generation of cat litter."
If you are budget conscious, spend the extra to bump up one grade and purchase clumping litter. This litter clumps when wet and easily scoops out. Not every brand is equal in clumping power, so you may have to try several before you fined one that does a satisfactory job.
Conservationist find clay challenging because of the large amount of space it takes in landfills. Let's face it, we are running out of landfill areas.
My experience with recycled pellets - such as corn, wheat, pine and paper - was not very positive. My felines hated the texture of the pellets and though they used the litter box, I could tell they were not happy with these products by the way they walked into the box. Even mixing pellets with some clumping product did not please them. The pine broke off into pieces which became messy saw dust and the paper pellets, when wet, smelled like dirty ink.
The recycled paper pellets were far messier than the plant derivatives, especially if you have light-colored floors. My felines hated it so much they did not event want to use it post surgery! You may, however, want to use this product for your cat's post-surgery situations.
Silica gel is a synthetically manufactured product that is probably the most expensive to use. The product is very absorbing and odor trapping. The crystals absorb the urine totally by drawing it to the bottom of the box. You scoop less frequently and solid waste is easily removed and bagged. In single cat households, silica's claim to fame is that you only change the box totally once a month. With that said, it is clear that silica has less disposal implications on the environment versus clay.
Clumping clay and silica hybrids are also available. This option is far more affordable than pure silica crystals. Whether or not this option is available to you, your decision might be determined by the number of felines that need to use the box. In multiple cat households, the hybrid variety tends to become more messy and much more scooping is necessary.
Finding the right litter for your ease of cleaning, and keeping your felines happy can be quite the challenge. Whatever you try, do not change out all the litter at once. You may have a rebellion on your hands. You may even want to stick to the adage, "Don't fix it, if it's not broken."
• The Buddy Foundation, 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights, is a nonprofit 501(c) 3 shelter. Call (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.