Cat litter

[Kitsune]

I have cats for the moment, and an issue regarding cat litter: even the stuff marked 'unscented' has enough scent in it that it's a migraine trigger for me (and then 24+ hours in bed, meds, the works... ) When I was in the city, what I found worked best for both the cats and my migraines was a brand called Swheat Scoop - basically cracked wheat, kinda-clumpy, absolutely no scent at all. You do need to scoop every day because there's nothing hiding odors, but, given my limitations, it worked (even if it was pricy).

Moved to the country and discovered THE FEED STORE.

A bale of shavings for the bottom of horse stalls is less than 5$, lasts a month if you empty/replace completely every 2 days instead of scooping, and is compostable. More high-tech: cracked wheat (same as I used to use) is 12$/50lbs, and that lasts 2 months for us.

Cheap, completely unscented, completely natural, zero clay, compostable... DONE.

(Trick might not work for city-dwellers, but anyone in the suburbs should be within driving distance of a feed store... maybe google-ing it and swinging by when you've got a car and are in the area might be worth it!)

[zephyr911]

I'm gonna have to check this out. DW has had sway over kitty litter selection since the cat gravitates to her and she does most of the box cleaning. She vetoed the pine shavings because she feels the standard gravel works better, but I hate lugging in those ridiculously heavy bags of rocks.

My list of long reasons to look forward to FIRE - and I know this may seem odd - includes having time to clean the litter box so I can pick the litter.

Anywho, tl;dr, I'm gonna have to remember this because we live near enough to "the country" to find the things you describe.

[going2ER]

Our local SPCA uses wood pellets, which are readily available and cheaper than regular cat litter. However, our cats are used to clay litter and when I tried putting even a few pellets in their box, they were not happy. So as long as I have these cats I will need to stick with regular cat litter.

[Sibley]

Hate to burst your bubble people, but you don't get final say in the litter. The cat does. Trust me, if the cat decides that they don't like the litter and thus won't use the box, then you switch in a hurry and to hell with what you want.

[terran]

You may want to consider not composting this with compost you use in your garden. Cat feces can carry some nasty diseases.

Toxoplasmosis is a parasite that causes disease in humans and other animals, but cats are the only animal known to excrete toxoplasmosis eggs in their feces. Most people who contract toxoplasmosis have headaches, muscle aches and other flu symptoms.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/composting/manures/cat-feces-in-compost.htm

[Another Reader]

I used to use pine litter pellets, mostly the bags sold for horse stalls.  After a year or so of exclusive use, one of my cats got nasal cancer and died.  Three of the rescue cats followed over the next nine months, even after I switched litters.  The shelter that was originally using them and suggested them to me switched when a couple of their long term residents developed the same cancer.  Pine is highly toxic to cats and pine litter products should be avoided. 

[SpeedReader]

I bought something called the Smart Catbox which uses safflower seeds instead of litter, and has a reservoir for the liquid waste so it can be flushed.  It was originally developed by someone with a diabetic cat to facilitate testing.  I had been looking for something like it for years because I was tired of clay litter.  My cats switched without a qualm.

[zephyr911]

Hate to burst your bubble people, but you don't get final say in the litter. The cat does. Trust me, if the cat decides that they don't like the litter and thus won't use the box, then you switch in a hurry and to hell with what you want.

My cat shows no preference, and mostly goes outside anyway. :)

[Sibley]

Hate to burst your bubble people, but you don't get final say in the litter. The cat does. Trust me, if the cat decides that they don't like the litter and thus won't use the box, then you switch in a hurry and to hell with what you want.

My cat shows no preference, and mostly goes outside anyway. :)

Lucky you.

[HPstache]

Another vote for wood pellets... they work so well and are cheap and don't smell like chemicals.