Kitten Litter - Clumping or Non Clumping?

[Geila]

While at the pet store today I was chatting with the staff and they told me I should be careful to never use clumping litter until my kittens are at least 6-8 months old. They said that clumping litter can make them very sick if they ingest it from their paws and such. Is that true? Do any of you use clumping litter for your kittens without ill-effects?

I bought some non-clumping litter, but it's so much more expensive than clumping. Right now, I can get a 42 lb. bag of Scoop Away or Fresh Step for $9.29 at Costco, on sale (regular price is $11.89). The cheapest non-clumping I could find at the store was $21.99 for a 25 lbs. which was a Integrity, Natural Pine bag. None of their litter was on sale. The savings is tremendous, and since I have 3 kitties and they are 2-3 months old...

We've been using the Scoop Away since we got them 11 days ago and all of the kittens are using the boxes regularly without any problems. They all seem healthy, are eating great, and putting on weight. They are playful and energetic. If it ain't broke....???

For anyone who has tried both the Scoop Away and the Fresh Step... have you found any significant difference between the two?

:thankyou:

[Float On]

From the ASPCA:
A few years after clumping litter first came out, an article in the now-defunct holistic cat magazine Tiger Tribe questioned the safety of clumping litter if ingested, especially for neonate kittens who often eat litter when it is introduced to them during the weaning stage. While there has been no proof to claims of problems in scientific literature, caretakers may wish to delay introducing kittens to clumping litter until 3 to 4 months of age. Any cat older than that detected eating litter should be taken to a veterinarian, since this behavior often indicates anemia or other dietary deficiencies.

Scoopable cat litter continues to be a hot topic on the Internet, with some claiming that it is toxic and causes respiratory illness in cats. Many scoopable cat litters contain bentonite clay, a naturally occurring clay mineral that is considered to be biologically inert when ingested, and/or silica. Silica is also a physically and chemically inert substance, and is a major component found in ordinary sand. Silica is also used as a moisture-absorbing agent in the little packets found in shoe boxes, medications and some foods. According to our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, pets ingesting small amounts of silica gel may develop only mild gastrointestinal upset, if any signs develop at all.

Cats may ingest small amounts of litter when grooming themselves after using the litter box, and these amounts pass through the digestive tract easily without problems. However, if an animal consumes a very large amount of litter (as can happen when a dog "cleans out" the litter box), gastrointestinal upset, constipation or, in rare cases, intestinal obstruction could potentially occur. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/cat-litter

I'd say your kittens are old enough for clumping, seems to be more a warning pre-weaning. Sounds like the sales staff are well trained on pushing the more expensive items.

[Geila]

From the ASPCA:
A few years after clumping litter first came out, an article in the now-defunct holistic cat magazine Tiger Tribe questioned the safety of clumping litter if ingested, especially for neonate kittens who often eat litter when it is introduced to them during the weaning stage. While there has been no proof to claims of problems in scientific literature, caretakers may wish to delay introducing kittens to clumping litter until 3 to 4 months of age. Any cat older than that detected eating litter should be taken to a veterinarian, since this behavior often indicates anemia or other dietary deficiencies.

Scoopable cat litter continues to be a hot topic on the Internet, with some claiming that it is toxic and causes respiratory illness in cats. Many scoopable cat litters contain bentonite clay, a naturally occurring clay mineral that is considered to be biologically inert when ingested, and/or silica. Silica is also a physically and chemically inert substance, and is a major component found in ordinary sand. Silica is also used as a moisture-absorbing agent in the little packets found in shoe boxes, medications and some foods. According to our experts at the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center, pets ingesting small amounts of silica gel may develop only mild gastrointestinal upset, if any signs develop at all.

Cats may ingest small amounts of litter when grooming themselves after using the litter box, and these amounts pass through the digestive tract easily without problems. However, if an animal consumes a very large amount of litter (as can happen when a dog "cleans out" the litter box), gastrointestinal upset, constipation or, in rare cases, intestinal obstruction could potentially occur. https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/cat-litter

I'd say your kittens are old enough for clumping, seems to be more a warning pre-weaning. Sounds like the sales staff are well trained on pushing the more expensive items.

Thanks Float On!!!! Great info - I had googled prior to posting but did not find this.

And I think you are right about the sales pitch. I'm going to return this fancy litter and stock up on the Costco deal.

I tried to post some pics of the cute kitties, but no success. :(

[jp1]

It sounds like your kitties can handle it just fine. The 3 cats i've owned were all adults when i got them so no issues with clumping litter for them. Well almost. In my NYC apartment the litterbox was next to the bathtub. Harry would sometimes get a drink after my shower and then walk through the litterbox getting great globs of litter on his paws. Then he would run through the house shaking it off... He didnt like it when i'd grab him and rinse them iff in the sink.

[sweetana3]

Clumping all the way. Have had all ages and sizes of cats for over 40 years. Our cat sitter and others have asked us why there is no smell. We use Tidy Cat Scoop in what used to be Small Spaces option. Not the lightweight one because they track that one all over. Our cat sitter says having a cocoa mat outside the pan keeps the spread contained.

We needed a brand that did not have perfume (most do) and very little dust. Cheap clumpables have both and are horrid for that reason. We watch for sales on our brand and probably have 400-500 pounds of it in the basement.

I beware of any salesperson or unqualified "cat expert" who demands certain products or things like raw diets. I believe in quality and balance in su

[Geila]

I do notice that when I clean out the boxes right now, using Scoop Away, there's a good deal of dust that gets blown about (a good deal of it in my face!) Not too much of a problem since 3 of their boxes are outside in the sideyard - but would be a problem if they were in the house. So I clean them out each morning right before my shower.

Also they've been playing in their indoor box at night and making a big mess so I bought one of those boxes with a lid and a kittie door for them to use inside at night (they're outside all day). I plan to clean it in the am, leave it outside with the lid off during the day to air out, and bring it in at night when we bring in the kitties. When they get older I will move it into the garage which has a doggie door.

I was prepared for lots of work integrating all the pets and caring for the little kittens, but have been pleasantly surprised at how low-maintenance the kitties are. I bring out their food plate about 4x a day into their protected area, provide fresh water, clean their boxes in the am, and that's it. They entertain themselves all day, playing together or wrestling with the shrubs, and napping. I have this great little plate that I use for them which has a lid, so I can pop it into the fridge between meals.

Probably the biggest annoyance so far is the dust that flies up in my face when I clean their boxes each morning. Maybe I'm being too vigorous in my scooping! I'll try toning it down. :)

[Tiam]

My kitty died, but I couldn't find non clumping cat litter of any kind.

[kib]

You will probably find that they don't use the box much outside, they really prefer digging in dirt. Vegetable gardens come to mind. I have used corn cob bedding as litter - you can get it at a feed store - it's a bit of a nuisance to dispose of because it's not clumping so you have to basically dump and wash the box when the pee builds up too much, but it's cheap and no dust.

[Geila]

You will probably find that they don't use the box much outside, they really prefer digging in dirt. Vegetable gardens come to mind. I have used corn cob bedding as litter - you can get it at a feed store - it's a bit of a nuisance to dispose of because it's not clumping so you have to basically dump and wash the box when the pee builds up too much, but it's cheap and no dust.

I've had them almost 2 weeks and they've been using the outside litter boxes really well. That could change of course! I sure hope it doesn't because their poop stinks! And if I have to hunt for it under the wood mulch, I will not be a happy camper.

Is that normal for their poop to smell so bad? Maybe I'm giving them too much canned food, but gosh, it's bad. I feed them the Costco brand of Chicken & Rice, wheat-free, corn-free kibble along with Friskies pate canned food. They were up to two 5 ounce cans per day, which I'm thinking might be too much canned. I've started to cut back the canned food a bit, but I'm sure they don't like it >:(.

[Glo]

We've always used clumping with no problem.