What brand of clumping kitty litter do you buy?

OK, I admit it, I’m new to this whole clumping thing. I’ve spent the last ten years buying disposable cat litter trays and just dumping them out when they get, um, full. I’ve since upgraded to this, and I need the clumping stuff.

My first impressions are bad. The stuff I bought clumps into a mud-like substance which gets on dear Teddy’s feet, and he tracks it all over the #!@$! house. Not fun to find cat litter on the couch, coffee table, counter, etc. Especially since you know it’s been used - not the fresh stuff.

Is there a better brand? What do you all use?

Can’t really help, since my solution to that problem is not to let the cat in the house. It also tends to help out in getting rid of mice.

I buy Scamp Scoop. Not only is it cheaper than other brands, it seems to work better. The whole concept, of course, is nasty, and I’d rather have two dogs instead of one cat and one dog, but my daughters think otherwise…

I buy Fresh Scoop litter…but I think they are basically all the same. I do foresee a problem with your new purchase though, if your cat is anything like mine (Isis Athena) then you’ll have to scrape the bottom of the litter pan because the cat will inevitably dig till they reach the bottom of the pan to urinate.

I use Shittin Kitten brand butt you must be sure and ask for it by name.

Whatever’s on sale in bulk. We have three cats.

There was one brand I used for awhile…sorry, can’t remember the name, but it was flushable. That might work out well if your litterbox is in the bathroom. Also, they now make little mats you can place under the litterbox that traps any loose litter on your cat’s feet. I was happy to find those, believe me. My cat slept on my pillow when she was a baby and as cute as I found her little feet to be, I was sick of finding “kitty-grit” from them every night.

I use Quikrete…forms a nice BIG clump, kitty included :slight_smile: The only problem is getting the cat to use it before it sets up.

I use Tidy Cat scoopable litter, but I’ve only had my cat for a week, so I can’t say how good it is in the long run.

I switch between Arm & Hammer, and Fresh Step clumping. I think they’re both about the same. Gryffin used this since he was a kitten, so his feet stay clean (or he knows to clean them himself – I’m not really sure, as long as I don’t see litter tracks, I’m content not to know). Using a mat, like *shannybonanny suggested, is a good idea. The mat in the picture you linked to looks too small, IMHO. The Gryff would hop right over that.
If you ever decide to go back to the old-fashioned kind of box, I also like the Fresh Step Crystal Litter. It looks a little like rock salt, and claims to “lock in” odor. Ha, I thought, these people have never smelled my cat pee. But I’m impressed with how well it works. It is more expensive than other brands, but you don’t change it as often, so I think it comes out to cost about the same.

i use litter pearls. you scoop poop only and it keeps the smell down. no dust, and less tracking. i waited for malenki to get to 4 months old before i let her use it. i didn’t want her to eat it.

Snort, guffaw… I liked that one, but Fluffy didn’t see the humor. She isn’t particular about the brand - she is only insists that it be pristine. Otherwise she craps on the floor.

What exactly did you mean, Kat, by “the long run”?

I use tidy cat for multi cat families. It is the kind that comes in the box rather then the bag. It is a little more expensive and I only have one cat, but it is worth it. It scoops cleaner and smells nicer then other litters I have used.

I remember reading once (sorry, no cite) that clumping litter can actually be dangerous to kitties. See…some of it can get stuck around their behinds, and when they clean themselves, they might swallow some of it, which would kill them. It does something like make a clump in their stomach.
Kinda scary.

Granted, the context this was in was slightly alarmist, but after reading it, I decided to just stick with the regular non-clumping stuff.

I’ll try to dig up a cite.

Got it.

http://www.thelighthouseonline.com/marina/articles/clump.html

Yes, I just read that article myself…

Well, I don’t use clumping litter, so I really don’t have to worry, other than scooping the turds out so the dog doesn’t eat them.

I would suggest regular litter. Scoop the poop daily and flush it, and change it every few days. Actually, ideally, we try to scoop everytime we see them poop, or whenever we notice turds.

I just the Tidy Cats too. I avoid anything perfumey or antibacterial or whatever, because I think it’s probably not good for the cat, and also because I fear any modern anti-stink conveniences would give me an excuse slack off on cleaning the box.

Never had any problem with mud clumps on paws, and I’ve found the mat is a big help in preventing tracking, but we had to carefully arrange the box to make sure that she had no choice but to walk across the mat to leave–looks like a slightly larger one would do a better job for you, Athena.

Also, cats will often reject perfumey litter and pee outside the box.

We put our litter boxes in cutout cardboard boxes with drawpaper covering it…so it’s a wall on all three sides-the Paneled Shitbox, my dad calls it. Noel especially likes it-she gouges her claws all over the thing to get out the litter clumps, as does Gypsy, who will go into each litter box, and clean it up-even if she doesn’t have to go!

We used to use Fresh Step, but I always had a hard time opening the lid on the plastic bucket, so I switched to Arm and Hammer unscented clumping formula. It’s dust-free and I could swear the baking soda makes Chloe’s and Dot’s fur smell even nicer. I also use pan liners (2 at a time) so when it’s time to change the litter, you just pull the bag out and toss it. That way the little darlings don’t pee right into the litter box and the plastic doesn’t absorb the smell.