Most of the time, my columns are about stuff that goes into the front of our pets, but some involve the other end. Most dogs are obliging enough to take their business outside. But most cats rely on indoor relief areas.
The number of litter and litter box options is quite impressive. You can find an option that fits just about any need, whether you have a size restriction, a cat with a peculiar issue, or even self-cleaning options for those prefer not to scoop. And the range of litters addresses many different needs as well.
Litter can be made from the standard clay, clumping or non-clumping through plant based products from wood, newspaper, wheat or even pea husk, which can be clumping or non-clumping.
Clay litters are economical and have been the most popular litters from the start. Non-clumping litters are designed to be disposed of by the batch, and are the most popular with shelters because they are the cheapest and require the least time to maintain. Clumping litter lasts longer between changes, because you remove the waste daily.
Plant based litters can have lower dust, and can be more environmentally friendly. But they are more expensive. Wheat or pea husk are lower dust and biodegradable, which makes them popular in our green economy.
My personal favourite is silica gel litter. With silica gel litter, you don’t scoop out the number one, the gel absorbs it and then evaporates it away. It can’t be used in a high-humidity environment because evaporation is part of the way it works. The number two gets desiccated, and are easily removed and disposed of. We scoop our litter every couple days, taking out a small bag of poop, and the entire box gets changed every two months.
Litter boxes can be small or large, can have lids and doors, or even be hidden inside furniture like a cabinet or end table. Some are designed with air filters to remove odours, and have flaps for the cat to enter and exit. These do need to be kept clean, even if you can’t smell them, the cats can, and if the box is too smelly, they will go elsewhere. And no one wants that.
Self-cleaning litter boxes that use clumping litter have a mechanism that is on a timer to rake the litter and deposit the clumps in a disposal box. While these look great, they can jam and many cats don’t trust them. But if you find the right combination of litter and cat, they can be great.
There are other self-cleaning boxes that use plastic pellets and a water/detergent mix to clean and sanitize the box, and pump the waste into a drain or toilet. These cost almost a thousand dollars and are quite large, but seem to work well.
The litter box we use is a Cateco pan. It has a screen bottom that allows the litter to “breathe” from both sides to dry faster. This makes clumping litter work better, but with the silica litter, it is amazing. I don’t use it because I sell it, I sell it because I use it. Combined with raw feeding, it makes cat ownership virtually odor free, and very low maintenance.
Finding the perfect combination of box and litter that suits your budget and lifestyle and is accepted by your cat can take some work, but it is well worthwhile in the long run. You don’t need to settle for the basic plastic box and clay litter, unless that’s the right combination for you.
