Wednesday, April 07, 2010

Kitty Litter Saga

We recently moved to an upper floor condominium, where my previously indoor/outdoor cat would have to use a litter box for all his potty needs.

He's a good boy, so he hasn't had any problems with this, but honestly, all the litters out there SUCK!

Attempt the first: The usual standby, clumping clay litter. Oh My God! The dust! I felt like i needed a face mask just to scoop it every morning.

Attempt the second: Compressed pellets of sawdust. Says on the package that it's an ecologically sound use of recycled material. What they DON'T tell you is that upon contact with moisture, it disintegrates into a soggy pile of smelly stink that sticks to the sides and bottom of the box.

Attempt the third: This cool looking blue and white crystal stuff. Oh My God! The noise. It sounded like he was mining gravel when he scratched around in the middle of the night. Who would have thought that kitty litter could be so noisy? PLUS, it didn't clump and some of the crystals would turn yellow with pee and that's just gross. PLUS, he tracked it all over the house and those little crystals HURT when you step on them.

Attempt the fourth: Corn-based kitty litter with "Fresh Pine Scent." Oh My God! The smell! I don't want to smell a whole fucking pine forest when i walk within 20 feet of his potty room. At least it clumped.

Attempt the fifth: Wheat-based kitty litter. It clumps. It's renewable. It has very little smell. But again, he tracks it all over the house. Sigh. Looks like i get to vacuum every day.

You'd think with all the chemical engineers we have in this country whose job it is to turn cat pee into cement there could be a perfect kitty litter out there by now.

Grumble grumble.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have always been amazed by the claims you can teach a pet to use the toilet. Couldn't be worse than men who can't aim, right?

Unsuitable Compost said...

I feel you. I swapped from clumping clay to feline pine and endured a feline rebellion. The cats, although one with nature, don't really give a rats ass about going green.

Mignon said...

Us chemE's are more concerned with whether the kitty litter will soak up sulfuric acid. Not so much with if it will be tracked into the living room.

nick said...

Indeed, it's 2010 people, can't one of you come up with a decent litter tray that just does the job without any horrors and simplifies Meno's existence? Are you listening out there? Stop slurping your latté and munching your muffin and rescue this poor long-suffering cat-owner....

furiousBall said...

i fought this battle two and found the only answer is to buy the cheap stuff and scoop often

meno said...

de, well now, THERE'S an idea! Wonder if he'd flush?

unsuitable, they refused to have anything to do with it huh? Bet that was fun.

mignon, okay then, here's a product idea for you. Remember me when you get rich!

nick, ha ha! yep, it's all about me...

furious, dammit! i was hoping one of you would have a clever idea for me, other than getting rid of the cat, which i will not do.

Clowncar said...

we have 3 cats (feels like 10). while we use the cheap clay stuff, they all mostly go outside. my wife is trying to train me to do the same, but thus far I'm resistant.

Sabra said...

Okay, let's skip the medium since that's apparently a given, and move to potential doormat type substances that will wipe their little kitty feet/catch the feline sand before it creates a beach throughout the house (I have experienced the kitty beach walking through my sister's kitchen barefoot) (why one would keep a litter box in the kitchen is a whole 'nother matter). An astro turf doormat? Coir? One of those corrugated cardboard kitty scratch pads where all the little holes in the cardboard might catch the stuff before it escapes to your floors? Glue traps? A bulletin board sprayed with that artist adhesive that lets them move stuff around on mock ups (boy, those were the olden tymes -- who uses that stuff anymore?)

Anonymous said...

I have cats that apparently get into their little box, pick up the litter with their paws and then fling it about wildly. And one of the cats likes to drown her toys in the water bowl? What the hell.

Dick said...

I think furiousBall has about the best idea. And back it up with a Roomba robot vacuum with its base in the cat room so it always starts there. Maybe you can even limit it so it stays there rather than going into the rest of the house and getting stuck.

Lynnea said...

I saw online where this clever person took two litter boxes and cut holes in the first one, then placed kitty pads/newspaper with baking soda/ or some such 'catch' in the bottom of the second one. Then the first one sits inside the second one. He fills it with gravel - smooth kind but big enough not to get tracked. Then he scoops (this might take a little doing I'm not sure) the poop and replaces the kitty pad daily. Weekly or every so often he would take the gravel and wash it then return it to the box. Now, I cannot attest to the odor absorption though. He seemed to think the kitty pads did the job. And - you'd never really have to buy litter again with the rocks.
He called it the:
Green Pee Cat Litter System

heartinsanfrancisco said...

I've tried them all, too. The best one I found was "The 'World's Best Cat Litter," which comes in "original" and "multiple cat" strengths. It was the least nasty and Truffle liked it. That crystal stuff is like broken glass - simply awful. (She refused that one outright.) Good luck!

Taradharma said...

i need to find kitty litter than my dogs won't eat....they love the lil' turds and don't seem to mind the crunchy litter...ick.

meno said...

clowncar, really? I would totally pee outside if i could!

sabra, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? Maaybe i could put a roach motel in front of his litter box, or fly paper.

deb, strange beings these felines of ours. I put a lid on the litter box to help prevent the flying litter, but he still manages to fling some of it out the damned door.

dick, hmmm. Maybe the Roomba could help in this matter.

maggie, i will be investigating this idea. Thanks!

hearts, it IS like cut glass! What were they thinking?

tara, when we used to have both dogs and cats we called it "Doggy Almond Roca." It's considered a delicacy by dogs all over the world.

Gina said...

Oh, the kitty litter saga. I live it. I have yet to find one that is acceptable.

Anonymous said...

Try a top-entrance litterbox, it's decreased the amount of litter tracking at my house substantially.

sari said...

This is why I have dogs. And kids, to go pick up the poop outside from the dogs. Blech.

Mrs4444 said...

I gotta say that I LOVE not having a cat anymore. When I gently broke the news to Kyle that we were going to have to have the cat euthanized (15 years old or more), he replied, "That's fine. I'm sick of finding cat litter in my bed anyway." LOL