Advice On Dealing With Your Cat's Litter Box
posted on 01/26/2009
Clay
Traditional kitty litter is made of clay flakes that clumps up when urine or feces touches it. This solid clumped material can be scooped out and disposed of without changing the entire contents of the litter box. However, the leftover litter should be changed regularly to prevent buildup of bacteria. For one cat, four to six weeks is the recommended time before change. The most popular clay brands are Tidy Cats and Fresh Step. One major drawback to clay litter is that it does not do a good job of absorbing odor and the clumps cannot be flushed down the toilet.
Crystals
Crystal cat litter is made of sodium silicate, which is essentially sand or a blend of sand and other silica. It absorbs liquid waste but does not form easily removable clumps. Crystal kitty litter has the highest absorbency of any litter, and so has excellent moisture and odor control. Silica gel litter can be either irregular lumps or small beads. It is easy to clean up, is biodegradable, and is flushable and non-toxic. Also, you don't have to change it as often as clay litter. Once a month should be fine.
Natural and Biodegradable Litter
Natural litter is made from pine, paper, wheat or corn. It is nice because it doesn't put dust into the air and it usually works just as well as other cat litter in terms of clumping, and may be better at odor control. Also, it poses no risk to your cat's health or people's health.
Self Cleaning Box
No matter what kind of litter you use, if you use it with a self cleaning box you have maximum odor control. The box sweeps away waste into a covered container almost immediately after it hits the box, trapping those nasty odors before they get out. These boxes typically go for about $60 - I highly recommend you get one if you have the means.
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