Kitty litter questions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG, don't dump the entire litter box contents into the toilet! That's a great way to end up with thousands of dollars in plumbing bills!

I do it in stages.

Doesn't matter! Stop!

No, I won't!! It's flushable! This is called a modern convenience. This is the best litter we have ever used -- it scoops without TOO much of the clumped part falling free so it remains pretty clean for about a week. Then all the bits that fall between the slots when scooping start to add up and I dump the remaining whole box of litter in the toilet, about three dumps at a time. Let the litter sit in water for a minute or two before flushing to make sure it has expanded.

We have been doing this for years in a really old house, with no problems with the pipes. Best litter ever.

Trust me. Litter sticks to the walls of your pipes and builds up like coronary artery disease. It's only a matter of time before a block forms.

You will seriously, seriously regret this.

When? I've been doing this for years. It's biodegradable. At the very least, it will be eaten away by Draino if I ever have an issue in the future. So far so good, and worth doing for the convenience factor even if I have to use Draino someday.

[Anonymous]

We have two cats and we scoop every night two litter boxes.

empty and replace the whole thing every week or two.

clumping litter - but totally agree use whatever the cat has been using before you change.

I like the walled litter boxes, but it depends on the size of the cat - we did have a maine coon at one point, and that thing was bigger than most dogs, and we had an open box then.

[Anonymous]

Getting a Litter Genie is great for everyday cleaning.

[Anonymous]

I have a very particular cat when it comes to litter, so I only use one kind of one brand - tidy cats small spaces. I buy a 20lb container and switch out very two weeks. I scoop the solids out daily. I believe that wheat based litters are able to be flushed without damaging plumbing, as a PP mentioned. My guy absolutely refused to use the wheat litter, so I don't know from experience.

I saw on My Cat From Hell (yes, slightly embarrassed to admit that I watch a reality show about cats sometimes) that automatic litter boxes aren't great. Cats are very sensitive to smell, and the way the automatic boxes operate makes them smell like urine all of the time, which cats don't like.

I agree with PPs - start with what the cat was already using and go from there.

[Anonymous]

Agree with above--use whatever cat is now using (if you know!), scoop ideally 2x/day, change litter (dump into plastic bag) and wash box once every week or 2.

I've successfully transitioned my cats to the Breeze and like it very much. With the Breeze, I scoop 1-2x/day, change the pad once/week, and change the litter pellets every month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG, don't dump the entire litter box contents into the toilet! That's a great way to end up with thousands of dollars in plumbing bills!

I do it in stages.

Doesn't matter! Stop!

No, I won't!! It's flushable! This is called a modern convenience. This is the best litter we have ever used -- it scoops without TOO much of the clumped part falling free so it remains pretty clean for about a week. Then all the bits that fall between the slots when scooping start to add up and I dump the remaining whole box of litter in the toilet, about three dumps at a time. Let the litter sit in water for a minute or two before flushing to make sure it has expanded.

We have been doing this for years in a really old house, with no problems with the pipes. Best litter ever.

Trust me. Litter sticks to the walls of your pipes and builds up like coronary artery disease. It's only a matter of time before a block forms.

You will seriously, seriously regret this.

+1

You do know that wipes (for kids and adults) labeled as "flushable" will also clog your pipes? Just because a company markets their product as flushable does not make it true. We had to replace our main sewer line last fall because it was old but in the process I talked to a lot of plumbers and I learned one thing. Nothing other than things that come out of your body and toilet paper should ever be flushed. And that includes kitty litter. You are asking for trouble flushing it. And Draino does terrible things to pipes so don't rely on that to help because you're just adding more trouble.

[karenmh33]

I use the pet store brand of crystals litter (PetSmart, Petco) in a ScoopFree automatic litter box system. I have used the system for about 3 years now and I absolutely LOVE IT. I used the traditional clay clumping litter for 13 years prior. The automatic unit is pricey ($130-$170), but completely worth it in my opinion. I have tried other automatic systems over the years and have quickly returned every single one of them. I am truly happy with this system and I save money and time with the methods I use.

The ScoopFree system is designed to be used with disposable litter trays that are pre-filled with the proper type and amount of litter (must be crystals). The trays from ScoopFree are about $50 for 3. One tray is supposed to last about 3-4 weeks with one cat and about 1-2 weeks with two or more cats (of course that can vary). There are discounts for automatic delivery of the trays from the company. There are also off-brands of similar trays that are less expensive, but still pricey.

The disposable tray system is ideal for those who simply hate dealing with the litter box at all. I would love to go this route, but simply cannot justify spending so much on disposable trays. Instead, I do the dirty work to spend less. I found a permanent tray system online for less than $30 that completely replaces the disposable trays (not recommended by ScoopFree, of course). I place the same amount of store brand litter crystals as the disposable trays and get 2-3 stink-free weeks out of one litter change (1 adult cat). I hate cleaning the litter box at the end of those 2-3 weeks (the bottom layer is pretty nasty by that time), but it's far less work than I used to do with the traditional litter box. A dump in the garbage can and 5-6 Clorox wipes and I'm done!

There is also much less tracking with the crystal litter. Even wet crystals vacuum up easily without adhering to the brushes or tubing.