Cat Litter Problems : Choosing the Best Cat Litter For You and Your Cat
Unless your cat spends nearly all its time outside, you will need to use cat litter - but there are many types of cat litter problems that can arise depending on the type of litter chosen.
Cat litter problems vary from the fairly minor (such as your cat treading dust through the house), through to the potentially very serious (such as affecting the health of your cat).
This article outlines the various cat litter problems associated with different types of cat litter and shows how SmartBedz cat litter can be used to avoid or minimise each one.
Smell
Perhaps the most immediately noticeable of all cat litter problems is a failure to minimise odour. When urine is first produced it has very little smell of its own - but exposure to oxygen begins a chemical process in which ammonia is formed. And it is the ammonia which produces the offensive smell that we associate with urine.
SmartBedz is extremely absorbent and sucks up moisture extremely rapidly. This means that the urine is locked away and has a very limited exposure to the atmosphere helping to prevent ammonia from forming. SmartBedz therefore suppresses odour effectively and naturally, without the need for baking soda or artificial scents.
Cost
One of the most obvious cat litter problems is the cost of buying it. Cat litter is an ongoing and usually unavoidable expense associated with owning a cat and owners will obviously be highly conscious of the initial purchase price. But the real cost of any particular type of litter depends on how much is used and how often it needs to be replaced.
Cat litters which require the litter tray to be completely emptied regularly (usually the cheaper and less absorbent litters) will obviously require a much greater volume of litter overall than a litter which can be easily spot cleaned and requires only occasional complete replacement.
Whilst SmartBedz might appear expensive if you look only at the purchase price, it is actually very cost-effective as it has been shown that one 5kg bag of SmartBedz will last one cat about 50 days. This is equivalent to using approximately 35kg of a non clumping clay litter. Since much lower volumes of SmartBedz are required, this makes it much easier to buy, carry home, store and dispose of.
Cleaning Frequency
One of the other main cat litter problems which an owner will quickly notice, is how often it requires attention to keep it clean and how often a complete change is needed. Even the most dedicated of cat owners would much rather spend time with their cat or on their own activities, than in attending to a litter tray.
Of course, all types of litter require some attention in order to keep the tray and surrounding area hygienic and avoid the tray getting so soiled that the cat refuses to use it (cats much prefer a clean tray to go in). Some types of litter - usually non clumping clay varieties - require a complete change weekly, as well as daily spot cleans. Other litters - usually clumping varieties - need much less attention, requiring daily spot cleans and a full change perhaps monthly. These litters will appeal both to busy families trying to keep down the housework, and frail or elderly owners who find lifting and emptying a full litter tray difficult.
SmartBedz has the same advantages as a clumping litter in that it is only necessary to remove the solids on a daily basis and replenish what has been removed rather than change the whole tray as with a non clumping clay litter. It is only necessary to change all the contents when needed, perhaps once a month, but this will depend on how many cats are using it and their habits.
Dust and Chemicals
Many cat litters, particularly the clay based varieties, are very dusty, which creates a variety of problems for cats and owners alike.
For cats, and especially kittens, the dust can be an irritant, especially if it also contains chemical additives such as scent or clumping agents. Kittens are very likely to explore the litter with their noses and inhale significant quantities of dust. Dust from non clumping litter is bad enough, but dust from clay based clumping litter can be downright dangerous, resulting in nasal passages and digestive tracts becoming clogged with sticky clumps. While the risk is reduced for mature cats, they are still exposed to some risk as they will lick dusty feet and legs and ingest some dust. Many owners are sensitive to dust and/or to additive chemicals in cat litter. In addition, many owners dislike the litter dust getting trodden around the house after a cat has been standing in it.
SmartBedz is a virtually dust free litter, as all the dust is specifically extracted during the manufacturing process. And it has no chemical additives either for clumping or scent purposes. This makes SmartBedz a healthier option for both cats and humans. SmartBedz doesn’t get trodden around the house and stays in the tray well. It can be easily vacuumed or swept up if any is kicked out of the tray.
Disposal
When litter is removed from the tray, either for spot cleaning or for a complete tray change, it needs to be disposed of - which creates significant problems for owners and for the environment. Clay based litters and silica gel litters are non biodegradable and need to be disposed of in landfill. And used litter is obviously quite heavy, so disposing of it can require significant physical effort.
SmartBedz is ideal for those with limited gardens or living in a flat. A 5kg bag is long lasting and used litter may be flushed in small quantities or composted. It can also be burned.
Environmental Issues
As noted above, most conventional (non-organic) litters require disposal in landfill. In addition, much of the clay required for clay based litters is strip mined. The silica used in silica gel litters is also mined and then processed. This makes conventional litters extremely unfriendly to the environment.
Many other available natural litters are made from food crops, which is an improvement over strip mining and does allow for disposal via biodegradation. But they need to be grown especially for the purpose, which uses fuel and water resources as well as being rather a waste of food.
SmartBedz is made from a sustainable waste resource (straw) which is a by-product of wheat production. Straw is carbon neutral as the carbon absorbed by the growing crop is released on burning to be reabsorbed by the following growing crop. We use paper bags for our product and water based inks for minimum impact.
Location
Humans locate their bathrooms in separate rooms away from food and sleeping areas in order to manage smell and hygiene issues, as well as to provide a degree of privacy. Cats have very similar preferences when it comes to going to the toilet. To provide them with a little privacy, their litter trays should ideally be placed in quiet corners, out of main traffic routes and away from machinery (e.g. noisy washing machines or dishwashers). Similarly, a cat will prefer it if their sleeping area (if they have one) and food and water dishes are in a different place to their litter tray.
For hygiene purposes owners will, quite sensibly, tend to want to put food and water bowls and litter trays on non-carpeted floors such as lino, tiles or laminated flooring, in order to make cleaning easier and to avoid damage to carpets or rugs. But this can be a problem if the only room with suitable flooring is the kitchen. If this is the case, try to locate food and water on opposite sides or ends of the kitchen to the litter tray, to provide some separation. Quite apart from cat preferences, this is important for hygiene reasons too, to minimise the chance of contamination between food and litter (especially if your cat is an enthusiastic scratcher of litter after they have finished using their tray).
Cats are very much creatures of habit, and greatly resist change. If you want to move a litter box, don’t move the existing box straightaway. Instead, get a new one and put it where you want the cat to go, leaving the existing one where it is. After the cat starts using the new one regularly, take the old one away. It will also help if you take some soiled litter out of the old box and put in the new one, as the cat will recognise the smell and take this as a signal that this is an acceptable place to use the toilet.
Using SmartBedz does not greatly alter your choice of litter tray location, except that its excellent odour reduction does mean that owners are more likely to have a wider choice of locations where the presence of a litter tray will not cause offense to humans.
Cat Litter Problems - Try Smartbedz for a highly effective alternative to cat litters you may have used before.