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serinde[Edit: Cut tags appear to be b0rked at present, both at DW and LJ, so you get to read the whole thing. Sucks to be you.]
For aeons uncounted, my cat hygiene needs were very adequately met by regular old Fresh Step scoopable (or a comparable brand if the store was out of it). In the last year or two, however, problems have developed; not the fault of the product itself, but behavioral changes of my goober cat. His current methodology for personal relief is:
1. Pee right in the door of the litterbox.
2. Don't cover it over.
3. Turn around (in the box), sniff.
4. Walk through it as he jumps out.
Since this litter is designed to dry into rock-like, easily-scoopable clumps, by walking through the just-produced effluvium Spinach Cat will get daubings of befouled litter on his paws and legs which then dry to a nearly-impossible-to-remove crust. It gets tracked everywhere, and leads to what![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
audiovile dubbed, in their kittenhood, "little shitty kitty prints" all over the apartment, and plus it's just incredibly nasty and gross. And we will not even discuss trying to clean him off. Over and over and over.
I tried various methods of mitigation (chiefly, being incredibly diligent about scooping), but nothing really helped, so it seemed time to explore other options.
This is a clumping litter that claims to be environmentally friendly and even flushable (though I'm not going to risk anyone's pipes on it, and I'm continuing to bag and garbage the refuse). The packet claims that it reduces litter scatter, which is a giant lie, as you might expect--Spinach Cat is still kicking it all over a 5' radius outside the box entry, and some grit is attaching to his paw pads and getting tracked further into the apartment. But, the waste soaks right down into the lower layer, rather than pooling on top before hardening, and so the main problem is sorted; dry litter may be escaping, but not Precious Bodily Fluids.
It is harder to scoop, as the clumping action is much less firm. There is also a slightly-noticeable, unusual scent to the litter itself; it is not unpleasant, rather like a clean stable or gerbil bedding, but some might not prefer it. It's slightly more expensive than regular scoopable (and thus a lot more expensive than plain clay). I will probably continue to use it, though, because anything is better than washing my cat's back legs repeatedly.
For aeons uncounted, my cat hygiene needs were very adequately met by regular old Fresh Step scoopable (or a comparable brand if the store was out of it). In the last year or two, however, problems have developed; not the fault of the product itself, but behavioral changes of my goober cat. His current methodology for personal relief is:
1. Pee right in the door of the litterbox.
2. Don't cover it over.
3. Turn around (in the box), sniff.
4. Walk through it as he jumps out.
Since this litter is designed to dry into rock-like, easily-scoopable clumps, by walking through the just-produced effluvium Spinach Cat will get daubings of befouled litter on his paws and legs which then dry to a nearly-impossible-to-remove crust. It gets tracked everywhere, and leads to what
audiovile dubbed, in their kittenhood, "little shitty kitty prints" all over the apartment, and plus it's just incredibly nasty and gross. And we will not even discuss trying to clean him off. Over and over and over. I tried various methods of mitigation (chiefly, being incredibly diligent about scooping), but nothing really helped, so it seemed time to explore other options.
This is a clumping litter that claims to be environmentally friendly and even flushable (though I'm not going to risk anyone's pipes on it, and I'm continuing to bag and garbage the refuse). The packet claims that it reduces litter scatter, which is a giant lie, as you might expect--Spinach Cat is still kicking it all over a 5' radius outside the box entry, and some grit is attaching to his paw pads and getting tracked further into the apartment. But, the waste soaks right down into the lower layer, rather than pooling on top before hardening, and so the main problem is sorted; dry litter may be escaping, but not Precious Bodily Fluids.
It is harder to scoop, as the clumping action is much less firm. There is also a slightly-noticeable, unusual scent to the litter itself; it is not unpleasant, rather like a clean stable or gerbil bedding, but some might not prefer it. It's slightly more expensive than regular scoopable (and thus a lot more expensive than plain clay). I will probably continue to use it, though, because anything is better than washing my cat's back legs repeatedly.
