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Love My Cats - Could Leave the Litter

Cats are amazing... I have two. And as many of you know, I am not just a "cat person" - I have The Cricket, the Ideal Bite Mascot (mainly because Heather doesn't like dogs, but she like The Crick, and The Crick just LOVES being the product tester for all our all natural dog treats, beds, collars, etc.).

However, I wish I had taught them how to be potty trained... cleaning the litter box kind of just sucks. And with two cats, if you don't stay on it, it definitely emits a yuck odor.

However, life got better around the litter for two reasons:

1) I found ONE PLANET at the co-op... totally affordable, and works better than the other 3 eco varieties I have tried for multiple cats.

2) Spring is starting to show her pretty face, and so my cats are going outside a bit now. Now if only they'd stop digging up earthworms and placing them in the kitchen as little gifts.

-Jen... off to do my weekly changing out of the entire box... well, those snuggly funny little things are worth the 15 min a week dealing with the dirty aspects...

Posted by: tmeronek on 04/10/2007
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Tara  on August 06, 2007 at 08:58 AM 51
I get the insects with regular litter. Cleaning more often helps, and checking around the litter box for any tracked litter. No one mentioned Yesterday's News - any luck with that? And if so, is it possible to make newspaper litter at home?
Melissa  on August 06, 2007 at 06:31 PM 52
Sounds like you have s**t fies. They are growing/breeding somewhere moist. Look for any cracks/creavases in your bathroom and fill them. Then empty, bleach-out, scrub & rinse the litterbox. Put bleach down your drains, toilet, tub drain, and even the overflow hole in your sink. Then re-fill the litter box after the bathroom is spotless and has air-ed out. Let us know, and good luck!!!
Elizabeth  on September 04, 2007 at 08:07 AM 53
I have an inside cat who never goes outside with the exception of my patio. I live in an apartment complex, so I prefer flushable litter. Yet I'm not sure how much good that does. The water system in the city I live in has so many chemicals generating through the supply that we have hard water stains on a consistent basis. Is there an environmentally sound way to dispose of cat litter?
Elizabeth  on September 04, 2007 at 08:12 AM 54
Is there such a thing as low-tracking sustainable cat litter or am I just being lazy? I'd almost have to vacuum her paws.
Tara  on September 04, 2007 at 10:40 AM 55
I've now tried Swheat Scoop, Yesterday's News, and Feline Pine. I haven't been even remotely happy with any of them. They are messy in the box, don't clump (in fact, Feline Pine and Yesterday's News do the opposite - fall apart when damp. How do you clean them out?!), are very trackable, don't last as long as clay litter, and are expensive. I hate the dust of clay litter, and the environmental impact. But I've tried over the last six months, and the alternatives don't seem to work. I'm frustrated! Why can't anyone make a clumping, easy to clean, non-tracking, non-dusty, environmentally and allergy friendly litter?!?! (And no, I'm not going to get rid of my cats!) Honestly, I miss the days when I could have outside cats, and it wasn't a problem. But I no longer live in a rural area.
Chrissy  on September 04, 2007 at 12:06 PM 56
If you are going to use Feline Pine you have to invest in a special litter box they sell on their website. It has two pieces, with the top piece having little holes that when you shake that little - the "dust" falls through to the bottom keeping the rest of the litter in tact.
Susan Mullen  on September 04, 2007 at 12:15 PM 57
I used "Good Mews" litter when I took care of a cat with a bad tear duct. It took care of the chronic watery eye that he had, and I loved it because it was so easy to carry a big bag home from the store. I did not notice any of it being tracked around. It also has practically no dust and smells nice and clean without having added fragrance. A couple pieces might have bounced out of the litter box once in awhile, but no tracking. "Good Mews" is made from recycled paper, and is sold at Safeway (as well as other places) here in Seattle.
KG  on September 10, 2007 at 11:35 AM 58
Shelley and/or anyone else - With the Cat Genie litter box, do you have a lot of litter tracking? And did you have any problems getting your cats to use it/adjust to it?
OHK  on October 04, 2007 at 04:18 PM 59
Hey Ideal Bite, I wish you would post the sources for some of your factoids -- like where did you find that information about how many pounds of kitty litter end up in landfills. I like your website, but I think citing your sources would lend you some more credibility. Thanks, OH
Ruairi  on January 26, 2008 at 08:58 PM 60
We have had a cat genie since summer and have been quite happy with it. I found this website searching for alternatives for the granules. There is some tracking a bit less than other boxes. We have 5 cats and that may be why we see as much as we do. I take my bagless vacumn and do the hallway near the bathroom and pour back in the bits that are picked up. We have ours sitting in the bathtub in a spare bathroom so a lot is left there and its easy to sweep up. I watched the video on the sea otters as well. It is a great concern for those living on the coast. I wonder though if there are other animals affected by this problem. We never flushed litter before this. I would hope our sanitary systems would take care of things like this.
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