Tips for saving money on cat litter. Post your ideas below!
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I stretch kitty litter by putting in 1/4 of cheap off-brand clay litter with 3/4 scoopable litter. The odor control and quality of my scoopable litter is the same and my cat doesn't notice the difference. Over a few months you easily save the cost of a box of litter ($5-$8).
By Linda and the zoo.
I use shredded newpaper instead of cat litter. There is no odor control so you have to change it daily, but if you get a newspaper anyway, it is free cat litter.
The littermaid was expensive at first but you use less litter and save in the long run. Arm and Hammer litter goes a long way with the automated box.
Instead of buying cat litter I use newspaper, well actually I get those free sale papers and local magazines that don't cost a penny.
By llcool
Editor's Note: If I let my cats get away with peeing on paper, they probably would start peeing on everything paper. That and the odor would be my reservations.
Note to editor: It's funny you should say that about your cats - mine did exactly that! He'd just been neutered, and the vet told me to use shredded newspaper for 10 days instead of litter. I came into the room where I had some newspaper ready to shred, and he had peed on it. Picking it up got rid of the smell, but I'm lucky he didn't miss!
Terry from ChilliOH
Go to a auto supply store and get a bag of "Speedy Dry". It is crushed clay that garages use to absorb oil spills. It works just fine in the cat box and it is a lot cheaper.
WOW...I NEVER EVEN LNEW THAT USING SHREDDED NEWSPAPER WAS AN OPTION. I JUST SUBSCRIBED TO THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER. AND SOMETIMES, THE PAPERS SEEM TO COME FASTER THAN I CAN READ THEM....LOL
I toilet trained mine. I got a book "How to Toilet Train Your Cat in 21 Days" on ebay for $2 and, with a lot of patience (mine were slow and took 6 weeks, but I have several), trained my kitties to use the toilet like everybody else! My family and vet friends thought I was crazy, but it is relatively easy and works great. Just be patient and don't rush them. No more buying or emptying or disposing of cat litter. I recommend getting them used to a flushable litter (I used Feline Pine) before you start, but I don't think the book said that. We did set aside a "kitties' bathroom" for the duration of the training which was mildly inconvenient for us, but worth it in the long run.
BE CAREFUL WITH USING "SPEEDY DRY" FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE FOR LITTER-IT HAS ADDITIVES WHICH MAY HARM YOUR KITTIES!! I HAVE USED "CEDARIFIC" SOFT LITTER MADE FROM SMALL CEDAR SHAVINGS SIMILIAR TO THE LITTER FOR GERBIL/HAMSTER CAGES WITH GREAT RESULTS-AS LONG AS YOU REMOVE THE "CLUMPS" EVERY DAY, IT LASTS LONGER, THE CEDAR CUTS DOWN ON THE ODORS AND IT IS NOT HEAVY LIKE CLAY LITTER.
I use shredded paper from where I work. Everything is shredded and we generate alot of it which is then sent to the landfill instead of recycled. I took one big bag of this paper home over a month ago and I still haven't used it all. I have 3 cats and 2 litter boxes. I put a plastic bag in the bottom of the litter box, then lay flat newspaper over that, then a generous amount of shredded paper with baking soda sprinkled on it. I started this about a month ago to save money. I have 2 one year old cats and a 14 year old. All of them have agreed to use this although at first they seemed to think it was a little strange. They don't seem to care if I don't change it every day and it really isn't too odorous until the 2nd or 3rd day. They can hide their output because it sinks to the bottom of the generous amount of shredded paper.
I plan to keep doing this forever -- it has saved me many $$$.
The cheapest brand clay kitty litter I have ever found is at Walmart. I think a 25lb bag is $1.97!
BUT REGARDING CAT LITTER... I have made a discovery that simple and elegant solutions are many times the best... A source of cat litter that is pretty much FREE... absorbent...controls odor (more about this in a bit) no tedious scooping, AND...perhaps best of all, NO TRACKING! What is it?
FINELY shredded NEWSPAPER(use your home document/paper shredder) BUT HERE IS THE KEY: You must use ENOUGH of it in the litter box AND it must be changed after each urination.
Changing it after each wetting is not as much of a hassle as it sounds and does not have to be done "immediately"... In fact if you wait an hour or so..this gives the newspaper strips time to "wick up" any standing moisture in the bottom of the box (Yes, I did my own detailed observations of this!..I got THAT tired of spending money on cat litter!).
To change easily simply get a plastic shopping bag..using it as a 'glove' grab the tangled mass of soiled paper and pull into the bag. If you feel you need a bit more help with odor control (more than washing the box once a week as is recommend with any liter)...just have a spray bottle of pet enzyme cleaner or white vinegar handy...spray pan and wipe.
Kitty's solid waste is removed the same way..but JUST the stool and any strips of paper that stick to it, is removed and flushed...the entire lot of litter is only removed when kitty urinates.
Key Points: 1. Use a good amount of shredded paper...a big springy jumbled mass... so there will be plenty of paper to soak up the urine.
2. Use more than one litter box if needed so kitty always has access to a clean one Remember, it is the URINE that is the odor cause...the stool looses it odor as it dries out.
3. Change after each urination as kitty wont use the box again because of the wet paper (this is why more than on box is useful). AND, the paper won't stick hard to the pan like clumping litters do! I find this much easier, better, than messy, tedious "scooping".....and NO TRACKING! YEY! my carpet and my feet are SO thankful of this.
When I first considered using shredded newspaper, I dismissed the idea thinking..."too messy", "no odor control"....but the combination of the natural odor control of newspaper AND the fact that the entire contents of the litter box is changed when wet and not allowed to sit, makes the odor non-existent.
I got the idea of "fine-tuning" the use of shredded newspaper from the vets office. I know they use it (but in smaller amounts and stripped by hand)for cats post surgery for safety reasons... Then I thought..what if there was more of it and shredded finer?
To me, this is the next best thing to training kitty to use the toilet, which of course, can be done. But either way, I'm not buying anymore cat litter. Hope this helps someone.
Mark
I use a combination of shredded bills and other paper on a deep base of newspaper sections. I change for my two adult cats' box every other day, and there is no odor. I figure that I'm saving $ *and* getting one more use from the paper.
I've been using hand shredded newspaper for my cat since she was a kitten. I use my supermarket plastic bags to line her litterbox I use the shredded newspaper I change it twice a day morning and evening no odors what soever! it's worked well.
I use the mini-flake pine shavings, intended for big animal bedding; use tongs to remove solids twice a day; when I change the solids-free box of used shavings, I use them as the bottom 1/3 in big pots (used for ornamentals only) or compost them to use around my shrubs (not edibles). Very low cost, lasts a long time, small amount of solids are the only thing going out in the trash, rest proves beneficial for my landscape. How many 'wins' can you put in a list??
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