As the proud mother of twelve cats, I have found a cheaper way to keep them in kitty litter. I don't use it! While working in a feed store, it was suggested to me by a customer to try the wood pellets sold for pellet stoves. They run around $3.89 for a forty pound bag. I only put an inch or two in the bottom of the pans and a bag lasts a decently long time.
As they are used, the liquid breaks the pellets down into a sawdust-like form. I then take them out to the back forty (no more bagging up and sending to the landfill!). There the poop breaks down, the pellets break down even more in the rain, and it then becomes mulch for my non-edible plants, such as roses.
I wouldn't use anything with cat poop in it to mulch tomatoes or anything edible, although when I use them under my rabbit cages, that all goes into the compost, which eventually ends up in the vegetable garden. (Rabbit manure is safe for vegetables).
I have, at times, used the product designed for horse stalls. The brand name is Dry Den and it has an odor control in it and the pellets are slightly smaller and break down easier. It is also more expensive. When I moved, I couldn't find anybody in this area who sells it so I went back to the stove pellets.
You can sprinkle with baking soda, if you like, to help control odor. And I imagine cats not familiar with the pellet form might hesitate, at first, to use it but you could mix with their familiar litter at first until they are adjusted.
By Janis from Cinebar, WA
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Does it scoop very well? My cat is sooo finicky, she won't go in a box more than a few times.
You were ahead of your time--they now sell a similar product as kitty litter. It's called Feline Pine, and is pretty expensive.
Thanks, Janis. As a mother of 9 cats right now, I can use your tip. I'm going to try it!
I tried some thing like this called feline pine (they allow you try a bag for free) and it was a big mess!
My cats didnt like it and it ended up all over the floor. I felt like I ended up using more of this stuff than the kitty litter. BUt you never know how something will work for you unless you try!
I tried Feline Pine. It was stinky and messy. I switched back to regular kitty litter.
I tried Feline Pine. It was stinky and messy. I switched back to regular kitty litter.
We switched to Feline Pine and LOVE IT. I wish we had done this eons ago, no more kitty litter everywhere. The pellets are so much easier to clean up too. Our cats are pretty good at letting us know when they want it changed. They pee on the floor LOL but as long as we keep it clean and odor free they seem to be very happy. We have two cats, one of which is 14 years old.
Wood pellets are AWESOME. My cat is 13 years old and we just made the change with NO problems.
Scooping requires a couple more minutes since I have to separate the pellets from the sawdust (pellets turn to sawdust when it absorbs liquid).
There is NO DUST which makes things very painless.
The plus is that I can just dump everything into the toilet. No more wasting plastic bags! No more relying on bentonite, which is obtained by environmentally-destructive mining!!
I love it!
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