Does anyone know of any different materials that could work as a litter box filler?

Question

I am an American living in a fairly small Chinese city. I recently adopted a kitten and am trying to litter-box train her. So far I have been using a shallow, plastic tub lined with newspaper, and she has been using it without any problems. But it's kind of messy for me and I have to replace the newspaper every time she uses the litter box. Any suggestions on other materials or substances that I could put in the litter box that might be more absorbant? Keep in mind that material availability is fairly limited. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am an American living in a fairly small Chinese city. I recently adopted a kitten and am trying to litter-box train her. So far I have been using a shallow, plastic tub lined with newspaper, and she has been using it without any problems. But it's kind of messy for me and I have to replace the newspaper every time she uses the litter box. Regular kitty litter (or anything similar) is not available in the local stores. Any suggestions on other materials or substances that I could put in the litter box that might be more absorbant? Keep in mind that material availability is fairly limited. Thanks in advance for any advice!

Sorry, I'm new to this, so I accidentally posted the details twice. I just wanted to add that regular cat litter (or anything similar) is not available in the local stores. I am in a pretty small town in central China and the idea of keeping a cat as an indoor pet is not common.

Answer 1

Due to your location and the available substances you are limited to finding and using, I would suggest shredded leaves. Rake them up into a pile and by hand crush and crumple them up. Mix this with dirt and/or sand. It will cost you nothing, takes little effort and do the job for you. Additionally, you may want to look into training your cat to use the human potty. Many have done this successfully.

Answer 2

The regular cat litter may work. Add a bit of Baking Soda, I usually use Arm & Hammer and it helps absorb. You can also use the new cat litter designed for households with multiple cats. As for the mess of cleaning it up, I like to keep things easy. How about taking a plastic bag, a fairly large one and putting the litter box in side? Mold the bag around the box and continue with usual layers, (newspaper, litter...etc). When the time has come to change the litter box, you won't have much of a mess. Carefully flip the bag inside out around the mess and the litter should now be on the inside. (To clean my hamster cage I use to put my hand in a plastic bag, grap the stuffing and flip the bag over, to have the stuffing on the inside of the bag...same concept) Hope it works.

Answer 3

Absorbent? Try shredding the newspaper well if you can.
Sand and soil are optionable, but messy, so place a mat outside the box. You could even put in a chunk of turf, but any lawn you may have will soon be rather patchy...
You can also use small-size gravel, which you could either dispose of or clean on a rotating basis [have one batch of gravel in the litter pan while cleaning the other (rinse in hot soapy water in bathtub then bake on cookie sheet just for that purpose, then cool)]. This is time consuming, but...
Wood shavings are not a very satisfactory substance, but maybe preferable to newspaper sheets. Sawdust can get in their eyes, but maybe some larger-particled stuff.
Hope this helps a little. You can train her to wait until you take her outside, but, it takes plenty of time and effort.
Good luck!

Answer 4

In any grocery store you can purchase in the "pet section " "cat litter". it's made for cat box users and is absorbent. Getting the cheapest brand is just fine. It usually comes in a bag. You only need about 2" in the 'cat litter box. Do not dispose of this in a toilet for it may clog it.

Answer 5

If you need a litter box, you can always try those disposable aluminum roasting pans and keep the newspaper

Answer 6

Use cat litter or play sand (the kind kids play in)

Nothing else will work right.

If there is nothing else around, you're better off using dirt and dumping it every day.

Answer 7

when cats go outside, they prefer sand......make an indoor kitty sand box for her to use as a toilet....she will naturally " cover up " her droppings ( or at least try to )

Answer 8

well aside from the obvious commercial products possibly a mixture of sand and sawdust

Answer 9

Arm and hammer baking soda

Answer 10

Sand
Oatmeal
Sawdust
Shreaded Paper

... just a quick brainstorm.