A cat litter question.?

Question

I have tried many litters and am interested in trying the cat litter crystals. They are expensive but they claim they last longer than regular litter. Has anyone tried them and what did they think? I tried clumping litter, which worked great, but then got trapped in between the pads of my cats feet and we would have sit and pick it out it got so bad (and we found litter everywhere). The good old standard litter is ok, but we have two and they urinate over eachother so in a day a pan of that can get really gross. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts that care to share.

Answer 1

They are good if your cat will use it- my cat for some reason snubbed it, and it doesn't clump the poo. I now use yesterdays news which is recycled newspaper and is flushable a added bonus eco-friendly. I used tidy cats before and loved the stuff, but with the ferrets the yesterdays news just made more sense then buying to brands of litter.

Answer 2

They can last a little longer than regular litter between complete litter changes. The crystals must be changed out when they start to look discolored (the white ones turn brown or green) as it means that they will no longer absorb liquid. It works the same way dessicant does, by absorbing all the liquid into the crystal, which reduces the smell.

People with multiple cats have said that it does not work as well if you have many cats, but I haven't noticed a difference with my two.

It definitely tracks a lot less than clumping or clay litter, and it also controls smell better if you can afford to dump it out frequently. You shouldn't use it if you have cats or dogs that like to eat litter, as there have been rumors that it causes very bad digestive problems.

My biggest problem with it personally is that because it's not a clumping/absorbent litter, all the liquid flows to the bottom. If you are not diligent about mixing the litter around every day, the bottom of the box can accumulate urine and become very unpleasant while the top of the litter seems fine to you. (but not to your poor cat!)

You should be careful about switching litters gradually- some cats don't like the 'hard' feel of the crystals.

Answer 3

I have tried everything from cheap kitty litter to the crystals to the feline pine stuff. I hate the clumping litter, the same thing happened with our cat with it getting stuck inbetween his toes. So I experimented, and found that good old FreshStep clay litter is the best. I can actually keep a 21 pound bag in his box for about 4 weeks before having to change the litter. My cat seems to like it, just have to scoop the poop daily. I was not impressed with the crystals, didn't notice any difference with it. I certainly don't think it's worth the money! If you have room for 2 pans, try that and get really big litter pans. I put an entire 21 pound bag in the jumbo sized litter box, and there is plenty of room in there and we have 3 cats.
With cats, it's just experimenting till you find what works.

Answer 4

I tried the crystals for a while, but got concerned when I did some research and found out that they have lots of chemicals in them, and the dust can therefore be more irritating to a cat's lungs. Pretty much all litter makes some amount of dust, and it ends up in your cat. So it is a concern.

I also found that they didn't seem to clump as well as I expected, but mostly it was the chemical thing that scared me away from it.

I settled on the organic kind called "Swheat Scoop". It's made of wheat hulls and so is naturally clumping. It also does a good job getting rid of the odor problem also. It really clumps well and lasts a long time, since what is left when you take out the clumps is still (for the most part) good litter and you can keep using it.

I have two cats, and just clean it every day or two (at the most) and it is really easy. I am really happy with this stuff.

Of course it is a bit more pricey, but it's worth the ease of use to me. Plus, no chemicals! It's still a bit dusty, but not as dusty as clay, in my experience.

Answer 5

The large-grained crystal litters don't produce much dust, they don't track as bad (though they do still track), and they absorb moisture very effectively. It's much lighter in weight than clay litter, so it's easier to carry in the new litter and dispose of the used litter. To maintain the box, all you have to do is scoop out the dehydrated solid waste daily, and stir the litter daily to distribute the moisture. If your cats tend to urinate in the same spot in the box, you'll need to stir more frequently and keep the litter a little deeper so that spot doesn't get saturated and soak the box.

The negatives with crystal litter: it can become saturated rather suddenly, so you'll need to be careful to stir it thoroughly every day & change it before it gets saturated. Also, the larger-sized pearls may irritate some cats with sensitive feet, so some cats may not like to use it. The grains that do get tracked out of the box are very hard, so be careful if you have hardwood floors that can get scratched, or if you go barefoot around the house.

If you've tried other large-grained litters and your cats didn't object you should be fine trying the crystal litter, but if your cats are litter-picky be sure to introduce it carefully & follow the mixing instructions.

Overall, I liked the performance of the large-grained crystal litter, and it did seem to last longer than regular litter. I might still use it if it weren't for the high cost (I have 4 cats and 4 boxes). I did find a cheaper crystal litter at Wal-Mart, but it was finer-grained and super-dusty. Terrible stuff - the dust lingered for hours, and silica dust is harmful to your lungs. If you want to try crystal litter, try the better-known brands.

Right now I'm using Feline Pine in 3 boxes, and Fresh Results (a corncob-based scoopable) in the 4th, for my litter-picky cat. The Feline pine is relatively economical, but it does track as it breaks down into sawdust. Fresh Results is a good natural scooping litter, but it does track too.

Answer 6

I don't know about the crystals, but I found one I LOVE!!! It is a little more expensive, (about 12.00 at PetsMart), but it is a softer texture that doesn't get caught in their paws. It is a clumping litter so it lasts for quite a while. It is called CatAttract and it has some kind of herbal additive that attracts cats to it...mine was having some "accidents", but since I found this stuff he hasn't missed the box once. Good luck.

Answer 7

I use crystal- its good and here in Australia it relatively cheap. It tracks a bit, but I bought a doormat and put it in front of the litter box, this worked well to stop litter being trapsed around the house. It does last a bit longer, if you're a poop-scoop kind, though I don't and change the litter once a week whether its ready or not. General rule is 1kg/ per cat/ per month for poop and scoop. If you have more than one cat, use 1kg per month divided by number of cats- or one kg per fill anyway.

Also, if you have two cats, get 3 trays- for more than one cat, litter tray law: One tray per cat plus one. Having additional trays will help the litter last longer, the cats will be happier having their own, and the extra will leave them one while you clean the other two.

Answer 8

Yes the crystals litter is expensive and yes it is good but last longer is how your cat use it and how many times you clean the litter.
I use the regular litter. It last as long as the crystal one. I clean my cat liter everytime she finishes using. Why I know, she would meow for me to clean or if I didn't clean it she would meow before she uses it again. Maybe you may not have time to do that and it is inconvience. But only a suggestion is to get everyone involved to help. maybe may save a penny or two. Good luck...

Answer 9

I tried the crystals but I didnt like them very much. My cat kept licking at them and when they get wet, they kinda heat up a bit. It did not help with the smell at all and i only have one cat. I found that using regular clay liter works better than anything and its cheap so I cant throw it out weekly. Also, about the dust being bad for the cats lungs.. Ferrel cats roll around in dirt and cover their excretions with dirt and dust and they live so well they replicate daily!

Answer 10

I use regular litter for multiple cats with my 2 cats and it's perfect for me, clean the litter 2 a week and it works.

Answer 11

i have two cats and they both seem to like the crystals... they dont really last longer mine usually last 3 weeks which is pretty good and u have to make sure t oclean them out everyday. but teh crystals are too big to get stuck in yoru cats paws which is good since my cats had that problem tooo, i ended up every day sleeping in little litter pellets

i hope that helped!