[FlickeringHope]

...cheap cat litter, with no pine. We have a kitty that was born in insulation as a kitten, and along with having really small nasal cavities, whenever we use pine bedding(because my fiance's parents have a Cattery, and that's the cheapest thing to buy in mass bulk that lasts a while), she gets all snorky. I've been using saline drops to help her congestion, but it always goes away when we use paper shavings, which.....honestly don't work that well at all. I know there's been several threads about cat litter, so I know the options. I *believe* the pine shavings are kiln-dried(I can check later on today), so I think it's the dust causing the problem, because it does kind of *poof!* when dumped in the litter boxes.

I was thinking of Shweat Scoop - I've seen it in the grocery stores, but I was wondering...how long does one box(I don't know the sizes, sorry) last for those of you who use it? And...how many cats do you have?

We have three cats - all with very active bladders - and three deep litter boxes to fill. With the pine shavings we just replace the dirty contents with fresh, clean, stuff, but I don't mind scooping out waste to make it last longer, either.

Something that I could get in bulk would be awesome, with low-no dust, that wouldn't be harmful if ingested... I use paper shavings for my small animals' litter boxes, and I share some for the cat litter boxes once in a while to give our kitty's nasal cavities a break, but putting it in their litter boxes makes it go WAY too fast, and I just can't afford to do that right now.

So any ideas?

 

[Purple-Hops]

You mean Yesterday's News? I loved it but a large bag would only last a couple weeks between 2 bunnies. I dont know about cats :/ Yes there are kiln dried pine things which Jess and Michelle use (I think) maybe they might know how to get some?

 

[FlickeringHope]

Doesn't have to be Yesterday's News. But her poor little nose seems to be so sensitive to dust. And the paper shavings in and of themselves are dusty, but her congestion goes away when I use paper shavings, and immediately comes back when I use the pine shavings, so...maybe it really is residue from the pine. I completely forgot the check the bag to see if it's kiln-dried. Our cats get wet food once a day, and dry food once a day, so they pee pretty heavily. The pine is nice because it absorbs so much better than the paper shavings which lack miserably in the absorbing department. If aspen weren't so expensive in comparison to pine I'd totally use it.

 

[Sasami]

There's a knock-off version of Yesterday's News called Fresh News. I've been using it for about three or four months now. It's a bit softer than YN and also less dusty (bigger pellets too). I have rabbits so I'm not sure how well it works for cats but it might be worth looking into. I tried it because it was cheaper than YN and had free shipping on Amazon. I've been happy so far .

 

[tommycat]

I'm using Swheat Scoop now and tried Feline Pine. I don't see any difference in the texture and scoopability. I personally preferred the pine because it smelled good. Swheat Scoop gets stinky alot sooner. I found a huge bag of it at a big grocery store several miles away. We live in a small town and the closest city is 60 miles away. So I'm limited on both food variety and litter. I'm down to only 1 kitty now, so it seems to last as long as clay, but when Quinnie and Lucky were still alive, I went through TONS of litter. Lucky was sick for months and when he peed, he'd fill half the box! I was going broke buying litter and bought clay, but now that I just have Lucy, I don't mind spending a little more. She seems to be very sensitive, also, so I did not want her breathing the dust. Another plus I like over the clay, is the pine and wheat aren't heavy, so it doesn't break my back to carry it or move the boxes!
Good luck!

 

[BarkingPup]

I use stove pellets. Virtually no dust (you can get different kinds of wood too), costs $5 for a 40lb bag and, with two cats and a rabbit, lasts me a month. Once the pellet has reached it's maximum absorbency it crumbles into dust and is easily cooped out. The only downside is poos stink a lot until the smell disperses. otherwise, I love it ^^

 

[FlickeringHope]

I had considered pellets but I thought no cat would ever be inclined to use them because they're pellets and not anything soft and fluffy or easily shifted. Your cats really have no issue with pellets?

tommycat - Hrm.. We also have the issue of the closest cities being a ways away. And we only go out once a month to get everything, be it food, hygienic supplies, etc etc... so I can't afford getting a bag of something that, oops! We run all out of within a couple weeks. Like I've said, I really really hate hearing her have to snork - she's so congested she winds up snorking trying to sniff something, and snorking when she's eating. I do like the fact that pine keeps things nice and fresh for a while, but I'm really beginning to think that's what's affecting her. I'd rather use something that doesn't keep things nice and fresh for as long if that's what it takes to get her to actually breathe smoothly again. Thanks for the input,

Thanks Sasami, I used compressed pine pellets for my small animals for a while and I was incredibly happy with it. The pine smell was minimal so I didn't have to worry about what damage it was doing to them internally, but just like I told BarkingPup, I couldn't imagine pellets being very efficient for cats.. since they like to sift and paw. The cat I'm speaking of sifts the stuff around before and after she uses it, while the others sift the stuff, do their business, and just jump out. Lol.

 

[tommycat]

Our 2 local grocery stores (Kroger's and Wal-Mart) both have the Swheat Scoop in the box; but I took advantage of getting to buy a big bag at Jungle Jim's. (A HUMONGOUS store that has everything. It's near Cincinnati; a 2 hour drive for us. Food Network actually did a story on it!) Kroger's also carries Feline Pine, but our Wal-Mart doesn't. There's a PetSmart in a town 15 miles north, but their prices are outrageous!
Years ago, we tried sawdust that a friend got from a lumber yard. (Cause it was free and we were VERY poor!) It was messy!

 

[BarkingPup]

I had considered pellets but I thought no cat would ever be inclined to use them because they're pellets and not anything soft and fluffy or easily shifted. Your cats really have no issue with pellets?

Not at all. Both my cats switched to it right away and my chronic sifter still enjoys sifting them. I couldn't tell you if they preferred any of the other litters I tried beforehand but they seem to have no complaints about the stove pellets. It's the most dust-free litter I've ever used as well, which is good news for my allergies. I know that some cats refuse to like pellets at all but it's definitely worth a shot!