Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Pets

Join our community on the Pet forum to discuss anything related to pets.

Original poster

Best cat litter?

38 replies

chloemegjess · 04/01/2009 14:09

Hello. After nearly a year of going outside for the loo I think we are going to have to bring back a litter tray .

What is the best cat litter? I would love something that doesn't smell too much, and ideally clumping as otherwise I find it so much harder to get the wee out. It will have to go upstairs so don't want anything too smelly. Might even have to go in our bedroom

Any recomendations would be great

------------------------
Hello, this thread is a little old and the links are out of date. Here's a new link to the products recommended by Mumsnetters:

Cats Best OkoPlus Wood Litter
Beauticat Wood Cat Litter
Catsan Catsan Hygiene Litter
Sophisticat Cat Litter Pink
Tesco Absorbent Wood

MNHQ

If you are interested in more Mumsnet recommendations, why not check out Swears By?

Mumsnet carries some affiliate marketing links, so if you buy something through our posts, we may get a small share of the sale (more details here).

OP posts:
bella29 · 04/01/2009 15:20

I have tried everything and this one beats them all hands down

here

It's not the cheapest (although they do a bigger bag which works out better) but it is clumping and does not smell. When I have tried others I have been appalled by how smelly they are. I have 4 cats and my house does not smell, honest.

HTH

Original poster
chloemegjess · 04/01/2009 16:35

Thanks Bella. Do you get through loads or does it last a while? I have 3 cats, but hopefully the litter will just be for one (see seperate thread). Can you get it in the pet shop/supermarkets? Thank you

OP posts:
bella29 · 04/01/2009 16:46

A big bag lasts me about a month or so, maybe longer. I think I have seen the small bags in PAH but haven't seen the big bags anywhere else, although your local pet shops might stock it or be able to order it for you

ShinyPinkShoes · 04/01/2009 16:48

I use This one- Beauticat

Costs about £3 something a bag and I get it from Sainsburys. It's great-no horrible odours, just a nice woody smell

Original poster
chloemegjess · 04/01/2009 17:26

Shiny - that isn't clumping is it? I think that is one we tried before but when they wee on it, it all just goes to tiny sawdust stuff that is impossible to scoop out from the clean stuff?

OP posts:
SalLikesCoffee · 04/01/2009 17:43

I recommend Beauticat as well. You're right, it isn't clumping, so you have to change slightly more often I guess, but it's the only thing that we could find that didn't leave the room smelling like cat wee. (Tried just about everything.)

LuckySalem · 04/01/2009 17:51

Tesco's own - iy's the only one that my cats will use and its dead cheap. lasts us about 3 weeks with 3 cats.

hellogoodbye · 04/01/2009 18:43

Is that tesco value or the one above?

Macdog · 04/01/2009 19:03

i used ASDA smart price one.
Clay granules, clumps well and didn't smell

Alambil · 04/01/2009 20:54

I use Catsan Hygeine - a bit expensive but long lasting and smell reducing stuff seems to work

or Bob Martin Ultimate Odour Control - lasts a month with no changing (well, removal of poo!)

bollockbrain · 04/01/2009 21:00

tesco wood pellets here

or that crystals thingy. definately didnt smell and cannot remember the name, but only downside is that eventually the crystals turn from white to yellow from the wee. very good product.

by the way, anyone got a litter tray which is 'enclosed' . my 15 year old male cat is prone to spray a bit over the edge sometimes and wondered if they are any good

drinkmoretea · 04/01/2009 21:11

I second bella, def the best i've tried, no smell, clumps so easy to clean out...

oh and i get it from pets at home and it seems to last ages!

drinkmoretea · 04/01/2009 21:13

bb - we have an enclosed one and its great does help with any mess they make...

LuckySalem · 04/01/2009 21:13

Dont use the wood pellets its the other stuff. sorry I cant remember exactly what its called.

cmotdibbler · 04/01/2009 21:16

We use Sophisticat Pink. Really good, even with a heavy weeer, and minimal smell.

About 6 quid for a huge bag at Pets at Home

drinkmoretea · 04/01/2009 21:17

this is the tray we have:

www.petsathome.com/find/category-is-1+cat/category-is-1j+litter+and+accessories/category-is-1J05+Lit ter+trays/product-is-13004

PaddingtonBore · 04/01/2009 21:18

we like beauticat as well. Morrisons and Tesco do their own versions which are a little cheaper and don't whiff either.

NCBirdy · 04/01/2009 21:19

My cats won't go near the wood ones, we had to try brand after brand to find one they liked (crystals are no good for us as they fizz when they get wet and my cats leapt out of their skins every time they wee ) Some tread out of the tray easier, some absorb to slowly so you get paw prints coming out of the tray .

I ended up with asda own (not smartprice which I found very dusty). It does not clump and is not the best for ouder - but at least the cats use it

The point I am trying to make (there is one - honest) is, whatever you choose buy the smallest bag you can or even phone the manufacturer to try to get a sample, so you can see if your cat will actually use it first! I wasted upwards of £50 trying to find the right one!

hellogoodbye · 04/01/2009 21:52

Do the crystal ones clump? What are they like for getting the wee out?

NCBirdy · 04/01/2009 22:10

crystal don't clump but they go yellow for a bit and then cloudy white, there is no smell at all until all the crystals are used up and it starts to collect in the tray IYSWIM. One tray would last at least a week for my friend (who had cats that liked it!) All the was needed was taking out solid bits then ditch the whole lot weekly. No waste, no smell. It was fab - which is why I tried it - the only thing I noticed was it really stuck to paws and, being round, it scooted off when you tried to sweep it up. You can stop that by putting a course doormat by the tray to get it off their paws when they step out.

(listen to the blommin cat litter expert talkoing I need a life!)

girlywhirly · 05/01/2009 13:55

We use Biocatolet, made from recycled paper, the pellets swell up and turn a darker colour when wet. They don't clump, but are easy to scoop out and absorb odours. They are heavy enough not to stick to the cats paws and dust free. The only wet stuff can be composted, as can the paper sack it comes in, and poo with pellets sticking to it can be flushed down the loo as the pellets will break up. Pets at Home sell it.

hellogoodbye · 05/01/2009 15:55

Anybody know if the wood ones and biocatolet can go in the compost? Our council give us a wheely bin for compost waste - it did say no cat litter but I assume that is refering to the clay ones? It takes stuff like food waste, garden waste etc. Anything compostable.

bollockbrain · 05/01/2009 18:36

drinkmoretea - thanks for that, it looks a good one and a good price too. will invest on payday

girlywhirly · 06/01/2009 13:38

Council compostable waste collections won't take any form of cat litter, because it may be contaminated with faeces. Most people would shove the whole lot in the bin, not just the wet portion if they were allowed. We flush the poo down the loo. (Our litter tray is only occasionally used now by one cat.)

We put our wet stuff in our own garden compost, it only gets used on flower beds, not veg plot. Wood pellets if only wet can be put in garden compost. The pellets break up to sawdust and make the resultant compost a deep orange/brown colour, but very good to dig into a heavy clay soil to loosen it. The paper based litters rot down much more completely.

hellogoodbye · 06/01/2009 14:54

Can I ask why it matters if it has poo in it? Sorry to sound thick, but I honestly don't know. I thought anything like that could be composted? Surely cats poo in the gardens etc anyway?

Swipe left for the next trending thread