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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

best cat litter? and other 'new cat advice' needed.

31 replies

ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 14:33

any recommendations for cat litter?

i have just revoked a one year old female, spayed. she's lovely and hiding away quite a bit but getting braver by the hour Smile

obviously she must be kept indoors for a few weeks and is using a litter tray. the litter I've bought is very dusty, and puffs everywhere. also it's non clumping, is clumping better? any particular brand?

also she has only been here 24 hours and my house stinks Confused she hasn't had any accidents, she is cleaning herself. the tray is clean, but my house certainly has a smell to it, could it be the litter i have?

how long until she will be happy to eat in front of people? she's nibbling in secret and hasn't really had much. the toddler is a bit noisy for her and she has a safe place to go to. when he naps she ventures out quite happily Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 14:34

i haven't revoked the cat. i have rehomed the cat. stupid auto correct.

OP posts:
Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 14:41

oh and another question, i don't really love her name. will it be difficult to rename her? will she ever answer to anything else?

OP posts:
TapselteerieO · 28/05/2013 14:51

Not sure about re-naming, but we re-homed a dog recently, that was a stray, so no name and she has accepted her new name. Maybe give the cat a treat and say its name at the same time?

I prefer the wood pellet cat litter, really hate the gravel and grit.

Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 14:58

yes the one i have is like grey grit. its shit. Grin

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fluffydressinggown · 28/05/2013 15:23

We re homed a cat recently too :) It is so exciting isn't it!

We tried the wooden stuff initially but it just goes into sawdust and then we got sawdust EVERYWHERE. We bought the silica stuff after that and I really like it. Do you have a hooded litter tray? I find that helps a lot.
We also have one of these mats which seems to stop the litter going everywhere.

Our cat took a few days to eat in front of us, now she follows me round looking sad and unfed (she isn't!) so they def warm up.

We did rename our cat, she is starting to know her name I think. Does the cat know her old name? Ours was given a name at the RSPCA but she was an abandoned cat and the name was more for paperwork than anything so when she came to us we kind of had a clean slate name wise. I think it would be harder if she already knows her name iyswim!

Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 15:34

yes she knows her name, she has been well loved as a house cat for her first year so is well trained and domesticated.

ill have a look in the pet store at the different types of litter. it was a last minute decision to take her in so everything was bought in haste.

OP posts:
Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 15:34

and yes its very exciting, shes my new best pal Grin

OP posts:
Rikalaily · 28/05/2013 15:40

I've tried all kinds of litter and atm we are using the wood pellet litter and it's by far the best. You only need to use what seems like a tiny amount when you put it in the tray as it expands about 20x when it soaks up the wee. It's really cheap and keeps the smell under control a lot better than the grit kind. I have an average sized try and use a big mugful of the woodpellets, I change it every morning, have three cats who are kept in all night and it handles all the wee easily.

Avoid catsan it's catcrap, lol.

greenhill · 28/05/2013 15:53

Another vote for wood pellets.

We changed our cat's name from "moggy" when we rescued her in 1997, as long as you are feeding them they'll answer to anything Grin.

Congratulations on getting a new best friend (at mealtimes and when it is cold, usually) Grin

nabootheenigma · 28/05/2013 16:18

Cat litter - definitely Cat's Best Oko Plus. It's the best I've used and you can even flush it down the loo if you wish. Available at Pets At Home or for a more reasonable price on the Zooplus website.

Enjoy your new moggy!

fufflebum · 28/05/2013 16:27

Hello

We have had five rescue cats in the last ten years.

I always use the value litter from Tesco or Sainsbury. It is about £1.20 per bag and seems to last well. It does not clump and easy to clean out of the tray. Hate the clumping stuff personally as it is a bugger to clean out the litter tray seems to turn to clay ime. Try to encourage them to use the outdoors for the loo as it is much easier in the long run.

As for name changing, I had a four month old who we renamed. TBH I found it is more the tone you use with the cat as much as the name itself. But it may depend on the cat.

As for food, I would recommend a mixture of wet and dry food. I have recently lost a cat to bowel problems and really wonder whether exclusively dry food caused the problem. If you think what cats eat in the wild generally the moisture in it is enough. We always have water available however, as some like to drink it. All cats are different, some drink from water bowls, we have had others who like 'running' water ie a tap or even using her paw in a watering can or puddle. After losing one to chronic constipation/bowel problems I researched it a bit and I think that the wet food benefits outweigh risk to animals teeth but others may disagree.

Good luck

Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 16:30

thanks for all the input :-)

we have water readily available in a wide dish, biscuits and wet food. in a few weeks she will go outside for her business but as im.not allowed to let her out yet the litter is just a short term solution.

why does she stink? Grin

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Fluffycloudland77 · 28/05/2013 16:31

Our cat had two names before we got him, he still answers to them.

Google black farm gate chick crumb for a list of suppliers. It's about £9 for 20kg and it doesn't cause paw prints or track unless you also get a cat who likes to chuck litter about with gay abandon like I have.

Then you're done for whatever you buy so it may as well be cheap.

MumnGran · 28/05/2013 16:40

Sorry to offer a contradictory view but I have always found wood pellets to have their own smell ...which I found just as unpleasant as pee Sad

For my money, Catsan non clumping is unbeatable in the odourless department - though you do pay through the nose for it ( oh ....no icon for witticism !! Sad )

tabulahrasa · 28/05/2013 16:43

Another vote for wood pellets here as well.

Re names, one of mine comes no matter who you're calling, her, the other cat, the dog, the DC... the other one may or may not know her name, we can't work out if she just doesn't know it or refuses to answer to anything because she is a cat and they're awkward like that, lol.

Have you changed her food? One of mine gets a bit whiffy if her food is changed?

Thingymajigs · 28/05/2013 16:43

I'm another one who likes oko best cat litter from zooplus. Its the best we've used and in the last 8 years we've tried every type going. It clumps well and it flushes easily down the toilet. The only issue is that it does stick to their paws but I haven't tried one yet that doesn't.

meala · 28/05/2013 16:44

I think catsan clumping is fab litter. It clumps really wellso it's super easy to scoop out any bits and it lasts ages.

Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 17:42

her previous owner didn't feed her anything specific, just whatever was on offer at the supermarket at the time so im.not sure re changing her food. I've just bought whiskas because there were so many and i got a bit overwhelmed. all i know is she doesn't like fishy ones, or gravy, just jelly. i bought tins as they were more economical. she's definitely eaten some of what I've got her though.

OP posts:
hugoagogo · 28/05/2013 18:19

I find the wooden cat litter better, but I suppose it has a distinctive smell.

I am on my 2nd rescue cat and both times we have changed the name they came with, but then they were just rescue centre names not 'proper' names.

If your cat has a name it recognises already but you hate it, what about trying to choose a new name that sounds similar?

As for eating in front of you-I am sure that will come as she settles in.

Jenda · 28/05/2013 19:41

Don't have much helpful advice about litter other than to use a box litter tray to help with the smell. Ours was 4 when we rehomed him and as soon as he was allowed outside he stopped using it. We also changed his name, think we started using both new and old and then dropped the old. A year later I can stand at the window to call him and he'll appear within 30 seconds. Mind you he will probably react to anything said in a singsong voice!

happyhorse · 28/05/2013 19:52

I find Tesco lightweight cat litter to be really good. Do you have an enclosed litter tray? If not I'd recommend the one from Argos.

Original poster
ALovelyBunchOfCoconuts · 28/05/2013 20:03

just looked at the argos one... she doesn't like standing in the litter, she gracefully perched on the edge of the plastic so her feet don't get dirty Grin so not sure she'd voluntarily use that. do you think she'd use it happily? looks like the cat travel box that she hates to go in. otherwise it looks a great concept.

OP posts:
sleepyhead · 28/05/2013 20:29

I like the silica crystals. It keeps things pretty much odourless and lasts a good while without changes as long as you remove the poos.

Buy from Home Bargains @ £2 per bag (it's £5 odd in P@H / Tesco etc).

ozymandiusking · 28/05/2013 21:09

I think it is really unfair to a cat to not have litter tray available permanently. Surely there are going to be times when you are going out and the cat is going to be left inside,she may need to wee or poo at anytime.You may find that she prefers to go outside so it would be used very rarely. We buy Tesco value litter and it's very good,the secret is to clean the tray everyday.

gobbin · 28/05/2013 22:43

We used Biocatlet from Sainsburys (and other places). It's cheap, non-clumping, lasts 3 cats 3 or 4 weeks per bag and is made from recycled newspaper. Holds smell well and doesn't track all round the house.

With these cats I've tried:

Tesco lightweight (pink) non-clumping - my favourite of old but seems to have gone REALLY dusty and was making my orange boy all eye-watery (and it was messy)

Worlds Best - amazing clumping cat litter but v v expensive and still got everywhere on paws

Breeder Celect - from Pets at Home, non-clumping recycled newspaper - excellent, but the Biocatlet is v similar and a lot cheaper.

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