Did you read our beloved Spokesrabbit Belinda’s blog, The One About the Loo, recently? As Belinda always knows best, we followed her lead and wrote a blog about the loo for felines. If you’re a cat pawrent, you know they’re very discerning and particular about where they do their “business.” However, did you know that Small Pet Select sells cat litter and our other litter for small mammals? We do! We’re going to share why both cat litter varieties are the best for your kitty’s loo. Also, you’ll want to read about methods to keep their litter box as clean as possible to prevent health issues and your house smelling clean.
Why Our Pelleted Litter is Purrfect
We love our kitty customers as much as the other species we cater to. While there are so many diverse kinds of cat litter, we only sell the best and safest kinds. To help you choose one for your feline, we’ve got a comparison chart. And don’t forget, if your cat doesn’t care for it, we’ve got our “Picky Pet Promise.”
100% All-Natural Toxin-Free Pelleted Pine from the US. Kiln dried and triple screened by hand. | 100% All-Natural Toxin-Free Recycled Pelleted Paper from the US. |
Low Dust. | Low Dust. |
Eco-Friendly: Recyclable and Compostable. | Eco-Friendly: Recyclable and Compostable. |
Cats of all ages. | Cats of all ages. |
Natural pine scent aids odor control without harmful chemicals. | High absorbency reduces odor. |
Dense pellets absorb liquids and reduce urine smell. | 3x more absorbent than clay-based cat litter. |
No tracking. | No tracking. |
How to Transition Your Cat to New Litter
You’ll want to gradually change from the old to the new litter, just like you do when you start a new food. Your cat will let you know when they’re ready for the next step.
Step 1: Start with 75% old, 25% new;
Step 2: Transition to 50% old, 50% new;
Step 3: 25% old, 75% new;
Step 4: 100% new litter.
What if Your Cat Doesn't Like Our Litter?
While we have our 100% satisfaction guarantee, guess whose cats don’t care for our litter? Mine 🙋♀️. And that’s ok. If your kitties prefurrr the traditional clay-based litter, choose another brand with the following properties to keep them healthy.
- Unscented: There's not one litter box that smells good all the time. However, it's essential to use scent-free cat litter. All animals have a stronger sense of smell than hoomans. Covering up litter box smell with a scent that pleases the hooman nose makes it harder on your cat when they’re using their loo.
- Low dust: Any dust irritates your cat's lungs. Plus, if your cat has asthma (our Golden does), it's crucial to keep their environment as clean and dust-free as possible. It's also easier on pawrents like me who have asthma when cleaning the litter boxes or adding litter. When I stick my head in the hay or litter box, I do it as quickly as possible to prevent an asthma attack.
- Fast and hard clumping: Cats are fastidious about keeping clean. With cat litter other than ours, you're going to have some tracking outside the litter box. However, using a fast and hard clumping litter reduces the amount of debris on their paws and tail.
Keeping the Litter Box Clean is Good for You AND Your Cat
Recently, we published a blog on biofilm in your pets’ water and food bowls. Not only is it essential to keep your babies' food and water bowls clean, but also their litter boxes too! How many of you love porta-potties or convenience store bathrooms? The word Ewww comes to mind, right? Your kitty doesn't want to use a nasty litter box either. While it's not going to be pristine 100% of the time, here are some tips to keep it as tidy as possible.
- You should have as many litter boxes as you have cats
- Clean the litter boxes every.single.day.
- Use litter box liners.
- Every month, change out 100% of the litter and scrub the inside of the litter box…even if you use liners.
- Only allow kitties in their litter boxes.
Before my Sydney kitty getting CKD (Cat Kidney Disease), I always did the first two tips. Still, I didn't completely change out the litter regularly. If your cat has CKD or other renal issues, keeping their litter box extra clean is essential to keeping their illness from getting worse. Plus, old cat litter doesn’t do as good of a job of clumping or reducing odor.
Our Litter Box Setup
Photo credit: Jessica Sullivan
Until 18 months ago, both cat litter boxes were in the furnace/mechanical room in the basement. That location was great to keep the dogs from rooting around in the litter box. It also kept the smell away from everyone. However, as both kitties are seniors—Golden is 20 and Syd is 16—we decided to bring the litter boxes upstairs to reduce stress on their joints. We agreed that the most inconspicuous spot to put them was in our closet. While neither of us is thrilled about the location, it's so much easier for our felines.
Photo credit: Jessica Sullivan
We used to have mats in front of the litter boxes that trap the litter stuck to their paws. Unfortunately, Golden's bum doesn't always make it entirely in the litter box. My kitty expert friend, Beth, suggested putting pee pads in front of the litter box. If she has an accident, the pee pads absorb the urine and make it easy to clean up.
You can also see a small vacuum and broom/dustpan set. Every morning after one of us scoops the litter boxes, we vacuum or sweep the closet and the area in front of the gate blocking off the closet. This keeps the cat litter from getting all over the house. Have you figured out that we’re just a bit OCD about cleaning???
Photo credit: Jessica Sullivan
Finally, to keep the dogs out of the litter boxes, we used an exercise pen panel. I took the exercise pen apart…smaller sections are helpful for various things. My hubby used a metal blade on a jigsaw to cut a cat-sized hole in the ex-pen. Then, we screwed four eye hooks into the wall. We used zip ties to connect the ex-pen to the eye hooks. It's very stable, and the dogs can't get in there.
Well, there’s the scoop on cat litter and cat litter boxes. If you’ve got any tips for your kitties’ loo, we’d love to hear from you. Please comment on our socials or email hoomans@smallpetselect.com. Thanks for reading!
DISCLAIMER: The links and information are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by Small Pet Select of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual.
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