I recommend this brand from Amazon. For 40LBs, the price is currently at $13.10. It goes on a price "sale" often and the price varies a bit from time to time.
Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK
The litter does not smell and clumps wonderfully. The best part is for the benefit of the cat--when the cat kicks up the litter too energetically, there isn't a dust storm!
I use this one which normally Amazon has in stock for ~$16 but they have been out since it went on sale for $10. I swear by it! I used Tidy Cats, Arm and Hammer, others. This is the only one that clumps and helps contain the odor but only when they bury it. One of my cats doesn't bury for no clear reason and that can stink but I just scoop a bit of litter on it and no more smell.
I've been using this--
Seems good? It's not super fine powder so it doesn't get caught up in their paws and fur and also not large chunks so they don't play with it.
We use this litter. It clumps really hard clumps, so it's best to get liners for the box. But it's anti-tracking. Hardly any litter on the floor which also means hardly any litter on the toesies. Maybe it would help you too.
I've used Dr. Elsey's Premium Clumping Litter for years in my LRs. It's cheap and available on Amazon, so easy. It's not very dusty and clumps well. The only time it had issues was when my old lady had bad kidney disease and was producing large amounts of urine. The rest of the time - no problem.
I need cat litter because the cats have been giving me threatening looks, and I'm afraid of what will happen if I don't have the cat litter here on Monday. Amazon was out of stock for a couple weeks, but they won't listen to reason.
Jackson Galaxy is not a fan of the litter robot. because poop & pee get all over it inside.
this is the cat litter i use & i am a big fan. https://smile.amazon.com/Dr-Elseys-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1524180875&sr=1-4&keywords=cat+litter
I feel like $200/year for litter is waaaay too much. I have one small cat and I buy this litter at $15/bag and I probably use three, four bags a year, tops.
I had a roommate complain about the smell and after trying a bunch of different litter this is by far the best for reducing smell, Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter
i would switch to a Friskies Savory shreds without fish. some cats can have a food allergy to fish. stick with the unscented litter but try to find one that is less dusty. the Petco brand refillable is pretty good and pretty cheap but the one i prefer is Dr Esleys Precious Cat Ultra
My male tabby, out of the blue started doing this as well, after some research someone suggested he maybe angry at the scented litter we used. I had gone through like 5 litters trying to find one he likes. I got a totally unscented litter: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009X29WK?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
Legit problem solved! Its worth a try.
Honestly, I rarely deep clean. But I scoop daily and the odor is minimal. I use this litter http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1436888644&sr=1-1&keywords=kitty+litter
What are you feeding them? That will really cause their shit to stink.
Also, the best cat litter i've ever used is http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1422476523&sr=1-1&keywords=cat+litter
/roll need Cat litter because have 3 cats, and we'll be out in about a week. Amazon sometimes takes 3-4 days for litter because it's heavy.
I live in the US so I don't think I can guide where to buy things. However, I can only imagine you have discount type stores similar to Walmart (if you have dollar stores I wouldn't buy food from there, toys should be OK).
TIPS
Especially being short on money, but regardless, I would put aside a set amount each month into an emergency fund just in case.
Set boundaries from day 1. If you don't want kitty in your room, then don't allow her to do so just because she's new.
Take your kitten to the vet shortly after receiving her. Many shelters near me offer a free vet check at selected vets, or a coupon. But even so, a wellness visit does not cost much.
Jackson Galaxy suggests putting the litterbox in a place socially significant to the cat.
What I must have before I get a cat?
Litterbox
Litter Scoop
Litter - I use Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter. It's affordable (lasts me personally longer than a month), and does extremely well hiding the odor.
Toys, buy a variety at first to see what your cat likes.
Cat Tree (optional but if your kitty is a climber she will like it.). Amazon has affordable ones as well. You could also try Chewy.com
Ceramic or Stainless Steel food dish and water bowl.
Collar and tags.
Brush.
Food - I buy Bambi a 3.5lb bag of The Goodlife in the salmon flavor. She loves it and it's affordable at about $7 a bag. I also feed her wet food. I buy the box of Fancy Feast the poultry and beef mix or something like that this costs about $14 a box and lasts 24 days because I feed her a can a day. People will knock Fancy Feast because there's a grain-free trend going at the moment, but 1) she won't eat the more expensive fancy stuff, and 2) I don't think it's necessary, but to each their own. Like everyone has a right to raise their child however, everyone can raise their kitties however. :)
Flea/Heartworm/Tick preventative. May be different there, but I like to be proactive. Even if you have an indoor cat, you can bring fleas inside on your clothes. Mosquitoes fly and can come inside. Tick, not sure, but I assume they could also hitch a ride on your clothes. Personally Bambi is just on a flea preventative as I have not found an affordable product that does it all. Revolution seems to be pretty popular though you have to go to the vet for this. I use Advantage II on Bambi. Can't recall the cost at the moment.
Scratching posts/pads - You will want more than one but they last a long time.
Things I should do as soon as I got him/her?
They say to isolate the cat when you bring them home so as to not overwhelm them. I personally just let Bambi out and she looked around the apartment and then hid under a bed for awhile. Don't be alarmed by this as a new environment is overwhelming for a cat and you are new to them. It can take several days to several weeks before they feel comfortable.
Where can I adopt a kitten?
I believe kitten season is coming up (at least here anyways) so you can most likely find them in shelters, and I would recommend you adopt from a local shelters. Most shelters will post their available cats/kittens online or on their website. You can do a search and find both (pet adoption search engine, and local shelters).
Good luck and enjoy your new furball when you get her!
EDIT: Formatting
if you can go with non-flushable litter, then Dr. Elseys Precious Cat Ultra is what you want, imo
I use "Precious Cat" which is incredibly cheap for a 40lb bag and it is the best cat litter ever. Minimal dust, cats love it, and it clumps really well.
In addition, I have the Omega Paw litter box which cleans the litter box by having you turn it on its side as it sifts out the dirty litter. It falls into a drawer and you just pull the drawer out and BAM.
We have two litter boxes and three cats. This stuff lasts me a long time and we rarely have to throw out ALL the little and clean it because of the sifting method and the great clumping.
When we do clean it, we let the litter get really low so we're not throwing too much out. It's easier that way.
Dr.Elsey's Premium Clumping Cat
Using this since I got her 3 months ago.
We’ve only ever used this one litter so can’t compare but have never had an issue:
Dr. Elsey's Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_1D1E7TKGW46Q953QBV36
Well instead of getting mad he could scoop it out and get rid of it. I bought a bunch of dog poop bags and a diaper pail. I put activated carbon in a stocking foot and put that it the lid of the pail. So when I clean the boxes, she has two, I put the dirty litter in a poop bag and put the bag in the diaper pail to take out once a week. My kitty eats canned food so there is a strong smell when she goes. I just scoop it up right away. Also litter type matters.
https://www.safety1st.com/easy-saver-diaper-pail-23019-s1-us-en.html
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009X29WK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
There is the Dr. Elsey's brand I've used before. It's listed as 99.9% dust free and hypo allergenic. Might be worth checking out. It's popular enough that should be able to find easy in stores. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009X29WK/
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Precious Cat Unscented Ultra Clumping Cat Litter | $19.98 | $- | 4.4/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Precious Cat Unscented Ultra Clumping Cat Litter | $19.98 | $19.98 | 4.4/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Jumping on the pet insurance bandwagon, here. We got our sphynx kitten in April and within 4 days she had sprained or tore somethin in her right back leg. It blew up like a balloon. Of course we didn't have insurance so we paid almost $1500 in vet bills to get her x-rayed 2x, medicine, overnight stay because she was breathing really fast from the pain, and cold laser treatments to reduce the swelling. She's fine now, but OMG in a week she had doubled her cost! We immediately got insurance for all our pets after that. So when we got our Devon recently, we got him insurance a couple days before he arrived even!
Then we made his first vet appt 3 days after he arrived. So yea insurance is important. We have Lemonade because I like the mobile app a lot. But I can't saw what its like submitting claims yet because nothing bad has happened again since that first incident (knock on wood). But hopefully they aren't a PITA.
Both our cats haven't pottied in the house since day 1 and we buy Dr. Elsey's Unscented Ultra from Amazon. 40 lb bag twice a month for two litter boxes keeps em happy. And we just got the cheapest litter box Nature's Miracle on Amazon that we could find that has the hood. Our vet's professor at UC Davis highly recommends for Purina Pro Plan cats and they seems happy and healthy so far. We supplement with limited ingredient treats like tuna and minnows. Recently we tried the Kitty Up treats and they went nuts for it, but it smelled godawful. They were so still for nail trim and ear cleaning time though.
Anyways, enjoy your new baby! I hope he/she is healthy and lives a very long and loved life!
I would also recommend using a Litter Genie and Dr Elsey's Ultra Litter using this combo my friends don't smell anything
Item | Current | Lowest | Reviews |
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Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter | $19.98 | $19.98 | 4.4/5.0 |
^Item Info | Bot Info | Trigger
Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_WQEFSBJRXF174GKJ4DJT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Deal link: Amazon
Deal link: Amazon
Deal link: Amazon
Deal link: Amazon
I’ve had a lot of success with this.
Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra Cat Litter. That stuff clumps like a rock and smells nice - controls odor without being loaded with perfume. Minimal dust, too.
I'm no expert but since she doesn't let her paws touch the litter she may not like the feel of it. She may also not like the smell. I use: https://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1486992440&sr=1-1&keywords=precious+cat
it's unscented and as long as kitty covers her business there should be no issues with smell. I won't lie, when my kitty poops it's bad but it goes away after a few minutes. There's also Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer that I sprinkle in as well but it isn't really necessary.
So I would try a few different types of litter - All Unscented. There's clumping (usually clay), non-clumping, crystals, etc.
If the litter box is covered, take the cover off. Make sure it's easily accessible, as a kitten she may not feel comfortable is the box is too high. This may be helpful as well:
http://jacksongalaxy.com/blog/2014/09/27/10-litter-box-tips-part-1
What kind of litter do you use?
Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter, 40 pound bag https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_edvxyb609SWXJ
We use this and it's wonderful at keeping poop smells at bay.
I could really use cat litter, or any of the food, through Prime Pantry or not.
Is this a dumb idea? I keep reading about cat litter and this stuff is afordable (which is important for me, tax season and a wedding were a killer-- http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1460637385&sr=8-2-fkmr0&keywords=calcine+clay+cat+litter
I know I can get chicken grit at Tractor Supply Co and from what I've read I could mix it with bark mulch and a very little touch of organic soil to create a mix (though I've also read that bark mulch is only good organic ingredient). I found a 25# bag of poultry grit for $8.99 http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/manna-pro-poultry-grit-25-lb
I've also found this product through reddit searching: https://www.zoro.com/moltan-diatomaceous-earth-absorbent/g/00107339/
I also found expanded shale. A bit pricy but a 50# bag would last a while. Do I need expanded shale in addition to one of the above? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Viagrow-50-l-ViaStone-Hydroponic-Gardening-Medium-Grow-Rock-VS50-GROW-ROCKS/202985175?keyword=expanded+shale
Obviously the second two products are even cheaper than the litter, cool with me! For the bark, would this work? http://www.homedepot.com/p/2-cu-ft-Pine-Bark-Mulch-363944/100350635
For these kinds of products, I would mix them following ratios I can find online with bark (and maybe/maybe not a little organic soil)?
Thanks so much!
I have my cats' litter box in the bathroom wedged in between the toilet and sink. The bag of extra litter is on the other side of the toilet against the wall. It's overall not taking up any space that I need otherwise.
I have two cats, and I know people always say to get at least one box per cat, but mine seem fine with sharing just the one, and they don't even like each other all that much. You just gotta clean it at least once a day - as soon as you see or smell something, clean it out. And some cats are more into the burying than others, so litter box smell levels may vary from cat to cat.
I also got one of these mats, it traps the litter and keeps it from spreading any further but it's also soft enough to act as a kind of bathroom rug (some other litter tacking mats can be pretty coarse). And I use this litter, the clumping is very good. Order it right on Amazon to not have to drag that shit home from the store.
PLEASE do not underestimate litter box logistics.
I live in a small apartment with three neutered males; 10, 8, and 3 years old, indoor only. Currently, I'm not having any issues, but I have worked hard to find the right litter box situation. The older ones have had all kinds of issues, including a serious kidney stone in the oldest, who got surgery a few years ago for it.
Maybe two years ago, we had a litter box problem where they were peeing in corners or close to the boxes. I had 4 of those igloos (rip off, do not buy) in the garage that they could easily access through a cat door. As it turned out, this was stressing out my cats. I can only speculate as to why -- perhaps one cat was being a bully and guarding the boxes, maybe the boxes were too small, maybe the sudden opening of the garage door was scaring them from going in the garage, etc...
so, to make a long story short, here is how I solved the problem:
Cats do not like to feel boxed in. They are sensitive little creatures. Although they like privacy, they also need to feel like they have an easy escape route if something scares them. Use 50 gallon storage containers, and cut a door for your kitty. Do NOT use a lid. No one likes looking at cat poop, but making them go in a little closed in box at their age could be causing the problem. These DIY litter boxes are cheap, and the high walls will prevent your fur babies from flinging litter all over. here is a good example: http://catsadored.com/LITTERBOXES/litterbox-regular-height-wi.jpg
Now that you have 50 gallon tubs, you have plenty of space to fill. kitties like to dig -- let them! I was using the light weight pine shavings for a long time because dragging a giant bag of sand home was awful. That stuff isn't the best, and cheap kitty litter is, well, cheap. This litter had good reviews so I tried it and they loved it! Also, amazon prime will deliver it to your door. hehehe :3 http://www.amazon.com/Precious-Cat-Premium-Clumping-Litter/dp/B0009X29WK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1450208844&sr=1-1&keywords=precious+cat+litter
The general rule of thumb is one box per cat, + one more. So, if you have two kitties, you should have three litter boxes. I have 3 kitties, therefore I have 4 litter boxes. This way, no one fights, and if one cat is being a jerk, they have lots of other options. The hardest part in all of this is finding a place for the boxes. They're big, they're ugly, and they require easy access every day for cleaning. The important part is that they are spaced far apart. Don't let your cats watch each other go, it makes them uncomfortable. Maybe put one in each room of the shop, or house when you can finally bring them home. :)
I think I saw someone else posting about this too. The poor things sound like they are stressed. Help them out. You should also be showing your cats love and attention. They might not be around for all of your life, but you will be around for all of theirs. Maybe they are trying to tell you something.
sorry about the facebook link; https://www.facebook.com/greatbigstory/videos/1498230950479333/?theater
look into adoption if you feel like you've tried everything or you are simply done dealing with it.
I hope this helps. Also, sorry for the formatting, everything is now step 1. I don't feel like fixing it, nor do I feel like it's important. :)
good. also, maybe a top entry litter box might work.
i use Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter
http://preciouscat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/RebateForm2015.pdf
This kitty litter is awesome. Plus, Amazon Prime.