Cat Litter advice needed please!

[Dawn F]

the sainsburys encore stuff it pretty good as well (like applaws) unfortunately most of mine are junk food addicts but Amber my torti only eats natures menu or purely

[mervyn7451]

Glad to hear Daisy is helping you get over Orbit: my Noah is helping me over a relationship breakdown. Do you mean the PAH Purely range? It is very good quality for the price, shame the big supermarkets don't offer such decent food! I haven't tried any of the Co-op stuff, but the ethics are good especially compared with the many Purina brands (Nestle).

Sorry to hear about that,they're a big help taking your mind off the bad things are'nt they.
Yup that's sth stuff,in the brown paperbag like labels.Not bad at 44p a tin,a lot better than some of the supermarket stuff.I think the problem is supermarkets vary the prices soo much you thing your getting good value but at the end of the day,places like PAH offer better value.
As for the Co-Op stuff,it's better than some of the more expensive brands.
Regards,
Merv

[Fire Fox]

Glad to hear Daisy is helping you get over Orbit: my Noah is helping me over a relationship breakdown. Do you mean the PAH Purely range? It is very good quality for the price, shame the big supermarkets don't offer such decent food! I haven't tried any of the Co-op stuff, but the ethics are good especially compared with the many Purina brands (Nestle).

[mervyn7451]

I have always used the wood pellet type cat litter.For one it's biodegradable plus it does'nt stink the house out with the smell of 'cat do-doos or wee' when they go.Especially as I live in an apartment &,whenever I have used the clay stuff & Orbit has 'gone poo-poo' I've had to open all the window's,spray air freshener stuff & clean the tray immidiatly.It's a little more expensive but so much more worth it imho.
Regards,
Merv

I am also in a flat and am using wood-based as well (OkoPlus) which I like as I can flush so no smelly bins! Noah's poo stopped stinking out the entire room  as soon as I took him off Felix, what are you feeding Orbit (cool name)?

OoOp...I meant Daisy...Orbit passed away aged 14 years of heart & kidney (?) failiure in Sept & Daisy is the new cat I got to help me get over him.
Daisy prefers Co-Op own brand tuna in jelly & chicken in jelly but she als gets 'Pets at Home Simply' range which are bloody good! She especially likes the 'fish feast in jelly'.
She wont touch the food in gravy at all!

[Fire Fox]

I have always used the wood pellet type cat litter.For one it's biodegradable plus it does'nt stink the house out with the smell of 'cat do-doos or wee' when they go.Especially as I live in an apartment &,whenever I have used the clay stuff & Orbit has 'gone poo-poo' I've had to open all the window's,spray air freshener stuff & clean the tray immidiatly.It's a little more expensive but so much more worth it imho.
Regards,
Merv

I am also in a flat and am using wood-based as well (OkoPlus) which I like as I can flush so no smelly bins! Noah's poo stopped stinking out the entire room  as soon as I took him off Felix, what are you feeding Orbit (cool name)?

[mervyn7451]

I have always used the wood pellet type cat litter.For one it's biodegradable plus it does'nt stink the house out with the smell of 'cat do-doos or wee' when they go.Especially as I live in an apartment &,whenever I have used the clay stuff & Orbit has 'gone poo-poo' I've had to open all the window's,spray air freshener stuff & clean the tray immidiatly.It's a little more expensive but so much more worth it imho.
Regards,
Merv

[Fire Fox]

When I had outdoor cats they hated having to use the litter tray. I remember them crying to go out of the front door (backwards house: garden at front, cat flap at back) when it was chucking it down and then crying louder because they needed to go didn't want to go outside!!

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

All cats should have an indoor litter tray , even if they dont use it.

If you dont have one not only will you maybe overlook health probs but also in bad weather or uninvited guests coming into the garden, it gives your cat nowhere else to go except your favorite clothes , or bed or carpet.

Humans in days gone by only had outside loos but thats not acceptable now and why shouldnt litty have a nice warm place to go in safety?

I have 4 cats and 3 trays. 2 cats go outside at present and two always inside but when the weather gets bad the unused trays will be used again, not a lot, but when they feel the need. 

[carolynl]

Izzi still has a tray indoors.

For quite a while after she was allowed outside, she would still come in to go to the loo. 

Then she got to the stage where she would poo outside but sometimes wee in her tray.

Now she does it all outdoors, but I still leave a tray down for her just in case.

All this happened over a period of about nine months, so it can take quite a while.

I would get rid of the dog bed as once a cat wees in one place it will still be able to smell it even if you can't.

I use Worlds Best litter by the way. It is expensive up front, but it clumps so you can keep it in the tray for ages and it doesn't smell.   One 7 litre bag lasts for weeks.

[Rosella moggy]

  to Purrs Sharron

I'd put up with an indoor tray if I were you and replace the dogs bed.  One tray is not that big a deal and you'll probably find Winston will start to use outside more often as he gets older.  I see that Vic is now aged 14 and you may find he might prefer a tray in years to come and, as has been mentioned, an indoor tray can help to spot health problems. 

I have 6 cats, 2 of whom (the 11 month old girls) still prefer to use the trays; ahem ignoring recent behavioural peeing probs following a night spent by one of them on the roof  .  The other 4 prefer outside except for very occasionally if weather very bad.

I use baby chick crumbs as litter which seems fine.

Just love Vic and Winston btw.  Really handsome devils 

[Sam (Fussy_Furball)]

I totally agree with Milly's Mum ..... all my lot use the indoor litter trays and are kept in from about 9:00 every eveing.

With regards to which litter is best .... I personally use Nuggies Tigerino this is a very fine (like silver sand) ultra clumping litter which I get from Zooplus.  It comes in a large bag and even though it seems expensive it lasts for ages ... just a little shak of the tray and the clumps can be eaily scooped out.  Before this is used Wilkos fullers earth clumping litter .... this was one of the cheapest clumping litters I found but it was 100% effective at keeping smells down (unlike some of the other cheap litters which didn't eliminate smells at all!).

[Millys Mum]

I encourage my cats to toilet indoors, so have no suggestions to encourage them to go out. I only knew taffy had cancer because he used a tray regularly, how long he could have suffered if he didnt have one i dont know 
The other benefit is he wont upset your neighbours and become a target for a green fingered cat hunting madman 
I also believe cats should be kept in at night to keep them safe so a tray is 1000% neccessary in my eyes

[Bazsmum]

Agree with Janey there with ref to still having an indoor tray....Something may be scaring him outside when he does this....Most cats like to feel secure when toileting! 

[Janeyk]

Hiya  I personally don't think it's a good idea not to have a litter tray in the house incase you ever need to and they aren't used to using one - also so you can monitior their health their toilet habits can reveal alot about their health 

[Bazsmum]

You have to remember also that now kitty has peed on the dogs bed there will be a scent there for him to keep going back too! Maybe time to change the dog bed! 

[Kay and Penny]

I have two cats who have chosen to switch, in their own good time, from an indoor litter tray to specially dug outdoor places, which I have filled with John Innes compost - I think you have to offer something as easy to dig in as cat litter

my third and most recent cat is weeing in the tray but pooing outdoors, and I expect he will switch to outdoors completely eventually

but I do think this change should  not be rushed - and to be honest when its very wet and muddy I wish all three would use the litter tray, as I get muddy pawmarks everywhere

I use Oko Best Clumping, as although it tracks everywhere, there are no nasty whiffs at all, it is lightweight, and lasts ages and ages

[VicandWinston]

Hi you guys,

I introduced the handsome Vic and Winston kitten in the introducing section, but am just after a bit of advice re cat litter and training.

Winston is 6 months old and has been neutered, but will not take to doing his business outside.  I have had 2 cats prior to Winston and the minute they were allowed out the cat flap the litter tray stopped being used and was only ever used in emergencies.

Vic doesn't use the litter tray at all, much preferring to go outside.

If we move the litter tray into the garden Winston will sometimes use it, but then all of a sudden decides he couldn't possibly use it and has to run inside and pee on the dog bed, which is too big for the washing machine!!

I would much prefer not to have cat litter in the house, or one for just emergencies, so would like to know the best way to work this.

Also I dont seem to have found a brand of cat litter that I have liked.  So wondered what you guys used.

Thanks in advance for any replies!!  Would be grateful of any advice possible!!

 Sx