Types of Cat Litter

Cats are easy to teach to be clean in the house by using a litter tray. There is usually no need to teach a kitten to use a litter tray. Nearly all kittens have been taught by their mother. Simply show the Kitten the litter tray and the rest should follow. Ensure the litter tray is in a quiet place and that it is kept clean. Cats are clean animals and if the litter tray is not kept clean they may use other areas of the house as a toilet. You Cat and not you will decide what type of cat litter to use. You can extol the virtues of a type of cat litter, but if a cat does not use it, it is a failure. There are many types of cat litter these are some examples for you to consider:

CLUMPING LITTER

This type of litter forms large hard pieces or clumps when it comes in contact with the moisture from Cat waste. These large clumps can then be scooped from the litter box for disposal, leaving the rest of the litter undisturbed. Fresh litter is then added to the box to replace that which was removed. While this type of litter can be convenient, it may cause problems if a pet ingests any of it since moisture causes it to clump together. Clumping cat litter comes is available in scented varieties, unscented, flushable and non-tracking.

SILICA-BASED LITTER

This type of litter has as its main components sand and water. The Crystals are designed to absorb odours. Solid waste must be removed from the litter box but liquid waste is absorbed by the granules. There is no clumping action with this type of product. Silica-based litters are also bio-degradable and will decompose and return to their sandy base.

CLAY-BASED LITTER

Clay-based litter was the type first introduced commercially and is the most inexpensive of all litters. Although solid waste needs to be removed daily, the entire litter box will need to be cleared and refilled more often than with other types because clay litter absorbs liquid waste and odors. If a cat has allergies, this may not be a good choice since dust can be a problem as the pet scratches in the litter. However, dust-free formulas are available. When using any type of cat litter it is important to keep the litter box as clean as possible. Neglecting to clean the box can result in a cat not using the box and depositing waste in the house.

PAPER CAT LITTER

Made from pellets or recycled paper this is an increasingly popular type of cat litter. As well as being highly absorbent paper cat litter is bio-degradable and lightweight. This product can also be flushed in small quantities to a mains based waste system.

WOOD CAT LITTER

Wood based cat litters are also biodegradable. Often made from recycled wood and sustainable forest systems. Softwood cat litters are highly absorbent and have natural odour control qualities removing the need for chemicals to be added.

Terry King runs Parcel Pets, a leading UK pet supplies web site and has had pets all his life. He lives with his wife Louise, dog Sam, Cat Sabrina and 5 fish!

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