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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2004Feline Pine cat litter - how best to transition?
Hey all, I'm wanting to switch cat litters to that Feline Pine because of Rowan's being so sensitive to the dust from conventional litter these days. The thing is, they all despise the texture of the FP. I did what the bag said and put one inch on the bottom of the pan and 3 inches of their regular litter on top, but as soon as they start digging and feel the pellets, they leave the box and go to their other box (I only put a few pellets in the other box for the scent). I'm afraid to put any more in the other box - what if they boycott the boxes and pee on my floor?! So, right now, they have one box with an inch of FP in it and normal litter on top, and one box with mostly normal litter and about a handful of FP pellets. They are boycotting the one with an inch of FP in it. Any suggestions from users of this litter? This is only the third day - will they get used to it? Should I decrease the amount of FP in the box so they use it more and increase it more gradually than the bag said? Is there a different litter with NO dust that isn't hard pellets or at least smaller, finer pellets? I looked at Sweatscoop, but it said "less dust" - I'm looking for NO dust. My only concern is the dust, so all suggestions appreciated (it does need to be available at one of the local pet stores - I have Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus here).  Signature-- ~kaeli~ Kill one man and you are a murderer. Kill millions and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone and you are God. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >The thing is, they all despise the texture >of the FP. If they hate the texture, no amount of convincing will make them want to the use it. The last thing you want to have happen is to have the litterbox be a source of contention in a multicat cat household and if they don't like the litter and that's their only option in the boxes they will likely start urinating elsewhere. There are other non-clay litters you could try that your cats would like the texture of. Years ago I switched form clay litter to World's Best Cat Litter, which is made of corn. There is barely any dust, the texture is soft and sandy and the cats transitioned with no problems. You may want to try this instead. Swheat Scoop is another less dusty litter, but that one will stick to the sides of the pan like cement unless you spray vegetable oil on the sides (ick) and you have to keep the level pretty deep to make sure it doesn't stick to the bottom. The WBCL is much easier to deal with. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > >The thing is, they all despise the texture > >of the FP. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > they don't like the litter and that's their only option in the boxes > they will likely start urinating elsewhere. That's exactly what I'm afraid of, which was why I left one box pretty much alone. > There are other non-clay > litters you could try that your cats would like the texture of. Years > ago I switched form clay litter to World's Best Cat Litter, which is > made of corn. There is barely any dust, the texture is soft and sandy > and the cats transitioned with no problems. You may want to try this > instead. I think I will - thanks. It has to be better than the clay. The clay has been irritating Rowan a lot lately and even the low-dust kind makes her all sneezy for two days after I change the box or add litter to it. She's had a hard time with her recurring URI and I don't want to push my luck. Or hers. > Swheat Scoop is another less dusty litter, but that one will > stick to the sides of the pan like cement unless you spray vegetable oil > on the sides (ick) Ewww. Thanks for the warning on that one. Signature-- ~kaeli~ Press any key...NO, NO, NO, NOT THAT ONE!!!!!! http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net >Is there a different litter with NO dust that isn't hard pellets or at >least smaller, finer pellets? Yes. I found one made from recyled wood pulp that is smaller in pellet size. I didn't have any problems with my cats using it. Now, if I can remember the name of it......ok, had to google for it (it's been a while since I used the litter). Anyway, it's called EcoFresh and I used to buy it at Pet Supplies Plus. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm > >From: kaeli tiny_one@NOSPAM.comcast.net > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > litter). Anyway, it's called EcoFresh and I used to buy it at Pet Supplies > Plus. I'll look for this one, too. Thanks! Signature-- ~kaeli~ You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace (...) > The thing is, they all despise the texture of the FP. That's familiar. (...) > Any suggestions from users of this litter? Yes, I suggest not using it. I was a user of it briefly (well, my cats were - I was quite happy to piss in it meself, like), but I had similar problems to you. I suspect that the smell of FP is something else that counts against it, as well as the texture. > Is there a different litter with NO dust that isn't hard pellets or at > least smaller, finer pellets? I'm using WBCL and one of the silica crystal litters (I forget which). I'm impressed with the latter; there's no dust at all and it tracks by far the least of all litters I've tried. I was worried that my cats would hate the texture (esp. after my attempts to use feline pine), but they prefer it to WBCL. WBCL is sort of OK. It's not dusty, but it is cornflowery. I find various floury pawprints all over the place. On the bonus side, if you need to thicken a sauce you can just dibble your cats paws in the liquid and bob's your uncle. > I looked at Sweatscoop, but it said "less > dust" - I'm looking for NO dust. My only concern is the dust, so all > suggestions appreciated (it does need to be available at one of the > local pet stores - I have Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Supplies Plus here). Swheatscoop is sort of OK, sort of. It's like WBCL but with the added 'benefit' that it epoxies itself to the litterbox so that you need to get the bench grinder out, come litter change day. HTH, Steve. > HTH, > Steve. Dude, you crack me up. *LOL* Silica crystal litter on the to-try list. Thanks. *still giggling* Signature-- ~kaeli~ A lot of money is tainted - It taint yours and it taint mine. http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace Kaeli, I guess I was lucky because none of my 7 cats boycotted when I switched from Swheat Scoop to Feline Pine. I didn't follow the rules, I just made the switch. There is some tracking with Feline Pine but not as much as with the other. If you want to try Swheat Scoop you may want to use liners. If you are near one of the super warehouse stores like Sam's Club you can get a box of 220 45-50gallon commercial trash can liners. After you unroll one unfold it but don't open the bag up, leave it doubled. Lay it flat in the box and pour the litter in. I then use a circular elastic cord around the rim on top of the liner and tuck the extra plastic in the cord. I found the cords at Walmart either in the hardware dept. or where they have storage containers like Rubbermaid. This has made changing the litter boxes much easier and at about $.08 a liner it is much more economical than the "real" litter box liners. I do feel like the Feline Pine is a better value than Swheat Scoop and I think it is better at controlling odor. WBCL is difficult to find where I live and when I have found it it seemed pricey. Michele (N.C.) > I do feel like the Feline Pine is a better value than Swheat Scoop and I > think it is better at controlling odor. WBCL is difficult to find where > I live and when I have found it it seemed pricey. The WBCL is available here and it's not overly pricey. I think I'm going to try the crystals first, though. Thanks! Signature-- ~kaeli~ The secret of the universe is @*&^^^ NO CARRIER http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace >From: news@stevethepsycho.co.uk (Steve G) >Swheatscoop is sort of OK, sort of. It's like WBCL but with the added >'benefit' that it epoxies itself to the litterbox so that you need to >get the bench grinder out, come litter change day. We use Swheatscoop but what we do is put the empty litter box inside a large garbage bag. This acts as a litterbox liner. Then we fill it. I've found that the Swheatscoop doesn't stick to the sides of the box using this method. Lauren ________ See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm
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