What is the best cat litter to use? It is really an important question because we want our cats to use their litter boxes regularly. If the cat litter we have doesn’t absorb properly or take away smell, then we can have some problems regarding hygiene and cleanliness. Even worse, if our cat doesn’t like the litter and refuses to use it, then we might as well get a dog then! So, how can we prevent this? We need to find the right litter for our cat, plain and simple.
What is the Best Cat Litter to Use? Our Litter history
My wife and I have had three cats including our current Taby boy. Through it all we have tried different types of litter. For example, we have tried just plain clay litter. It absorbs well, but it is so dusty when either you clean it or when your cat uses the bathroom. As a result, you might have to wear goggles and a mask to protect yourself form the dust. And I was never liking the idea of my cat inhaling all that dust as it could potentially affect my cat’s health.
We have also tried scented clumping clay litter. The scent does take smell away. However, there is still dust that can get everywhere. Also, I was not crazy about the idea of our cats inhaling that scent. This was especially when we had our litter box in our small storage room and our litter box had a cover over it. Our cats at times would not go into their box and instead use the bathroom outside of it. Not great!
Finally, we tried to use a natural litter such as crushed Walnut shells. The nice thing about it was that it was not dusty at all. Also, it did take away the smell well. However, it did not absorb the urine and feces well. As a result, the litter box was messy and when our cat got out of the litter box, he tracked that mess throughout our apartment. Not good! So what did we do?
What is the Best Cat Litter to Use? A Solution by Accident!
One day when I was changing my cat’s litter box. I decided to combine my simple cheap unscented clay clumping litter with some of the natural Walnut litter because I was short on both and decided to combine them to fill up the litter box. I really did not know what to expect and really had no expectations. However, the next day or so, I noticed that the litter was not really smelly and that it absorb our cat’s stuff well. Also, when I went to clean it, it wasn’t really dusty. Eureka! I have found my perfect litter combination.
So for the next while I played with the ratio between the unscented clumping clay litter and the natural walnut litter and found that the 50/50 ratio seemed to work very well. If you want optimal, maybe even a 55/45 ratio between walnut and the clay litter. My cat seems to like it also and he uses his litter box regularly with no complaints. Finally, it is not all that expensive as I can get a 40 pound bag of unscented, clumping, clay litter for about $12.00 and I can get a 14 pound bag of walnut litter for about $23.00. The walnut bag last about 1.5 months and the clay lasts just over 2.5 months. So not too bad on the pocket book.
Conclusion
Combining these two types of litter gives the best of both worlds sort to speak. You get the benefits of each type of litter with each one cancelling the other’s weaknesses. We have been doing this for a few years now and we have no regrets. So if you are having trouble finding the right type of litter, why night try this combination and see if it works. You and your cat might be pleasantly surprised!