Conference misery::feline_v1

3074.0. "New Products - UNIQUE cat food, CAT WORKS litter" by WR2FOR::CORDESBRO_JO (set home/cat_max=infinity) Tue Nov 21 1989 15:28

    Well, aside from having a great time at the Invitational show, and
    enjoying all the parties etcetera, we also got the pleasure of trying
    out some new products from Purina.  The following is my critique
    of those products.
    
    When we first checked into the hotel, we were given what was supposed
    to be a disposable cardboard litter box, but looked more like a
    display box for two ten pound bags of Purina's new litter product.
    This box was not plastic coated like most disposable boxes, and
    it had seams, unlike most disposable boxes.  That was the first
    indicator that there might be a problem.  We were also given a ten
    pound bag of Cat Works, a new clayless litter from Purina.  It looks
    very much like rabbit pellets, or Litter Green, only it is brown,
    and doesn't have the odor of Litter Green.  We set the box up in
    our hotel room in the bathroom, just like we usually do, with a
    plastic hefty bag under it.  An hour later, I entered the bathroom
    and was greated by three separate bowel movements on the plastic
    bag.  I picked up one of them and put it in the box, to give the
    cats the idea that the box was the place they were to go, and then
    I flushed the other two down the toilet.
    
    The next day at the show, Limoges had a bowel movement on her cage
    bottom, right next to the litter box (same type box, same litter).
    Moody and Dreamer weren't enjoying it any better.  Moody peed right
    next to the box, on the cage bottom.  Dreamer peed in the litter
    box, but right at the corner so it leaked out, all over the cage
    bottom.  Now, these cage bottoms *were* off white quilted material
    and I wasn't too pleased.  By the afternoon, all three cats were
    using the box to pee in, so things were starting to look up.
    
    That night, they all had their bowel movements on the bathroom floor.
    I think the general concensus was that the litter wasn't that great.
    Most of the other exhibitor's cats were not using it either.  I
    won't be buying this stuff.
    
    The other product was called Unique and it is a canned cat food.
    We were given several cans of Sardines in Shrimp Jelly, kind of
    an aspic for cats!!  Well, we didn't use it at the show, since I
    have found that giving the cats some new food during a show will
    almost always cause them to have diarrhea.  I popped open a can
    of it last night and almost fainted!!  It has huge pieces of sardine
    bodies in it, and it is all surrounded by jelly.  Every cat in the
    house went nuts when I opened it!  The odor is very strong.  I put
    it on a plate, and the cats tried to rip each other to shreds getting
    to the stuff.  It went over very well with them, not so well with
    me.  So far, no diarrhea.  But, I did notice that the ash content
    is not listed in the guaranteed analysis on the side of the can.
    I am sure it is very high.  The stuff is almost exclusively pieces
    of sardines.  I am not sure if it comes in other flavors or not
    and I have never seen it in stores out here in California yet.
    
    Anyone else tried these products?
    
    Jo

    Jo, Your description of the cat works litter reminded me of a new
    litter I tried this week.  I picked it up in Plymouth on Saturday.
    Its been mentioned before - YESTERDAY'S NEWS.  We had no problem
    getting the cats to use it, but I'm not at all impressed with its
    odor absorbing qualities.  
      With six cats and three litterboxes and a little added baking
    soda, I can usually get a week out of each litterbox.  And I 
    won't tolerate litterbox odor.  Well, I put the YESTERDAY'S NEWS
    out on Sunday and I just had to change the box the odor was so
    bad.
      I won't be using that again and will most likely stick to regular
    clay litters from now on.
      Nancy DC
    

    Another things that I noticed about this litter is that once the
    pellets absorb the liquid, they start to fall apart.  They don't
    hold their shape or size, they start to resemble wood pulp.  Have
    you ever seen a tree that is decomposing?  That is what happens
    to this litter once it gets wet.  
    
    I think that Purina should stick with cat food and leave the litter
    industry alone.
    
    Jo

    Interesting....I saw the Cat Works at the Regional Qualifier show in
    Elizabeth, but they only had 1 bag of it on display, and didn't have
    any samples or any available for sale. 
    
    It looked like it might be worth a try.  I think I'll save my money!!
    
    cin