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Conference misery::feline

Title:	Meower Power - Where Differing Opinions are Respected
Notice:	purrrrr...
Moderator:	JULIET::CORDES_JA

Created:	Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1079
Total number of notes:	28858

497.0. "How long is clay litter supposed to last?" by BICYCL::RYER () Wed Feb 10 1993 14:10

This may sound like a strange question, but up until recently, I've used
alfalfa based litter products exclusively and don't have much experience
with clay litter.

In an attempt to accommodate a new arrival to my house, I tried clay litter
for a while.  The cat, however, insisted on using the carpet outside the
upstairs bathroom, so, I managed to place her as an outdoor mouser/type
kitty.  Well, that left me with a lot of clay litter (I bought a 50lb bag
of Cat Tails clay). I decided that my two remaining cats wouldn't be finicky
enough to refuse to use it, so I just kept on.  Several times a day I'll 
stir the litter around to get the wet clay off the bottom of the boxes (I
have two litter boxes.  Well, it's been over four weeks now, and the litter
doesn't smell (except for that perfumy smell it came with) and Chester and
Farley are showing no hesitation in using it.  Since the climate here is very
dry, and I have two boxes, neither box gets used so much that the litter gets
soaked.

So, I'm wondering, how long should clay litter last under these
circumstances?

-Patrick

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
497.1	my name!	GIAMEM::FARLEY	purple is a primary color	`Thu Feb 11 1993 09:29`	11
	Patrick, First of all, I can't believe there's a cat out there with my last name....! And secondly, since you've had no problems so far, I would venture to say just change it once a month. I have one cat, one litter box, but he's an indoor only cat and is 17 lbs so although I keep the box clean, I change the litter once every week and � or so, give or take a day. K.
497.2	once a week	NRSTA2::BACHELDER		`Thu Feb 11 1993 10:47`	9
	Hi, I have two cats and change the litter box once a week (scoop pops every other day). But now that you mention it, the box doesn't smell when I do change it, so maybe I can stretch the litter box changes to every other week. Hmm...I'll have to see what the cats think about that. - Lauri
497.3	also, once a week	RTL::BENTON		`Thu Feb 11 1993 11:58`	13
	I have 2 cats and 2 litter boxes. Once or twice a day I scoop the solids and the wet spots, so that by the end of a week the litter is getting pretty low. I usually change it when it gets low, which is about a week to a week and a half. Maybe that's more frequently than it needs to be changed, but after dealing with one cat in the past with litter box problems, I'm happy to keep it extra clean in exchange for their using it exclusively. Hershey is so funny! She hates for me to scoop out the box and disturb what she has carefully covered. She tries to cover stuff up as soon as I uncover it. Now I have to sneak down to the basement while the cats are eating to clean out the box.
497.4		BICYCL::RYER	This note made from 100% recycled bits.	`Thu Feb 11 1993 14:19`	9
	RE: .1 As far as the name goes, well, Farley just fit him. When I told a friend what my new kitty's name was, she asked "What is he, a yellow tabby?" That's him. Thanks for all the input. I guess I'll let it go a couple more weeks and see what happens. If I can keep a large amount of clay out of the landfills and keep the cats happy too, then I think I'm way ahead.
497.5		BAHTAT::CARTER_A	Andy Carter..Morph the Borg	`Fri Feb 12 1993 02:22`	5
	I'm amazed! When we have to keep out cats in, the litter tray needs changing one a day, and the odour is really contained either. Is this clay litter some sort of super-lit in (presumably) the States, or do you have outsize litter trays? Andy
497.6		BICYCL::RYER	This note made from 100% recycled bits.	`Fri Feb 12 1993 06:42`	9
	Andy, How many cats do you have? I have two cats and two litter boxes. The clay I use is $9 for 50lbs, so, it's nothing special. Like I said in the base note, it's rather dry here (Colorado Springs, Colorado). If I stir the litter so that the wet part is no longer at the bottom, it's dry again in half an hour. -Patrick
497.7		BAHTAT::CARTER_A	Andy Carter..Morph the Borg	`Fri Feb 12 1993 09:55`	6
	I've only got the two as well, but I reckon I live in one of the wettest places in England. Perhaps if I were to leave the tray on the radiator for an hour or so... Andy
497.8	okay..	BICYCL::RYER	This note made from 100% recycled bits.	`Fri Feb 12 1993 11:32`	8
	�Perhaps if I were to leave the tray on the radiator for an hour or so... Hmmm... Ah.... Well... Sure, let me know how it turns out! =8^0 -Patrick BTW, I suspect if I only had one box, I wouldn't be able to get away with not changing it.
497.9	Every day....some say...	MODEL::CROSS		`Tue Feb 16 1993 09:35`	9
	My vet who was probably overly cautious used to insist that I fill my boxes with only an inch of litter a day and throw the whole mess out the next morning. She said that urine and feces can cause bacteria to form within 24 hours, thus putting our felines at risk of disease (like UTI's maybe?) Anyway, I never was able to be true to her orders, and usually just change my boxes every week, scooping twice or thrice a day. N
497.10	baking soda might help	EMASS::SKALTSIS	Deb	`Tue Feb 16 1993 19:19`	5
	if you were to coat the bottom of your litter pan with baking soda and the remainder of the box in with the litter, I think that you will be amazed at how it will help control the smell. Deb