Pet cats are house-trained to use a litter box when they are unable to go outdoors to relieve themselves. The litter box is bedded with a material to catch the cat's urine and feces. This is called cat litter in short. The cat litter in general use is very much like clay and is called clumping. Cats get used to this very easily and quickly because that's their natural habit. There is one drawback in the use of litter boxes and traditional clumping - the odor from the litter box is nauseating! Till the owner doesn't remove the cat litter, the odor just won't go away. But help is at hand in the form of a brand new type of cat litter - pine cat litter. This litter is made up of pine pellets which absorb moisture and trap the cat's solid waste. The natural odor of pine is very refreshing and it masks that of the cat's droppings.
You may be put off by the fact that it is twice as costly as the normal clumping type. The pine cat litter is made of pine pellets, which disintegrate to form sawdust. The pellets and the resultant sawdust absorb much more liquid than the ordinary clumping does. So the usage cost works out to be around that of the cat litter that is usually used.
The pine cat litter is facing a severe acceptance problem - from Mr. Tibbs himself! Most cats find the pellets strange and unnatural. The pellets are not as easy on the cat's feet as the other litters are. So cats shy away from using the pine pellet litter.
My suggestion is to introduce the pine cat litter in a gradual fashion. Mix a little pine cat litter with the normal stuff. Let the cat use it and get used to the mix. It may take a day or two for the cat to get comfortable with the mix. Then increase the dose of pine litter and reduce the amount of the ordinary litter. Let the cat get used to the increasing amounts of pine cat litter gradually. Finally, you will have a 100% pine cat litter in the litter box, and 100% freedom from that very strong odor! That is if your cat decides to play ball and adjust to pine litter. If your cat resists, and even refuses to visit the litter box, then it's back to the good old clumping and the bad old smell!
If you do want to use pine cat litter there is another way. Some owners use 90% pine cat litter to lay the box. The top 10% is filled up with ordinary clumping litter. Faced with his favorite litter, your cat has no objection now. And you, of course, are rid of that smell!
Hardly have we worked our way around problem #1, than problem #2 crops up. It appears that pine fragrance is not very popular with cats. Now that's something that we can't do anything about. After all you're using pine cat litter solely for its fragrance, and there's your cat wrinkling up its nose at the very idea! That apart, pine cat litter is completely safe for your cat. All toxic substances have been removed from the cat litter.
There is an environmental advantage in using pine cat litter. It can be composted once the cat's solid waste is removed. The composted litter can be put to use as manure for gardens, instead of adding to the ever-growing landfill of garbage.
It all boils down to what Tabby likes! If he likes the pine pellet cat litter, then you're all set. If he doesn't, then you'd better learn to cover your nose with a scented kerchief whenever you're in the house! Meow!
You may be put off by the fact that it is twice as costly as the normal clumping type. The pine cat litter is made of pine pellets, which disintegrate to form sawdust. The pellets and the resultant sawdust absorb much more liquid than the ordinary clumping does. So the usage cost works out to be around that of the cat litter that is usually used.
The pine cat litter is facing a severe acceptance problem - from Mr. Tibbs himself! Most cats find the pellets strange and unnatural. The pellets are not as easy on the cat's feet as the other litters are. So cats shy away from using the pine pellet litter.
My suggestion is to introduce the pine cat litter in a gradual fashion. Mix a little pine cat litter with the normal stuff. Let the cat use it and get used to the mix. It may take a day or two for the cat to get comfortable with the mix. Then increase the dose of pine litter and reduce the amount of the ordinary litter. Let the cat get used to the increasing amounts of pine cat litter gradually. Finally, you will have a 100% pine cat litter in the litter box, and 100% freedom from that very strong odor! That is if your cat decides to play ball and adjust to pine litter. If your cat resists, and even refuses to visit the litter box, then it's back to the good old clumping and the bad old smell!
If you do want to use pine cat litter there is another way. Some owners use 90% pine cat litter to lay the box. The top 10% is filled up with ordinary clumping litter. Faced with his favorite litter, your cat has no objection now. And you, of course, are rid of that smell!
Hardly have we worked our way around problem #1, than problem #2 crops up. It appears that pine fragrance is not very popular with cats. Now that's something that we can't do anything about. After all you're using pine cat litter solely for its fragrance, and there's your cat wrinkling up its nose at the very idea! That apart, pine cat litter is completely safe for your cat. All toxic substances have been removed from the cat litter.
There is an environmental advantage in using pine cat litter. It can be composted once the cat's solid waste is removed. The composted litter can be put to use as manure for gardens, instead of adding to the ever-growing landfill of garbage.
It all boils down to what Tabby likes! If he likes the pine pellet cat litter, then you're all set. If he doesn't, then you'd better learn to cover your nose with a scented kerchief whenever you're in the house! Meow!
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To keep the mess from spreading when your cat exits the box, you'll also want to look at getting a cat litter mat. Go to www.CatLitterBoxesPlus.com to learn additional information about all your cat litter options. And discover how a self cleaning cat litter box may be the best solution to dealing with your pet's mess.
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