wanted: a good, cheap dust free brand of kitty litter.

[ginnyinWI]

Lately I've tried:

Cat's Pride Fresh&Light: good on all fronts except it leaves little crumbles in the box.

Cat's Pride "premium" with the pink cap: awful for dust! Very fine, and clouds of it come up when you pour.

Walmart Special Kitty: very heavily perfumed--can't stand that.

PetSmart's Sophisticat: very very dusty--our whole basement got coated with dust. Not worth it to save a few pennies per pound!

Petco bulk cat litter that you can buy refilling the same jugs: it seems very heavy to scoop, and doesn't take care of the odor as well. I may go back to it though. Is not dusty.

Pet Supplies Plus store brand: cheap, clumps well, but is still dusty.

I am still going to try a few that friends recommended made by Scoop Away, Arm & Hammer, and Tidy Cats. I'd like to stay under 35 cents/pound. My highest priority is dust free, but since I foster cats and kittens I need it to be economical. Willing to buy it in the 40 lb. size!

What do you buy for your kitties?

[shenmue]

1. I used to buy Cat's Pride to give it to the shelter

I don't have a cat at home yet.

[Curmudgeoness]

2. I use Premium Choice

that I get at Pet Supplies Plus. It says "Carefree Kitty" below the Premium Choice name, so I don't know if that is the name of the product or not. It comes in a blue bag. I usually watch for it to go on sale but it is about the price you say is your limit in the 40 pound bags. I do not notice that it is dusty, but I might just be used to it since I have used it for a long long time.

[ginnyinWI]

3. The one I tried came in a box.

It just says "scoopable cat litter" then under that on a red band, "multi-cat". So doesn't look like the same one. I did see blue bags there so maybe I'll have to have another look. Thanks!

[mockmonkey]

4. I've been happy with...

Dr. Elsey's Ultra Precious Cat from Pet Supplies Plus. I get the 40lb blue plastic bags.

http://www.preciouscat.com/product/ultra/

I have 8 cats so I need something that doesn't turn to goo after awhile like some of the cheaper brands. The granules are a bit bigger and they say it's low tracking but I don't find it to be any different in that regard. It seems to be a lot less dusty.

I buy the unscented and it's hypo-allergenic. I believe it's about $16.99 for 40lbs which is maybe a bit less than Scoop Away which I also like.

I bought the Arm & Hammer brand when it first came out. If I remember correctly it was more of a pellet type but it was so HEAVILY perfumed that my cats refused to use it.

I have used Tidy Cat in the past but never thought it was that great but it seemed to always be on sale.

[ginnyinWI]

6. eight cats!

Since you have so many, may I ask you another question? I have two females, ages 10 and 12 and would like to add another cat who is maybe 5 or 6. Many middle aged cats at the shelter have to wait so long for homes, and an older one will be past the kitten years and won't be such a pain in the butt to my older ones.

But what I'm wondering is, does it matter if it is male or female? I've heard that males are less territorial and would be fine with my one alpha female running things around here. Or would a docile female be as good a choice?

[mockmonkey]

7. Personally...

based on my cats I would stick with another female. I have 4 males and 4 females. My males cats spend too much time being a-holes to the females. If it was a male kitten then it probably wouldn't be as much of an issue. Because the older females might take on a Motherly role or will put him in his place right away. It might be different with your cats, it's hard to say. Any time a new cat is brought in it's a bunch of hissing, growling and slapping.

I've only had one time that any of my female cats got into a fight and I think that is because the one female cat has territorial issues with the male cats and the other female was using the litter pan at the wrong time. Plus the one that was using the litter pan is also ill and since she got ill the male cats have noticed her more and are sometimes kind of mean to her.

That female with the territorial issues is also a marker, it's very frustrating. I had her on meds but it stopped working so I just clean up after her. She might be better off in a home by herself and as much as it sometimes pisses me off, she is just the cutest thing. Even if I had given her up she might very well continue to mark.

If I ever had the opportunity to adopt another cat I would get an adult as well. We had two cats when we moved here and added a third from a family member and then a fourth when our landlord told us a tenant had left a kitten behind.

Most of my cats I got as kittens when a cat showed up under our outside stairwell and started having kittens. We could never catch her at the right time and just started catching kittens and I could never give them up. She ended up having 3 litters before I managed to befriend her one cold winter. I don't think she was ever feral. I would just lay out on the cold porch and she would eat the food I brought her and eventually I opened the door up and laid on the kitchen floor with her food and she came in and I slowly closed the door and she's been here ever since.

I originally had 13 cats (all indoor cats) but when my Ex left he took 5 of them. I gave him the choice and he took most of my favorites. But I'm kept up to date on them so all is cool but I miss them. He took 4 females and only 1 male so that should tell you something about females.

I like my male cats. They are more likely to interact with me than the females. Maybe having just the 1 male cat will be ok in a household with 2 females. It's one of those things that you can't really know until you do it.

Every February/March the cats got to visit the vet. We would take them in groups of 3. They always hated the ride there but were usually quiet on the way back. Tired from all the stress I imagine.

[ginnyinWI]

12. thanks for the info.

I might just do that--look for a sweet female. Based on experience with other cats in our house, I know the one female I have, a brown tabby, wants to be friendly to and play with other cats. She's played with our foster kittens and tried to with befriend adult female cats. There was one male who wanted nothing to do with anybody, but he wasn't here very long anyway so who knows. And she's been friendly to my daughter's cats when they were visiting.

My other female is a Maine Coon mix, black, and is the alpha around here. Once a day she wants to be on my lap and purr, but otherwise is doing her own thing. She only likes to chase the tabby, not play. One of my main reasons for getting another cat is so the tabby can have a friend. Fosters come and go, but she'd probably like a true companion, besides me that is.

[liberalla]

17. Just a note on the Arm & Hammer...

In case you ever try them again, be sure you get the Unscented or the Fragrance Free. I can't stand heavily scented litter of any kind, either.

The unscented and fragrance free is harder to find (in my experience), but it's the only Arm & Hammer I'll use. I usually find mine at Target, and I watch for when they're on sale. FYI.

[roody]

5. I use ones made of pine trees, wheat grass,

or corn: all natural. After removing the poop, I compost it. Also there is one made of newspaper.

[liberalla]

18. I recently tried the newspaper type as prescribed by the Vet.

My baby boy had an anal abcess, and she said the only litter I could use was newspaper, because it was larger pieces and wouldn't be possible to stick to or infect the wound. Neither of my cats liked it at all, and would go outside the box instead... so, I don't have fond memories of the newspaper litter. Maybe if it was introduced at a young age before the cat had become accustomed to scoopable litter... (The newspaper was not scoopable)

[Voice for Peace]

8. I strongly recommend using one of the enzyme brands

You may find this impossible to believe, and it's true that my cats
mostly use the outdoors, but I have had the SAME KITTY LITTER
for more than a year. It has been well-used and it is still pretty
full and NOT stinky.

These brands are more expensive but they last longer, go much
farther, they are NEVER stinky, they are not dusty, and there
are no poisonous fragrances or other chemicals.

Despite the cost I do urge you to try it. I put it off for many years
because it was more expensive than the other stuff, but I will
never go back. In reality, it's cut my kitty litter bill by more than half.

Nature's Miracle
http://www.chewy.com/cat/natures-miracle-jfc-natural-care-cat/dp/43199?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Nature%27s%20Miracle&utm_term=&gclid=Cj0KEQiA1qajBRC_6MO49cqDxbYBEiQAiCl5_AlDJVFyhcGZXYc3XdVoWK4e1o6f9zzv7RdvIjmFYD4aAgVV8P8HAQ

World's Best Cat Litter
http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/getawayfromclay-search/?gclid=Cj0KEQiA1qajBRC_6MO49cqDxbYBEiQAiCl5_JGhqqZo9PkpqJ4HrtJ1FqsIbaEW-spBgPU8avzg-7IaAnWg8P8HAQ

[ginnyinWI]

9. I've heard that corn/grain litters can grow moldy

Not true?

[Voice for Peace]

10. I believe the enzymes would discourage that happening.

Enzymes seem to eat everything that smells nasty.
And maybe it depends on other environmental factors.
There is zero sign of mold here.

If you can afford to try the product, just once, do.

A friend of mine with many indoor-only cats (aka
lots of litterbox action) switched over after using every
other grocery store name or generic brand.

His house used to smell like a dirty pet store, even
though the boxes were cleaned every day. That's gone
away, the stink.

[ginnyinWI]

13. okay I will

You make a good case for it!

[Voice for Peace]

14. let me know if you like it.

[ginnyinWI]

21. I tried it!

I got a $3.00 off coupon from their website so it was $5 for the 8 lb bag. It's pretty nice-no smell, and no dust. The cost is the only thing that bothers me. And I'm not sure, but I think one of my cats doesn't like to dig in it because she left her mess uncovered.

I also tried Tidy Cat Dual Power, also on sale. It's every bit as good as World's Best. No dust, no perfume and very hard clumps with no crumbles. This might be the one I stay with.

[Voice for Peace]

23. great!

In my case the extra cost has been nearly nonexistent, because
the litter has lasted so long.

In fact I cleaned it out recently and sprayed it lightly with the
enzyme spray and I swear it is like a brand new batch.

[jtuck004]

11. A rescue here turned me on to buying pressed wood pellets that are used for bedding. Abt

$3 for a 50 lb bag, started mixing them in with the cat litter, soon that's all they used.

Pellets are very absorbent.

I'm sure there are ones with additives, these are just pressed, so safe, and made for animals anyway.

Saved us a lot in cat litter.

hth

[ellenrr]

15. The best I found:

My cat had asthma and allergies, I did a lot of research and experimentation re dust and this is what I found.
best: http://bluebuffalo.com/for-cats/product-lines/naturally-fresh-litter/

2nd best:
https://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/

These 2 made a huge difference as far as my cat coughing.
altho blue buffalo did not clump as well as I would have liked.

[ginnyinWI]

16. walnuts!

That's a new one!

[hamsterjill]

19. Layena Chicken Crumbles

I kid you not. Open a bag of it, and compare that to a bag of World's Best Cat Litter - Extra Strength.

A 50-pound bag runs about $16.00 in my area. Our cat rescue cuts corners in any way possible. We deal with large numbers of cats, and this has worked well for OUR situation. Obviously, you (or anyone) would have to decide if it worked for your own personal situation.

[irisblue]

20. Tidy Cat is a dust machine

I hung a shower curtain in the basement between the litter pans and the laundry area.

[ginnyinWI]

22. And Tidy Cat Dual Power isn't dusty.

As with Cat's Pride, individual kinds within the brand can be very different.

Cat's Pride Fresh& Light: great, no dust. just crumbles too much

Cat's Pride Pink Cap: very fine powdery stuff, very very dusty and crumbly. Completely different.