Safe Alternative for Clumping Litter?

LJ,

Diapers (for adults and children) utilize small (less than 1.0 mm in size), partially crosslinked beads of sodium polyacrylate, which swell with the liquid they absorb. They can retain more than 200 times their weight of (distilled) water.

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Just my $0.02...

Thank you JMAN

Thank you BRICKTOP

Sodium polyacrylate in the forms you suggested are the right track. Some products use the technology to swell and stop leaks and are thus not meant to be disposed of.

This might work as a safe, acceptable substitute as evidenced by the fact that there is a child's science kit sold at Amazon that uses the same chemistry under adult supervision for children over 8.

The one draw back to continued use of the same material is that while cat urine will evaporate it's water and make the sodium polyacrylate reusable, cat urine turns to concentrated ammonia when it decomposes. It is this characteristic of cat urine that betrays it's presence and demands prompt disposal

I know how to counteract that using plain ordinary white vinegar or in a pinch, acetic acid from my dark room. It's any one's guess what the consequences would be of adding white vinegar to the sodium polyacrylate before employing it. It's worth a try.

Thanks, both of you, for your support.

L.J.

There is another alternative. Train your cat to use the toilet. My daughter actually did that:

http://www.petlvr.com/blog/2008/06/toilet-training-your-cat/

Very funny to watch. It was a male cat, and of course, he never put the seat down.

goto:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2W8XKK-3Rk&feature=related & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ug7WEUxH68&NR=1

there are plenty more, so it is definitely possible. Easier still is to install a cat flap.

chas

Hi,

Sodium bentonite cannot have such effect you mention on your pet's lungs. Simply its absorbing capacity is not that high. This is a natural raw material discovered and marketed firstly in Wyoming more than 40 years ago and vastly used in the USA and in Europe as well. This is really the most widely used material for cat litter in the USA, whilst another natural clay called sepiolite is more frequent in Europe. Millions and millions of cats have been using these products since for many decades without problems.

Anyway, dust is always annoying and it should be avoided. I am using now a new cat litter called Sanicat Clumping Gold which is first ever real dust free (99,9%) and it really works!! I can see no dust when I pour it on the tray. My cat's paws are always clean and I feel more comfortable. It is really superb!

Guest wrote: "Sodium bentonite cannot have such effect you mention on your pet's lungs."

I want so much for you to be right about that but I've learned of several instances where vets asked the owners to stop using clumping litter and soon after the breathing symptoms the cats exhibited went away.

Perhaps it was merely the dust. Perhaps the cats had allergies. I'd just as soon not take any chances.

I do appreciate the brand name you provided. I'll get some

Thanks!

L.J.

I finally taught the little 6 pound bob tailed tuxedo (see avatar)to tell me when she needs to go out and use the bathroom after the wife threatened to leave me over the cat box smell. This makes having a cat way easier but training cats is not the easiest thing to do IMO

Silly man... cats are a lot less trouble than wives!

(note. mine is not looking over my shoulder as I type!!)

Chas

I have a cat who's been using clumping litter for 21 years now with no problems......

I'm curious as to what problems come from the cat litter being eaten!

My dogs love those damn "cat box Snickers" and are always finding ways to eat them. One dog, who finds them the most palatable, also has urinary incontinence. Is there a correlation?

We went away from the deodorant litter because of health concerns with the added chemicals. But now I'm curious about the effect of the minerals too.