Hello, I’m Dr. Karyn! Learn my introduction to be taught extra about me and meet my 5 hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.
Final week we have been speaking about how to decide on one of the best meals to your cat (you’ll be able to learn that column right here), and that one of many methods we are able to inform how properly your cat’s meals is working for them is by wanting within the litter field.
“In case your cat farts loads, poops greater than a couple of times a day, and clears a room once they use the litter field, it’s an indication that they aren’t digesting their meals properly.”
Not solely is that this an excellent indicator of your cat’s well being and meals high quality, for me, it is a crucial consideration as a result of the cat litter trays are positioned in my house workplace. So relating to meals and cat litter, I spare no expense. However does that imply I’m paying ridiculous quantities for my cat provides? No, and also you don’t need to both.
What’s Meals Acquired To Do With It?
One of many factors I made final time was that regardless that increased high quality meals are costlier, their excessive digestibility signifies that you find yourself feeding as little as half the quantity of a less expensive model.
The opposite advantage of this, aside from the plain advantages to your cat’s well being, is that your litter field takes much less punishment too. In case your cat’s poops are massive, free, and frequent, you might be scooping out extra litter extra usually.
On the subject of my feline’s bowel actions, I’m scooping one small poop per cat per day. This implies much less wasted cat litter, much less mess in my litter field, much less work for me and a way more nice work setting!
I’m extraordinarily lucky that my cats have fashioned fairly a cohesive group, and can truly share litter trays. Ordinarily, I like to recommend a minimal of 1 tray per cat plus one further, however over time, I noticed that my cats weren’t even utilizing all of the trays, which is uncommon in a gaggle of unrelated felines!
One issue that has presumably influenced that is the small dimension and decreased odor of their poop, and the way properly the litter covers it.
What Are My Choices?
You’re in all probability conscious that there are fairly just a few completely different kinds of cat litter, making it powerful to know which one to decide on. Very like with cat meals, you typically get what you pay for, in that a budget and cheerful non-clumping clay litter will do the job, however you’ll undergo it a lot faster than you’d a clumping kind. As a result of it doesn’t bind the urine, there may be minimal odor management, and also you’ll have to utterly change out the litter each couple of days.
For years there was concern voiced over clumping litter, and whether or not its cohesive properties pose a threat to the interior workings of our cats’ digestive system. Properly, you is likely to be shocked to be taught that there’s nearly no scientific proof to help this concern. Actually, the other may even be true.
Cats get hairballs because the hair swallowed throughout a grooming session step by step accumulates of their digestive tract. With nothing substantial to maneuver it alongside, it builds up over time till it types a strong clump. The addition of some cat litter particles into this equation would possible assist push the hair alongside the intestines.
There’s the flamboyant silica gel litter that traps urine, and its odor, and the one factor it’s worthwhile to scoop out is feces. If I used to be a single cat family, that is in all probability the one I might go for, however with this many cats, it isn’t essentially the most price efficient possibility for me.
Then there are the assorted eco-friendly litter choices equivalent to paper, wooden, wheat or corn. I would really like to have the ability to say that I put the setting earlier than my very own private wants, however these supplies simply don’t reduce it relating to odor management.
For my clowder, I go for a effective clumping clay litter. It’s not stupidly costly, however it’s a bit pricier than a few of the extra fundamental clumping litter. The effective particles maintain liquid extra successfully and permit my cats to dig and canopy their poop extra successfully, all of which equates to wonderful odor management.
Which Litter Is Finest?
Am I telling you that effective particle clumping litter is one of the best cat litter possibility for everybody? I’m not. One of many annoying options of any such litter is that it tracks. Regardless of having prime entry litter containers, I nonetheless discover litter particles on my desk, laptop computer, window sill, couch…and that is likely to be a deal breaker for some. For me, whose precedence is odor management, it’s an appropriate disadvantage.
If I may tuck the litter containers in a special a part of the home, I might in all probability rethink my choices, and think about a extra eco-friendly materials. If I had only one or two cats, the silica gel can be a robust contender, though it’s the worst when it comes to the setting.
However right here I’m making all of it about me. Not solely am I fortunate that my cats all get alongside, I’m additionally fortunate that all of them appear to be pleased with the litter I’ve chosen, as a result of that’s not at all times the case. You may do your analysis, decide, solely to seek out that your cat gained’t contact it. That is extra frequent with the little silica gel balls or wooden or paper pellets, as some cats don’t like the texture of them underfoot. So the opposite factor you want to concentrate on, and ready for, is your cat’s private preferences.
Identical to we did with our cat meals dialogue, relating to selecting cat litter, one of the best product for you and your cats, may not be what’s greatest for the cat subsequent door.
One factor I’ll say is that when you’re wanting to avoid wasting {dollars}, don’t do it by shopping for that enormous bag of non-clumping clay. You don’t need to go prime of the road, however spending just a little bit extra on an honest clumping cat litter can be price it; belief me.
