I do cat rescue for a small humane society in Georgia and a woman came into PetSmart yesterday and told me about Cat Chat. I don't have satellite radio but may get it so that I can hear your show. I recently went to a Cat Show where there was a man selling an additive to clay litter to make it clumpable. He advised that much of the clumpable litter is harmful to cats and people mostly due to the dust. I did find several articles on the internet that did tend to agree and from what I read clumpable litter should not be used with kittens under 3 months of age. Do you have any more information on litter? The additive that the person was selling is called LitterMate and is supposed to be completely natural. Do you have any information on it also?
With having foster cats in my home all the time I would like to do the best for them.

Also I am going to try going to the all canned cat food with all my cats. I have a 12 year old, 21 pound Maine Coon that needs to lose weight and it has been a really problem.

Thank you for any advice you can give me on cat litter.
Linda Earhart
Georgia Heartland Humane Society

Dear Georgia,

I checked out the LitterMate on line and it looks like it's used with cheap clay litter to make it clump. But I can't imagine how the cost of a bag of litter plus the LitterMate (20 lbs. for $37) would be less than a decent clumping litter, whether it's Tidy Cat or World's Best or Yesterday's News. Sounds like a marketing gimmick to me.

Let's face it, the basic issue about Out of Litter Box events is that the box has to be scooped and cleaned regularly. And you need to throw away a litter box at least once a year, or more if they get frequent use since the odors cling to the plastic and offend some cats.

Keep in mind that so many of the litter-related products are made to appeal to humans, i.e. highly scented to mask the odor, while fresh litter is the best way to attract cats tot eh box. There is even a litter called Cat Attract which seems to help in cases where a cat is avoiding a clean box. Your basic cheap clay litter is dusty -- others have varying degrees, but manufacturers are doing a better job of minimizing the dustiness.

As for kittens and clumping litter, I had never heard a word about this concern. Dear Sally (the Official Behavior Consultant on CAT CHAT®) tells me that the concern about kittens and clumping litter apparently stems from an article in a defunct publication called Tiger Tribe - the article has been circulated for years but there is no other mention in the literature about this issue. However, people seem to avoid it for kittens on that basis alone – meaning a rumor, basically!

As for the Maine Coon, just watch the weight drop off and his spirits and health rise as you make that switch to wet food and off of the Kitty Crack. Congratulations on that wise, cat-loving decision.

Best,
Tracie Hotchner