What's the scoop on cat litter?
By NailTech
@NailTech (6874)
United States
December 4, 2012 6:41pm CST
I have been wondering about this as a friend brought it up on FB recently about just not liking the feel of cat litter on their skin. Here where I live I have to clean the litter boxes for the cat the old fashioned way I guess you could say like everything else we do here for years. 
I have two litter boxes for one cat, and we do use scoopable litter but *get this* my mother who pays for the litter says to only use a smallish amount. Then she has me dumping the dirtied litter with the clean litter into the other litter box (usually only the clean litter will be saved but this is so much harder work in my opinion and the poor cat has barely any litter to "work with") and whatever dirty litter there is (w/urine) sticks to the one pan is then scraped out by hand by me with a paper towel, thus using a ton of paper towels and probably too much litter being wasted too. This is all cause she thinks she is saving $ on the litter. I was wondering, how do YOU clean your cat's litter box(es) and what kind of scoopable litter is best? I am planning to change this way of thinking about her if it kills me. I hate to clean them this way, the scoopable boxes should have at least 3 times as much litter in them and when I try to explain to her that only what is used gets thrown out she doesn't want to hear anything. Her way is always right no matter how wrong it is, grrrr. On top of this she was always buying small baggies to take the poop out for the longest time, costing more $. So how is she saving money her way? I plan to buy a plastic big container, cut a passageway through it so my cat can get through in it, add more litter that have bought myself so she doesn't complain how I have "wasted" so much cat litter and physically show her myself how long the cat litter lasts and how to just scoop out the used litter without much trouble. Think that will work?
I have two litter boxes for one cat, and we do use scoopable litter but *get this* my mother who pays for the litter says to only use a smallish amount. Then she has me dumping the dirtied litter with the clean litter into the other litter box (usually only the clean litter will be saved but this is so much harder work in my opinion and the poor cat has barely any litter to "work with") and whatever dirty litter there is (w/urine) sticks to the one pan is then scraped out by hand by me with a paper towel, thus using a ton of paper towels and probably too much litter being wasted too. This is all cause she thinks she is saving $ on the litter. I was wondering, how do YOU clean your cat's litter box(es) and what kind of scoopable litter is best? I am planning to change this way of thinking about her if it kills me. I hate to clean them this way, the scoopable boxes should have at least 3 times as much litter in them and when I try to explain to her that only what is used gets thrown out she doesn't want to hear anything. Her way is always right no matter how wrong it is, grrrr. On top of this she was always buying small baggies to take the poop out for the longest time, costing more $. So how is she saving money her way? I plan to buy a plastic big container, cut a passageway through it so my cat can get through in it, add more litter that have bought myself so she doesn't complain how I have "wasted" so much cat litter and physically show her myself how long the cat litter lasts and how to just scoop out the used litter without much trouble. Think that will work?3 responses
@deazil (4723)
• United States
6 Dec 12
I put about 5-6 inches of litter in the box. This way most of the pee doesn't stick to the sides of the box. We have 3 litter boxes, 3 cats. I scoop them out every day. I don't consider it a waste of litter and I think you're right. But your mother never listens to you, I know that. You have a good idea of buying your own litter, just to show her. I bought some litter on sale, it was awful. The pee stuck like glue to the box. Ugh. What I do when there's pee clumps at the side is tap the outside of the box with the scoop. This makes it fall off. During the month I add a little litter but towards the end of the month I let it go down to about 2-3 inches because I dump it into another box and clean the boxes with Lestoil and water. Where I shop they use plastic and paper grocery bags so I use the plastic grocery bags to put the clumps and poop in and put it outside in the trash can. The trash collectors don't like taking it if they know it's there. One time I just put the plastic bag with the litter next to the other trash bags and when they came they left it there. They wouldn't take it. And my niece has a neighbor who's an engineer for the city trash department. He said they detected radiation coming from the trash at the dump.
So they found it. It was coming from a bag of used kitty litter. They tracked down the woman who's trash it was in and her cat was on some kind of medication that caused this. I think it was for a thyroid problem. Not sure. But the trash department had a little excitement in their day, until they found out what it was. 
So they found it. It was coming from a bag of used kitty litter. They tracked down the woman who's trash it was in and her cat was on some kind of medication that caused this. I think it was for a thyroid problem. Not sure. But the trash department had a little excitement in their day, until they found out what it was. @NailTech (6874)
• United States
6 Dec 12
Yes that is about how much to use, not even 1 inch of cat litter doesn't really give her much to work with and she still tells me that I use too much litter with the cat! This is just one of her things she is always doing "different" from everybody else and it drives me crazy! Then going and telling me I put to much in the litter box, as in more critique I don't deserve. Yes, I still plan to find some kind of space here (it's harder than even showing her as there every inch of space covered where the litter box could go!) Wow that is some story about the medication and the radiation coming from the bag! Those trash collectors should take all the garbage and not leave it if they know there's cat poop in it, sheesh. That is wrong.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
12 Dec 12
That is right about cats burying it and they even go bak to sniff it to see if it's covered enough. There was a tv commercial that came on the TV this afternoon while my mom and I were both watching. It was about the scoopable litter. It even showed the cat in the litter and how much litter was in the pan. The cat was scratching it as it would do right before using it, and then I started to explain to her about how to use the litter again. Do you know what she said? She said I am lazy to thin that way.I even explained she wouldn't have to buy that many paper towels, or plastic bags or touch the litter box everyday, just use the coop. I just wonder where her head is at so much of the time, she tries to brainwash me into thinking I'm lazy cause everyone else uses vat litter for their cat like this? Give me a break. This is just too much, then she ridicules me for not knowing what goes on in the real world when she knows much less. I can't understand her at all sometimes.
@deazil (4723)
• United States
6 Dec 12
I meant to mention that one time I read the directions on a bag/box of litter and it said to use 1-2 inches. I couldn't believe it. (I also couldn't believe that there were directions - for litter use). Cats need enough to dig a good hole and be able to bury it. I've had cats that, after they bury it, will turn around and sniff to make sure it's buried good. Sometimes I guess they think they didn't do a good enough job because they turn back around and bury it some more.
Yeah - trash collectors. Now I always make sure I put it in the big trash bags with everything else. They'll never know.
Yeah - trash collectors. Now I always make sure I put it in the big trash bags with everything else. They'll never know.1 person likes this
@911Ricki (13588)
• Canada
6 Dec 12
I am so lost, so cleans one litter, then dumps that into the other litter. What I do with the cats, I scoop it everyday, as we use clumping litter. Scoop the clumps of poo and pee out daily, then usually weekly dump the entire box out unless they don't like that box and skip over it (they do this to get to the back ones). We have 12 liter pans, so if she is complaining about her 2 I'll trade. Now I can't see buying poop bags, just get plastic bags from the store (when I go to Walmart we dont get chaarged for bags so thats what I use). I can see resuing litter after scooping it if it's fine, but if it's all hard and chunks then no. How much litter does she buy in a month? I buy about 10 big boxes (18 kg boxes), and we decently fill the boxes about half full of litter and the big box is about $7.99 a box. With Marco I usually clean it once a week, and he uses the pellet litter. I wait until he turns his nose up at it, or when it gets real run down in the box *usually about once a week unless otherwise), and I go through a giant bag once a month usually which is $15.00.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
6 Dec 12
I know it is confusing but that is what she has us doing here, it is wierd. The clean litter goes into an empty coffee can actually and not the litter box itself (I worded that wrong) and then the litter is reused from that coffee can. I use the other litter box though to catch any fallen litter as I dump it into that coffee can though. It is not that easy to understand so I get how you are lost on this. Yes, she is rather a huge complainer and doesn't do anything to help supplement the income here and never has or even helps my dad with his auctions (I do!) so I dunno why she even complains about stuff like this. I don't know hoe much litter shy buys in a month but it seems like she would have an easier job of it if she just scooped it like I have seen most people do.
@911Ricki (13588)
• Canada
6 Dec 12
You have to be joking me - seriously - seriously.....
I could see my grandmother doing this as well.
Some litter is obviously going to go to waste, and I mean some things we may see as wasteful or not. I mean Toppie has this thing of kicking his litter out all over the place, now most of it is in a pile (he does scratch it into a pile), so I sweep it up and put it in the box (it's perfectly good), now my friend tells me I am so a*nal about saving litter (obviously not compared to your mother).
Now I can see scooping it, instead of tossing the entire container. My friend complains as she has 1 cat, and goes through about 3 big bozes, but every day she dumps the litter pan, whether its clean or dirty. I scoopy it daily, then usually toss it once a week. Now if its good then I keep it and reuse it.
But not so bad where I have to empty it into the coffee can, then dump it back. I agree, using paper towels would cost so much. I have a rag (from old towels, and clothes), I use to wipe them down including the cages. After a few weeks I toss them,a nd really I;m not using any money.
@weye13 (114)
• Philippines
6 Dec 12
I keep my cat's litter boxes with about 2-3 inches of litter. Litter should be a bit deep so the cat can bury its urine and feces as it does in the wild. So having too shallow litter might not work for your kitty. I use clay clumping litter as it is the easiest available litter for me. I scoop about 3-4 times a day and I have a small covered trash can where I put I litter I've scooped out. I throw it once it's full within 1-2 days. I change the litter box every other week. One litter box a week. My cat usually prefers the newly changed litter box. As for your disagreement with your mom, perhaps it's best for you to buy the cat litter yourself so you can be the one who decides on how to use it. After all, it is your money.
@NailTech (6874)
• United States
6 Dec 12
Yea, I agree. She is one stubborn person though. As I had stated in another discussion she hardly ever takes my suggestions as truth and only does if my brother tells her things. I'm not sure what that is about, perhaps a pride issue but it is rather annoying. I will have to show her myself on how to properly do this for the cat. She then critisizes me for using too much litter when I even do it the way she wants me to with barely any litter in the box! I can't figure her out sometimes. I know she is not right in the head at times but it gets to the point where it is downright offensive to me.
