Litter & Litterboxes

Intro

PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:
Where litter and cats are concerned, there is NO such thing as litter that does not drag and does not make a mess. Some do more than others, so you can find the one you and your cat like more. But toilet is a toilet and there are obvious downsides to having one in a bedroom. There could be SOME smell, SOME mess and SOME inconvenience of needing to clean it DAILY but, if this is too much for you,
PLEASE DO NOT BUY A CAT!
Cat's litterbox is not JUST a toilet but also the best indicator of your cat's overall health,
so hiding it in the farthest darkest corner of the house is NOT an option! Like with little human babies, the way cats' stool looks and smells and how much urine is produced daily can quickly alert you to serious problems, such as GI infection or urinary blockage - and either can be lethal if left untreated or not attended to quickly.

THE most important issues where litterboxes are concerned are their cleanliness, size and location (Read more below). And MOST principle to avoid problems related to cats' proper use of them is our RESPECT to the cat's needs.

Types of Litters

Type	Pros	Cons	Overall Value	Best LB to use *
Regular clumping clay	Cheap, widely available, cats love it	VERY dusty and very high-tracking, hard on people with allergies to dust, CANNOT be used with Cateco LB	3/10	Regular with very high sides or top entry, plastic storage container, double box
Wood pellets	Cheap, no dust, good for people with allergies and cats after surgery	Not all cats like it, non-clumping, gets very soggy very quickly - high-tracking when wet	4/10	Sifting boxes
Paper pellets	Inexpensive, softer than wood on cats' paws, some brands offer clumping, excellent after surgery, easy on people with allergies	High-tracking when dry, gets soggy quickly	4/10	Sifting boxes
Natural: corn, wheat, nut shells, grass, etc	Many different brands and types; natural, some can be flushed	Some people can be allergic to wheat Walnut-based can be dark staining	Prices and types vary	Any
Silica crystals	Highly absorbent	Can be dangerous when swallowed by cats cleaning their paws	I do NOT recommend using it at all! 1/10	Often used with automatic LBs

* - more information in the litter boxes section
More Comments:

Clumping - clay based
Although in general, traditional clay litters are not something I like, there are some excellent clay-based litters that are better than others. These litters usually offer options that come in small round pellets and create much less dust than the cheaper traditional ones.
One of the best brands are Dr. Elseys Cat and Kitten Attract. It is very good for cats and kittens that for one reason or another are reluctant to properly use their litterbox. That can happen when something either spooked a cat away from their regular box - such as a sudden noise or a pain that he experienced while trying to use it (for instance, urinary tract infection).

Pellets - wood and paper
In general, all cats prefer smaller sand-like feeling under their sensitive paws. Some may agree to use this kind of litters but others may completely refuse. Never offer it as the only litter option when introducing them for the first time (use two litter boxes side-by-side with one that the cat previously used). In some areas they may be allowed to be flushed down the toilet

Natural
This category is probably the most extensive it offers many different types of the bases, prices and size of pellets. There are too many litters to mention by brands but the most popular are based on corn, wheat, grass, walnut shells, wood and paper.
These litters are least dusty and usually more acceptable by the people with allergies to dust (be careful about wheat, though, and check small amounts before buying a large bag).
In my house I use chicken feed pellets that are natural, safe, well-clumping and inexpensive. It can also be recycled in green bins. But it comes in very large 40 lbs bags, so if you do not have chickens or many cats, it will probably not be a viable solution for you.

Silica
As mentioned above, this kind of clear granules is most often used with automatic litterboxes. It is the most absorbent for liquids type but because of this quality can also be dangerous if ingested as always happens with litter granules that get stuck in the long-haired cats' furry paw pads. Absolutely unacceptable for use for kittens' boxes.

How to decide?
You have to find a compromise between your cat's and your own needs. Cats prefer litters that are closest in feel to sand outside: smaller granules, softer on their paws, easier to dig in. Humans have more complicated needs and desires but no matter what you choose in the end, please keep your cat's interests as a priority and remember that there is NO ideal solution that fits all. But cats are not the ones that will compromise to no end. If you go too far by imposing your need on them, they will just find another solution that may not be at all acceptable to you.
When experimenting with different kinds of litters, it needs to be done gradually and best if offered an alternative of using the previous type that cat accepted together with the new one in side-by-side litter boxes. Remove the old one only when the new is regularly used.

All about litter boxes

A litter box has to correspond to the type of the litter you use but, more importantly, it has to be properly sized for the size of your cat. If the cat has to uncomfortably crouch in the box the chances are he won't use it or won't always use it. But once he tried to do his business elsewhere where it was more comfortable, he will continue to go there again or hold on for as long as he can which can result in constipation or more concentrated urine that produces more dangerous crystals and, eventually, blockage.

You don't want either to happen, so please be respectful to your cat's needs - in the same way you feel about yours (you won't be able to use child-size toilet, would you?)

In nature, a cat walks around sniffing and feeling the right spot, then digs a hole, turns around and digs again, measuring the right positions for his body before actually doing its did. However, we in our homes, often do not allowing him this "luxury" of convenience and expect them to just sit and do that - as if they were humans using a toilet. Unthinking, we force our beloved cat to make SO many sacrifices for OUR convenience and not consider his/her needs!

Vertical Divider

So what is the appropriate size of the box?
It should be MINIMALLY sized to the length of the cat from its nose to the tip of the tail (not including the tail) and the cat should be able to turn around in it comfortably. Therefore, it is very rare that you can find one standard commercial one that fits the size of a large adult Siberian male!

Cateco Litter Box by QC company Mondu
This is my by-far hands-down paws-up favorite litterbox for a few reasons:

1. It is the only one that is reasonably sized (could be larger but so far the largest I found)
2. It provides the best bacterial (therefore, smell) prevention.
3. This is a sifting LB of the best quality and design I have found so far, as well. The sifting mesh has very small holes that allow only the liquids sift through, leaving the litter clean and dry, therefore it can be used with any size litters. The only litter it should not be used is the regular (cheap) clumping litter that sticks to the mesh and clogs the holes. And because you need to cover only enough depth to allow a cat to dig, it saves a lot of money you can spend on the best type of litter and not feel the sting of high monthly expenses.

The only minus in the design is that the bottom tray is too shallow, so I use a larger plastic storage container (can be purchased at a thrift store for a couple bucks) instead. This allows me not to worry about how much urine has accumulated in the bottom tray and flush it once a day even when 3 of my cats are using it. So all I have to do is scoop out the solids. Below is my arrangement - the blue box fits perfectly with the Cateco size.

Other sifting litter boxes are also hygienic BUT usually very small in size with very big holes that can be suitable only for very large size pellets (wood). In my opinion, they are not worth their costs.

Top Entry Litter Boxes

Personally, I really dislike them and think that a cat must be feeling claustrophobic in them. When a cat uses his LB, he is in a vulnerable position and likes to observe his environment which this box prevents him from doing, so he feels unduly stressed. I always feel sorry for the poor creatures that have to crouch under the lid of these boxes with no ability to turn around :(

Covered Litter Boxes

Invented for HUMANS' convenience, they are never the favorites of the cats. Especially those with the door - avoid at all costs (that are quite significant)! They are made to HIDE what your cat has been doing therefore creating a problem of potentially not seeing unhealthy stool and absence of urine - see above.

Automatic Litter Boxes

They could have been nice IF they worked properly but they usually don't. They are usually too small for the average cat, dangerous for kittens, too expensive, too shallow, so the soaked litter sticks to its sides and brushes and, at some point it gets stuck at the most inopportune time. Tried them all - except the most expensive Litter Robot. If you decide to invest in it, please buy the one that has a memory chip and provides a record of your cat's excursions.

my favorites

Litters

For Kittens:
Dr. Elsey's Kitten/Cat Attract

For Adults:
World's Best

Litter Boxes

Hands down both thumbs up - Cateco! THE cleanest and healthiest solution for all of your cats' needs.
In my multicat home I use them as the main boxes for all my cats, with some other sifting boxes for backup.

training your cat to use human toilet

In one word (or two):

It only seems as a very attractive solution - to you, of course. NOT to your cat! But these poor creatures are so good to us that they are ready to accept all the abuse from us... until a certain point.

I am sure that you saw all those videos of cats using a toilet and some even flush. It looks very cute and funny and amazingly easy to train your cat to do. Many years ago when I first learned about it, it seemed very attractive and I taught my first Canadian kitten. It took a couple weeks to slowly train her and all seemed dandy... until I realized all the problems associated with that:

At that time, I started traveling a lot for my work and had to leave for 5 days at a time, so I realized that it may be a problem with that toilet. I had to make sure that water was constantly running.
Then I also realized that when I want to travel with her, I could not take the toilet with me, of course, so what would happen? Animals are very "contextual", which means they associate a particular behavior with the context or location it has been trained to perform. She also was not comfortable sharing "her toilet" with my guests, particularly male ones. So a toilet that the cat is using is only "that particular toilet" and not any other. But if I brought a regular litter box with me, she would probably not want to use the toilet again after being exposed to a more suitable option and I would have to re-train her from scratch.
But the most serious problem was that she has never felt particularly comfortable perching on that narrow area, especially when pooping and stood on two hind legs balancing her in that precarious position. I was afraid that she would fall into the bawl of water one day and it will end with a disastrous result. But it actually ended sooner than I expected when I realized that she figured out a more comfortable - and compromising on her part way that achieved the same result: she started using a bathroom sink, then bathtub for peeing right in the hole! I could not see it but could not understand where the smell came from. I think it took me more time to find the answer than for her to find a solution :) Eventually she started using a bathtub for pooping as well - and that I could not stand anymore, so our "successful" training ended up being a complete failure :(

Cat is Thinking outside the box?

My cat stopped using her litterbox! Help! - What should I do?
First of all, watch and think: "What was different today (or yesterday)? Has something changed at home? What was it?" - cats cannot tell us, so we have to investigate from the cat's perspective (which is not easy).

Although they often do not show their distress, cats are highly sensitive creatures and any physical or emotional stress can deeply affect their health that often manifests in gastrointestinal (GI) or urinary problems. Any drastic change to their environment, such as a new baby, pet or human visitor or even a new smelling furniture can cause an emotional upheaval and feeling not in control to cats.

Common Problems

The cat has not peed today, peed on my bed, hiding, crying, does not want to be touched or eat, straining and only little drops get out - any or all of these require IMMEDIATE visit to the vet!

Emergency health check is the FIRST thing that we have to explore and fast. Not attending to it right away can cause a chronic condition at best and can be life-threatening at worst. In case of obstruction with urinary stones, her bladder can explode and she will die. But distinguishing this situation from a mental stress is very hard with felines if you are not a vet. PLEASE do not "wait and see" and schedule an appointment right away!

A similar situation can happen when a cat has a bout of diarrhea or constipation - it may be painful or he could not get to the box on time.
Cats behavior is "contextual", which means that it is associated with a particular location and situation, i.e., the context in which that behavior took place. So when she goes to use her litterbox but it hurts to pee, she associates it with that LB that causes her the pain. Naturally, she tries to avoid it and looks for a better place. And what place is proven to provide the best positive and comforting experience if not your bed?! So she tries it there.
Unfortunately, most humans would not be understanding and some will even attribute this behavior not to cry for help which it is but to the cat "being spiteful" for something they have done. Nothing can be farther from the truth and poor kitty suffers not only from the terrible physical distress but also the angry owner's wrath!

Only when this has been done and cleared, can you start considering
Emotional and Behavioral issues,
such as:

Cleanliness of the litter box is self-explanatory (or is it?): Would you want to use unclean toilet?
But felines are extremely clean and fastidious animals, so it is important to them many times over!

There are no specific rules about how many times to scoop it - all depends on the type of the box, number of cats and their use. But the absolute minimum has to be once a day. Not only cleaning per se but also keeping track of cats' elimination, will help you avoid serious problems or attend to them sooner.

Size of the litter box: please see a previous topic in ALL ABOUT LITTER BOXES

Location of the litter box
Real estate agents think that they invented the term "location, location, location". Not so: cats lived by it for generations!
Cats thrive when their space is respected and protected. When they use their LB they feel particularly vulnerable, so safety and comfort is very important to them in no lesser way than it is to us.

Think about it:
would you feel comfortable using the toilet when other people are walking buy or sudden loud and unexpected noises happen around? Yet we often sequester them in places where children or dogs can surprise them at inopportune moment, or water tap is turned on - when their litterbox is placed in a crammed bathroom - or a loud noise of a washing machine or drier startles them in a laundry room, or garage door opens...
Scare your kitty once and she may remember and try to avoid that place forever.

For Adults: The World's Best