The Cat Lovers Thread

Who used the pine pellets for cat litter?
I'm giving it another go, having watched youtubes from people who have awesome tips and good results. So far so good, but I've yet to get rid of the clay. So much dust! I can't keep up and really worrying about everyones health.
 
I haven’t used the pine because I can’t do anything with a scent, but I use yesterdays news in Bratt’s box in his cage, where he goes at night, and I love it. I have 8 litter boxes and would use it in all 8 but it’s more expensive. I would imagine the pine would work as well?
 
KLS52 said:
I haven’t used the pine because I can’t do anything with a scent, but I use yesterdays news in Bratt’s box in his cage, where he goes at night, and I love it. I have 8 litter boxes and would use it in all 8 but it’s more expensive. I would imagine the pine would work as well?
Click to expand...
8? :eek:
I've got 7 cats, three boxes! There were only 2--giant ones--but ever since Mimi stayed in my room I left the box there
The youtube vids about pellets are mostly the ones found for either horses-equine pine- or simply wood pellets I think for wood burning stoves. People swear they're the same!
I had tried the Equine Pine years ago, with 15 cats and tried to compost it and all--that didn't work. But I have found I was going about things the wrong way.
Now I'm going to make a sifter to get the sawdust in the trash and keep the pellets back in the box

 
Yeah...Stella is a problem with her peeing outside of the box. :( The extra boxes make her happier.

I’m not sure I understand...are you saying there is clay and dust from the pine pellets? I don’t have that with the yesterday’s news.
 
silva said:
8? :eek:
I've got 7 cats, three boxes! There were only 2--giant ones--but ever since Mimi stayed in my room I left the box there
The youtube vids about pellets are mostly the ones found for either horses-equine pine- or simply wood pellets I think for wood burning stoves. People swear they're the same!
I had tried the Equine Pine years ago, with 15 cats and tried to compost it and all--that didn't work. But I have found I was going about things the wrong way.
Now I'm going to make a sifter to get the sawdust in the trash and keep the pellets back in the box

Click to expand...
There was a discussion about pine pellets recently on another board I'm on. The horse bedding pellets are the same as the ones sold for litter, but there were warnings about the fuel pellets - several people were quite definite about those not being O.K. to use. I'm sorry I don't remember more detail, but I was just skimming, and that discussion was off topic for the thread (which is why I can't remember in which thread to look). Just wanted to mention that you might want to do some double checking before using the fuel pellets. I think it might have been as simple as there being no guarantee that the fuel pellets are 100% pine, because of different labelling standards.
 
KLS52 said:
Yeah...Stella is a problem with her peeing outside of the box. :( The extra boxes make her happier.

I’m not sure I understand...are you saying there is clay and dust from the pine pellets? I don’t have that with the yesterday’s news.
Click to expand...
No, I'm talking about the clumping clay dust! I've been pretty happy so far with the pine pellets
You use Yesterdays News? How does that act when wet? I still have a bag from when Mimi had surgery, thinking she'd need something more hygenic, but I switched back right away as I didn't seem to be doing it right
 
Mischief said:
There was a discussion about pine pellets recently on another board I'm on. The horse bedding pellets are the same as the ones sold for litter, but there were warnings about the fuel pellets - several people were quite definite about those not being O.K. to use. I'm sorry I don't remember more detail, but I was just skimming, and that discussion was off topic for the thread (which is why I can't remember in which thread to look). Just wanted to mention that you might want to do some double checking before using the fuel pellets. I think it might have been as simple as there being no guarantee that the fuel pellets are 100% pine, because of different labelling standards.
Click to expand...
Oh I definitely am researching! Pine oils can also be bad but Equine Pine seems to have the ok.
What do you use?

That Yesterdays News is pricey
 
 
silva said:
No, I'm talking about the clumping clay dust! I've been pretty happy so far with the pine pellets
You use Yesterdays News? How does that act when wet? I still have a bag from when Mimi had surgery, thinking she'd need something more hygenic, but I switched back right away as I didn't seem to be doing it right
Click to expand...
It kind of breaks down when it gets wet but doesn’t leave residue like shown in the video. I can scoop the wet part out and replace with some new and not have to empty the whole thing every day.

I got started on it when Bratt broke his leg. He became so used to the crate that I can’t break him of the habit of going in there at bedtime so I just let him use it. It’s a large crate and I have a litter box in there. Plus I can relax knowing he’s safe in there. We never did find out exactly how he broke his leg. We just woke up at 5 am one morning to a loud crash in the kitchen.

I stuck with the yesterday’s news for that box since he likes it and it keeps the crate clean. I really like it though and would use it for everyone if it wasn’t so expensive. It’s amazing how clean the box stays compared to the clumping stuff which always ends up stuck to the bottom and sides of the litter boxes. I hate that.
 
KLS52 said:
It kind of breaks down when it gets wet but doesn’t leave residue like shown in the video. I can scoop the wet part out and replace with some new and not have to empty the whole thing every day.

I got started on it when Bratt broke his leg. He became so used to the crate that I can’t break him of the habit of going in there at bedtime so I just let him use it. It’s a large crate and I have a litter box in there. Plus I can relax knowing he’s safe in there. We never did find out exactly how he broke his leg. We just woke up at 5 am one morning to a loud crash in the kitchen.

I stuck with the yesterday’s news for that box since he likes it and it keeps the crate clean. I really like it though and would use it for everyone if it wasn’t so expensive. It’s amazing how clean the box stays compared to the clumping stuff which always ends up stuck to the bottom and sides of the litter boxes. I hate that.
Click to expand...
When I first tried the pine it was mostly for environmental concerns. Now I'm worried most about the clay dust! Dana gets an asthma inhalor, and now Cali gets coughing fits- and me of course :rolleyes:.
I've completely switched one box to pellets. No one cares! We've been scooping it into a hardware mesh over a garbage can, I'll probably drill some holes in an old plastic colander I've had way too long! You don't really have to dump it. I think a scoop without holes will be ideal
I'm liking that it doesn't get stuck to the bottom and sides!

We had a cat that somehow dislocated her leg. Didn't know until too late to easily fix, I came home to find her limping. I've always suspected the space between the bed and the wall, like maybe she tried to jump down the narrow space and her hind leg got stuck? I'll never know!
 
Mischief said:
There was a discussion about pine pellets recently on another board I'm on. The horse bedding pellets are the same as the ones sold for litter, but there were warnings about the fuel pellets - several people were quite definite about those not being O.K. to use. I'm sorry I don't remember more detail, but I was just skimming, and that discussion was off topic for the thread (which is why I can't remember in which thread to look). Just wanted to mention that you might want to do some double checking before using the fuel pellets. I think it might have been as simple as there being no guarantee that the fuel pellets are 100% pine, because of different labelling standards.
Click to expand...
This is what I was buying years ago when I tried pellets. I was leary because I didn't remember them being Tractor Supply branded, but found this in the Q & A--

"
The product is done by either kiln drying process form a pine lumber mill or it is dried via. rotary dryer, Either way the product is dried from 30-50% initially down to 9-12% moisture coming out of the dryer prior to pelleting.

The temperature in the rotary dryer has an inlet temperature of 800 degrees F. and a discharge temperature of 180 degrees F. The sawdust product is retained in the dryer for approximately 11-13 minutes. This drying process also kills any microorganisms and or bacteria that may be in the pine sawdust.

The oils are diminished and reduced through the drying process and also through the natural leaching process that occurs when wood is left to sit out in the elements meaning the rain and snow.

Please contact customer service at (888)-376-9601 M-F 8-8 EST. follow by the lot code or vendor number that is located underneath the TSC address on the bag to check if your individual bag is kiln dried."

If this remains successful I will start a new thread as the price is crazy cheap, and while sawdust creates it's own dust it's gotta be better than clay! As well as better for the environment!
 
My coffee on the side table next to couch, my Sophie on the couchs' arm--dunking her tail in said coffee...:rolleyes::eek:
 
I use wheat litter for my cats since it doesn't have the respiratory concerns of clay litter and it clumps and sifts well with both liquid and solid waste. It also neutralizes odor fairly well without fragrance. I just wish it was cheaper. Pine pellets seem like they would not sift very well.
 
GingerFoxx said:
I use wheat litter for my cats since it doesn't have the respiratory concerns of clay litter and it clumps and sifts well with both liquid and solid waste. It also neutralizes odor fairly well without fragrance. I just wish it was cheaper. Pine pellets seem like they would not sift very well.
Click to expand...
Pine pellets are so different. They break down into sawdust when wet, and don't do a thing for poop. You have to scoop the wet spots and sift the sawdust into the garbage bag then put back the pellets. Poop you have to just try not to get too many pellets with it. I got a 40 pound bag at a Tractor Supply that's used as horse bedding for $5.99
So far so good I guess. I had a mix of scoopable clay and pellets in my room that is being used for both. One box is all pellets and mostly all pee. The last box is still all clay and used for everything

I used the Swheat scoop years ago and had a rash of some kind of wheat eating beetles that flew and looked like moths
 
silva said:
Oh I definitely am researching! Pine oils can also be bad but Equine Pine seems to have the ok.
What do you use?

That Yesterdays News is pricey
Click to expand...

I've been using Aldi's litter for several years. It's very variable in its dustiness though.

I've been thinking about trying the pine pellets again. (I tried them once before, and found them to be a giant pain with this many cats, but hadn't thought to make a large sifter.)

I will try to start with pine in one litterbox, and see how it goes.
 

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