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Dear Daphne: The lowdown on litter
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Anonymous user Tue May 22, 2007 10:27:07 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments Dear Daphne: What do you suggest if a cat has an allergy to litter?

More often than not, it isn't that cats have an allergy to litter, per se, but to an ingredient that is in the litter their owners are using. After all, litter has gone through a number of permutations in the name of human convenience, with thoughts about how the cat would react to it a distant second to how much people would be attracted to it.

If you are faced with a cat that, for whatever the reason, cannot or will not use the litter that has been purchased for them, you're still in luck. The options available for litter are now almost as numerous as the cats who use it.

The majority of litter aversions I've seen involve litter that is highly scented. Keep in mind that a cat's sense of smell, while not as highly developed as a dog's, is still vastly superior to a human's. Imagine how the flowery odor of the multi-cat brand that you can smell from about 5 feet above the litter box smells to an animal with a much better olfactory sense and sitting much lower to the source.

Do your cat a favor and purchase litter that is free of scents or perfumes. My personal opinion is that all of those perfumes scream, “Hey, I've got cats and I don't want to have to clean up behind them every day!” Just decide to be a grown-up, do the right thing and clean up after them instead. Asking a cat to use a box, any kind of litter box, that isn't cleaned at least once daily, is like asking your family to use a toilet that is only flushed once a day. Yuck.

If it is the clumping litter, or the texture in general that has you flummoxed, the answer is relatively simple --- change the type of litter you are using. I have to admit that my very, very favorite litter is a member of this group. Litter now comes from sources that range from compressed pine to wheat kernels to corn. Even recycled paper gets a second life as a litter box option. A number of these litters are also more than capable of handling a multi-cat household.

Another advantage to many these non-clay litters is that the majority of them are safe to flush down toilets and in septic systems, which can be very handy for people who live in apartment complexes or condos and don't wish to walk down the stairs and across the parking lot every day.

So, fear not. If your cat is unhappy or has a reaction to the litter that is currently in their box, there are a world of options that can bring both of you a little piece of mind.

Bow-wow for now,

Daphne

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