"Whose turn is it for Litter Box Patrol?" is the dreaded question in my house since LBP is the worst cat-related chore for us (worse than baths, nail trimmings, and trips to the vet). Our two domestic shorthairs, Euclid and Sam, make short work of a clean box, requiring two or three cleanings per day, or else Euclid tends to use any paper or box left lying on the floor.

Needless to say, we're always on the lookout for litter that is both cheap and effective: Cheap because we go through a lot of the stuff and effective because we've got stinky and finicky cats who would be happy if litter boxes operated like indoor plumbing.

One of our recent shopping adventures took us to the local discount store, where we found a box of Scoop 'N Flush on sale and with a $1 off coupon to boot! Claiming to be just as effective as scoopable litter with a smaller amount, it also is flushable, which sure beats lots of little grocery bags full of unmentionables in the trash. Finally, it tugged on our environmental heartstrings since it's made from recycled paper. I was skeptical that these little granules of paper could clump as effectively as the clay stuff, but we decided to give it a one cycle trial.

Initial Impressions: When we replaced the cat litter with the Scoop 'N Flush, we noticed one thing immediately: it's really, really dusty. Pouring the litter in the box generates a huge cloud of paper dust. Not a good first impression.

Clumping effectiveness: As I had feared, the stuff doesn't clump nearly as well as premium scoopable litter, especially when wet. We try to clean the box within minutes of use since the two cats take turns and tend to step in the mess of the previous user. The Scoop 'N Flush clumps break apart even when you gingerly scoop the litter, leaving small little bits of wet litter behind. Strike two!

Odor control: It's not completely useless, although not nearly as good as other brands. There are little blue odor control granules that are supposed to take care of the smell, but either our kittys are really stinky or they don't work well enough. It's not something that you can leave for days at a time and expect there to be no odor. I'll call it a ball--one ball, two strikes.

Tracking: Another drawback is the tiny paper granules tend to stick to the cats' fur and is tracked away from the box. Fortunately, they don't stick as persistently as normal litter and the cats shake them off onto the litter mat we have under the box. Still, it's not healthy or neat to have a layer of litter on the floor. Foul tip--the count is still one and two.

Cleanup/Disposal: First, the dust comes back to haunt Scoop 'N Flush. Just running the scoop through the litter kicks up dust. I don't even want to think about the health ramifications of that! Second, even though the litter does flush down the toilet, it's a chore to get it there. Unless your box is right next to the toilet, you'll have to put it into a container (like an old plastic container). Once you get it there, the instructions tell you to flush only small amounts at once. That means you'll have to flush multiple times (and one final time to get rid of the litter that settles back in the bowl). Finally, it's gross, but even putting the used litter into the toilet is difficult--think of dropping a stone into a pond and you'll understand why. Strike Three!

The verdict after only a few days of use is that it's an idea that sounds good (flushable, environmentally safe, inexpensive), but Scoop 'N Flush just doesn't work. We started refreshing the box with traditional litter instead of the remaining Scoop 'N Flush. So the quest for the perfect cat litter continues in my house...

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