Yesterday's News can kiss my a**!
Written: Jun 20 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Read review
Cons: Read review
The Bottom Line: Aiko is the judge.
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| blackrose4eva's Full Review: Feline Pine Cat Litter |
For many rabbit/cat owners, you may be familiar with Yesterday's News, a cheap and biodegradable litter. But it also stinks; the moment a poop lands on it, the stinky aroma cannot be denied.
This is coming from a former rabbit owner. Two-rabbits, may I add, who poops like unspayed/neutered rabbit making love on a hot summer night.
And who enjoys smelling feces anyways? Perhaps for a handful of normal looking people in this world, they may secretly hold a sexual and pleasure fetish with poop (You may be surprised...). But certainly not me! This is especially true with the fact that now a cat must live in my small bedroom at the moment.
Yes, I had adopted a declawed Himalayan. Just as I had to face the odor obstacle with my rabbits, now I must face this: how do I get rid of the poop stench in the litterbox?
Again, Yesterday's News can kiss my bottom. It was an experience not needed and a company that should either improve or quit making this product. So where can I find effective yet fair price litter?
It wasn't until I worked at the shelter which uses Feline Pine as their source of litter do I realize there is hope. Having to deal with over 30 cats overcrowded in one single room, you would think the stench would be enough to chase any adopters away. Instead, I was surprised the smell wasn't that bad at all.
Here is the description about Feline Pine found on Epinion. I will compare my "poopy" experience with my cat Aiko. I must remind you that he was just recently adopted; I do not use New Scoop which he had used for months before. All I have is Feline Pine.
100% Pure Kiln-Dried Pine with no Chemicals
No chemicals? I cannot say if that is true or not because I cannot tell. However, I had read books that most cats will not use the litter if they smell chemicals or scent that they dislike. Feline Pine has the smell of freshly cut lumber, which I had find Aiko not disliking it. I don't think it's a bad smell either although it is somewhat strong.
For many cat owners, they might tell you not use a different brand without a mixture of the previous brand for the cat or else he/she might not use the litter at all. Well, it's been day 4 and Aiko had not once rejected Feline Pine. He did NOT kick the litter out of the box or anything. He simply did his business and softy dig the litter with his paws.
No Odor, No Dust, No Tracking
I will not lie to you so here goes: yes, there is a tiny poopy odor. I think no matter what kind of brand you use, the stench of poop can never be 100% disappear! But one big plus was that I had not been able to smell urine like in Yesterday's News.
That does not mean Feline Pine does not work. It really does! So far, I had not been able to smell anything bad from the litterbox unless I mess with the poop using a litterscoop. Another way is if you stick your nose real close to the litter, but then again who would do that? (except a "special" few)
About the dust, I do not think there are any. The only "dust" is the "sawdust" you see after your kitty pees on the pellets. Other than that, I don't see it.
I had heard tracking was a problem for many cat owners. For Aiko, there is something strange about it...
Before and after Aiko enters the litterbox, he will use his back paws and kick on the carpet the same way dogs do after they doo-doo. He does this every time.
Indeed, there are traces of litter on the spot he kicks and digs on but it is very little amount. After he did his traditional kicking, Aiko will go walk around and jump on my bed, with no tracking of Feline Pine on his paws.
Don't ask me why he does this because I can't figure it out. It's normal for a cat to kick litter in his box, but outside of the litterbox? You may think he does this so he can find a spot to pee on the carpet, but Aiko had not once since arrival made an accident.
You may say, "Well, maybe Feline Pine does work! Maybe it has proven with no tracking!"
Wrong. It does track.
In the shelter I worked, almost every cat that entered the litterbox comes out with tracking. Although it is not much, there is still noticable amount of tracking.
You may say, "Well, maybe because Aiko is declawed?"
Maybe. However I had seen declawed cats at the shelter with tracking also.
**For this part, I think it is up to you to decide to trust in my opinion. I still have not figure out why he does this. It could or could not be the cause of the lack of tracking.
I must also add something to those who questions on using Feline Pine:
Remember, regardless which kind of litter you use, scoop daily. This decreases the smell by a whole lot. For multiple cats, this is especially true. With poop building up in the box, it's common sense to scoop it out to eliminate smell. Or else, if too stinky, most cats will deny the box and do a pretty deed on your $500 India-made carpet.
Feline Pine can be used more than a couple of days. As long as there are at least 20% of pellets left--in addition to scooping out the poopy--the cat may continue its use which in turn saves you money. Some litter requires changing daily ::cough:: Yesterday's News::cough::, however in this litter it can be reused until all pellets are "sawdust". But personally, I wouldn't push the limits too far. For one, I do not know the level of ammonia build-up in the box, which can be bad news for the cat if inhaled too long. Secondly, one day the cat may decide to discontinue use until changed. If you don't change it, get ready to use some enzyme cleaners on your beautiful carpet/floor.
For those who dislike the smell of lumber or are allergic, I recommend you to get clay litter or something else. Feline Pine, hence its name, is made mostly out of wood materials.
There are no "clumping" in this litter. I do not know what it is; I have yet to see this "clump" of litter which occurs mostly in clay.
If your cat is a digger, this may be a problem. You may have to buy a lid over your litterbox, because the pellets are very light can be kicked with the smallest effort. Although it is not difficult to clean up the mess, for some people it is an annoying task.
If you are worry the cat may eat the pellets, you may have to find another brand. It is small enough to be swallowed by an adult cat. However, I had not once heard or seen a cat or young kittens eating the pellets. Although kittens may kick it and whack the pellets around, the chances are cats won't eat it.
The cost for Feline Pine is not too cheap and not too pricey compare to New Scoop. It can be found in any petstore, Petsmart, Petco, Winn Dixie, Publix, and Walmart. Just because I'm nice, I will recommend you to get all your kitty supplies mainly food and litter at Walmart. I paid about $5 or $6 for 7lb (small bag) and the same price with small bag of Friskies. Winn Dixie and Petsmart charges a heck lot, believe me.
Conclusion
I hope that answers all of your questions. This is what I had experienced so far as a first-time cat owner, and my opinion may differ from those who had cats for years.
Maybe I'm lucky to get a cat who somehow learned how to "sweep his feet" to rid of tracking. Maybe I'm VERY lucky to get a cat who won't dig and kick his litter all over the place.
Whatever the reason may be, I always follow my motto: if it works, don't fix it. In this case, Feline Pine works. It did not smell, it was not rejected by Aiko, and it is easy use.
Oh one more thing, yes, some litterscoop will not work for Feline Pine. The pellets are quite large to pass through the spaces between the bars. You may have to get a special scoop for it. For me, I do not mind to spend some time and work to get the pellets off the scoop.
With all that said, my next question is: How do I get a good night sleep without Aiko purring and nudging on my face?!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
blackrose4eva
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Member: Spay and.. ..Neuter your pets!
Location: FL
Reviews written: 87
Trusted by: 18 members
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