What I do for my cats...
Written: Sep 18 '02
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cuts way down on smell, very inexpensive, easy to dispose of
Cons: Pellets and sawdust go everywhere, cats weren't very thrilled at first
The Bottom Line: Inexpensive and earth-friendly, this litter works beyond my expectations and is worth trying.
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| sparke61's Full Review: Feline Pine Cat Litter |
With an apartment full of cats (I have six with more on the way thanks to the stray cat I just took in) and the recent drama of me parting ways with my job, I was forced to find a cheaper alternative to the Tidy Cat Crystals I've been using happily for the past year. Our local supermarket stopped carrying them a few months back, and no other stores had such a cheap deal. Anyway, someone suggested Feline Pine, so I took a chance.
Okay. I didn't have any old litter to mix with the new stuff and I figured my cats were used to the frequent litter changes we go through around here, so I dumped some into newly-cleaned boxes and hoped for the best. A few of them sniffed at the Feline Pine suspiciously and then used the one box with the old litter that still had a week of life left in it. The other cats went ahead and used the Pine litter without any problems. So far, so good.
The litter claims to control odor well, to last up to four weeks per cat and to be easy to clean up. Well, the wet pine smell isn't exactly delightful, but there is little to no ammonia smell mixed in, and I found that the odor control for urine is even better than crystal litter can provide. I don't really like the scent of wet pine, but I can live with it. The solid waste is a slightly different matter. Unless the cat covers it right away (and they don't always) it starts to stink up the rooms around the catbox area. Me rushing over with a scoop to either bury or remove the offensive deposit seems to help.
The litter does indeed break down into sawdust that is easier and lighter to scoop than any other litter, but both the pellets and litter get on the floor easier than just about any other litter I've tried. The advantage here is that unlike crystals, which hurt like crazy when you step on them with bare feet, both the pellets and the sawdust are easy on my feet. It is also very easy to sweep up and dispose of.
The most important factor (besides whether or not my cats would use it) is the life of the litter. I managed to make three bags of litter last three week, spread out over four litter boxes and used by up to seven cats. Even when the litter was 99% sawdust, it still controlled odor very well, and another bonus is that it dries quite quickly, which means it can absorb even more moisture. As some of you may know, as litter crystals become saturated with urine, they get heavy and stay wet and are messy to clean up. Not so with Feline Pine. Cleaning the box out to change the litter completely is quite easy.
Now, using a regular scoop is not the most practical way to clean out solid waste. I'm too cheap to send away for the "special scoop" that is offered on the side of the Feline Pine bags, so what I do is find the clump of waste I'm trying to remove, shake it off, tip the scoop to one side to let any solid pellets that came up with the waste to roll out, and put what's left in the bag I'm holding. It works pretty well and doesn't take that much more time than just scooping and shaking.
Over all, Feline Pine has been quite a positive find for me. At $3.99 a bag (and a bag more than fills one box and lasts for up to three weeks with multiple cats) I feel good about finding a bargain that's good to my pets.
One note of warning, however. My sister has tried this litter with her cats and encountered serious allergy issues in one of the cats. The animal's skin became inflamed and scabby and the vet suggested changing litters, which caused the problem to go away. I'd keep an eye on my cats for the first few weeks you use this litter and pay special attention for signs of irritation.
Good luck!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sparke61
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Member: Sharon Parker
Location: Maine
Reviews written: 115
Trusted by: 42 members
About Me:
Dispatcher who likes cats, computers, bikes, stereos, movies, books and wants to buy a house
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