Cat Litter Safe Enough To EAT!
Written: Jan 27 '01 (Updated Jan 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great odor control and absorbs wonderfully!
Cons: Price unless you take into account how long it lasts.
The Bottom Line: For the longest time Tidy Cat was on the top of the list for crystal litters. Harvest Ventures has proven its self to be even better.
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| djgeiger's Full Review: Harvest Ventures Tracks Less Litter Pearls Cat Lit... |
First there is clay litter. Clay litter absorbs to a point but does little to control odor. Clay litter is dusty, gets smelly fast and gets soaked. If I wait more than 24 hours to change the litter box the house smells like a big litter box. The best clay litter I found was Johnny Cat, which may last 48 hours if you are lucky.
Then there was clumping litter. I tried clumping litter just one time. This was way back when the litter first hit the market. After the first day of use I noticed a residue on the inside of the nose of one of my animals. I took a cotton swab to check it out and low and behold it was litter. I really didn’t think this was such a good thing. If it’s getting into the nose, some must be getting into the respiratory system. I wasn’t impressed.
Many other litters made it to the market. I have tried several, recycled newspaper, pine, you name it I’ve tried it. The never-ending quest to find a litter that controls odors. Other than safety that is the number one thing I am looking for in a litter.
Then a miracle, some very smart and hopefully rich individual out there thought up the concept of silica litter. Shooting stars and bells ringing for absorbency and odor control this new stuff is great. My first attempted at using pearls was less than magnificent though. Those crystals were round and got all over. When they soaked in the urine they became yellow round little crystals that got all over. In my mind this is a serious safety issue. On a hard floor someday someone is going to have a nasty fall. To a cat, everything is a toy. These little yellow round litters were fair game and were batted all over the house.
Then came Tidy Cat Crystals. These crystals work wonderful. I use them, I love them, and they do everything the manufacturer says they do. I really didn’t think anyone could improve upon them. But it happened!
All-Harvest_Ventures_Track_Less_Litter_Pearls.
Harvest Ventures took a great thing and made it even better.
First I’d like to clear up a common misunderstanding about the crystal litters. These crystals are not made up of crystalline silica. Crystalline silica is dangerous to the respiratory system of man and animals. The only components in this silica litter are silica sand, water and oxygen. If you eat it, it doesn't matter it is 100% biologically and chemically inert. The FDA has approved its use around food it is so inert. That is, before the cats use it, then it’s not so inert!
Is this new Harvest Venture Crystal Clear litter pearls, trackless version trackless? No, but it is getting closer. Anything that can stick to a cat’s feet is going to track. Using a covered litter box can make all the difference in the world. If you use a deep napped mat around the litter box it eliminates virtually all the tracking problems. The size of the litter pearl makes the most difference in it tracking less. It doesn’t fit between the toes of the cats. The weight also makes somewhat of a difference in that it doesn’t kick out as easily.
One interesting thing I did notice though. The weight of the pearl made it less appealing as a cat toy. To light to fly right!
What is different about the litter compare to Tidy Cat Crystals? Channels in the crystals. Tidy Cat absorbs well but not rapidly. If you put both litters in separate cups and add water in several hours both cups will be dry to the touch. The difference is, the Harvest Venture was dry a couple hours before the Tidy Cat.
Does the Harvest Venture control odor? Yes, just as good if not even better than Tidy Cat. The urine absorbs faster therefore there are fewer odors. The liquid gets locked into the channels of the crystals so there is no liquid urine to smell. The outside of the crystal remains dry. Once the crystal is full it will no longer work. For one animal it will last about thirty days. I have four animals, three cats and an exotic using three different litter boxes. With both Harvest Ventures and Tidy Cat the boxes will last a full month.
The one box in the exotic’s room is the real test though. This little fellow urinates a bunch! Exquisi-Cat Pearl Cat Litter the crystals floated in about a week and the crystals broke down right away. The Tidy Cat the crystals lasted almost three weeks, the crystals were very wet but did not smell. The Harvest Venture made it through the end of the third week. The crystals were obviously full but not soaked and no odor.
I like this silica-based litter because of it being inert. I can empty the litter boxes outside and mix it in with the dirt. It’s not good to flush a large amount of this litter down the drain but when your filtering the solid waste the few crystals that stick can be flushed down the toilet and won’t harm anything at all.
The solid waste dries up just as if it had been sitting in salt. It becomes buried and gets really hard. So if you can’t get to filter out the waste right away the smell from solids isn’t a problem. Even diarrhea dries up rapidly leaving no odor.
One complaint I have of so many litters is the dust. Neither Tidy Cat nor Harvest Venture has a dust problem. A little will be in the bag when it is first open this is only because the silica crystal have been rubbing against each other in shipment. Once this crystal is in the litter box it can be shaken to pieces and you won’t detect much dust. Breathe away my furry little friends, it won’t hurt you. Dust in litter products concerns me in that the bacteria and germs from the urine and feces attaches it’s self to the dust and we all breathe it. Yuck, right?
Not one animal that I have used the crystal litter on has had a problem with using it. We just recently found a little wild Siamese kitten. The first day inside she had never seen a litter box before and took to the crystal litter right away. The crystal products suggest mixing it with what ever the animals are use to but I never found that necessary. In fact the one time I did try mixing the crystal and clay litter the crystal litter was unable to work properly at all.
When I first purchased Tidy Cat the cost was $9.99 for a 3.8-L box. At first every box came with a dollar coupon. It has been two months since I have found a coupon. Now the price I am seeing for Tidy Cat is $10.99. The cost for Exquisi-Cat was 7.2-L bottle for $13.99. But face it if it doesn’t work free is not a fair price. The cost for Harvest Venture is 4 pounds (it comes in a sturdy but lightweight bag) for $10.99. A little less than Tidy Cat and it does work about a week longer. So in terms of price Harvest Venture wins. Other sizes that Harvest Venture comes in is 7.4 lbs. for $16.99 and 22 lbs. for $45.99
It is important to follow the directions for optional performance of this product. The recommended usage is 2” - 3” in the bottom of the cat box and one bag is suitable for a medium size litter box. If you use too much it doesn’t work correctly so more is not better. Using too little doesn’t work, follow the recommended usage!
Hurray for the new crystals. They have been a Godsend in this house. Over a period of a year we can have numerous skunks, raccoons, cats, ferrets and many other animals using cat litter. I detest odor of any sort. I will get up in the middle of the night to change a litter box it bothers me so much. The Harvest Venture eliminates almost all odors. The new little channels in the crystals make for better absorbency. The price isn’t bad compared to other comparable litters. If you use crystal litter you will be changing the box far less frequently than with other litters. I think you will find using Harvest Venture far more economical than using any other litter. I recommend this litter highly!
Recommended:
Yes
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djgeiger
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Member: Diana Geiger
Location: Huron, South Dakota USA
Reviews written: 150
Trusted by: 343 members
About Me:
I am a writer and the Exotic Pets Editor for BellaOnline.com.
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