Ooh, I Don’t Want to Use That!

Brought to you by Signe A. Dayhoff, Ph.D. http://www.catsmartcatlove.com/, reprinted with permission.

You know how there are certain toilet tissues that you like and some you don’t like? Maybe some are too soft, too rough, or too scented? Well, your Himalayan cat or any cat for that matther feels the same way about its litter. And if it’s not happy about its litter, it may go outside the box.

Litters come in granules, pellets, and flakes. They come in clay (clumping and non-clumping), wheat, wood, paper, corn and corn cobs, and crystals. They come scented and unscented.

Let’s consider scent first. Your cat has a super-sensitive sense of smell, detecting odors you’ll never be able to notice. This means that if you can smell a fragrance, your Himalayan cat might find it overwhelming (“Ooh, icky!”) and want to avoid it.

The next thing is texture. What does your cat find most natural? Just like you, your cat wants to feel comfortable when it eliminates. Strange materials are not likely to make the Top Ten List. What this all means is that you have to let your Himalayan cat and other cats help you decide which litter to use.

Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine has created a list of “best value litters” that many cats accept:

1. Precious Cat Ultra
2. Arm & Hammer Odor Alert
3. Fresh Step Perfume & Dye Free
4. Fresh Step Crystal
5. Feline Pine
6. Tidy Cat Premium
7. Pro-Pet: Fresh Results
8. Arm & Hammer Essentials.

However, keep in mind that if your cat is continuing to go outside the box even if you think you’ve found the right litter, there may be other reasons: social or medical that you need to investigate.

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Cat Talk | valheart | September 7, 2010 12:03 pm

1 Comment

By LA Montgomery, September 10, 2010 @ 1:26 pm

I’ve been using Precious Cat, recommended by my vet years ago. Ms. Elsa likes it so well, she does a dirt bath roll & buries her toys in it the minute it’s cleaned and freshened.