As cat lovers know, a clean toilet for your cat will make for a good pet relationship and greater happiness for the pet and the owner.
So, it makes sense in finding the right cat litter for your feline pet.
There are a wide variety of litter materials available in the market, and your cat - and you too - may have a decided preference.
Probably the most common of cat litter is the traditional clumping clay litter which is cheap, has good water absorbency, forms firm clumps and so is easily removable with a scoop.
Clay litter, however, is dusty and may easily adhere to a cat's hair, hence not suitable for long-haired cats as cats do tend to love to dig.
For the price conscious, silica gel litter is also a recommended choice but, unlike clay litter, it does not form clumps and regular change of the whole litter box is needed when most of it changes colour due to urine absorption.
For the environmentally conscious, there are now available bio-degradable litter such as wood-based litter, paper litter, soy-based litter, and grain-based litter.
In general, paper litter and soy-based litter are expensive and use up quite a large quantity each time.
Wood litter has high water absorbency but is difficult to separate the used and unused litter with a scoop.
For disposal, don't flush your cat litter into the toilet bowl as it may block the drainage pipe. Simply dispose the litter as ordinary garbage.
There is no perfect cat litter that suits all. Aside from considering the factors of ease of use, durability, water absorbency, odour control and the price, the cats' preference (they do have a preference) should also be taken into account.
To maintain a clean toilet for your cat, cat lovers are advised to observe the following:
- Place the litter box in a quiet area (some privacy for the cat) and location with good ventilation.
- The size of the litter box should not be too small. If you have more than one cat, increase the number of litter box or the size of the box.
- Avoid using scented litter (you may like it but your cat probably does not).
- Have sufficient amount of cat litter in the litter box to ensure adequate absorbency and odour control.
- Scoop solids daily, completely replace the litter, and wash the litter box regularly.
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