Cat Training

What is the proper method of cat litter disposal? If your cat is not litter trained, the answer is simple – clean up the poop with tissue paper and flush it, mop up the pee with more tissue paper and flush it. But what do you do after your cat does its business in the litter box? Can you still get rid of it the same way – is the cat litter flushable?

That depends on whether it is pee or feces, and what type of cat litter you are using. If you use sand for your cat’s litter box, you should not flush it. Even though not much sand will stick to the cat poop, your toilet will choke up in the long run. The same goes for the other two main types of litter: clay cat litter and clumping cat litter. The plumber’s bill to unclog your pipes will bankrupt you.

If you use crystal litter, which is made of silica gel, your job of cat litter disposal is slightly easier. Crystal cat litter absorbs cat urine into itself without clumping, so it is flushable in small amounts. Not much sticks to the cat poop either, so you can also flush that down the toilet. However, it is still not adviseable to do this regularly in the long run.

As for biodegradable cat litter, that depends. Some of them are made of rather large pellets which might also choke up your plumbing. Others are made of wood, or sawdust and might go through without any problems. Still, if you have a septic tank, realize that these material do not necessarily degrade immediately. We could be talking about years – which could cause your septic tank to become rather full. Somehow, the thought of used litter and cat poop coming out of my backed up drains leaves me with a cold sweat.

Some manufacturers have started to make flushable cat litter, in the face of calls for more convenience. Naturally, these flushable cat litter costs more. To make cat litter flushable, they use various biodegradable materials which are supposed to safely go through your plumbing. These newer types of cat litter will not turn into a sludge which can choke up your sewage pipes – in theory. Some plumbers beg to differ. In the course of their business, they have gone to homes where the sewage pipes and plumbing were choked up by flushable cat litter. Or so the embarrassed and distressed house occupant said. Who is lying, here? I do not know, but it is probably not adviseable to flush large amounts of litter down the toilet.

It is still better to dispose of the bulk of your cat’s litter the old way – either bagged up together with the rest of your trash or carefully buried somewhere in the garden. In the garden, your cat’s urine and feces would make a good fertilizer for your grass and flowers. Cat urine and feces can contain dangerous bacteria, so you should not use it to fertilize vegetables and fruit trees.

I must admit that a true flushable cat litter would be awfully convenient when it is snowing or raining heavily. It would really simplify cat litter disposal.

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Litter training your kittens is an important responsibility as a cat owner. If you also own the mother cat, and she is litter trained, then your job is much easier. She will teach her kittens how to use the litter box. All you need to do is provide more litter boxes for the growing kittens and scoop up the litter everyday.

Originally, people used sand when litter training a kitten. Sand is easily available, helps to absorb the cat urine and makes handling cat poop much easier. It is still used by some cat owners. Unfortunately, cats often track sand all over the house.

For this reason, clay cat litter is more popular. Clay cat litter is more absorbent than sand, and has a larger grain, so your cats are less likely to track it around the house. Compared to sand, it is also works better to get rid of cat urine smell. Some cat owners use clay-based oil absorbent, which is cheaper and works just as well. Clay-based oil absorbent is actually similar to clay cat litter – except that it is made for industrial use. Both of them make use of granulated Fuller’s earth for its strong absorbent properties.

The next major advancement in cat litter was the invention of clumping cat litter. As its name suggests, it clumps together when your cat pees on it. As it forms a solid mass separate from the other litter in the box, it is much easier for you to scoop up without having to change all the litter in the box. While clumping litter is great for your adult cats, some cat lovers have expressed concern in using it when litter training a kitten. There is some worry that the kitten will eat the litter and be harmed when it swells inside the stomach. There is no scientific evidence at the moment, but as cat lovers it is better to be safe than sorry.

Crystal cat litter is the latest scientific advancement in cat litter technology. It uses silica gel, which absorbs cat urine even better than clumping cat litter. It lasts so much longer than any other litter – you just need to stir it after you scoop the cat poop to prevent cat urine from pooling in the litter box. One problem with crystal cat litter is that there is no warning when it becomes saturated. The next time your kitten uses the litter box, it could leave a puddle behind. Crystal litter is also lighter than clay cat litter and clumping litter – your kitten might track the silica gel around your house. As cat lovers, there is another concern – we can also find silica gel in our pill bottles, where they are labeled “Do Not Eat”. Is it safe for litter training a kitten, especially since even adult cats are very sensitive to poisons.

For cat owners who want to be more environmentally friendly, you can also try biodegradable cat litter. This is usually made from material which naturally decomposes, including wood pellets, recycled newspapers and sawdust. Some brands of biodegradable cat litter can actually be safely flushed down the toilet, unlike normal cat litter. Unfortunately, like many other things which are environmentally friendly, biodegradable litter is also more expensive than the normal kind.

As you can see, you are spoiled for choice when litter training a kitten. You can use clay cat litter, clumping cat litter, crystal cat litter or even biodegradable cat litter. For kittens, clay is probably the best and safest choice.

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