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Old June 13th, 2011, 10:46 AM
MyBirdIsEvil's Avatar
MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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Anyone use or try feline pine scoopable litter?

I just bought some of this on a whim because they just started carrying it at Walmart (10 lbs for 11.99 here, which is equivalent to 34 lbs clay; cheaper than the regular feline pine was a few years ago when I tried it), and due to my back I cannot lift much so the clay litter is hard for me to haul around. I didn't even know they made scoopable, so either it's new or just new here in my town.

I have to say, I've been using this for a week and it's awesome! I've tried to regular Feline Pine before but my cats didn't like the texture of the pellets, and it also didn't seem to cover up the smell as much, plus not scoopable which I don't like as much.
This stuff is more like finely shredded pine bedding like you'd use for rabbits and stuff. And I have to say it actually clumps BETTER than all of the clay litters I've tried (due to the weight of clay clumps seem to fall apart sometimes; this is not the case with the pine litter).
But the best part is there's NO dust. Even the high quality clay litters I've tried have some dust which causes major problems for me (coughing, sneezing, not to mention the taste lingering in my mouth, ick ). It seems like over the years I've become much more sensitive to it because years ago I didn't notice it too much.
As far as covering up smell, I'd actually say it works better than clay because when clay litter gets wet not only can you smell the cat smell, but the wet litter smell isn't great either. I've noticed no smell with this stuff so far (or at least faint enough it's not an issue). And also, with the clay litter my cats weren't covering up their poop as much because they didn't seem to like staying in the box as long or touching the stuff. They seem a lot happier with this texture of this stuff and have been covering it up really good (or maybe because it's a lot lighter they just have a much easier time? I also noticed after a few days less litter on the floor because they seem to have realized they don't need to scrape at this stuff as hard.). I've also noticed urine doesn't seem to trickle down and clump at the bottom of the litterbox like it can with clay; instead it stays closer to the top. The little bits of clay not being tracked around the house is nice too. This stuff does not seem to stick to feet the same way.

So I'd highly suggest if you haven't tried this to do so. It's also chemical free which I think I feel a lot safer with.

Anyone else have experience with this litter? Positives, negatives? I realize some cats are picky about litter and may have issues switching, but for mine they took to it immediately and seem happier with it. Though I did make sure not to scrub the litterboxes out so the smell would still be there and they'd know it was where they needed to go. The stuff looks and feels so much different I thought if I cleaned everything they might be confused (After all, they don't use my rabbit enclosure as a litterbox and it has similar bedding). Also, some of my cats seemed to be having issues with either the dust or the chemicals in the clay because there was some coughing or sneezing periodically after using the box. I don't see any of them doing so now, so I think perhaps this litter has helped, though I know I need to observe a bit longer to see.
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Old June 13th, 2011, 11:26 AM
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sugarcatmom sugarcatmom is offline
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Feline Fresh is a similar product that's also quite a hit around here. Some past posts on the subject:

http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....t=feline+fresh
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....t=feline+fresh
http://www.pets.ca/forum/showthread....t=feline+fresh
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Old June 13th, 2011, 03:13 PM
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MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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I've actually tried feline fresh and it didn't scoop as well for me (I mean it clumped ok, but seemed to fall apart easier) and had very little odor control IMO, compared to clay (plus the only place I can get it in town is SUPER expensive). I guess everyone's sense of smell is different, but for me I didn't really like it.
I've seen some reviews on both the feline fresh and feline pine scoopable tracking, but I actually have noticed way less tracking with this stuff than the clay. I think for those people perhaps their cats don't cover up their urine good or step in it, or they're just not scooping it enough perhaps.
I also saw a review on google about urine going to the bottom and clumping, but I find that odd since I've had WAY more issues with clay (of all brands) as far as that compared to both the feline fresh and feline pine. For me it seems to clump way before it gets to the bottom (so maybe those people aren't filling the boxes far enough?)

This is the first natural litter I've tried that I think I can stick with. If you've tried the feline fresh and don't like it I think this stuff is at least worth a try also.
Or even if you do like it this stuff may be another option also.
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Old June 13th, 2011, 05:21 PM
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mikischo mikischo is offline
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Thanks for the information, MBIE.

Sounds good. I think I might give it a try. Good that it is still clumping. I do prefer clumping litter and one of the biggest problems I find with the clay clumping litter I am using is the amount of dust. I find tracking can be a problem too. I'll try to remember to let you know on this thread what I think of it after I have tried it.
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Old June 13th, 2011, 11:03 PM
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MyBirdIsEvil MyBirdIsEvil is offline
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The dust was my main issue too. I found myself scooping the boxes less because of the way the dust effected me, which was making the smell worse, and also harder to scoop since I wasn't getting on it as much as I should. I was actually avoiding that room as much as possible when I didn't have to scoop because just being near it would make my sinuses act up horribly. I dunno if I developed a sensitivity to something in it or what, but I never used to react to it that bad. My husband is the same way, and with several cats slacking off is really bad. Today when I mentioned the new litter to my mother in law, she said the same thing as far as her sinuses being really bad after several years of using the clumping litter. She only has two cats right now and can't stand it.
With this stuff I've founded myself going in there several times a day and checking the boxes because my sinuses have gotten such much better since switching. I kept worrying my cats would get a urinary tract infection or something because we weren't scooping enough before, so now I don't forsee that being a problem.
I also noticed my dogs don't have the urge to try to get to the litterboxes when I accidentally leave the door open with this stuff either, but that just could be because they don't associate the smell of the pine litter with the cats yet.
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Old June 16th, 2011, 06:40 AM
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flipgirl4 flipgirl4 is offline
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I've used Feline Fresh pretty much since I've had my two cats. I liked it because it controlled odor well. I ddid find it dusty and it tracks a bit but the odor thing was the most important thing along with it being better for.my cats' health than clay. Just recently, I changed to clay, I dont know, I thought maybe the odour control wasn't as good as I thought. Wow was I wrong! And it's more difficult to scoop. I bought some feline pine so I'll see hiw that goes. I do like that it's not bad for my cats and for the environment like clay is. I'll never go back to clay. I wish it.was a bit cheaper though.
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Old July 26th, 2011, 07:07 PM
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MissPurryJess MissPurryJess is offline
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I've been using the Feline Fresh clumping litter for a while now, and while the kitties seem to like it and it clumps nicely, the amount of dust is appalling. I clean their bathroom every week (it's a small tiled bathroom they have to themselves), mopping the floors and cleaning the surfaces, and you'd be blown away by the amount of litter dust in there. There's a fine yellow layer of dust on everything in that bathroom. And it tracks, too.

The thing is, I don't know what to switch it to, because the one time I attempted to switch them to Yesterday's News they looked at me like I was a crazy person. One of my kitties is having some issues with his paws, and I thought maybe a litter without little pieces would be better - does anything like that even exist? Do little pieces of Yesterday's News get caught in toesies? *The toesie issue is being monitored by us and our vet, I'm just trying to eliminate any possible irritants*

I've switched to a steam mop (so no floor cleaners, just steam), I'm switching to BioKleen Bac-Out for carpet stains, and I'm switching to even more pure, non-chemical cleaners for any surface they're touching, we use natural laundry soap with no fragrance, etc., so I feel like this litter issue is the last thing I need to fix to make sure my babies' feet aren't touching anything yucky.

So to answer the OP, I think the Feline Fresh Clumping is great except for the dust. The bags we get are very inconsistent - one bag will be great at clumping and not have a lot of dust, the next will have fine powder in it and not clump as well. I do find little bits of yellow dusty paw prints now and then (which doesn't really bother me), so it does track a bit, but not any more than any other clumping litter we've tried (Swheat Scoop, World's Best). I swear I want to just plant an indoor garden and have my kitties do it the way nature intended!!

Last edited by MissPurryJess; July 26th, 2011 at 07:22 PM.
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