Asthmatic cat- litter recommendations?

[ladyamylynn]

My best buddy Buster was diagnosed with asthma today. He's my all time favorite cat and I need to switch him to a low-dust litter. I'm wondering if anyone has experience and recommendations. Thanks!

[Don'tlikekoolaid]

Sand. Not kidding. You can buy sand by the bag at Home Hardware in winter for tire traction.  Kitty needs sand.  All so it will last a longtime just keep it clean with a scooper.

[AmericanRose]

My kitty has been using Cat Attract since she was about 14 weeks old and began peeing... elsewhere. She was diagnosed with asthma back in April, and I tried switching her litter... so she began using outside it again. She also refuses to take the pills. Don't cats know we're trying to help them?!

How old is Baxter? I had no idea cats could get asthma until this year.

[Curious]

We use the Breeze litter system.  It has pellets and an absorbant try.  Urine falls through to the tray that you change once a week (or more as necessary) and pellets you scoop once a day or whatever your normal schedule is.  You change out pellets once a month.   

We have 2 of them with two cats.  Ours seem to like to use one for peeing so we have to change out the pad on that one a couple times a week. It works out about the same cost since the other pad lasts way longer than a week with very little to no urine going in that box. 

[Briefly]

I had no idea that cats could get asthma!  I am probably going to get a cat in the next few months, we just lost our beagle to old age at the end of July and I want to wait just a little bit longer before I get another animal.  My daughter uses Tidy Kat for her cat's litter box.  She said it doesn't seem to smell very bad but I don't know about the dust.  I don't think it's very dusty though.

@ladyamylynn that is such a pretty cat!

[melon]

Arm and Hammer makes a litter called Clump and Seal,it's supposed to be almost dust-free.World's Best has  low dust litter and I think Dr, Elsey had a hypoallergenic litter.Tidy Cats has one,too.

I didn't care for it,myself.I prefer unscented litter for my cats.One of my cats has asthma ,too.

Once,I was at the pet store,and a woman gave me a coupon for a litter made of walnut shells,I believe it's by Blue Buffalo.It was actually cheaper in the long run,than the clay litter I had been using.

But,one of my cats did not like it,he started having accidents,I  too him to the vet,and they found nothing wrong with him.Behavioral.I switched back to clay litter and he has done much better.

 

[elsiedindin]

I liked Clump and Seal (bought it when the grocery store first started carrying it and it was on sale) but it's kind of expensive at regular price. My cat doesn't seem to care so I usually buy Tidy Cats and have been pretty happy with it. I don't want a "dusty" litter because of my own allergies, but I haven't had a problem with either of those brands. I don't like the Febreeze versions though, waaay overboard on the fragrance. 

Hope you find something that works for you and kitty!

[ladyamylynn]

On 10/13/2018 at 10:57 AM, AmericanRose said:

How old is Baxter? I had no idea cats could get asthma until this year.

He's 9.

[smittykins]

I've just switched to Arm and Hammer Slide(which I think has been merged with Clump and Seal), mostly for ease of cleanup; I can't use liners with Shadow because claws.  I think it's supposed to be dust-free.

[PennySycamore]

FWIW, The Cat Daddy, Jackson Galaxy does not recommend scented litter or litter pan liners in Total Cat Mojo.  He doesn't recommend covered litterboxes either.  

I need to give my spare litterbox to my daughter.  She's got a cat that has accidents.  I think an extra pan will help.

[clueliss]

I once tried a hooded litterbox for The Spook.  That was a total no go.  Removed the hood - she started using it.  

[Lurker]

When I was looking to adopt a cat a while ago, both cat rescue organizations I spoke to told me how bad the super clumping litter was for a cat’s lungs.   They both recommended non clumping or a more natural litter.

I have tried a few and like the walnut based clumping litter made by Blue Buffalo.  It seems more expensive but a bag lasts a long time.  It has very little dust and does not track all over.  My cat likes it and uses it, it clumps a bit but not rock hard like others and does a decent job of controlling odor.  The negatives are more expense, and a dark brown color which looks weird.  It also has an earthy odor not very scented.

[SuperNova]

One of my cats had asthma and we used world's best. Not my favorite litter to clean up but she breathed better. Also, sort of related but if you have a cat that pees outside the box, try a bigger box. I have 2 big male cats and I purchased cement mixing tubs from the hardware store. They're about the same depth as a regular box but much bigger and only about 6 bucks. 

[PennySycamore]

@SuperNova, that's a great point about the size of the box.  Jackson says that ideally the litterbox should be 11/2 times the length of the cat.  They do make litterboxes that are bigger for Maine Coons and other large kitties, but that cement mixing tub sounds wonderful!

[Lotsofdots]

We use wood pellets in purpose made sieve trays, US equivalent brand is Feline Pine.

no dust, no odour, extremely cost effective, safe to use. Breed and show cats so we have lots of trays and haven’t found anything that works as well for us as wood pellets  

[luv2laugh]

A lot of people recommend wood pellets but make sure they are safe for cats as some are said not to be safe for cats.

A lot of people recommend the Equine Pine pellets by Tractor Supply which are $5/40 lb.

We have five cats and unfortunately it didn’t do a good job hiding the litter and poop smells so I had to use Special Kitty Litter (Walmart) for $10/40 lbs which is a little dusty but one day we might give it another try since we really wanted it to work. I might also try sand as well.

[Snarfblatt]

Oh hello fellow asthmatic cat owner!

I tried Feline Pine but my cats both hate it. I like Yesterday’s News which is made from recycled newspaper but unfortunately my kitten believes the pellets are toys.

So they use Tidy Cat for now. I have one hooded and one open litter box and they both prefer the hooded one. It definitely gets more use.

[church_of_dog]

Seconding the walnut shell litter.  Effectively no dust, no smell!  My three formerly-feral cats have no problem with it.  I got used to the color.

Downside: expensive!  But it lasts a long time -- I scoop out solids and clumps and add more litter as needed but never need to throw out the remaining litter.

For three indoor cats I needed about 4-6 big bags a year.  Now that two of the three are indoor-outdoor I'm using a lot less of course.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BPA13YQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I also use these double-size litter boxes and love them:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003RQVGKC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Ima]

I like the silica litters. This is currently the cheapest brand I can find but no odor, no dust, lasts a long time.