How to Use Natural Clay Cat Litter

Using clay cat litter is very similar to using clumping or scoopable litter. Fill the litter box pan with about 3" of litter to start. When daily wastes are removed, more litter is added .

The main drawback of clay litter is that it takes more effort & time to remove the daily wastes from the box. However, as with most things, there is a technique which is helpful. You'll need two utensils: a standard slotted "poop scoop", and a shallow, large, serving spoon.

1. Scoop stools out with the slotted scoop. ( You can use the spoon, but the scoop prevents wasting any litter.)
2. Use the serving spoon to lightly scrape away the top layer of dry clay around any wet spot you see. (The damp clay will likely appear as a small wet spot on the surface of the litter, but will be volcano-shaped, so scrape away a large area around the spot.)
3. Scoop the damp clay out with the spoon.
4. Look for other wet spots; sometimes they will be completely hidden under dry litter.
5. Add new litter to replace the used

While scoopable, or clumping, litters are considered to be more convenient , natural clay litters have some distinct advantages:

• They are inexpensive. It costs at least three times more to use clumping litters than it does clay.
• They are very low-odor. While scoopable litters try to cover odors with perfumes, the clay seems to simply absorb them. In most cases, the only time you will notice an ammonia odor is during daily cleaning of waste from the box. Even then, it is generally not very strong.
• Clay litters are not as dusty as many scoopable litters.
• They do not stick to the cat's feet, so there is none, or very little, ingested by the cat.
• When it comes time to completely clean the box & change the litter, clay will clean more easily since it doesn't tend to be as sticky as clumping. If there's a damp layer at the bottom of the pan, it can easily be scraped prior to cleaning with soap and water. (There is no need to empty the box every week, as some articles have suggested. If you do a thorough job of removing wastes every day, the box need only be cleaned once every four-to-six weeks.)

If you simply don't have the time to clean wastes from the litter box every day---- and providing your cat will tolerate a box with some waste in it, you can try the following:

Line the box with cat pan liners, or buy 13 gallon-sized kitchen trash bags at a discount store. When the box becomes full of waste, all you have to do is to lift the bag out and dispose of the entire thing. Quick and easy!

If you have tried clay cat litter, and don't feel that it's for you, or would simply like more information before making a decision, please check out this excellent hub on cat litter reviews.