What is the best cat litter to choose?
First of all, the answer to this question can be found out by the behavior of the animal - if the cat goes to the litter box without problems, it means that everything suits her. But if she refuses to use it or the animal is new to inexperienced owners, purchasing litter becomes difficult.
What types of fillers are there and how are they different?
There are paper, gel, silica gel, mineral, corn, wood, soy, and bentonite materials. They can be distinguished by their composition, appearance, basic properties and principles of action. And, of course, they have different prices.
All materials are divided into two types - absorbent and clumping. The former absorb and retain moisture without losing their structure. The entire filler should be changed at least once every 2-5 days, if not more often.
The operating principle of the clumping composition is based in such a way that upon contact with liquid it forms small lumps. You can simply remove them from the toilet along with the feces and add the same amount of new litter. But some cats are capricious and categorically refuse to go to the litter box even a second time.
In this case, it becomes necessary to completely replace the contents of the tray, and not just the wet areas. Therefore, sometimes in order to understand which one is better, it takes practice.
What can you flush down the toilet?
All those substances whose granules do not swell or increase in size can be disposed of in the sewer system. But, in any case, you should not throw away the contents of the tray, even large volumes of natural wood material, to avoid clogging the pipe.
The disposal method is usually indicated on the packaging. Therefore, you must definitely read the instructions.
Some types of modern litter can be flushed down the toilet. However, this can only be done if there is a corresponding mark on the packaging. In addition, you cannot pour a large volume of filler down the drain, otherwise there is a risk of clogging the toilet even with soluble waste
Which filler best removes odor and leaves little litter?
Clay-based products, whether scented or not, are very good at locking in odors. Silica gel fillers will also do the job well, but only with large granules. They are more expensive, but ultimately more economical - replacement is required only once every three weeks.
This material also absorbs moisture well, does not remain on the animal’s paws, and there is no dust from it. In addition, these two types of fillers will cope even with the sharp and unpleasant aroma of urine of sexually mature individuals due to hormones.
Care and maintenance of Maine Coons
One of the frequently asked questions after “how and what to feed” is the question about the toilet for the Maine Coon. When people come to our house and do not know that we keep several animals, many people are surprised. How can that be, there is no smell in the apartment at all. For some reason, many people believe that if there is a cat in the house, there must be a smell in the apartment. The prejudice comes from time immemorial:) when cats went to an empty litter box, because... fillers in those days did not exist or their choice was very small, and ordinary sand was used as filler in the tray.
But a lot has changed since then, the pet industry does not stand still, and now the choice of litter for cats is quite large.
We decided to tell you what we use and clearly show the difference in using different types of fillers and trays.
Let's start with the trays.
Tray for Maine Coon
Since the Maine Coon is a large breed, the tray will therefore need to be as large as possible. If you bought a kitten, remember that in a few months it will become a fairly large cat, so you need to take a tray for it to grow into.
There are several types and options of trays:
- Trays with mesh
- Tray houses
- Trays with high sides
- Trays with filtration system
- and even automatic toilets.
It all looks like this.
What can you say about each of these types of trays for Maine Coon use? Since the type of litter box does not in any way affect the health of your Maine Coon, you can use any of these types of litter boxes, as long as they are suitable for your cat and are convenient for you in terms of cleaning and cleaning.
We use trays with high sides. At one time we saw such a tray in a friendly nursery and ordered the same ones. Since we have an archaeologist cat who tries to dig up the litter (or get to the neighbors below :)), the high sides of this tray are very relevant for us. They allow your cat to dig around in the litter box without throwing litter around. And the tray itself is quite deep,
The tray is made of plastic, its sides are removable, this tray is easy to clean and disinfect. The sizes of such trays may vary, we took the largest size, but even in such a large tray our cat sometimes has little space. But throughout our entire use, we have never regretted choosing such a tray.
By the way, such trays can also be closed, like a house, but we decided that our animals would not be very comfortable in a closed tray, so we settled on the open type.
Let's move on to fillers.
Maine Coon litter tray
All cat litters are divided into two large groups:
- Absorbent fillers
- Clumping fillers
What is the difference between absorbent filler and compacting filler? The difference follows from the name itself. Absorbent fillers absorb urine, absorbing all the liquid and retaining the odor. The absorbent filler is designed for 6-9 days of use, then it must be completely replaced. When using clumping litter, lumps are formed that must be disposed of daily. There is no need to completely change all the filler in the tray; you just need to add a new portion of filler to replace the removed lumps.
Both absorbent and clumping litters can be made from different materials.
Betonite - made from fine bentonite clay; when used, dense lumps are formed. which can be easily removed with a spatula or scoop.
Wood - made from pressed sawdust in the form of granules of different sizes.
Silica gel - are made on the basis of polysilicic acid and are granules of different sizes. Absorbs liquids well, we've all seen silica gel packets in shoe boxes. This filler may change color and indicate the need to replace it. They can only be absorbent.
Mineral - made from compounds of mineral origin after special processing.
Corn, paper, grain - made from grain and corn waste, can only be absorbent.
The type, shape, color and size of the granules themselves may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Which filler should I choose? Absorbent or clumping? Many breeders use wood absorbent fillers, we tried them too, and we didn’t like it :).
We tell you our experience. Over the entire existence of our nursery, we have tried many, many types and brands of litter and settled on using only clumping litter.
We were not satisfied with absorbent fillers because the tray with cat waste products sits for several days and is cleaned only once a week. No matter how well the filler holds the liquid, the smell is still present. This was especially acute when cleaning the tray. Therefore, we abandoned absorbent fillers once and for all. True, just recently we were recommended the “super-miracle filler” “Clean-Fluffy” - there were a lot of enthusiastic reviews from cattery owners and just cat owners. We tried it and... decided that this was the last experience using absorbent fillers.
After we decided that absorbent fillers were not suitable for us, we began to try clumping ones. At first these were bentonite-based fillers: Fresh Step, Ever Clean, Pi-Pi-Bent. They clumped well, retained the smell, were easy to clean, but when the number of animals was more than 2, the bag of waste began to weigh a lot... And I had to take it to the trash every day, because bentonite filler cannot be thrown into the toilet. And when there are kittens in the nursery, and they grow quickly and begin to use the litter box, the amount of waste was already measured in kilograms :) We started looking again.
Another important factor is the price of the filler. You can use litter at any price if you have one cat. But when there are a lot of animals, I somehow didn’t want to throw a lot of money down the toilet (in the literal sense of the word).
We finally settled on Cats Best wood clumping litter. Someone will say, how can it be, you wanted to save money, but you ended up using an expensive filler, one of the most expensive on the market. The answer is simple - this filler is very economical. Let me give you an example: for the same number of animals, a 9 kg pack of Cats Best filler is equivalent to 5-6 packs of Pi-Pi Bent 10 kg. Another huge plus for us is that Cats Best can be thrown down the toilet. The granules almost completely decompose in water and do not clog the sewer. At the same time, the filler retains odor very well. After all, we do not live in a barn, but in an apartment, so the issue of odor retention is very acute for us.
But Cats Best also has one significant drawback - the granules are light and easily spread around the house on their paws. That's why sometimes our floor resembles a beach :). But this can be treated with another tray in front of the main one, where the granules stuck to the paws fall.
Another option is to use special mats. These tray mats are sold on Aliexpress; they are very comfortable; excess filler from the feet gets stuck between the cells. The mat is rubberized, easy to clean and disinfect. They come in different sizes and colors, so you can easily choose the right one for you.
But this drawback of the Cats Best filler is completely and more than offset by its other advantages.
This is what the filler looks like. We use Cats Best Original - the cheapest in the Cats Best range of litters.
And now I’ll show you what the trays look like after using bentonite filler and clumping wood Cats Best
Red tray. The period of use is 3-4 years. Mainly bentonite filler was used. As you can see, a stone has formed in the tray, and there is no way to remove it when cleaning the tray.
Blue tray. The period of use is 3-4 years. We used only Cats Best Eco clumping wood filler. There is no stone in sight. The tray looks absolutely clean and almost new :) We don’t know whose fault it is – the filler, or the tray, or both.
As you can see, the difference is obvious. Of course, this doesn’t say anything and doesn’t affect anything, but for us the choice is obvious. Therefore, we recommend to all our graduates, first of all, this litter, which is almost ideal for Maine Coons.
While we were photographing the trays and filler, their user came :)
Undoubtedly, you can try, experiment, perhaps a completely different type of trays and fillers will suit you, but we are sharing with you what we have tried and use ourselves.
And, of course, it’s up to you to choose.
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How to choose litter for different cats and kittens
When choosing a toilet for a cat, it is necessary to take into account the breed, its physiological and psychological characteristics, as well as its age.
For Maine Coon and other long-haired breeds
The Maine Coon has a distinct character with its own habits and special behavior, and when choosing a product for this breed, you need to consider the following:
- cats love to throw it around;
- they have rather thick and long hair, so they get very dirty;
- Not every filler is accepted.
Some of the best litter options for Maine Coons are wood and silica gel.
The latter has amazing moisture-absorbing properties and is economically consumed. Litter granules for litter trays for adult cats should be medium or large in size.
Some of the best filler options for Maine Coons are wood and silica gel.
For Scots and Brits
Scottish and British cats are more flexible. If you educate them from early childhood, you can accustom them to any type of filler. Considering that they are short-haired, it is not necessary to use a large fraction as a filler in the tray.
These can be wood, clay, mineral and silica gel products.
Most often, clumping wood pellets are used for these species. They easily get used to the bedding; in addition, wood filler is one of the most environmentally friendly of all types and cats really like it.
For small kittens
If we think from an environmental point of view, then the choice falls on wood bedding. However, it is not suitable for small kittens - wood pellets swell when wet, and playful kittens love to taste everything. Therefore, sawdust filler is dangerous.
Silica gel is also unsafe for kittens.
They can also eat pellets, which, when ingested, absorb all the moisture, which can subsequently lead to blockage of the gastrointestinal tract. The best alternatives are moisture-absorbing clay, corn and soy products.
Wood pellets are not the best option for small kittens who want to taste everything, including swollen sawdust.
Teeth cleaning products
The structural features of the jaws of Maine Coons and some other cat breeds are such that food and additives do not provide natural cleaning of teeth from plaque during the process of chewing food. The result is that plaque often remains on your pet’s teeth. It is best to teach a kitten to brush its teeth from a young age. This is done with the help of a special toothpaste and a toothbrush (or fingertip).
If you fail to train the animal (or the pet came to you as an adult), you can use gels for cleaning teeth and water additives that do not require mechanical impact on the animal’s teeth. Toys from the “Dental” series are also produced especially for cats, for example, Petstages, which gently clean the teeth and massage the gums during play.
You can read in detail about how to care for your pet’s teeth in the article: Preventing plaque and brushing teeth for dogs and cats
Where to equip a cat's bathroom?
Considering the considerable size of the Maine Coon's litter box, a logical question arises: where to organize a place for the cat's litter box? The standard place for these purposes is, of course, the bathroom. It is very convenient to clean the container from feces, change the filler and monitor the cat’s hygiene.
Also, the container for excrement can be placed on a glassed-in loggia or in the hallway. As a rule, these places are chosen by the pet himself.
The most important thing is to choose a quiet and accessible place so that the animal can run to it at any time, in case of urgent need.
Filling your pet's litter box
When choosing litter, you should take into account the Maine Coon's reaction to the contents of the litter box. Before purchasing cat litter, you need to have an idea of its composition. Types of fillers:
- Wood filler. Its natural composition and low cost have ensured its widespread use. Consists of compressed sawdust in the form of granules. This filler is absolutely safe for the animal and must be changed 2 times a week.
- Mineral filler. It has a porous structure, perfectly absorbs liquid and blocks unpleasant odors. The advantage of this filler is that it does not stick to the paws and, accordingly, does not spread throughout the house.
- Silica gel filler. Consists of synthetic crystals. Not the cheapest option, but the strength of this filler is its economical consumption and long-term operation.
Note: It is highly not recommended to fill a Maine Coon's tray with plain street sand!
The cat litter box must be cleaned several times a week using a special disinfectant solution, which can be purchased at a pet store.
