Uses for used cat litter?

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I have six (!) indoor/outdoor cat who obviously generate alot of "waste" material. I know it's not acceptable compost material, and anyway the (scoopable) litter material is mostly clay and my soil already has more than enough of its own.

I initially began dumping it in a pile out back, mixing in leaves and grass clippings thinking this would help break it down. But the pile is becoming unmanageable. I live on a 1/2 acre lot in town and could subscribe to trash pick up service, but this is virtually the only trash I generate. Everything else goes into the burn barrel or the compost pile, or gets put curbside when the city does its spring trash pickup.

Does anyone have any suggestions for disposing of this stuff? Is it harmful to the ground where I'm currently "dumping" it? And, this may sound strange, but I was actually toying with the idea that since the stuff is mostly clay, could I in some way use it as a building material to form "bricks" or something?

-- Dawn Ricklefs (papermaker76@bigfoot.com), February 13, 2002

Answers

Consider changing the type of cat litter you use. There are alternatives that are as cheap as clay and much more biodegradable. We had a recent discussion on this topic on our yahoo group Catwell.

Some people say they use chicken feed crumbles. (They said it actually clumps.) Others use wood stove pellets. Both which are compost friendly.

Someone mentioned using shredded paper for kittens.

There are also marketed cat litters using newspaper, and wheat (Swheatscoop - clumping).

For what you have now, consider taking it to a landfill. I haven't found any other alternative for soiled clay litter.

-- R. (thor610@yahoo.com), February 13, 2002.


I dig a pit in the pasture and bury it. You'll pay a premium for the fancy scoopable and designer litters out there that you'll still end up putting in the trash can, burning or burying.

Fortunately for us, when the ground thaws, all the barn cats will find their way to the pasture pit and continue to use it all season long.

Scoopable is just bentonite, something we have in abundance. In fact our bentonite mines are changing over from making drillers mud to making scoopable cat litter. There's more money in it.

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002.


They make a new litter called feline pine, it is supposed to be great. I use the small animal litter that is just like it for other animals, and its the best stuff! Anyway maybe you could switch to it, and since it is just pine crumbles, use them in a landscaping sceme, instead of bark or mulch? I dont know but it sounds like a useful idea to me.

-- Angela (Daizy_73@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002.

Angela: How much is feline pine gonna cost vs clay or bentonite?

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 13, 2002.

Dawn,

I have pet groundhog's holes encroaching on my yard, and.... well, I think you get the picture!

-- woodsbilly (coleenl@penn.com), February 13, 2002.



I use Feline Pine. It is compressed, clean sawdust in the form of 1/2"x3/16" pellets. A seven pound bag cost about $4.00 and lasts me, with 6 indoor only cats, a month. I scoop every morning since at night seems to be when the "Scoopable material" is deposited. As the litter is used, it breaks down into it's component sawdust and after 14 days I empty it into a compost heap after scooping out solids. At no time are there any unpleasant odors. I keep thier litter box in the largest of three bathrooms and when you walk in, it always has an aroma of a fresh cut 2x4. It is the best and I will not use anything else.

Tim

-- Cats "R" Me (delta38@netburner.net), February 13, 2002.


We only have one cat that's stays indoors. For him we take a kitchen garbage bag and stick the litter pan inside the bag. Then we place a couple sheets of newspaper inside the now plastic bag covered pan.

After the cat does whatever all you have to do is carefully remove the pan from the plastic bag and dispose of the plastic bag and the used newspaper.

Sometimes you can just remove the paper and reuse the plastic bag.

-- Darren (df1@infi.net), February 13, 2002.


Feline pine is more expensive than regular cat litter. Here's some more alternate ideas: saw dust, dirt, sand, (I didnt think of woodstove pellets, but thats about the same as feline pine- a good idea if I ever heard one) or cedar shavings. I used to (the drive way was really long and no neighbors were close by) fill pot holes with the used clay litter. If you build your house of used clay cat litter bricks, you are braver than me. And no offense to you, but I won't be visiting=). If you sprinkle it out really well over the soil or forest floor, it dissolves with water fast, and I don't think it will hurt anything.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), February 13, 2002.

I've known people who use small-scale alfalfa pellets - as for rabbits or guinea pigs. Smells good, totally biodegradable, and if you buy it in big bags the cost compares well to other products.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 14, 2002.

I have used an alfalfa pellet product before. It works like Feline Pine, which I have also tried. You can sometimes buy alfalfa pellets (rabbit or horse feed) in bulk very cheap. I think I used to pay $7 per 100lb from a feed mill. I used it to suppliment my horses with, but culd also be used for litter. Unfortunately, the mill no longer sells bulk feeds, only 50lb bags. It's still cheaper there, but not enough to justify the hour long drive.

-- ellie (elnorams@aol.com), February 14, 2002.


Great suggestions...thanks! Question on using alfalfa pellets: will the cats be likely to eat it? I know they like grass. The Feline Pine sounds great too, but haven't seen it here locally...(Mt. Grove, MO) Am I correct in understanding any organic product would be safe for composting, but I would need to remove the solids first?

-- Dawn (papermaker76@bigfoot.com), February 14, 2002.

I checked my local Big-R for alfalfa pellets in 100# bags. They are only available in 50# and it sells for $7. That's still twice the price of clay (Wally World-25#x2).

-- al (yr2012@hotmail.com), February 14, 2002.

Yes, looking at some of the pine litter at first would seem more expensive...

However it really is about the same in price if you use it accordingly.

The best and healthiest way to use cat litter both for your feline and you is to just use enough to coat the bottom of the pan.

Then religiously change it every day...

That is why the pine is great...it disolves into dust and you can empty it in your pit or where ever...

there is also flushable litter...but I won't use it because of the septic.

Take a gander to the book store...get yourself a latte..and peruse "Dr. Pitcarins Natural Health for Dogs and Cats"

Just might be what you are looking for.

-- BC (katnip364@aol.com), February 19, 2002.


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