used kitty litter?

[Sparticle]

what do you guys do with used kitty litter? I have one cat that is terrified of the outdoors and I have to have a box for him. The other cats go outside. I'm trying to reduce the amount of trash I throw away.

[GoldenMom]

I don't know if this is good or not, but I scoop the used litter into the empty cat litter bucket and then when it's full I dump it in the field right by my house. I use the clumping litter. If you use the plain clay litter, I would suspect it would break down faster.

[Countrybumpkin]

we ditched the kitty litter entirely, and switched to using pine shavings in our cats box...he doesn't mind, and we can throw it out in the field, or under a pine tree and it all breaks down-none of that clay to sit around for years and years! An idea for you to try, at least!

[Shepherd]

We use the clumping kitty litter for now, but.... I had a big truck deliver me a load of sand and figured if TSHTF, we could always use sand and... I'd figure a way to reuse it, and just "fertilize" the north forty with the rest.

We also have dry creek beds during the year and I've found there's a LOT of sand filters into it so we would have that source for future use too. We have indoor kitties and outdoor kitties but even our outdoor kitties get 'inside privileges' in the winter when the weather's too bitter... they get the garage to use.

Guess we'll just figure those problems out when the time comes tho.

[Cyngbaeld]

I like the sawdust/shavings litter. Easier on my back and the environment. Dump it under a tree, not in the garden.

[moonwolf]

Incinerate it if you can.

Best not to increase more cat droppings into the environment due to the possibilities of parasites that are possible in their poop...namely Toxoplama gondii which is deleterious for pregnant women.
Burn the litter with the poop ideally in an outdoor wood furnace or incinerator, and then use the ashes into the compost.

The other best option is to bury it.

[Vera]

I used to use clay litter... there's still a pile of it in the back yard where I used to dump it years ago. The cheap version was smelly and dusty, the more expensive version had chemicals in it to keep the dust down and make it smell like perfume in a box. I didn't like either!
First I switched to Feline Pine (works like a charm and decomposes, but is expensive), then to poultry crumble (works like clumping litter, doesn't smell, decomposes, but is relatively expensive), and finally discovered stove pellets (works like Feline Pine, no dust, no smell, decomposes, is cheap). I've used that for about 3 years now, my cats like it, it's been the best solution for us! And if you don't want to dump it in the yard for some reason, it'll burn easily of course.

[ellebeaux]

Vera, thanks! That sounds like a wonderful suggestion. Do you think it has any deleterious chemicals in it? My new yard at my new very first house(next week!!!!!) is only a quarter acre and there also isn't a lot of woods for my dog to poop in like where I live now. So I figure I'm going to be composting dog manure but if I could do it with the cat litter that would be great.

Beaux

[Sparticle]

Originally Posted by Vera

I used to use clay litter... there's still a pile of it in the back yard where I used to dump it years ago. The cheap version was smelly and dusty, the more expensive version had chemicals in it to keep the dust down and make it smell like perfume in a box. I didn't like either!
First I switched to Feline Pine (works like a charm and decomposes, but is expensive), then to poultry crumble (works like clumping litter, doesn't smell, decomposes, but is relatively expensive), and finally discovered stove pellets (works like Feline Pine, no dust, no smell, decomposes, is cheap). I've used that for about 3 years now, my cats like it, it's been the best solution for us! And if you don't want to dump it in the yard for some reason, it'll burn easily of course.

These are all awesome ideas! I now feel a lot better about what to do. Now to find out what stove pellets are? If I can't find them, I'm going to pine shavings.

edit: found out what stove pellets are!

[Vera]

I think there was a thread on cat litter a while back on one of the forums... if I remember right, somebody posted that wood pellets are in some way dangerous to cats' health while Feline Pine isn't because it's been treated somehow. I don't know the details, and it may be so, but mine are still hale and healthy after a few years of going on pellet litter.

I'm lucky enough to have a very generous friend with a husband who owns a pellet plant, so I don't have to buy mine. But I've seen the same 40lb bags at the grocery store during the winter, with something like $3.50 or $4 on them. The hardware store carries the stuff year-round, I think. For just one cat, a bag should last almost 2 months, so you can even "stock up" when it's on sale somewhere. 6 bags a year, that's a pretty good deal for something that works so well!

[Sparticle]

I went to the feed store today and asked for stove pellets. they said they had Natural Pine Animal bedding which is basically the same thing. I got a 40lb bag for about $5. He broke open a bag and took a cup from the employee coffee area and said I had to see this. He made a little mark on the cup with his nail where he poured some of the bedding into. Then he poured it into another cup. The with the cup he marked, he put warm water (I got a tour of the employee kitchen at my local feed store today) up to the mark. He poured the water into the cup with the pellets. We waited a second and the pellets began to grow and grow. till the cup was full. then he put his hand over the top and turned it upside down and no water came out of the little opening he left. Then he took some paper towels and poured the stuff out onto the paper towels and showed me how easily it crumbles up. So, I bought a bag and am going to try it out. He said I could also use this in the pig house. Not only is this going to be better than throwing kitty litter in the trash, it's going to be cheaper too! Thanks everyone.

[Ken Scharabok]

I have heard dumping used kitty litter down groundhog holes is a good way to get them to move out.

[Sparticle]

Originally Posted by Ken Scharabok

I have heard dumping used kitty litter down groundhog holes is a good way to get them to move out.

hehehe, i don't have groundhogs (I don't think). But I do have armadillo holes.

[Mastiff]

We have been using alfalfa pellets for a few years... They work great... It just goes on our non-food growing compost piles... Though there are some potato plants in their going like crazy right now.

[IwannaFarm]

You've all given me something to think about for sure... I'll have to see if I can find that "Natural Pine Animal Bedding"

[m0424647]

i have three kitties, so the litter can get to be a problem. i used the clay stuff initially and dumped it outside where it sat in big unsightly pile. so i started carrying it off (which was a big pain in the butt). so i tried the Feline Pine. it's great. i spread it outside on a bare bank, and it looks just like finely ground sawdust. (the website says you can even use it as fertilizer, but only on non-edible flowers or fruit trees where the poop won't touch what you eat). also it's silicate(?) free- that's the stuff that causes cancer or something bad like that. anyway, i think the stuff is great even though it's a bit pricey. (although the web site has "coupons" you can print off to get every 11th bag free). just my $0.02

[Sparticle]

Here's my 1 week update. It's a little different because there aren't the nice little round pee balls to scoop out. But you can pretty much tell where the urine is because the texture of the pellets are different. So far I think it's great. The cats are using it without a problem. Usually 4 of the cats go outside, but it's been so wet, they are hanging out in here. Someone is popping right on top of the litter and not burying it (I'm sure in protest) but it makes it easier to scoop it out since it's right on top. So rebel away!

So with the cost reduction and the ability to compost, we have a winner!