Conference misery::feline_v1

      It very well could be re-cycled paper. I haven't seen it yet, but
    when I had Luke's front feet de-clawed, the vet told us to use shredded
    newspaper for litter for a week or so until his feet healed up good. I
    ran a half-dozen Sunday newspapers through my Chipper/Shredder and
    Julie's now thinking about using shredded newspaper and forgetting
    aobut the commercial litter cause she likes it better from a cleanup
    standpoint and all of the cats like it just fine...
    
    JMcD

    Nancy - where did you get this CareFRESH? It sounds wonderful. NO
    dust. With two long hairs it would be great in our house. I hate
    the dust from the litter, and so do my allergies.
    
    Barbara

    
    	I've seen it (or something like it) - it IS recycled
    	newspaper in pellet form. I wasn't so sure, I mean, 
    	how does it control odor? Wet urine soaked paper is 
    	wet urine soaked paper...reminded me of Litter Green,
    	which came out (and is still out) years ago...So, Nancy,
    	what do YOU think of it??
    
    	Sherry
    

    Where, where, where?!!  Inquiring asthmatics need to know!  ;-)
    
    Mary-Michael

    The pet store I get the kids food at had a special on it.  Evidently,
    the urine causes the litter to form a ball, so all you do is just scoop
    the ball out and throw it away, the rest of the litter remains clean
    and dry.  Of course you scoop the hard stuff out, too.  It's supposed
    to last a month before you have to change the litterbox (presuming you
    have only one cat).  I was thinking of trying it but it looked too good
    to be true.  Plus Nymets is really particular about what kind of litter
    he uses and how it smells (when I used the "perfumed" litters he would
    go on the carpet).  Let us know, Nancy.
    
    T
    
    P.S.  It was rather pricey but if you really only have to buy it once a
    month it would be a deal.
    

    Re: .5
    
    I think that you are thinking of another kind of litter.  All of
    the sudden the name of it went out of my head, but there are several
    other notes on that type of litter.  It resembles sand.  
    
    Jo

    re: .5 - That's Everclean and it doesn't work very well in multi-
    cat households because the cats smash up the balls before you have
    a chance to remove them.
    
    And this doesn't look like pellets - more like flakes.  I got it
    through an "introductory special" ad in Cat Fancy.  
    
    As far as how it works - well, the Jury is still out.  It is definitely
    no dust, but Its difficult to scoop.  Also, it isn't as good at elimin-
    ating odors as litter with baking soda in it. Of course, there's
    nothing that says I can't add baking soda to this - other than the
    fact that I'm out at the moment.
    
      Nancy

    Not too long ago I got a letter in the mail that was an ad for some
    type of cat litter.  It had no return address, but the stamp was
    cancelled in Florida.  Anyway, the ad slick had a post it note stuck
    to it with a message addressed to me.  It said something like, "Jo
    Ann, you should try this, my cats love it!" It wasn't signed.  I
    have no idea who it was from, but the litter was a paper like pellet.
    Have any of you gotten a similar ad?
    
    Anyway, I have been using 20 Mule Team Borax for fleas in my house,
    and the box says that it makes a terrific litter box deodorizer.
    Have any of you tried it?  I usually don't use litter additives.
    Don't like the extra dust, and my Birmans have sensitive eyes that
    are irritated by any additional dust.  But, thought it might help
    some of the rest of you out.  A box of Borax is only about $3.00
    and it would go a lot further than a box of baking soda.
    
    Jo

    Jo, I got the same letter in the mail, with no return address, the post
    it note and everything!  I thought it weird that they sent it out this
    way.  I ended up throwing it out.
    
    That is a strange name, 20 Mule Team Borax.  I use a lot of baking soda
    in the litterbox.  Will have to try the Borax.
    

    Jo- 
    
    Is the borax a soap??  I'll have to try it too.  The commercial cat box
    sprinklely stuff to deoderize cat box smell works okay, but it gets
    expensive.  Baking soda works okay too......but I'll have to try 
    borax
    
    

    Borax has been around for years and years. Anyway, I had my vet
    call the company and inquire if it would be safe to use to kill
    fleas (since you spread it all over the rugs and leave it there)
    and she said that they said that it is a sodium derivative (maybe
    this isn't the right word). Anyway, they said that it wasn't harmful
    to children or cats.  It isn't exactly a soap, it is a soap booster.
    You can use it for lots of different things, it has a very light
    pleasant fragrance.  A box of it is about six times the size of
    a box of baking soda.  I would think it would be more economical.
    The problem is finding Borax.  The stuff has been around forever,
    and many stores have stopped carrying it in order to make room for
    newer products.  I finally found it in a drug store chain.
    
    I threw out that ad with the post it note too.  Did anyone else
    get one?
    
    Jo

re: .11

>    Borax has been around for years and years.

and years and years and years.  I remember a television series called 
"Death Valley Days".  The sponsor was 20-Mule-Team borax.  The show's host 
was none other than Ronald Reagan!

Ray_showing_his_age_again...

>>    Borax has been around for years and years.

Borax is a "water softener" - honest!  It is, therefore, a soap "enhancer"
because, as we all know, soap is "soapier" in soft water...and rinses
better.  It also helps in removal of odors from work clothes, etc.

    I also got that ad for the disposable litterboxes with the post-it.
    I also trashed it.
     N
    

    
    
    Since we are on the topic of kitty litter, I'm getting pretty
    desparate in finding some good kitty litter for a multiple cat
    household.  I have two cats and I've tried so many kitty litters
    on the market that I've lost count.  We have to change the box
    every single day because of the odor.  If there some good
    kitty litter out there for more than one cat that someone can
    recommend to me?
    
    Thanks,
    chris_Callie_Tigger

    I'm a little puzzled.  I have three cats, 2 litter boxes, and I fill them
    from one ten pound bag.  I change the litter twice a week.  I use
    Safeway brand, which seems to do a reasonably good job.  I keep the 
    (firmly screened) windows in the two rooms cracked just a little for
    air circulation.
    
    Are your cats unaltered?  That can make the urine smell very pungently.
    Also some cat foods cause very smelly stools.
    

I use tidy cat - the only one the cats like - clean it of all solids,
FAITHFULLY, twice a day, and turn the litter well each time.  It only
takes about 2 minutes to clean both boxes and turn the litter.  We
have 4 cats, change the litter out completely twice a week.  I
use 1 big bag (20 lbs.) in each jumbo sized box each litter change.
We have guests who are surprised we have cats, so I think our litter
odor is at a minimum.  Some additional hints:

	1)  feed qualtity food - no dyes, and good MEAT sourced
	    protein.  I use IAMS kibble - again, the cats have
	    decided this for me - and feed small amounts of
	    Whiskas canned to the one guy I need to get weight on.
	    Supermarket brands of cat food, including most Purina
	    products can have significant amounts of fowl feathers
	    as their source of protein.  With cats, the old adage
	    of what u get out depends on what u put in, is REALLY
	    true.

	2)  do not feed dairy products - or use rarely - the cats
	    don't really digest milk and stuff like that - it can
	    make for really bad smelling solid waste....that's
	    the source of the smell, u know, undigested or incompletely
	    digested food.  Fish can also contribute to the odor...
	    some cats simply don't digest it that well.

	3)  provide fresh water at all times..don't place it near
	    their food or litter box.  The more they drink, the better
	    it will be for urine odor.

	4)  keep your litter box(s) out of the direct sun, in a well
	    ventilated area.

	5)  Neuter all males, spay all females.  Make sure u have
	    enough cat boxes (and litter in the boxes) to satisfy the
	    cats - some will spray a box in an attempt to claim it
	    as their personal property...if so, providing 1 or more boxes
	    in a different area can solve the problem, allowing the
	    cats to parcel out the territory a little better.
	    It really is very little more work to maintain several
	    (or even just 2) litter boxes -
	    u will find u have to change them less often if u spread the
	    usage around to more than 1 box.

	6)  If the odor is really rank after u implement any suggestions
	    u feel are valid, then it may be time to go see the vet and
	    rule out any health/digestive problems.

    Feeding fish flavored canned food also increased the odor in the box.
    
    E.

    I got the same ad with the same post-it note....I treated it the same
    way everyone else did!  Threw it away!
    
    cin
    

    re: placement of water.  That adage about not putting water near 
    the food is only true for some cats.  Mine are perfectly happy
    having the water in the same place as the food.
    
    We have 7 cats in the main area of the house and I've got about
    4 boxes running.  They go several days.  There is one box that
    gets used much more frequently but that one gets changed every
    3 days.
    
    Try adding borax or baking soda and try Tidy cat 3.
    
    
    one of my pet peeves is our supermarket that only stocks 10 lb
    bags of litter!!!

    Gosh, I bought a box of 20-Mule Team Borax about two weeks ago at my
    local Stop & Shop. I use it as a laundry detergent booster and have
    never had a hard time finding it.
    
    I remember Death Valley Days, too!
    
    Deb

    Nancy, 
    
    You mean you are still buying litter at the supermarket??  You mean
    you haven't graduated to 50 lb bags yet??  I haven't bought litter
    at a supermarket in years... :^)  
    
    BTW - An Jan has 50 lb's of Scamp for $6.09.  Scamp is dust free
    like Tidy Cat III.
    
    Jo

    Nancy,
    
         BJ's Wholesale in Westboro has Tidy Cat 3 in 50 pound bags for
    $6.66 (+ 33� for MA tax for a grand total of $6.99).  Not bad!
    
         If you're not a member, I am; we could go together some time.
    
    					- Andrea

    re:  22.
    
    Yup, it's me and the auto parts store for 40 lb. bags !!
    I do pick up a 10 or 25 pounder for the upstairs boxes.
    I tried, I think it's cat's pride plus - something in
    a pretty blue bag - with baby powder fresh scent.  I
    really liked it a lot.  I'm a sucker for that smell!
    It had pretty green pieces of clay in it also.  Cats
    don't seem to mind it one way or another.  I have to
    remember to save the bag so I can try it again.
    
    E.T.

    or try a local grain/feed store nancy.....I get 50 lbs for $6-$9 range
    (it depends on how much other stuff we get........discounts vary
    from 500lbs and up and 1000lbs and up)
    
    

    
    Thanks for the options.  Recently Osco had Jonnycat in 30 lb bags
    for 2.99.  We were in heaven.  We'd go and buy 200 lbs at a time.
    Unfortunately it was only temporary.
      N

    Jo, 
    
    Thanks for letting us know about the Scamp kitty litter at AnJan's.
    I'll definitely pick some up and $ave a bundle!
    
    Theresa

    
    For those of you who arn't crazy enough to be up at 5am, getting ready
    for work, I recently saw on the early morning financial news, that these 
    ads with the unsigned post-its are the latest marketing gimmick being 
    investigated by the FTC and Postal authorities.  Seems that if you 
    subscribe to any magazine, you will likely have your name and address sold
    as part of a list to these marketing firms.  It's the "latest" way to
    make it seem that some friend of yours has sent you a clipping with a
    personal endorsement.  (FYI it's also being used on "adult" material as
    well)
    
    I too have seen large boxes of 20 Mule Team Borax at both Stop & Shop
    and Shaws, prices are good.  I second the idea though of the 50 pound
    bag of litter at BJ's, now do THEY provide the crane to get this bag
    out of the cart, let's not even think about the 100 or more size bags!!
    
    Lyn, Holly-kitty and Baby Bandit
    

I wonder if any of you could help me.  My kitty uses Glamour Kitty Premium Cat
Litter which I have found is the absolute best for her.  I am able to find this
litter in the 8 lb. bags only at Jean's Foodland in Nashua, and am looking
for a source where I can buy it in larger bags.  This is not the same as the
regular Glamour Kitty in the bright yellow bag; rather it is Glamour Kitty
*Premium* in a white and blue bag.  If anyone has seen it in the larger-sized
bags anywhere in the vicinity (even in Mass.), please let me know.  I'd really
appreciate it!

Thanks!!    

    You might try calling the manufacturer and see who they
    distr ibute to in your vicinity.