Okay, so my cat, Whiskers, is a picky little dude. And honestly, sometimes I just run out of kitty litter. It happens. So, I started looking into what else I could use in a pinch. I mean, there’s gotta be something around the house that works, right?
My Experiment with Litter Alternatives
First, I tried shredded paper. I have a paper shredder, and I’m always getting junk mail, so it seemed like a good idea. I shredded a bunch of old newspapers and flyers, and put it in his box. Whiskers looked at it, sniffed it, and then looked at me like I was crazy. He used it, but he clearly wasn’t thrilled. It wasn’t very absorbent, and it got messy pretty fast.
- Pros: Free, readily available.
- Cons: Not very absorbent, messy, cat wasn’t a fan.
Next, I moved on to sand. I live near a beach. I didn’t go, because my friend always have sand in his house, so I get some from him. filled a bucket, and dumped it in the litter box. This was… better. It clumped a little, which was good, but it was also super dusty. Whiskers tracked sand all over the house. Plus, I started worrying about whether it was actually safe for him.
- Pros: Clumped a bit, readily available for some.
- Cons: Dusty, tracked everywhere, potential safety concerns.
Then I tried wood shavings. I went to the pet store (ironically, to get cat litter, of course!), and they had these pine shavings meant for hamster cages. I figured, why not? They were absorbent, smelled nice, and seemed safe. Whiskers seemed to like them okay. They worked pretty well, but they didn’t clump at all, so scooping was kind of a pain. They were also more expensive than I was, because I can’t find them anywhere other than pet store.
- Pros: Absorbent, smelled good, safe.
- Cons: Didn’t clump, a bit of a hassle to scoop, more expensive than I thought.
Althongh I tried chicken feed,I do not recommend that. It’s also not easy to buy, and maybe the smell is too strong.
Finally, I discovered something surprisingly good: potting soil! I had a bag of organic potting soil in the garage for my plants. I decided to give it a shot. It was dark, so it didn’t show the mess as much, and it was surprisingly absorbent. It didn’t clump perfectly, but it was good enough. Whiskers didn’t seem to mind it at all! It’s still dusty, but it’s the best one I’ve found so far.
- Pros: Absorbent, hides the mess, cat-friendly.
- Cons: Doesn’t clump perfectly, can be a little dusty.
So, that’s my journey through the world of alternative kitty litters. Honestly, regular clumping litter is still the best, but in a pinch, potting soil is my new go-to. I’m still learning, so if anyone has other ideas, I do want to hear them!
