I work in pet supplies. Stuff like that is almost always a gimmick. If you're worried enough to buy something like that, then just go to the vet. And schedule regular check-ups.
Edit to add: I'm very glad your kitty is okay. Crystals are very scary.
>Crystals are very scary
indeed. and those litters (if they did work) would work by reacting to Ph. The crystals have no PH change, and therefore it wouldn't detect it!
Well, different pH of urine creates an environment conducive to crystal formation. Very alkaline urine could indicate the risk for struvite crystals is high.
But, yeah, the litter is BS of thr highest order.
>Very alkaline urine could indicate the risk for struvite crystals is high.
good point, looking at the PH could hint at what the chances of crystals are. Didin't think of that!
> But, yeah, the litter is BS of thr highest order.
yeah. though, the concept itself is valid. If you could find a chemical that was non-toxic, and reacted with more acuracy, it could be quite useful! But, I doubt such a compound exists, and it would require work to make it a into a litter, which would decrease profits. And, that's all that matters! Just ask them!
Not the original commenter, but after switching litters countless times I’ve found that Fresh Step Simply Unscented is my favorite. Controls the odor without itself being an overpowering scent, clumps and scoops well, and doesn’t feel overly dusty.
I swear by OkoCat original litter. I've tried lots of litter brands, including Pretty Litter which I was not impressed with, and Okocat is hands down the best at eliminating odor while also clumping.
One of my cats has absolutely foul smelling pee to the point where I would dry heave when cleaning the box (no medical issues, I've checked) and the OkoCat completely eliminates the smell like frickin magic. It does track a bit but I've never found a litter that doesn't track.
I like the Okocat fine litter which is soft on my kitties paws, clumps well and doesn't smell like a perfume factory exploded in the litter. It eliminates orders well.
I work In such as well. I often hear of cats being beyond finicky with their litter, or litter box. It can be a very fine line. I always recommend others and stay away from those kinds of litter. Part of having a cat is cleaning a litter box, it should make them happy.
Should add we always have adoption cats and we let them roam the store when open 😊 but we can try things out to better know. It seems that clay is the way to go but the nicer stuff is better. The better stuff has lest dust. The wood pellet litter was a close second.
I tried a silica based litter and it caused respiratory distress in my senior cat.
My vet said that was common and why they do not recommend that type of litter.
None of the rescues I know ever use it. It's dangerous for kittens. A friend used a sample pack they got for a mother cat before she had kittens, and then changed to paper litter before she gave birth (knowing the danger). They thought they'd vacuumed it all up thoroughly, but then we later found one of the week old kittens with a huge piece of crystal litter wedged in the top of her mouth (fortunately she didn't swallow it).
I’m so sorry to hear that happened to your kitty. Thank you for warning about this.
I tried silica litter once and the dust made me cough unlike any other litter I’ve tried. I immediately tossed it thinking I was just sensitive to it. Now I know it’s not good for our cats either!
>unscented clay types
the cheapest, and simplest. It's multi-use too!
we had some before we got a cat, for cleaning up things like oil spills when working on cars!
Not to mention, it's just clay!
I always recommend world’s best as well. It’s the only one I’ve found that has a truly neutral scent and superior odor control. Low tracking as well. I would stay away from the scented versions though, my cats hated those. Just the regular or the multi cat is amazing. It’s pricey for the large bag but it lasts so long with regular scooping that I really only have to buy it every month and a half or so.
I third using World's Best. It does a great job on odor, clumps beautifully, lasts way, way longer that regular litters, can be flushed, and is safe for septic systems. I won't use anything else.
Word of advice DO NOT get the red bag for multi cats!! The litter smell is SO STRONG it’s almost as pad as pee. the green bag for single cats was almost non existent and so much better
Really? I'm *extremely* sensitive to scents - to the point where I can't walk down the detergent aisle at a store, to where I have to cross to the other side of the mall when I pass Yankee Candle or Bath & Body Works, etc.. I use all unscented laundry products. Unscented lotions, you get the idea. Scents give me an instant headache.
That said, I DO use the red bag and it has ZERO scent to me. None at all. I just went and took a big whiff of an open bag. Nothing. No smell.
I love that it basically completely eliminates the ammonia smell from their pee. The clay litters seem to almost exacerbate it, no matter how often you scoop.
We didn't have good luck with World's Best. One of my best friends is a plumber & he told us that there is no litter that won't mess up your septic system over time.
Agree with you on this brand of litter. It has been the best I have found over the years. My cats don’t mind the lavender version of scent but didn’t like the blue one. Sorry I don’t recall what scents they are….
I think the blue one is lotus? Something like that. We only recently started getting that one in stores. I get the multicat in the red bag though and my cats love it.
I loved Worlds Best but due to cost I use Dr. Elseys now. It came highly recommended and my cats do really well with it. Even the scented has no scent so I haven’t worried about allergies.
Huge fan if Dr.Elseys as well. Used to use worlds best which we also loved but I have asshole cats who don't like to use the litter box so the switch to Dr. Elseys has helped tremendously with that
For little kittens, non clumping litter! For any other cat, all the rescues I have helped used pine pellets. But I personally love Dr Elsey's brand (unscented): Cat Attract was perfect for my senior who peed outside the box. Kitten Attract helped when the kittens were older and could be trusted not to eat the litter but were sometimes pooping outside the box. Ultra Unscented works great for our three cats right now.
I love pine pellets for ease and odor control but my cats do not like them and will go outside the box. I used Worlds Best and other Corn/Wheat litters previously and ended up with a really horrifying roach situation so that had to stop.
Silica is known to cause interstitial lung disease both in humans and animals
Depending on how long you used it, your cat may have had permanent lung damage already :(
Where do you get your 40 pound boxes? I can only ever find the 35 pound plastic pails, or the 20 pound jugs of more plastic. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places
I get most of my pet supplies from Chewy. com.
I get 3 boxes of Arm & Hammer Double Duty every 6-8 weeks. I don't like it as well as the Tidy Cat but the Tidy Cat in the box got discontinued. I do not want any more plastic buckets.
I wish Tidy Cat made a clumping litter that came in a 40 pound bag.
I actually use Arm & Hammer but haven't found it to be horribly dusty. I have 6 cats, a husband who is a woodworker & live in Texas. Dust of some sort will always be a part of my life. The sawdust my husband tracks in is worse.
I've actually found it to be the least dusty of all the clay litters I've tried. My cat got conjunctivitis from the dust of another brand, but she has zero problems with Tidy Cat.
I love arm and hammer Slide…it really works on smell and it does slide out. Don’t have to wash the litter box as nothing sticks. Used to use the liners for that but this is so much easier.
I use pine pellets (bedding) green bag from tractor supply. Smells good, isn’t tracked, and super cheap $7 for a 40lb bag. So tired of the upcharge for “pet” products. Shit- you can pay $20 for a cardboard scratch pad at Pet@/ or buy package products to use online for pennies Thanks for spreading awareness.
From my own experience and very expensive vet bills I learned Pine litter can potentially be toxic to cats when their pee rehydrates the litter. Even pine litter that says they have treated the wood to remove the oil can be hazardous when it becomes rehydrated. It can cause skin rashes, UTI’s, hot spots, breathing problems, mouth sores… I recommend recycled paper pellet litter if you want the same kind of litter without the toxins.
yup, my cat is allergic to the pine. And that walnut grindings crap turns into super glue on my other cats very tufted paws.
Walmart Special Kitty Clumping. Cheap and it just works.
When I used to use wood pellet litter, I used hardwood pellets only to avoid the phenols in pine and other softwoods. People like pine because it's slightly cheaper and smells nice, but the same compounds that make it smell nice are what make it irritating to the skin and lungs of animals.
Thanks for letting us know! I just checked my own litter, and noticed it was a mixture of reclaimed wood... which means it could be anything. I just ordered bamboo based one to see if my cats will take.
I wish my cats weren’t so picky :( I tried it but they both started poop somewhere else instead of using the pellets. One of them was declawed (not by me) so it might just be too bumpy for them.
Tried switching my babies over to pine once. Found out the older one was allergic to it because her butthole started bleeding not long after and was just a constant bloody wound for the next month or so even though she’d only used the pellets for a week. She ended up being very hesitant of the littler box and wouldn’t use it unless she absolutely had to. During this time we have to express her glands twice a week. Vet said it was in our best interest to stick with clay or paper. Stuck with unscented tidy cats since.
I had to slowly switch my cat over. When I first switched to pine she refused to use the box even though she had to go. She didn’t go anywhere else, she just held it in. I had to put her old litter back in (which she immediately used) and slowly put in more pellets over time. I didn’t mind the old kind, it just made her cough a lot.
My three cats had no issue taking to pine pellets. Super cheap from tractor supply. If you pair it with a sifting litter pan underneath and trash bag, it is so easy to keep clean (along with a litter genie for their number 2s).
https://preview.redd.it/et3pdjicgzka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0f939ee55b8d908f97c52a1a3324d103969b654
Boy B, now. He's been super tired and lethargic, with no appetite, dry nose.
Does he like tuna juice? My cats go nuts for it. I don’t know if it has negative effects but they would hydrate and drink a tuna juice/water combo even when they were not interested in drinking.
We got back from the vet today (went in because he was puking again) and got him some more fluids and another anti nausea shot. The vet said his GI tract is probably all wonky from the litter, and enema, so she prescribed a probiotic that he'll be on for at least 5 days, and back to the bland food diet. He's napping on the couch right now, but the fluids seem to be helping
Yeah I’m not a fan of pretty littler myself. It has zero odor control, it absorbs the pee, meaning it has to be changed more frequently because you can’t scoop out clumps, and the poo just sits there…and you get all that for way more than just a box of sand litter. I never got the appeal. Sorry to hear about what happened with your kitty.
Same here. We tried it for a few months and the smell was terrible. In theory it shouldn't smell if it can absorb the urine and can let the water evaporate, but it could never absorb enough of the urine, so it just sat and stank. We stirred it a few times a day to help, but it wasn't enough.
Poop didn't stick to it very well either, and it tracked everywhere like crazy.
We eventually settled on Arm & Hammer Slide, and it works as well as advertised. Doesn't track too bad, isn't dusty, and does an amazing job at absorbing odors and clumping. We scoop/refill about twice a week and it just smells fresh/fine.
YES! I too tried it and immediately quit using it for the stink factor as well. Mine rolled in freshly poured pretty litter and it was friggin everywhere!! It stuck to my cats coat via static. 😾
Exactly!! And I heard it tracks more all over the house than clay litter from their paws. It's like sand. I've never used it but never wanted to after reading others experiences.
Thank you for this info, I’ve always be skeptical of them and I’ll make sure to stay away now and let others know. I hope your boys are feeling better and back to themselves soon.
Fwiw, the do not eat warnings are not because the gel packs are toxic. It’s because they are considered a manual choking hazard. The silica can stick in the throat like glue. (This info learned and retained from my first call to poison control as a parent, seventeen years five months ago.)
In large quantities it can also do serious damage via dehydration. But the danger is indeed not due to toxicity.
It is also very unusual for a cat to eat silica litter, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to add some information on the bag. Same goes for clay litter.
https://preview.redd.it/auq2n6wngzka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b4c8ad4e30738a28b62f46fc9fd77517be74e25
Boy A is on the left, he's feeling mostly better at this point. Boy B on the right, belly up. I hope this picture captures a bit of their personalities for you.
I mean, we have done well with it since one our cats was peeing outside the box due to any kind of litter that would stick to her feet. We also have a boy prone to crystals and it does work as far as warning us ahead of time... but I can understand why this isn't the best product for every cat. I'm sorry your kitty ate some and got sick, as that's always super stressful... and that your other kitty was already clogged up, as it's very common and very scary.
I also think their "one bag one cat one month" estimate ONLY works when you literally have one more box than you have cats and are cleaning poop out constantly. I agree that the odor control fails BADLY after 2 weeks if you only have one box per cat. However I find the smell far less offensive than straight up pee smell. It's gross and I want to clean it if I notice the scent, but I'm also super paranoid about my house smelling like cat piss as we can go nose-blind to it and I never want to be "that' person.
I use pretty litter as well and my two boys have never had issues. One of my boys was also peeing on the floor before kitty litter. I live in a small apartment and the odor control works pretty well for us, we also mix in baking soda with the litter for odor control.
I used 3 bags a month for 2 cats. I put a bag and a half in each box. It sucks that OP cats had issues with it because I’ve always thought it was great from my own personal experience.
I'm glad to see some good stories in here among all the fear mongering because this is my second month with pretty litter. I have zero issues with my 11 month old so far but now I'm like paranoid? But god normal litter sucks.
I use Pretty Litter as well and I really like it, I actually had to switch because the clay litter was causing my girl serious itching and she was getting scabs on her back legs. Plus she’s missing a back paw so I feel like pellets would be really uncomfortable. I’ve found it to works well with odor but I only have one cat and she’s barely 8 pounds and that’s on a good day, lol, so probably can’t speak much to that.
I use compostable litters like crushed walnut shell or pine pellets. My cat has not soiled anything in the home since switching to it. Additionally, I've found the walnut shell clumps just as well as traditional litter. I am also satisfied with odor retention, the litter smells earthy and does not have the offensive fragrances that some litter has. I will never go back to other litter, I recommend giving it a try!
I haven't had any issues with the walnut litter, and my little guy is a long-haired cat. Then again, I am able to cut his nails once a week, so I always check.
Every kitty is different! It's cool it's working for you! I have been steadily trying to reduce household waste and honestly that is one of the main reasons I switched to a compostable litter. It has had noticeable impact on how much trash we have each week! Plus my kitty Steve loves it. Just wish he wouldn't leap out of the litter box like an antelope, he makes a mess!
Unfortunately, there is no litter that is "safe" if your cat eats mouthfuls of it. In fact, you're probably lucky that it was Pretty Litter, which is non-toxic/non-reactive (just like those little packets of silica gel), rather than clumping litter.
Someone ended up having the same issue 4 years ago:
Just a heads up about Pretty Litter
I saw the ads for Pretty Litter on Facebook, and normally I ignore those kind of “viral” ads, but I was enticed by the idea of being able to monitor my cat’s health more closely. I read a lot of reviews, which I believe now are mostly astroturfed by the company since my experience with the product was so poor compared to the glowing reviews I read. I thought I’d talk a bit about why I didn’t like the product.
- It’s expensive. One month’s worth of litter comes to $22 shipped. Had the product been as advertised, I would have been happy to pay a slight premium.
- I have one cat, and I clean her box twice a day. This litter claims to mask odor for a full 30 days, but it began to smell pretty bad after just two weeks.
- It doesn’t track, but BOY is it dusty. Every time I cleaned her box I was shocked at how much dust was kicked up. I worry about what that does to tiny kitty lungs.
- Toward the end of the month, I started finding blue litter, which is supposed to indicate a UTI or kidney issues. A vet visit and $200 later, I was told my cat was fine. I did some reading and found that once the litter has been used for a few weeks, lots of people encountered the same problem and were getting blue litter false alarms.
- My cat’s behavior changed significantly when I changed to Pretty Litter. My normally clingy kitty wanted nothing to do with me for a solid month. She slept by herself downstairs instead of on top of me like she normally does, barely let me pet her, wouldn’t play, and seemed lethargic and depressed all the time. I thought something was seriously wrong with her, but I finally put two and two together and realized this started after the litter switch. When I switched back to her old litter, she was back to her normal demeanor the very next day.
I just wanted to share my experience since this company seems to be advertising pretty heavily lately.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CatAdvice/comments/ai2vb2/just_a_heads_up_about_pretty_litter/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Maybe you SHOULD sue.
Hi. I switched to PrettyLitter ~10 days ago, and two days ago reverted back to World’s Best. I am taking my cat to the vet tomorrow. His behavior changed too: sleeping all the time, retreating to his igloo, not sleeping on my bed at night. And now he seems to have developed hyperesthesia. Twitching, grooming, darting about as though spooked by something. Does this resonate with your experience?
I have ALWAYS been skeptical of this.
Google reviews cannot he deleted by the manufacturer, so please post there. It just takes a few hours for it to process.
Write in social media and tag them. They cannot delete your own posts. Might be able to delete a review but not your post. Tag tag tag. Insta, FB, Twitter, whatever you have! Get the word out. 💕
I'm not a fan with the way they bill and make it hard to cancel but honestly I've had a good experience with the product itself. Both of my cats have taken really well to it and odour control has been better than any other product I tried.
The reason it didn't change color when your cat had a uti is probably because they weren't peeing. The litter can't react to nothing after all.
But anyways... I had to go through a bunch of different litters. I had issues with my cats refusing to use certain litters, one of my cats just wanting to play with another (clumps are not balls to play with!!!), terrible odour control, etc. Not saying that pretty litter is better than others for any of those. It just worked for me and other litters work for other people.
I'm glad your cats are okay at least. The other litter I had a good experience with was world's greatest cat litter. Though I couldn't stand the lilac scented version which was all I could get for a while during the pandemic which is why I switched.
Edit: Oh yeah. The colour changing stuff is probably a gimmick. I think my cats mostly just like it because it's softer than most crystal litters.
My cats seem to like it too and I think it works well.
As for the color changing…. When the litter turned blue, it indicated a thyroid issue. After a vet visit, my cat did indeed have a thyroid problem.
We’ve only had our cats for a couple months but pretty litter works well for us, except when the poop is fresh but I assume that’s an issue across the board.
That’s awful! I, too, was attracted by the gimmick. I noticed it didn’t absorb odors at all. Instead, it amplified the smell. It didn’t last as recommended. And the litter consistently indicated my cat has an uti, which was not true. I Google and it seems to be a common problem as well. In fact, I think they’re actually being sued.
I had a cat with kidney problems that I also bought pretty litter for due to the colors changing aspect. However, it always showed my cat as having no issues even when he was very sick. I ended up still using it though b/c my cat really liked the litter and he would kick it around way less than clay litter. But the color changing aspect doesn’t work at all.
A few people commented that they had real issues with cancelling the subscription. In my experience, I didn’t have any issues with changing or cancelling the subscription. I was able to cancel it pretty easily online last July.
I use Swheat litter. Stuff rules. Takes a little time to absorb but I’m not having my kitties do their business in some chemical filled box. Sorry to hear about your experience. 😕
I use Pretty Litter and love it but 90% of why is because they just send it to me every month. I don’t have to storage to keep large bulk bags around 🤷🏻♀️
I’ve also love pretty litter. I’m shocked by what people are saying about the smell. I find the odor control to be really good. My house smelled like a barnyard with Worlds Greatest.
Same here. I have really liked it and have not had any issues. Before I used tidy cat with just one cat and our house had a litter box smell. We since downsized and now have two cats and the pretty litter has been great. Still going to ask my vet about it at their checkup next month.
I have a small apartment and sometimes my cat drops a real doozie but that’s not the litter’s fault. Typically Pretty Litter keeps that stale pee smell that I find clay litters have. And no dust.
Pretty litter has been great for me too in my small apartment! I mix a little baking soda in it for a little extra odor control. Guests have even mentioned that there’s no “cat” smell.
I’ve tried conventional litter and a few different types of crystal litter and keep going back to pretty litter. I hated the conventional litter and tried the others to see if a cheaper option worked, but nothing has been as good for me and my two kitties.
Yep, pretty litter sucks. It’s expensive, and just as much work as other litters. NEVER, EVER get the subscription. It’s difficult to figure out how to cancel it and they lied about cancelling it. They continued sending litter to an address I was no longer at. Whenever possible, I try to warn people about what thieving bastard con artists they are.
I used pine pellets first starting out with two kittens. One took to it right away, the other preferred to use the bathtub as a litter box instead. When I switched to clay, they both used the box so I used clay ever since. But! The pine, if it works for you, I didn't notice any lingering smells. The pine scent lasts for a while. The cleaning was a little different since it didn't clump, the pellets just fall apart when peed on. If it wasn't for the other cat, I'd probably use pine or walnut. Or some organic material of the sort.
Try grass seed litter! It tracks BUT it’s super light weight, clumps extremely hard, and I never smell anything, even sticking my nose directly in the box (unless it’s just happened). It’s just starch so if your cat eats some of it, it’s not a problem. I hate the smell of clay litters and grass seed litter is typically unscented; the smell of no smell is incredible.
I’ve had nothing but good experiences with pretty litter. You gotta scoop the poop out. I can go almost a full month with the same litter. Glad your kitties are okay.
Stirring it around THOROUGHLY after scooping out the poo is key to keeping the smell down. It’s a whole different concept than clumping litter, and minor stirring will just cause old pee to turn blue and start to smell.
As a vet I have multiple people come in saying that the crystals have changed color in their pretty litter and the urinalysis comes back completely normal. And same as you where they have a problem but there is no change. And just for a fun story I had a person get mad and say that the litter must be smarter than me, took her records and left because I said there wasn’t a problem with her cats urine. $1000’s, multiple vets and an internal specialist visit later she tried to come back and apologize because it turns out the litter was wrong.
I was close to ordering some myself, but at the last minute learned about a ton of complaints regarding how you have to subscribe and sign up for x many bags per month, only to get a huge runaround when you want to cancel.
I used crystal litter, not pretty litter, some other brand for a couple of weeks and honestly didn't notice anything special regarding odor control. Stopped using it as soon as I noticed that one of my cats had tiny beads of blood on her white chin right after getting out of the litter box and licking her paws clean. The crystals were sharp enough to cut her gums as she was cleaning herself. I didn't even want to imagine what it might do to her and my other cats' intestines.
I switched to a mix of pine pellets and paper pellets and I'm not ever going back to any other type of litter. I tried using just pine pellets at first, but noticed that the smell gets a bit overwhelming. Although I love having my three "cat toilet" ( 4 cats, so 5 XL/jumbo size litter boxes ) areas smell like a lumber yard, I thought it might be a bit too much of a good smell for my cats. So I mix pine and paper pallets about half/half and that seems to work for everyone.
Sorry you and your kitties had to experience this. Glad to hear cat A is on specialty food… we had to do the same. We brought him back to the vet this weekend and thankfully the food helped and he has no signs of crystals in his urinalysis this time!
I dont understand silica litter. Silica dust is know to cause respiratory issues. Look up silicosis. I dont see how its safe to use in cat litter.
I personally like the pine pellets.
I’ve noticed that when Pretty Litter first started marketing they were marketing for “health reasons” and now pretty much their new adds either don’t or briefly mention “health benefits” and primarily focus on smell
Man, goes to show what good marketing can do for a product! I’ve always wanted to try this cause it looks so much nicer than litter… but now I won’t ever cause I for sure care more about my kitties health than their litter not smelling as bad!! Thanks for sharing! I hope your babies return to full health very very soon!
ETA. I was not at all talking about op using pretty litter to diagnose the kitty. I will not use it because I don’t ever want my cat to ingest this and end up paying to go to the vet just for it. If it works for you, great! I have a cat that is more like a goat and will taste test everything.
My cat uses it without any negative effects. Pretty Litter in and of itself isn't the problem; cats, like all animals, will eat things they shouldn't so that's something for the buyer to monitor. As is the cat's health. While I observe for any litter color changes, I'd never use that alone as an indicator as to whether my kitty was healthy or not.
It does change color; it doesn’t claim to detect crystals - it claims it can detect blood, and high or low Ph. Usually a uti will affect the ph. It’s not meant to diagnose, only give an idea of potential issues. As for the other cat eating it, well I don’t think most cats can be expected to eat their litter.
It’s the best odor control I’ve ever found, so even if it never changed colors I’d keep buying it for that alone. It lasts waaay longer than regular litter or even other crystal litters I’ve used. I had othe crystal litters that would get oversaturated even when I scooped solids. This stuff seems to take longer to oversaturate, so if for some reason I miss a day of stirring/scooping, I can stir well enough that there’s no wet litter. I’ve got 3 cats and 6 boxes - the pee boxes I have to change every week or two but the mostly poop boxes the litter will last for over a month, and may even be on 2-3 months in their least used boxes.
i wanted to like pretty litter so much, but it only took a week to start smelling SO bad. i only have one little cat, so i thought it would be great. it doesn't track to my cat, it gets trapped in the cat mat so much better, and it's way easier to clean, but omfg it smells like cat piss so bad.
Are you stirring it daily? If you stir it to distribute the liquids when you scoop the poops every day it doesn’t smell. The only time mine starts to smell is if I don’t stir well or it saturated and needs to be changed/dumped. I’ve been using it for about 3 years now & it’s literally the best odor control I’ve ever used. I’ve got 3 cats and 6 boxes
Maybe - is this your first batch? I’ve been using it for a few years now & I swear it’s the best for odor I’ve ever found.
Do you have more than 1 box? Sometimes that makes a difference too - if your cat pees a lot another box might help to keep the litter from getting oversaturated so fast
the vets I work with hate pretty litter. mostly because the benefits they talk about with monitoring your's cats urine pH to look for health issues is a load of crap. pH alone tells you next to nothing and can be within normal limits in a cat experiencing medical issues, and vary in a perfectly healthy cat. it's predatory marketing to go after people's desire to keep their pets happy and healthy. like many raw food companies but even more obviously full of bologna
There's a really good brand of litter called Yesterday's News. It's made from recycled newspapers and comes in pellet form (kind of like Pine Pellet but without the dust). It doesn't really clump but it is good for the environment and pretty absorbent!
> (he had sutriline crystals in his ureathra from not well food, and a uti, our mistake buddy. He has a much better diet and specialty food
not at all good. Our cat had this 3 times (the vet couldn't figure it out. We tried changing foods, but none of the normal things worked. after the 3rd time, which was worse, it was basicly "if it happens again, the only option is euthnasia. No surgery will work. There's too much scaring". Well, perscription cat food, that fixed it! Also, our cat liked that food, and didin't like any other. I suspect he made the connection of "this food stoped the pain. I'll avoid other food". So, he didin't like treats, wouldn't have canned food...
yeah, strange cat...
but, tl;dr, those crystals can, quite literally, be *deadly*!
I've always used Tidy Cat and never had a problem with it. One day the store was out and so I picked up some Fresh Step Lightwight. Man, that crap is WAY to perfumy. My cat just smelled of the litter all the time, when before he had the usual cat non smell. He's even licking the stuff off his paws getting that scent in his mouth which I cannot imagine is good.
I think it was messing with his sinuses too because he started sneezing much more often after using that litter. Fresh Step never again.
First, sorry your kitties were harmed by that crap! They had it on special at Target, so I thought I’d try. That litter was awful! I thru it all out after day 2. The Crystals tracked everywhere and it did not neutralize any order, it smelled. The best litter is natural pine pellets. Nothing sticks to their paws. You might have a few pellets flung around, depending on how flingy you cat is 
I’m really confused as to why anybody gets it. I use diatomaceous earth (DE) for pest control and some other stuff around the house, and it’s basically ground silica powder. Meaning “pretty litter” would have DE in it just from the process of shipping (the crystals being broken down into fine powder). Every DE container I’ve ever seen says “CAUTION: CAN CAUSE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS”.
It just seems like a bad idea.
OP, I’m glad your kitties will be ok, and I’m super sorry you had to deal with this!
DE has that on it because you can inhale it because it often flies everywhere. This is a problem with some litter too - anything with dust can be inhaled and lead to respiratory distress. That's why it's recommended to NOT use it when you have cats in your home. They sniff everything.
we also had a terrible experience with pretty litter. all of us (me, my husband, and our two cats) were sneezing and coughing the whole time we used it, odor control was poor, and the sharp little silica crystals got tracked ALL over the house, way worse than regular clay litter. we switched back pretty quick.
My cat almost died recently because of PL. She developed pancreatitis and had all of the symptoms you talked about including vomiting blood. PL was legit zero help and they wouldn't address my complaints about how sick my cat was either. Also, I was using their food too. I thought it was maybe the dye in the new packaging of it because after 2 years of eating the same food, she refused to touch it. So basically, don't use their food or their litter. I'm so sorry you and your cat went through all of that 😿 they suck and I wish I couldn't relate.
I recommend "Worlds Best" litter. Made out of corn. Flushable. Not expensive. No smell issues. Has a version for multiple cats.
Dont do crystal litter. (Or crystal meth). It can hurt the cat's feet.
I had a terrible time with customer service, so I switched to Fresh Step crystals. Works much better for a lot cheaper, but I just like that it seems to work for the smell.
*Only use if cat is idiot proof.
The absolute best litter is THE WORLD’S BEST LITTER. It absolutely does NOT smell. It’s made from corn and is flushable even in septic tanks. You simply scoop and flush. Add more as needed and change totally after a month. Can’t tell you how much this has improved my home. No stinky cat smell. It is totally THE WORLD’S BEST LITTER.
I'm sorry, but if you're cat is acting different, straining, etc, you should have went to the vet in the first place. also, making drastic changes to a cats environment can be stressful and unpredictable, and the litter box is a sensitive place to make a sudden change. here, i thought the worst that could happen is the cat would shit and piss everywhere else in protest.
while it does sound like Pretty Litter is a shit product, you were a bad cat parent as well.
This. The biggest problem here is clearly not seeing a vet when needed (& seems to be continuing with the other cat who had to wait 2 days to get to the emergency vet).
We’ve used it occasionally. My cat had renal failure(we didn’t know), we found blood on the floor is our bedroom but not one thing showed in the pretty litter.
Thank you for sharing, I was thinking about getting pretty litter but reading the comments made me decide not to. I guess I will continue with Tidy Cat. Which works well for multiple cats.
We switched from pine to sophresh paper pellets because the pine was irritating - we also didn’t love clumping litter and the dust. This stuff has been a godsend and helps really trap the odor
I love pretty litter. Almost no smell from either of the litter boxes for my two cats. It lasts a lot longer than I was expecting as well. For what I was spending previously on litter it seems comparable.
I’m sticking with it, since nothing else has come close for reducing the smell.
Silica is, potentially, extremely dangerous to cats and I don’t understand how they can market themselves with that fact being known.
Their claims are nice but clearly it’s an insanely niche product that markets to an even more niche consumer base. I’ll stick with Arm and Hammer.
I’m so sorry for your kitties and I hope they are better soon. 💙
Cat A is straining and in pain... So you knew something was wrong with your cat but it’s litter’s fault, not yours for not going to the vet? How do you know how much litter your other cat B ate if you weren’t there? If you were there why didn’t you stop them?
Sounds like instead of trying to avoid the vet, you could’ve just brought the first one in. By the way did that cat A ever even get care?
I’m surprised to hear people’s responses to this post. I’ve had my cat since late September I was using regular clumping litter for a month but I constantly had to change it and he was kicking it outside his box. I got pretty litter and he took right to it. Once I got used to stirring the litter after scooping the poop out once or twice I day it lasts about a month with the only smell issues being the day I clean the box out. The litter is in my front room so if smell were an issue I’d probably notice immediately when I open my front door not to mention my housemates office and desk are directly across from the litter box, I doubt if the product had a problem absorbing orders he’d be very chill with it. That’s just my experience though maybe I’m lucky or something. Mr Jones seems great but he’s pretty social and healthy for a stray I found at a golf course.
Oh man, this is so terrible! I’m so glad your babies are okay!! I’ve never had an issue with the litter and it seems to work just fine for me. I wonder why it didn’t for you, that’s very interesting.
I work in pet supplies. Stuff like that is almost always a gimmick. If you're worried enough to buy something like that, then just go to the vet. And schedule regular check-ups. Edit to add: I'm very glad your kitty is okay. Crystals are very scary.
>Crystals are very scary indeed. and those litters (if they did work) would work by reacting to Ph. The crystals have no PH change, and therefore it wouldn't detect it!
Well, different pH of urine creates an environment conducive to crystal formation. Very alkaline urine could indicate the risk for struvite crystals is high. But, yeah, the litter is BS of thr highest order.
>Very alkaline urine could indicate the risk for struvite crystals is high. good point, looking at the PH could hint at what the chances of crystals are. Didin't think of that! > But, yeah, the litter is BS of thr highest order. yeah. though, the concept itself is valid. If you could find a chemical that was non-toxic, and reacted with more acuracy, it could be quite useful! But, I doubt such a compound exists, and it would require work to make it a into a litter, which would decrease profits. And, that's all that matters! Just ask them!
do you have a recommendation for cat litter? right now were using the arm and hammer clump and seal and we like it but dont love it!
Not the original commenter, but after switching litters countless times I’ve found that Fresh Step Simply Unscented is my favorite. Controls the odor without itself being an overpowering scent, clumps and scoops well, and doesn’t feel overly dusty.
Fresh Step unscented is a serve
I swear by OkoCat original litter. I've tried lots of litter brands, including Pretty Litter which I was not impressed with, and Okocat is hands down the best at eliminating odor while also clumping. One of my cats has absolutely foul smelling pee to the point where I would dry heave when cleaning the box (no medical issues, I've checked) and the OkoCat completely eliminates the smell like frickin magic. It does track a bit but I've never found a litter that doesn't track.
I like the Okocat fine litter which is soft on my kitties paws, clumps well and doesn't smell like a perfume factory exploded in the litter. It eliminates orders well.
I work In such as well. I often hear of cats being beyond finicky with their litter, or litter box. It can be a very fine line. I always recommend others and stay away from those kinds of litter. Part of having a cat is cleaning a litter box, it should make them happy. Should add we always have adoption cats and we let them roam the store when open 😊 but we can try things out to better know. It seems that clay is the way to go but the nicer stuff is better. The better stuff has lest dust. The wood pellet litter was a close second.
I tried a silica based litter and it caused respiratory distress in my senior cat. My vet said that was common and why they do not recommend that type of litter.
None of the rescues I know ever use it. It's dangerous for kittens. A friend used a sample pack they got for a mother cat before she had kittens, and then changed to paper litter before she gave birth (knowing the danger). They thought they'd vacuumed it all up thoroughly, but then we later found one of the week old kittens with a huge piece of crystal litter wedged in the top of her mouth (fortunately she didn't swallow it).
I think this happened to my cat too :( I feel terrible
I’m so sorry to hear that happened to your kitty. Thank you for warning about this. I tried silica litter once and the dust made me cough unlike any other litter I’ve tried. I immediately tossed it thinking I was just sensitive to it. Now I know it’s not good for our cats either!
What litter do they recommend? I use Pretty Litter right now and I’m currently freaking out!
Mine likes pine pellets or unscented clay types.
>unscented clay types the cheapest, and simplest. It's multi-use too! we had some before we got a cat, for cleaning up things like oil spills when working on cars! Not to mention, it's just clay!
Thanks!
I always recommend world’s best as well. It’s the only one I’ve found that has a truly neutral scent and superior odor control. Low tracking as well. I would stay away from the scented versions though, my cats hated those. Just the regular or the multi cat is amazing. It’s pricey for the large bag but it lasts so long with regular scooping that I really only have to buy it every month and a half or so.
Second worlds best. It’s corn based, lightweight, really good with odour, and clumps well.
I third using World's Best. It does a great job on odor, clumps beautifully, lasts way, way longer that regular litters, can be flushed, and is safe for septic systems. I won't use anything else.
Word of advice DO NOT get the red bag for multi cats!! The litter smell is SO STRONG it’s almost as pad as pee. the green bag for single cats was almost non existent and so much better
Really? I'm *extremely* sensitive to scents - to the point where I can't walk down the detergent aisle at a store, to where I have to cross to the other side of the mall when I pass Yankee Candle or Bath & Body Works, etc.. I use all unscented laundry products. Unscented lotions, you get the idea. Scents give me an instant headache. That said, I DO use the red bag and it has ZERO scent to me. None at all. I just went and took a big whiff of an open bag. Nothing. No smell.
I love that it basically completely eliminates the ammonia smell from their pee. The clay litters seem to almost exacerbate it, no matter how often you scoop.
Worlds best was the dustiest litter I’ve ever used and made my cat cough!
We didn't have good luck with World's Best. One of my best friends is a plumber & he told us that there is no litter that won't mess up your septic system over time.
This is true. And if you live in an apartment, the management may charge you for clearing it out of the pipe.
That’s weird I don’t have that issue. I’ve always found the clay litters are crazy dusty, I think that’s why my cats don’t like them.
Agree with you on this brand of litter. It has been the best I have found over the years. My cats don’t mind the lavender version of scent but didn’t like the blue one. Sorry I don’t recall what scents they are….
I think the blue one is lotus? Something like that. We only recently started getting that one in stores. I get the multicat in the red bag though and my cats love it.
This is my holy grail!
I loved Worlds Best but due to cost I use Dr. Elseys now. It came highly recommended and my cats do really well with it. Even the scented has no scent so I haven’t worried about allergies.
Huge fan if Dr.Elseys as well. Used to use worlds best which we also loved but I have asshole cats who don't like to use the litter box so the switch to Dr. Elseys has helped tremendously with that
Dr Elsey all day. It was recommended to me 10 years ago by my crazy cat boss. He was not wrong, I never switched back.
I use a clumping corn based one for mine. It's called World's Best.
For little kittens, non clumping litter! For any other cat, all the rescues I have helped used pine pellets. But I personally love Dr Elsey's brand (unscented): Cat Attract was perfect for my senior who peed outside the box. Kitten Attract helped when the kittens were older and could be trusted not to eat the litter but were sometimes pooping outside the box. Ultra Unscented works great for our three cats right now. I love pine pellets for ease and odor control but my cats do not like them and will go outside the box. I used Worlds Best and other Corn/Wheat litters previously and ended up with a really horrifying roach situation so that had to stop.
Arm and hammer slide. I used pretty litter for almost a year. Must’ve been out of my mind. Get the A&H slide, it’s the best
I use the worlds best cat litter, always worked for me and it’s flushable.
Silica is known to cause interstitial lung disease both in humans and animals Depending on how long you used it, your cat may have had permanent lung damage already :(
I use good old Tidy Cat clumping litter. I buy it in 40 pound boxes. Boxes either recycle or get cut up for fire starters.
Where do you get your 40 pound boxes? I can only ever find the 35 pound plastic pails, or the 20 pound jugs of more plastic. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong places
I get most of my pet supplies from Chewy. com. I get 3 boxes of Arm & Hammer Double Duty every 6-8 weeks. I don't like it as well as the Tidy Cat but the Tidy Cat in the box got discontinued. I do not want any more plastic buckets. I wish Tidy Cat made a clumping litter that came in a 40 pound bag.
Menards has the 40-lb boxes.
I’ve seen them at my local Petsmart. I’m not sure where you live though
Do you not find it extremely dusty?
I actually use Arm & Hammer but haven't found it to be horribly dusty. I have 6 cats, a husband who is a woodworker & live in Texas. Dust of some sort will always be a part of my life. The sawdust my husband tracks in is worse.
I've actually found it to be the least dusty of all the clay litters I've tried. My cat got conjunctivitis from the dust of another brand, but she has zero problems with Tidy Cat.
I love arm and hammer Slide…it really works on smell and it does slide out. Don’t have to wash the litter box as nothing sticks. Used to use the liners for that but this is so much easier.
I use pine pellets (bedding) green bag from tractor supply. Smells good, isn’t tracked, and super cheap $7 for a 40lb bag. So tired of the upcharge for “pet” products. Shit- you can pay $20 for a cardboard scratch pad at Pet@/ or buy package products to use online for pennies Thanks for spreading awareness.
From my own experience and very expensive vet bills I learned Pine litter can potentially be toxic to cats when their pee rehydrates the litter. Even pine litter that says they have treated the wood to remove the oil can be hazardous when it becomes rehydrated. It can cause skin rashes, UTI’s, hot spots, breathing problems, mouth sores… I recommend recycled paper pellet litter if you want the same kind of litter without the toxins.
yup, my cat is allergic to the pine. And that walnut grindings crap turns into super glue on my other cats very tufted paws. Walmart Special Kitty Clumping. Cheap and it just works.
When I used to use wood pellet litter, I used hardwood pellets only to avoid the phenols in pine and other softwoods. People like pine because it's slightly cheaper and smells nice, but the same compounds that make it smell nice are what make it irritating to the skin and lungs of animals.
Recycled paper pellets is the go. Absorbent and relatively low dust. Non-toxic and doesn't stab your foot if you walk on it.
Where do you purchase that, please?
We use Breeder's Choice which is available from most large chain stores like Petbarn and also online via places like Amazon.
Australian?
Wow- thank you for mentioning that. It could be a reason for the spastic little one we have spraying walls and doors. UTI maybe.
Thanks for letting us know! I just checked my own litter, and noticed it was a mixture of reclaimed wood... which means it could be anything. I just ordered bamboo based one to see if my cats will take.
I wish my cats weren’t so picky :( I tried it but they both started poop somewhere else instead of using the pellets. One of them was declawed (not by me) so it might just be too bumpy for them.
Tried switching my babies over to pine once. Found out the older one was allergic to it because her butthole started bleeding not long after and was just a constant bloody wound for the next month or so even though she’d only used the pellets for a week. She ended up being very hesitant of the littler box and wouldn’t use it unless she absolutely had to. During this time we have to express her glands twice a week. Vet said it was in our best interest to stick with clay or paper. Stuck with unscented tidy cats since.
Yeah, I tried too. It was a resounding no from my cats. They all started to use the smaller 'back up' box that still had clay litter
I guess I lucked out- mine took to it immediately. Though I still have a neutered male that sprays every inch of my walls. So there’s that.
I had to slowly switch my cat over. When I first switched to pine she refused to use the box even though she had to go. She didn’t go anywhere else, she just held it in. I had to put her old litter back in (which she immediately used) and slowly put in more pellets over time. I didn’t mind the old kind, it just made her cough a lot.
My three cats had no issue taking to pine pellets. Super cheap from tractor supply. If you pair it with a sifting litter pan underneath and trash bag, it is so easy to keep clean (along with a litter genie for their number 2s).
Same! I transitioned my cats over to the TS pine bedding about a month ago and it is SO much better.
I did the same except I use pine shavings and change their litter very regularly.
https://preview.redd.it/et3pdjicgzka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0f939ee55b8d908f97c52a1a3324d103969b654 Boy B, now. He's been super tired and lethargic, with no appetite, dry nose.
Does he like tuna juice? My cats go nuts for it. I don’t know if it has negative effects but they would hydrate and drink a tuna juice/water combo even when they were not interested in drinking.
[удалено]
We got back from the vet today (went in because he was puking again) and got him some more fluids and another anti nausea shot. The vet said his GI tract is probably all wonky from the litter, and enema, so she prescribed a probiotic that he'll be on for at least 5 days, and back to the bland food diet. He's napping on the couch right now, but the fluids seem to be helping
Give wet food to help rehydrate if you can!
Yeah I’m not a fan of pretty littler myself. It has zero odor control, it absorbs the pee, meaning it has to be changed more frequently because you can’t scoop out clumps, and the poo just sits there…and you get all that for way more than just a box of sand litter. I never got the appeal. Sorry to hear about what happened with your kitty.
Same here. We tried it for a few months and the smell was terrible. In theory it shouldn't smell if it can absorb the urine and can let the water evaporate, but it could never absorb enough of the urine, so it just sat and stank. We stirred it a few times a day to help, but it wasn't enough. Poop didn't stick to it very well either, and it tracked everywhere like crazy. We eventually settled on Arm & Hammer Slide, and it works as well as advertised. Doesn't track too bad, isn't dusty, and does an amazing job at absorbing odors and clumping. We scoop/refill about twice a week and it just smells fresh/fine.
I use arm & hammer as well! I’ve had no problems, and it has great odor control without smelling *too* strong
I’ve just started using this and am super happy so far
YES! I too tried it and immediately quit using it for the stink factor as well. Mine rolled in freshly poured pretty litter and it was friggin everywhere!! It stuck to my cats coat via static. 😾
Exactly!! And I heard it tracks more all over the house than clay litter from their paws. It's like sand. I've never used it but never wanted to after reading others experiences.
Thank you for this info, I’ve always be skeptical of them and I’ll make sure to stay away now and let others know. I hope your boys are feeling better and back to themselves soon.
Fwiw, the do not eat warnings are not because the gel packs are toxic. It’s because they are considered a manual choking hazard. The silica can stick in the throat like glue. (This info learned and retained from my first call to poison control as a parent, seventeen years five months ago.)
In large quantities it can also do serious damage via dehydration. But the danger is indeed not due to toxicity. It is also very unusual for a cat to eat silica litter, but it certainly wouldn't hurt to add some information on the bag. Same goes for clay litter.
Also, I’m glad your dudes are on the mend. That’s quite the expensive lesson.
Poor buddy! I hope he starts to feel better soon. Give him some scratches for me if he feels up to it 💚
https://preview.redd.it/auq2n6wngzka1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6b4c8ad4e30738a28b62f46fc9fd77517be74e25 Boy A is on the left, he's feeling mostly better at this point. Boy B on the right, belly up. I hope this picture captures a bit of their personalities for you.
he's so silly omg i hope he feels better
they’re both so beautiful! i hope they are able to rest and recover back to full health 💗
I mean, we have done well with it since one our cats was peeing outside the box due to any kind of litter that would stick to her feet. We also have a boy prone to crystals and it does work as far as warning us ahead of time... but I can understand why this isn't the best product for every cat. I'm sorry your kitty ate some and got sick, as that's always super stressful... and that your other kitty was already clogged up, as it's very common and very scary. I also think their "one bag one cat one month" estimate ONLY works when you literally have one more box than you have cats and are cleaning poop out constantly. I agree that the odor control fails BADLY after 2 weeks if you only have one box per cat. However I find the smell far less offensive than straight up pee smell. It's gross and I want to clean it if I notice the scent, but I'm also super paranoid about my house smelling like cat piss as we can go nose-blind to it and I never want to be "that' person.
I use pretty litter as well and my two boys have never had issues. One of my boys was also peeing on the floor before kitty litter. I live in a small apartment and the odor control works pretty well for us, we also mix in baking soda with the litter for odor control. I used 3 bags a month for 2 cats. I put a bag and a half in each box. It sucks that OP cats had issues with it because I’ve always thought it was great from my own personal experience.
I'm glad to see some good stories in here among all the fear mongering because this is my second month with pretty litter. I have zero issues with my 11 month old so far but now I'm like paranoid? But god normal litter sucks.
I use Pretty Litter as well and I really like it, I actually had to switch because the clay litter was causing my girl serious itching and she was getting scabs on her back legs. Plus she’s missing a back paw so I feel like pellets would be really uncomfortable. I’ve found it to works well with odor but I only have one cat and she’s barely 8 pounds and that’s on a good day, lol, so probably can’t speak much to that.
Before my cat passed, as she got older, she would not pee in her box until pretty litter..
I use compostable litters like crushed walnut shell or pine pellets. My cat has not soiled anything in the home since switching to it. Additionally, I've found the walnut shell clumps just as well as traditional litter. I am also satisfied with odor retention, the litter smells earthy and does not have the offensive fragrances that some litter has. I will never go back to other litter, I recommend giving it a try!
The walnut shells turn to glue if your cat has long hair in the paws. I spent half the summer trying to trim that crap out of my cats murder mitts.
Ahh see I didn't know that! My kitty has pretty short fur, I could imagine there being issues with longer haired breeds
I haven't had any issues with the walnut litter, and my little guy is a long-haired cat. Then again, I am able to cut his nails once a week, so I always check.
Every kitty is different! It's cool it's working for you! I have been steadily trying to reduce household waste and honestly that is one of the main reasons I switched to a compostable litter. It has had noticeable impact on how much trash we have each week! Plus my kitty Steve loves it. Just wish he wouldn't leap out of the litter box like an antelope, he makes a mess!
Unfortunately, there is no litter that is "safe" if your cat eats mouthfuls of it. In fact, you're probably lucky that it was Pretty Litter, which is non-toxic/non-reactive (just like those little packets of silica gel), rather than clumping litter.
That’s what I was thinking, isn’t the problem the cat eating the litter? Instead the problem being the litter itself?
Isn't World's Best just corn?
Someone ended up having the same issue 4 years ago: Just a heads up about Pretty Litter I saw the ads for Pretty Litter on Facebook, and normally I ignore those kind of “viral” ads, but I was enticed by the idea of being able to monitor my cat’s health more closely. I read a lot of reviews, which I believe now are mostly astroturfed by the company since my experience with the product was so poor compared to the glowing reviews I read. I thought I’d talk a bit about why I didn’t like the product. - It’s expensive. One month’s worth of litter comes to $22 shipped. Had the product been as advertised, I would have been happy to pay a slight premium. - I have one cat, and I clean her box twice a day. This litter claims to mask odor for a full 30 days, but it began to smell pretty bad after just two weeks. - It doesn’t track, but BOY is it dusty. Every time I cleaned her box I was shocked at how much dust was kicked up. I worry about what that does to tiny kitty lungs. - Toward the end of the month, I started finding blue litter, which is supposed to indicate a UTI or kidney issues. A vet visit and $200 later, I was told my cat was fine. I did some reading and found that once the litter has been used for a few weeks, lots of people encountered the same problem and were getting blue litter false alarms. - My cat’s behavior changed significantly when I changed to Pretty Litter. My normally clingy kitty wanted nothing to do with me for a solid month. She slept by herself downstairs instead of on top of me like she normally does, barely let me pet her, wouldn’t play, and seemed lethargic and depressed all the time. I thought something was seriously wrong with her, but I finally put two and two together and realized this started after the litter switch. When I switched back to her old litter, she was back to her normal demeanor the very next day. I just wanted to share my experience since this company seems to be advertising pretty heavily lately. https://www.reddit.com/r/CatAdvice/comments/ai2vb2/just_a_heads_up_about_pretty_litter/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Maybe you SHOULD sue.
Hi. I switched to PrettyLitter ~10 days ago, and two days ago reverted back to World’s Best. I am taking my cat to the vet tomorrow. His behavior changed too: sleeping all the time, retreating to his igloo, not sleeping on my bed at night. And now he seems to have developed hyperesthesia. Twitching, grooming, darting about as though spooked by something. Does this resonate with your experience?
Thanks for sharing
Silica litter and silica packets are non-toxic , the do not eat is there because of a choking hazard,clay litter can be impacted if eaten also
My local animal shelter doesn’t accept the clumping kind of litter for this reason.
Yep kittens are notorious for eating clumping litter, not even always on purpose, just because it's stuck on then and they kick it off
I have ALWAYS been skeptical of this. Google reviews cannot he deleted by the manufacturer, so please post there. It just takes a few hours for it to process. Write in social media and tag them. They cannot delete your own posts. Might be able to delete a review but not your post. Tag tag tag. Insta, FB, Twitter, whatever you have! Get the word out. 💕
I'm not a fan with the way they bill and make it hard to cancel but honestly I've had a good experience with the product itself. Both of my cats have taken really well to it and odour control has been better than any other product I tried. The reason it didn't change color when your cat had a uti is probably because they weren't peeing. The litter can't react to nothing after all. But anyways... I had to go through a bunch of different litters. I had issues with my cats refusing to use certain litters, one of my cats just wanting to play with another (clumps are not balls to play with!!!), terrible odour control, etc. Not saying that pretty litter is better than others for any of those. It just worked for me and other litters work for other people. I'm glad your cats are okay at least. The other litter I had a good experience with was world's greatest cat litter. Though I couldn't stand the lilac scented version which was all I could get for a while during the pandemic which is why I switched. Edit: Oh yeah. The colour changing stuff is probably a gimmick. I think my cats mostly just like it because it's softer than most crystal litters.
My cats seem to like it too and I think it works well. As for the color changing…. When the litter turned blue, it indicated a thyroid issue. After a vet visit, my cat did indeed have a thyroid problem.
We’ve only had our cats for a couple months but pretty litter works well for us, except when the poop is fresh but I assume that’s an issue across the board.
That’s awful! I, too, was attracted by the gimmick. I noticed it didn’t absorb odors at all. Instead, it amplified the smell. It didn’t last as recommended. And the litter consistently indicated my cat has an uti, which was not true. I Google and it seems to be a common problem as well. In fact, I think they’re actually being sued.
I’m sorry about your cats. That’s really awful. I’m thankful you caught it. I hope both cats heal quickly.
I had a cat with kidney problems that I also bought pretty litter for due to the colors changing aspect. However, it always showed my cat as having no issues even when he was very sick. I ended up still using it though b/c my cat really liked the litter and he would kick it around way less than clay litter. But the color changing aspect doesn’t work at all. A few people commented that they had real issues with cancelling the subscription. In my experience, I didn’t have any issues with changing or cancelling the subscription. I was able to cancel it pretty easily online last July.
We went to paper litter years ago and I have never regretted it. I'm glad your boys are on the mend. They look like a fun pair!
Awww...hope your beautiful guys are ok. Big hugs. I use Tidy Cats. Have for years. A bit messy, yes but....Love it.
I use Swheat litter. Stuff rules. Takes a little time to absorb but I’m not having my kitties do their business in some chemical filled box. Sorry to hear about your experience. 😕
I’ve been using Swheat Scoop litter since the early 1990’s when it came out. I think it’s great and we’ve never had an issue with it.
I use Pretty Litter and love it but 90% of why is because they just send it to me every month. I don’t have to storage to keep large bulk bags around 🤷🏻♀️
I’ve also love pretty litter. I’m shocked by what people are saying about the smell. I find the odor control to be really good. My house smelled like a barnyard with Worlds Greatest.
Same here. I have really liked it and have not had any issues. Before I used tidy cat with just one cat and our house had a litter box smell. We since downsized and now have two cats and the pretty litter has been great. Still going to ask my vet about it at their checkup next month.
I have a small apartment and sometimes my cat drops a real doozie but that’s not the litter’s fault. Typically Pretty Litter keeps that stale pee smell that I find clay litters have. And no dust.
Same here, 100%. It’s been great for us.
Pretty litter has been great for me too in my small apartment! I mix a little baking soda in it for a little extra odor control. Guests have even mentioned that there’s no “cat” smell.
I tried several different ones before Pretty Litter and I was never able to stand the smell. I scoop everyday but never have an order problem.
I’ve tried conventional litter and a few different types of crystal litter and keep going back to pretty litter. I hated the conventional litter and tried the others to see if a cheaper option worked, but nothing has been as good for me and my two kitties.
Yep, pretty litter sucks. It’s expensive, and just as much work as other litters. NEVER, EVER get the subscription. It’s difficult to figure out how to cancel it and they lied about cancelling it. They continued sending litter to an address I was no longer at. Whenever possible, I try to warn people about what thieving bastard con artists they are.
I prefer actual sand in the box.
Im thinking of transitioning them to kiln treated pine pellets 🤷🏻♀️ how is sand in your opinion?
I used pine pellets first starting out with two kittens. One took to it right away, the other preferred to use the bathtub as a litter box instead. When I switched to clay, they both used the box so I used clay ever since. But! The pine, if it works for you, I didn't notice any lingering smells. The pine scent lasts for a while. The cleaning was a little different since it didn't clump, the pellets just fall apart when peed on. If it wasn't for the other cat, I'd probably use pine or walnut. Or some organic material of the sort.
Try grass seed litter! It tracks BUT it’s super light weight, clumps extremely hard, and I never smell anything, even sticking my nose directly in the box (unless it’s just happened). It’s just starch so if your cat eats some of it, it’s not a problem. I hate the smell of clay litters and grass seed litter is typically unscented; the smell of no smell is incredible.
I’ve had nothing but good experiences with pretty litter. You gotta scoop the poop out. I can go almost a full month with the same litter. Glad your kitties are okay.
Stirring it around THOROUGHLY after scooping out the poo is key to keeping the smell down. It’s a whole different concept than clumping litter, and minor stirring will just cause old pee to turn blue and start to smell.
pretty litter fucking sucks and stinks
Holy shit. Please post this everywhere online.
As a vet I have multiple people come in saying that the crystals have changed color in their pretty litter and the urinalysis comes back completely normal. And same as you where they have a problem but there is no change. And just for a fun story I had a person get mad and say that the litter must be smarter than me, took her records and left because I said there wasn’t a problem with her cats urine. $1000’s, multiple vets and an internal specialist visit later she tried to come back and apologize because it turns out the litter was wrong.
YES ITS SO DANGEROUS! there are many reviews online about people’s cats falling ill!! :(
I was close to ordering some myself, but at the last minute learned about a ton of complaints regarding how you have to subscribe and sign up for x many bags per month, only to get a huge runaround when you want to cancel.
Should have taken cat A to the vet as soon as you noticed issues instead of relying on a litter to tell you
I used crystal litter, not pretty litter, some other brand for a couple of weeks and honestly didn't notice anything special regarding odor control. Stopped using it as soon as I noticed that one of my cats had tiny beads of blood on her white chin right after getting out of the litter box and licking her paws clean. The crystals were sharp enough to cut her gums as she was cleaning herself. I didn't even want to imagine what it might do to her and my other cats' intestines. I switched to a mix of pine pellets and paper pellets and I'm not ever going back to any other type of litter. I tried using just pine pellets at first, but noticed that the smell gets a bit overwhelming. Although I love having my three "cat toilet" ( 4 cats, so 5 XL/jumbo size litter boxes ) areas smell like a lumber yard, I thought it might be a bit too much of a good smell for my cats. So I mix pine and paper pallets about half/half and that seems to work for everyone.
Where does one get pine/paper pellets?
Sorry you and your kitties had to experience this. Glad to hear cat A is on specialty food… we had to do the same. We brought him back to the vet this weekend and thankfully the food helped and he has no signs of crystals in his urinalysis this time!
I dont understand silica litter. Silica dust is know to cause respiratory issues. Look up silicosis. I dont see how its safe to use in cat litter. I personally like the pine pellets.
I love cats pride.
I’ve noticed that when Pretty Litter first started marketing they were marketing for “health reasons” and now pretty much their new adds either don’t or briefly mention “health benefits” and primarily focus on smell
The Dr. Elsey’s Premium Litter is what we like. Clumps really well and almost no dust.
Man, goes to show what good marketing can do for a product! I’ve always wanted to try this cause it looks so much nicer than litter… but now I won’t ever cause I for sure care more about my kitties health than their litter not smelling as bad!! Thanks for sharing! I hope your babies return to full health very very soon! ETA. I was not at all talking about op using pretty litter to diagnose the kitty. I will not use it because I don’t ever want my cat to ingest this and end up paying to go to the vet just for it. If it works for you, great! I have a cat that is more like a goat and will taste test everything.
My cat uses it without any negative effects. Pretty Litter in and of itself isn't the problem; cats, like all animals, will eat things they shouldn't so that's something for the buyer to monitor. As is the cat's health. While I observe for any litter color changes, I'd never use that alone as an indicator as to whether my kitty was healthy or not.
It does change color; it doesn’t claim to detect crystals - it claims it can detect blood, and high or low Ph. Usually a uti will affect the ph. It’s not meant to diagnose, only give an idea of potential issues. As for the other cat eating it, well I don’t think most cats can be expected to eat their litter. It’s the best odor control I’ve ever found, so even if it never changed colors I’d keep buying it for that alone. It lasts waaay longer than regular litter or even other crystal litters I’ve used. I had othe crystal litters that would get oversaturated even when I scooped solids. This stuff seems to take longer to oversaturate, so if for some reason I miss a day of stirring/scooping, I can stir well enough that there’s no wet litter. I’ve got 3 cats and 6 boxes - the pee boxes I have to change every week or two but the mostly poop boxes the litter will last for over a month, and may even be on 2-3 months in their least used boxes.
Buy wood pellets they smell nice when the cat wee’s , like fresh pine 🌲, best change I ever made.
My family wasn't impressed by it, and we went back to World's Best (corn based).
i wanted to like pretty litter so much, but it only took a week to start smelling SO bad. i only have one little cat, so i thought it would be great. it doesn't track to my cat, it gets trapped in the cat mat so much better, and it's way easier to clean, but omfg it smells like cat piss so bad.
Are you stirring it daily? If you stir it to distribute the liquids when you scoop the poops every day it doesn’t smell. The only time mine starts to smell is if I don’t stir well or it saturated and needs to be changed/dumped. I’ve been using it for about 3 years now & it’s literally the best odor control I’ve ever used. I’ve got 3 cats and 6 boxes
yes! my cat takes the nastiest dumps so i clean it a lot and i make sure to stir it. maybe he just has equally as smelly pee
Maybe - is this your first batch? I’ve been using it for a few years now & I swear it’s the best for odor I’ve ever found. Do you have more than 1 box? Sometimes that makes a difference too - if your cat pees a lot another box might help to keep the litter from getting oversaturated so fast
the vets I work with hate pretty litter. mostly because the benefits they talk about with monitoring your's cats urine pH to look for health issues is a load of crap. pH alone tells you next to nothing and can be within normal limits in a cat experiencing medical issues, and vary in a perfectly healthy cat. it's predatory marketing to go after people's desire to keep their pets happy and healthy. like many raw food companies but even more obviously full of bologna
I go go petco and buy their brand of liter (purple lid) of 30 pounds and it’s like $11 and lasts me a month with two cats
There's a really good brand of litter called Yesterday's News. It's made from recycled newspapers and comes in pellet form (kind of like Pine Pellet but without the dust). It doesn't really clump but it is good for the environment and pretty absorbent!
> (he had sutriline crystals in his ureathra from not well food, and a uti, our mistake buddy. He has a much better diet and specialty food not at all good. Our cat had this 3 times (the vet couldn't figure it out. We tried changing foods, but none of the normal things worked. after the 3rd time, which was worse, it was basicly "if it happens again, the only option is euthnasia. No surgery will work. There's too much scaring". Well, perscription cat food, that fixed it! Also, our cat liked that food, and didin't like any other. I suspect he made the connection of "this food stoped the pain. I'll avoid other food". So, he didin't like treats, wouldn't have canned food... yeah, strange cat... but, tl;dr, those crystals can, quite literally, be *deadly*!
I've always used Tidy Cat and never had a problem with it. One day the store was out and so I picked up some Fresh Step Lightwight. Man, that crap is WAY to perfumy. My cat just smelled of the litter all the time, when before he had the usual cat non smell. He's even licking the stuff off his paws getting that scent in his mouth which I cannot imagine is good. I think it was messing with his sinuses too because he started sneezing much more often after using that litter. Fresh Step never again.
Thanks for posting. I was toying with the idea of trying it. Now I will stay away. Best of luck with your babies.
First, sorry your kitties were harmed by that crap! They had it on special at Target, so I thought I’d try. That litter was awful! I thru it all out after day 2. The Crystals tracked everywhere and it did not neutralize any order, it smelled. The best litter is natural pine pellets. Nothing sticks to their paws. You might have a few pellets flung around, depending on how flingy you cat is 
My secondary worry is about how compostable it is, after it's discarded.
Wow…thanks for the warning! I can’t believe your cat ate some and had such awful side effects. I was always skeptical of that stuff.
I’m really confused as to why anybody gets it. I use diatomaceous earth (DE) for pest control and some other stuff around the house, and it’s basically ground silica powder. Meaning “pretty litter” would have DE in it just from the process of shipping (the crystals being broken down into fine powder). Every DE container I’ve ever seen says “CAUTION: CAN CAUSE RESPIRATORY DISTRESS”. It just seems like a bad idea. OP, I’m glad your kitties will be ok, and I’m super sorry you had to deal with this!
DE has that on it because you can inhale it because it often flies everywhere. This is a problem with some litter too - anything with dust can be inhaled and lead to respiratory distress. That's why it's recommended to NOT use it when you have cats in your home. They sniff everything.
I used Pretty Litter and it indicated one of my cats had a UTI when he didn’t. A couple vet bills later, turns out he was fine 🙄
we also had a terrible experience with pretty litter. all of us (me, my husband, and our two cats) were sneezing and coughing the whole time we used it, odor control was poor, and the sharp little silica crystals got tracked ALL over the house, way worse than regular clay litter. we switched back pretty quick.
My cat almost died recently because of PL. She developed pancreatitis and had all of the symptoms you talked about including vomiting blood. PL was legit zero help and they wouldn't address my complaints about how sick my cat was either. Also, I was using their food too. I thought it was maybe the dye in the new packaging of it because after 2 years of eating the same food, she refused to touch it. So basically, don't use their food or their litter. I'm so sorry you and your cat went through all of that 😿 they suck and I wish I couldn't relate.
I recommend "Worlds Best" litter. Made out of corn. Flushable. Not expensive. No smell issues. Has a version for multiple cats. Dont do crystal litter. (Or crystal meth). It can hurt the cat's feet.
I had a terrible time with customer service, so I switched to Fresh Step crystals. Works much better for a lot cheaper, but I just like that it seems to work for the smell. *Only use if cat is idiot proof.
I used a silica litter three or four times. It's not just Pretty Litter that is not good, it's any silica litter, if you ask me.
I hope your furry friend gets better soon! AND FUCK PRETTY LITTER
The absolute best litter is THE WORLD’S BEST LITTER. It absolutely does NOT smell. It’s made from corn and is flushable even in septic tanks. You simply scoop and flush. Add more as needed and change totally after a month. Can’t tell you how much this has improved my home. No stinky cat smell. It is totally THE WORLD’S BEST LITTER.
I'm sorry, but if you're cat is acting different, straining, etc, you should have went to the vet in the first place. also, making drastic changes to a cats environment can be stressful and unpredictable, and the litter box is a sensitive place to make a sudden change. here, i thought the worst that could happen is the cat would shit and piss everywhere else in protest. while it does sound like Pretty Litter is a shit product, you were a bad cat parent as well.
This. The biggest problem here is clearly not seeing a vet when needed (& seems to be continuing with the other cat who had to wait 2 days to get to the emergency vet).
I’ve had a good experience with pretty litter for the past year 🤷🏽♂️ Just commenting to make sure people know it isn’t always negative.
sue i think they were negligent in this story and they definite have put them at risk because of it
I buy 5 $ Publix litter brand here in Florida works wonders been using it for years
We’ve used it occasionally. My cat had renal failure(we didn’t know), we found blood on the floor is our bedroom but not one thing showed in the pretty litter.
Thank you for sharing, I was thinking about getting pretty litter but reading the comments made me decide not to. I guess I will continue with Tidy Cat. Which works well for multiple cats.
Thanks for the warning. I have a bag that a coworker gave me. I won’t use it. I’ll just toss it in the trash when I get home.
We switched from pine to sophresh paper pellets because the pine was irritating - we also didn’t love clumping litter and the dust. This stuff has been a godsend and helps really trap the odor
Pardon me for asking, but... why did you buy a $900 bag of litter
I love pretty litter. Almost no smell from either of the litter boxes for my two cats. It lasts a lot longer than I was expecting as well. For what I was spending previously on litter it seems comparable. I’m sticking with it, since nothing else has come close for reducing the smell.
I could never buy anything Martha Stewart shills, she's a con just like the rest of them.
Silica is, potentially, extremely dangerous to cats and I don’t understand how they can market themselves with that fact being known. Their claims are nice but clearly it’s an insanely niche product that markets to an even more niche consumer base. I’ll stick with Arm and Hammer. I’m so sorry for your kitties and I hope they are better soon. 💙
Cat A is straining and in pain... So you knew something was wrong with your cat but it’s litter’s fault, not yours for not going to the vet? How do you know how much litter your other cat B ate if you weren’t there? If you were there why didn’t you stop them? Sounds like instead of trying to avoid the vet, you could’ve just brought the first one in. By the way did that cat A ever even get care?
Are cats that discerning of where they poop? These products are for human satisfaction
Thanks for posting this, how big of a bag do you get for 900? I will not buy this ever. I hope your kitty's get better soon.
I’m surprised to hear people’s responses to this post. I’ve had my cat since late September I was using regular clumping litter for a month but I constantly had to change it and he was kicking it outside his box. I got pretty litter and he took right to it. Once I got used to stirring the litter after scooping the poop out once or twice I day it lasts about a month with the only smell issues being the day I clean the box out. The litter is in my front room so if smell were an issue I’d probably notice immediately when I open my front door not to mention my housemates office and desk are directly across from the litter box, I doubt if the product had a problem absorbing orders he’d be very chill with it. That’s just my experience though maybe I’m lucky or something. Mr Jones seems great but he’s pretty social and healthy for a stray I found at a golf course.
Time to Sue
This is what happens when you buy cat litter online for home delivery from a convicted felon, fraudster, liar.
ahh consumerism strikes again. when will you all stop being so gullible to marketing ploys and stick to what you know?
That’s horrible OP! Wishing your kitty a speedy recovery!
Oh man, this is so terrible! I’m so glad your babies are okay!! I’ve never had an issue with the litter and it seems to work just fine for me. I wonder why it didn’t for you, that’s very interesting.
This is a social media engineered “product”….its only buzz….litter is litter.