How to use cat litter?

When a kitten appears in the house, you have to think about buying a tray and cat litter.

Filler is purchased for trays of various types, but more often for models with a grill, sold in pet stores. The holes in the grid can be different, as well as their number. In fact, a cat's toilet is nothing more than a pallet box with a grill. Waste from a domestic animal flows through holes in the lower part of the structure, while the filler itself does not allow dirty paws.

In addition, it makes cleaning the tray easier. The filler is also good because when it is used, the space around the tray remains clean. It is safe for the animal, does not harm the household, is easy to clean and economical. However, it must be disposed of, and it does not rid the house of an unpleasant odor after a pet goes to the toilet.

The filler is poured into the tray pan in a small amount. It is enough that he barely covers the bottom of the plastic box. Do not pour too much material, because if moisture gets on it, it will increase in size. On top of the pallet you need to put a grid or other mesh.

The filler must be under the grill. The net itself needs to be washed every time the pet goes to the toilet. This approach eliminates the soiling of the paws, eliminates the unpleasant odor of cat urine and allows you to absorb the liquid entering through the mesh with holes.

Fillers are different and each material has its own properties and degree of swelling when liquid enters it. In addition, it depends on the type of filler how often it will have to be changed. For example, if you use ordinary sand as the filling of the box, then there will be little sense from it.

Silica gel is considered the best raw material for the type of liquid absorption, which is why it must be used in minimal quantities. It has a high ability to absorb unpleasant odors. Silicate acid gel material is produced, which determines its toxicity. This filler is good in action, but it is harmful to pets, moreover, hisses when moisture gets on it.

Wood analog is effective in application - it not only actively absorbs liquid coming from above, but also eliminates unpleasant odors. When absorbing moisture, the granules of the material double and even more. Pour this filler in a dosed manner, barely closing the bottom of the tray with it.

Sawdust material has the ability to block unpleasant odors, but it is inferior in quality to its wood counterpart. The mixed product is made from clay and sawdust. This raw material is inconvenient to use, since wet granules can stick to the hair of paws when liquid enters. Of all types of material, it is the most impractical.

As for the best material in terms of efficiency and safety, it is a wood filler. It is suitable for pets of all ages, including small kittens and individuals with a tendency to allergies. If there are a lot of cats at home, only silica gel can cope with the unpleasant odor.

There is corn and zeolite filler. The first is considered environmentally friendly, as it is made from corn cobs. The second is made from volcanic minerals. Japanese fillers have a good recommendation - they allow you to clean the tray not only from lumps with urine, but also with excrement without general cleaning, which implies complete removal of filling and washing the tray.

The usage time for each filler may differ, which, first of all, will depend on the type of material used. In addition, this may depend on the number of pets living in the same house (the more there will be, the more often you will have to change the granules in the tray pan). In this case, you can partially recycle the material. For example, granules of wood filler, on which a large amount of cat urine has fallen, crumble.

They can be separated with a spatula from whole granules and discarded. If there is a lot of crumbling material, then it is necessary to replace it completely, pouring a fresh portion after washing and drying the box.

If you do this less often, an unpleasant odor will spread throughout the house, and the pet will look for another place for the toilet. Raw materials, which contain mineral components, are immediately utilized: in this case, there is no point in a gradual replacement. The key point when changing the material is washing the tray and the net with a cleaning agent - this will neutralize the unpleasant odor and get rid of pathogens.

Silica gel can be used for two weeks. After that, the waste material is replaced with a new one. However, this does not mean that you need to wait two weeks without touching the tray. Used clots with absorbed liquid must be removed immediately after they are detected. The remaining mass must be mixed, which will facilitate quick drying.

Mineral granules change at least once a week, however, with severe contamination, the procedure must be performed more often. Mixed filler in the tray needs to be changed once a week if one animal lives at home. This is done by means of a special spatula with holes, which will simultaneously sift the material during separation of the spent product. After this, fresh granules should be poured into the tray.

Sand needs to be changed daily. This filler is bad in that it can get enough sleep. It is useless to sow, dry or separate it - this will not save household members from the smell and grains of sand near the tray. If there are several pets in the house, you will have to remove the filler once every 3-5 days, focusing on the smell emerging from the tray.

The amount of filler for cats depends on its type and absorbency. In addition, the age of the animal can affect this. Based on the calculation for one cat, you may need:

• wood material - up to 2 cm in height;
• silica gel - not more than 2 cm in the thickness of the layer;
• mixed product - up to 3 cm;
• sand - no more than 2-3 cm.

The filler in the trays with the grate should not come in contact with the net - between them there should be free space necessary for the swelling of the granules. This will allow moisture not to linger on the grate, but to go down. If there is too much material, it will climb through the grate, which will give the pet unpleasant sensations.

As for trays without grates, here the volume of the product may be slightly increased. In this case, the breeder must rely on the size of the granules of a particular material. In addition, the filler can be diluted with small stones intended for kittens who are just being taught to use the toilet.

If this is not done, the plastic will be saturated with the smell of urine and excrement, so there will be no sense from the filler. Lumps in trays without gratings are removed immediately when they are found, otherwise the pet may carry some part of the filler. In addition, he may begin to disdain to go to such a place.

Waste material needs to be disposed of. However, it is impossible to flush cat litter into the toilet bowl - the reason for this is the absorbency of the granules. This can lead to clogging of the sewer system and the formation of cork, because even the waste material can increase in size.

Some manufacturers claim that their products can be flushed in the toilet, as indicated by the image of the underlined toilet on the filler packaging. However, you can not discount the eternal clogging of pipes and a decrease in their inner diameter due to poor quality water, which is typical for many houses in our country. In old houses, the inner diameter of the sewer pipes is small, so you should not create an emergency.

Throw out spent cat litter in the bin. To prevent the smell from spreading around the house, a plastic bag should be put on the bucket in advance. Once the filler is disposed of, the bag is tied into a knot and discarded. Throw away absorbent waste material immediately. This also applies to sand: to clean and throw it away immediately, using the garbage bag.

You can find out which cat litter is best in the video below.