Saturday, May 16, 2009

The scoop on our new litter choice

After a bout of bad asthma, I decided to rethink using clay litter. Even though many brands of regular clay litter, both clumping and non-clumping, are supposed to be "virtually dust-free", they still have dust that can aggravate allergies and can cause cancer over time in both humans and pets. Think black lung disease.

Any cat litter can cause lung problems over time, but I seem to be especially sensitive to the dust from the clay litter. Other cat people had been posting about the World's Best Cat Litter (corn-based) and Yesterday's News (paper-based), so my husband and I looked at the alternatives at the store. We decided against the paper-based brands, because we didn't want our cats to generalize and use random sheets of paper as their litterbox. Corn was the other choice on the shelves at Wal-Mart, where we were already shopping, and we didn't want to make a second stop at the pet store. There are litters made from other materials as well, such as wood shavings (Feline Pine).

We came home with one small container of Tidy Cat and one 10-pound bag of Pro-Pet Fresh Results corn litter. Fresh Results has a strong pine smell. I wanted to get World's Best, but Wal-Mart didn't carry it and the box needed to be changed asap. With five indoor cats, it's definitely a priority. I dumped out the contents of the litter box, and poured the Fresh Results in after letting interested noses sniff it. No one backed away. Quite the opposite, in fact. In they went, two using it at the same time. Even though they badly needed it, they would not have used the new litter if they disapproved.

The next test was the stink test. About 5 minutes after I put the new litter in, Carbon left a big poop, covering it up nicely. His can stink up the house faster than any other cats', even when quickly buried. The smell dissipated in two minutes, except right over the box. A bit of the litter clung to Carbon's paws because of his long fur, but he shook it off as soon as he jumped out. We won't worry if he licks some of it, though, because it's plant-based.

The third test was the scoop test. I was impressed with the clumping quality, even when they had just used it. The clumps were solid and small. The claim on the bag says that Fresh Results will hold more liquid than the clay litter, and I believe it now.

All in all, I'm very impressed with our new choice, and I believe it will be around the same price as the clay kind. A 10-pound bag of the Fresh Results was $8, and the equivalent amount (based on the bag's claims) of clay litter is between $6 - $10 depending on brands and type.

If you want to try corn-based litter, check the store you normally buy litter at to see if they carry it.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

WOW, itz kewel dat uz kittiez haz a Consumer Re-purr-tz in youz momma! Itz nice when 'beans can learn thingz frum other 'beans who hab kittiez!

ragdoll cat breeders said...

thanks.. I will try to buy that...

Please become a followers to my blog.. n I will do the same thing,,,

Jake and Micah said...

I've been curious about this brand. I've read about it for years. Does it smell like cheese? I've heard it has a smell that is not appealing to some. I currently use Swheat Scoop but it's SO expensive and with a renal cat we go through bags FAST.

PDX pride said...

The Pro-Pet Fresh Results smells like pine. It's a very strong smell when you first open the bag, but then it dissipates after it's in the box for an hour or so. It's odd that they make it pine-smelling when it's corn, but that's what it is.

I'm not sure what the World's Best smells like.

Jake and Micah said...

Oopsie. I was confused. I thought you were talking about World's Best. I'm definitely going to look up Pro-Pet Fresh now! I don't mind Pine smell.

Nicole Lewon said...

I've actually heard that the Pro-Pet litter is the same as the Nature's Miracle litter without the price tag. I absolutely love it! I have 3 cats (1 is a foster, with more to come) who all share the same litter box. I've tried various clay litters (which aren't the best for cats prone to UTIs and/or have kidney issues, as they lick the clay and scent into their systems creating issues) along with other pine and natural litters (such as Shweat which was just horrible smelling after a few days use even after cleaning out the box several times a day). Pro-pet is not only the best litter I've found, but the price is great! Just wish I could find it in larger quantities or bags.

Unknown said...

I just switched to ProPet Fresh Results, and it's such a relief from clay based litter! I'm with Nicole, I wish they'd sell it in bigger bags - say at least 35#- even up to 50# - bags - as I would buy in bulk (I realise not everyone has the storage space ... or use ... for that much litter at one time - but a larger bag for multi cat households would mean less packaging material). I am spending much less money on Fresh Results than I was on clay based litter, and much happier with the product!

Clutterholic Healing in Progress said...

I've been using Pro-Pet litter from WalMart for years. There's NOTHING that compares with it. And I use the empty zip-lock bags to collect and dispose of the used litter. My 4 cats and I love it!

Anonymous said...

Yes, I do AGREE...this is the BEST cat litter EVER. you would NEVER know I have 3 litter boxes in my house. No smell at all...except of course right after they poop, which is normal....I also love it because I can scoop the poop up and flush it immediately down the toilet because it's flushable too. Also, my little kitty was having goopy eye/watery problems and within 2 days of changing from the clay to the corn her eyes are normal :) I would recommend this to anyone :)

Unknown said...

My husband and I (and our 7 kitties!) all love fresh results, too! Our 3 litter boxes have to sit near our furnace 9we live in a double-wide). Before, when we used clay litter, the dust would be spread throughout he whole house. But with this litter--no dust at all! Whenever we go to Walmart to buy more, my husband is busy telling all the litter customers about the product and how great it works1 He should get a commission from the company that makes it! LOL!

Unknown said...

I absolutely love the Pro-Pets Fresh results, but it is SO difficult to find! None of my local Walmarts carry it. I've only found it occasionally at an A&P grocery store. As others have stated, nothing compares to it. I ended up purchasing it originally because the store didn't have World's Best in stock, and I liked the Pro-Pets so much more after I finally found the World's Best. It is superior in clumping, tracking, and odor control to anything else I've tried. I'm currently using Nature's Miracle, which is also a pine scented clumping litter, and I like it more than the World's Best, but the Pro-Pets is still top notch. I would say the Nature's Miracle is second to the Pro-Pets. The odor control is not as good, but better in my opinion to the World's Best.

Unknown said...

I started using Pro Pet Fresh Results corn litter in January. I love this litter as do my cats. It truly is a dust free odor controlling litter that your cats will take to immediately and it is very affordable.

Anonymous said...

In 40 years of having cats this is by far the best cat litter. Now if walmart would keep it in stock I would be happier.

Angela said...

I just bought this last night at walmart and I just cleaned and washed the litter box and put it in , my cats are 3 to 4 months old , they were curious as to what it was and came sniffing around , one put her paw in but backed away , I am reading all the great comments on this litter and I hope my kitties take a liking to it because I really despise the clay litter , it seems like their pee always clumps to the bottom of the litter box, I will be glad to not have to deal with that , I will let you know how the do with it.

Jeannie said...

This is definitely one of my favorite litters. It controls odor and the cats just love it.

The only bad thing is that I have had trouble finding it and others have also reported this problem. Walmart stopped carrying it recently but it's back again so I purchase many bags just in case!

Anonymous said...

I don't know who told you it smells like cheese, but they obviously need their nose checked. This kitty litter smells like pine when u first lay it out and then there is no smell after a little while. It's great!

Unknown said...

Have 4 indoor cats and Fresh Results for a year after using many other brands. One year with silica gel types and they are fused sand with significant dust and can scratch your floors when walked on. FR corncob litter priced fairly and no visible dust. Works very well.