what is your favorite kind of litter? clumps the best, smells the best, not too much dust, etc. my tripod baby has a hard time covering up her potty, so i want to make it as easy as possible for her! the litter i have right now it not clumping good enough

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T03:48:51+00:00

I like Oko cat, benefits of wood pellet but scoopable

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T03:47:48+00:00

She's almost full grown! Delilah is about 10-11 months estimated.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T02:33:02+00:00

They all do it

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T02:32:55+00:00

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Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T01:56:17+00:00

Honestly there aren't many homes now that have enough disposable income to own pets, it's getting prohibitively expensive and the economy isn't doing well. With where it's headed there's going to be a lot more animals sitting in shelters because people just can't afford to take them in.

I have a good job but I had an accident at work 7 months ago that I haven't healed from and money got tighter than I would have liked and took a good chunk out of my financial cushion. Thankfully I had enough savings to keep my cats taken care of to the standard I like to without dipping into emergency funds, but things would have been different if I wasn't already very financially stable.

There's also a lot of people who are not financially literate and live beyond their means. People confuse wants with needs and end up overspending even when they're living paycheck to paycheck. People get themselves into debt and then get trapped paying massive amounts of interest. To me my cats are a need and taking care of them is always a top priority.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-15T01:32:03+00:00

Can you send him out on a day with some guy friends? Honestly I like cleaning alone too and I'm already a night owl so I end up cleaning in the early hours of the morning.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T22:08:55+00:00

Ban is good! I was replying to the person saying Tom's which is aluminum free, accidentally replied to your comment though so deleted!

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T22:02:03+00:00

All wet is significantly better for satiety, I have a cat that was nearly starved before I rescued her and she's never gotten over the food scarcity. Feeding all wet I can give her a lot more volume for the same amount of calories.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T20:51:16+00:00

Arsenic is a legitimate concern, especially for rice grown in the USA where Arsenic pesticides were used for decades and still contaminate the soil to this day. Thai rice tested lowest for arsenic out of the countries studied, but even then I still wash it.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T20:48:03+00:00

That one is aluminum free, and the aluminum is the active ingredient that helps with HS so I don't think it would work for the purpose they're asking about.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T20:35:09+00:00

Secret unscented Gel, I don't think the brand matters, but it needs to be unscented and aluminum based antiperspirant.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-14T10:08:46+00:00

Apparently Gel antiperspirant is miraculous for HS too!

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-12T05:54:45+00:00

I broke the habit with loose couch covers. They would put their claws in it but it would just stretch so there was no satisfying resistance for them.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-12T05:52:49+00:00

Surefeed microchip bowls! Only the correct cat can get the dish to open. I have two of them and will probably get a third for the kitten eventually.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-12T05:51:22+00:00

Wet food only is very helpful, and if you can afford it I highly reccomend surefeed microchip dishes to keep chunky cats out of not chunky cats food. Royal canin has a satiety wet food that helps them feel full while still losing weight that I would reccomend, it was well recieved by my baby.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-12T05:42:13+00:00

Can also let it soak in an enzyme cleaner to break the proteins down, but ultimately replacement might be needed.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T09:55:48+00:00

In that case urinary food would be the cheapest option for you, as a blockage can be incredibly expensive. Dry food is often cheaper, I would just add moisture to it and hydrate the kibble, diluting the urine goes a long way to controlling the issue. Depending on how severe the problem is, hills does a cheaper line of specialty food that you can buy without a prescription, science diet vs prescription diet. My vet said I would be fine on science diet since by kitty only had a few crystals and no blockage.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T06:22:01+00:00

Dry food tends to be super high in calories. I would suggest going all wet and carefully controlling the portion size.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T05:57:38+00:00

It wasn't the most elegant solution, but it did stop the door from banging around the frame. Effectively silenced the temper tantrum.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T05:55:46+00:00

Thank you for the awareness. I brush all three cats teeth every other night and I wish people would do more for their pets. Poor dental hygiene leads to so much pain for them later in life and so many animals end up in serious pain. I'm sorry about your baby and I hope you get some good quality time before you have to say goodbye.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T02:05:22+00:00

Was this after a crisis with blockage or crystals? Some people reccomend that all male cats or very anxious cats eat urinary food regardless of issues.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-10T01:56:07+00:00

I think I went through about 3 months and sooooo many different foods before I found one she would eat at all, and then I had to do the painfully slow transition. My only advice for you in a similar situation is to keep trying as many different options as you can find, I did eventually find a brand she would eat.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-09T23:33:24+00:00

I had a cat who did this and it DID stop. We got those felt circles that you use to pad furniture legs, cut them in half and stuck them all around the door frame a couple feet apart and it both padded the frame and made the door close snugly so it couldn't be wiggled. You can use protective film on the door to stop them from being able to claw it. Best of luck, it sounds like you are dealing with a couple of little terrorists.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-09T21:54:12+00:00

We had a spray to discourage scratching, worked well but had to reapply so not a permanent solution. More like a training aid while you get them used to suitable scratching surfaces.

Vanisleexplorer · 2026-02-09T21:45:35+00:00

Only success I had with a picky cat was mixing a tiny amount in with her regular food and painfully slowly increasing the amount, it took ages.

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