Question: Should we switch from our clumping litter?
My friend's cat is sick with kidney problems and she has been doing some research on causes of kidney problems in cats. She came across this article that is very interesting regarding clumping kitty litter. Have you ever heard of the clumping litter causing problems and if so, why isn't this more widely known? We have always used the clumping litter for our cats. Should we change to a different type of litter? What do you suggest?
Answer: That web site is very familiar to me, as it is the only site I've been able to find with information about the "dangers" of clumping CLAY litter. Yes, there are other sites which write about these "hazards," but they all refer back to this one. The information on this site, as best as I can gather, has been assembled with anecdotal stories, and I have never been able to find any in-depth research as to the validity of these claims, nor actual firsthand confirmation by veterinarians.
I wrote an article on "The Clumping Clay Controversy," awhile back. You can read it at http://cats.about.com/cs/litterbox/a/clumpingclay.htm
As far as your friend's situation, it wouldn't hurt for her to switch to a non-clay cat litter, but kidney problems are fairly common in older cats (you didn't mention her cat's age, so I am assuming a bit), so switching may or may not help. I've always believed in the adages "Where there's smoke, there (may be) fire," and "Better safe than sorry." For that reason I do not use clumping clay litters for my own cats. As an aside, clay cat litters in general generate a lot of dust, and I think some cats' sneezing problems may be related to that.
Please be aware that there are many fine "organic" clumping litters not based on clay. (It's the sodium betonite that's blamed - an ingredient not present in non-clay clumping litters.) My cats prefer World's Best Cat Litter, and so do I, for it's scoopability, pleasant scent, and low dust factor. I have listed a few other top-rated litters in my Top Picks of Premium Litters. (Please note that the last litter listed is clumping clay, and is included only for specific retraining purposes.) Also, paper-based litters, such as Yesterday's News are non-clumping.
So, the short answer to your question is, "If you are using a clay-based clumping litter, consider switching to another litter."
