Choose your Cat Litter wisely!

The cat litter you like might not be the cat litter your meowsters are happy with…

We didn’t and Barney Boi had to pay the price :(

As we lived on the 24/F in Hong Kong, all of our meowsters were raised as indoor cats (SPCA Hong Kong requires cat-proof windows for adopters). Litter Trays are one of the meowslaves essentials & finding the right litters and litter trays is always a trial-and-error process. Jyn was not as fussy; we used a mineral-based clumping cat litter she was familiar with (the same one used by the adoption center), and she never had any issues. However, when we brought in Barney and Mui Mui, we decided to try a new litter because Mui Mui sometimes had issues peeing in the bed.

We ended up using a cat litter made of recycled paper because it's more eco-friendly. It lived up to its claims, effectively controlling odours, flushing easily down the toilet, and not significantly more costly.

About 3-4 months after Barney and Mui Mui settled in our home, we started noticing Barney Boi constantly biting his front paw. Upon closer inspection, we found a nasty wound on his little paw bean. We took him to a vet (the pet insurance plan I got for them in Hong Kong covered nearly 90% of the vet fees), and they suspected he had hurt himself in fights with his little sister (Mui Mui can be quite vicious!). So he was prescribed a steroid cream for the wound and ordered to wear a collar to prevent further biting or licking until it healed.

Barney Boi’s poorly infected front paw. (May 2019)

The steroid cream helped his paw. Unfortunately, both Barney and Mui Mui contracted cat flu when they first arrived back home (likely from the adoption centre), and their immune systems have been compromised ever since. That's why he became quite unwell with the steroid cream as it’s a immunosuppressant; he sneezed non-stop for a minute in a morning, freaked me out completely and i immediately took him to see the vet again (thanks to the insurance). Unfortunately, I was told that there wasn't much we could do but put him on antibiotics while waiting for the steroid cream to work its magic.

Barney Bee - B-boi with his super cute (yet useless) bee cone.

This had since become a recurring issue - it would heal, he'd bite his paw, we'd take him to the vet, apply cream to his wound, make him wear a collar, and the cycle would continue. After the third vet visit with the same issue and the same treatment, we decided to consult a different vet when it happened again. We explained our previous experiences to the new vet, hoping to uncover any underlying causes.

Dr. Hugh, an experienced and respected vet based in Tin Hau, Hong Kong (highly recommended if you live in Hong Kong!), closely examined B-Boi's paw. He didn't believe it was a fight wound; instead, he suspected something had become lodged between his paw pads. Dr. Hugh explained that paper-based cat litter can become 'soggy' when wet, creating a 'paste' that might get stuck between the paw beans, causing discomfort. This explained why Barney Boi was always trying to lick or bite his paw to remove it.

Dr. Hugh recommended switching to soy-based litter, which wouldn't become 'sticky' and would form clumps more quickly. We were initially skeptical but decided to follow his advice. We were veru happy to be proven wrong - Barney Boi stopped biting his little paw altogether!

Just like any siblings, there are times when they love each other so much that they curl up together to form a big furry heart, and there are times when they fight viciously, trying to scratch each other's eyeballs out. They certainly share some similarities (e.g., not being lap-cat material, messy eaters, etc.), but they are two very different cats.

Handsome Barney & his litter tray full of soy-based litter

I recommend soy-based cat litter to all cat owners. However, I understand that no meowster or cat owner is the same. There are different types of cat litters that cater to specific needs and preferences. I've been catsitting at various cat owner's homes and have seen different litter tray setups. There is no single best solution, but rather, it's about finding what works. In this blog post, I've compiled some pros and cons of several popular types of cat litters for your consideration, whether you are a new cat owner or are thinking about changing cat litter.

Nonetheless, I'd like to share a few cat litters I've used since I moved to the UK (unfortunately, the one we used in HK was not available here):

Simply Natural Tofu Cat Litter 6L

This 100% biodegradable tofu cat litter was the first one I tried—great quality, minimal dust, and my two meowsters had absolutely no problem with it. However, it's on the pricey side, so I started to look for cheaper alternatives..

Hide & Seek London Tofu Cat Litter 8L

Slightly cheaper than Simply Natural Tofu Cat Litter, I'd been using this for a couple of months, and it's very similar to the one we used in Hong Kong. The litter is on the finer side, which might track more than the other brand, but honestly, I didn't have much of a problem with it. However, the price is still a bit steep as we had three litter trays to fill...

Amazon Brand - Life Corn Cat Litter 25L

Lifelong Corn-based Cat Litter has all the benefits of the two soy-based options—minus the high price tag! This affordable cat litter is 100% natural, GMO-free, biodegradable, compostable, and can be flushed down the toilets!