The Dirt on The Litter

The Low Down on the Litter, gives a little information in relation to the Litter-Robot. But there is more to it, if you feel like digging.

Like all the products at Cat Evolution, the Litter was the result of a need, and one not currently met to any level of satisfaction by most of the products on the market in Australia.

Litter may seem quite unexciting, unless, you are a cat owner, to which litter can literally be a pain in the foot, a nightmare for cleaning, and a costly repetition in dealing with clean up for your cat.

Cat Evolution Premium Clumping Clay Litter, is clay clumping by necessity to work well in the Litter-Robot. Cat Evolution is not a litter Company, but in seeking the best of the best in litterbox solutions for the Australian Climate, particularly the hot season, litter is a serious part of the equation.

After initially trialling the Litter-Robot for approx. 6 months, on the cheapest, bottom end clumping litter (Coles and Woolies home brands, Perth WA), with good results, and great results compared to an open litter tray, it was time to seek a better litter if possible, to enhance the experience.

As we were living in a closed apartment, out daily working, and not in a position to provide a catio or even a locked open window as relief from summer heat and trapped odours, the motivation was provided as the temperatures in Perth rose.

It took another 6 months, and sampling litters available globally as well as domestically, to get a better product. The key ingredient that sets Cat Evolution Litter apart is activated carbon. It is the absence of odour, right from the start, on through use, and into the waste drawer, that helps keep the Litter box and environment free of catty signatures. Its effective in actively absorbing odours, and continuing to work despite rising temperatures to keep odour under control. There is no scent overlay or perfume mask, just a clean clay bed of rounded litter balls, ready to absorb and cover cat deposits.

THE GOOD STUFF

Premium Cat Evolution litter is black gold in our household, even being used as a thin layer under the kitchen bin liner to capture kitchen odours. Its fast absorbing, clean and quick clumping to take less space in the waste drawer of the Litter-Robot, resulting in less wastage ,and helps odour in the waste drawer as the carbon continues working hard. Fast clumping means the Litter-Robot can be set to its minimum wait cycle, 3 minutes, for the litter scooping to be done as soon as possible, removing odorous deposits to the waste drawer faster than for the slower clumping litters. Low dust, and soft on paws because of the rolled finish to the balls, the litter cycles well in the Robot, also coating any areas where spraying or above litter deposits are, to absorb odour in the globe during the sieving process.

Efficiency in the Litter-Robot results in a very economical litter all round, with our cat household using 1 kg per week, at a cost of $3.25 delivered. So the 18 kg minimum (as 2x 9kg bgs) lasts approx. 4 months.

THE NOT SO GOOD STUFF

Like all things, there are some situations where Cat Evolution Premium Clay Clumping Litter is not the right choice. We had a dear friend trial it in a manual litter tray, with a very sweet old lady cat with diabetes. The volume of liquid that diabetes creates is not a good mix with Cat Evolution Premium litter, resulting in muddy paws. A solution was found by mixing 50/50 with a cheaper, coarser litter, which provided more stability to liquid volume, whilst still obtaining the benefits of the activated carbon for odour.

The little balls do roll. There is a solution – the ramp, designed for easy access for smaller or older cats to the Litter-Robot, is actually a litter catcher by design as well. The well scooped steps collect litter from paws as they descend, and stop it rolling on the floor. It is very effective, even if not needed for access, just for litter collection.

Having said how much we love our litter, the Litter-Robot is designed to use a variety of clumping litters, with particle size and weight important to ensure the sieving process works well. Too light, and the litter will be deposited along with soiled matter into the waste drawer, wasting the clean litter. Too heavy, and less in the globe is needed to not over weight the Robot (Trouble & Trix needs to be approx. 2cm UNDER the mark on the liner, at its maximum fill due to density).

Generally, if the litter is sold by the KG, and not by litre, and has small grain size, it maybe suitable even if not clay based. In New Zealand, Worlds Best Cat Litter, which is corn based, is proving to be suitable as a non-clay alternative. None that we are aware of have activated carbon, which for Cat Evolution, and Australia’s climate, is the essential ingredient for happy noses.

If you have any feedback or insight on litter and the Robot, please do let us know, as sharing knowledge helps Cat Owners enjoying the automatic lifestyle, MEOW!

Loving the Urban Lifestyle