When a kitten appears in the house, you have to think about buying a tray and cat litter.
Functionality
The filler is purchased for trays of different types, but more often for models with a grille sold in pet stores. The holes in the grid can be different, as well as their number. In fact, a cat toilet is nothing like a box-pan with a lattice. Pet waste flows through the openings in the lower part of the structure, while the filler itself prevents the paws from getting dirty.
In addition, it facilitates cleaning the tray. The filler is also good because when it is used, the space around the tray remains clean. It is safe for the animal, does not harm the household, is easy to clean and economical. However, it must be disposed of, and it does not relieve the house of an unpleasant smell after going to the toilet of a pet.
How to use?
The filler is poured into the tray tray in a small amount. It is enough that he barely covers the bottom of the plastic box. It is not necessary to fill the material too much, because when it gets wet it will increase in size. On top of the pallet it is necessary to put a grid or another grid.
The filler should be under the grill. The net itself must be washed every time the pet goes to the toilet. This approach will eliminate the soiling of the paws, relieve the unpleasant smell of cat urine and allow you to absorb the liquid entering through the mesh with holes.
Which is better?
Fillers are different and each material has its own properties and the degree of swelling when it gets liquid. In addition, it depends on the type of filler how often it will have to be changed. For example, if you use ordinary sand as a box filling, there will be little use for it.
Despite the fact that it will not increase in size under the influence of liquid, the smell in the room will be terrible.
Silica gel is considered to be the best raw material in terms of liquid absorption, which is why it must be used in minimal quantities. It has a high ability to absorb unpleasant odors. The material is made of silicate acid gel, which determines its toxicity. This filler is good in action, but it is harmful for pets, besides, it hisses when moisture gets on it.
Wood analog is effective in application - it not only actively absorbs the liquid coming from above, but also eliminates unpleasant odors. The granules of the material during the absorption of moisture doubled and even more. Pour this filler to dosed, barely closing the bottom of the tray.
Sawdust material has the ability to block unpleasant odor, but in quality it is inferior to the wood counterpart. The mixed product is made of clay and sawdust. This raw material is inconvenient to use, because when wet, the wet granules can stick to the hair of the paws. Of all the types of material it is the most impractical.
As for the best in terms of efficiency and safety of the material, it is wood filler. It is suitable for pets of different ages, including small kittens and individuals with a tendency to allergies. If there are many cats at home, only silica gel can cope with an unpleasant odor.
There is a corn and zeolite filler. The first is considered eco-friendly, as it is made from corn cobs. The second is made from volcanic minerals. Japanese fillers have a good recommendation - they allow you to clean the tray not only from lumps with urine, but also with excreta without general cleaning, which implies complete removal of filling and washing the tray.
How often to change?
The usage time of each filler may vary, which will primarily depend on the type of material used. In addition, it may depend on the number of pets living in the same house (the more there will be, the more often you will have to change the granules in the tray tray). In this case, you can partially dispose of the material. For example, wood filler granules that have fallen into a large amount of cat urine are scattered.
They can be separated with a spatula from whole granules and discarded. If there is a lot of scattered material, it is necessary to replace it completely by filling in a fresh batch after washing and drying the box.
When using wood filler, it is not possible to pour new granules until the old ones end. As a rule, when staying at home of one cat, this filler should be changed at least once a week.
If you do it less often, an unpleasant smell will spread around the house, and the pet will look for another place for the toilet. Raw materials, in the composition of which there are mineral components, everything is immediately utilized: in this case there is no point in gradually replacing. The key point when changing the material is laundering of the pallet and mesh with a cleaning agent - this will help to neutralize the unpleasant smell and get rid of pathogens.
Silica gel can be used for two weeks. After that, the waste material is replaced with a new one. However, this does not mean that you need to wait two weeks without touching the tray. Used clumps of absorbed liquid should be removed immediately after their detection. The remaining mass must be mixed, which will contribute to the rapid drying.
Mineral granules change at least once a week, but when heavily contaminated, the procedure should be performed more often.. Mixed filler in the tray should be changed once a week if one animal lives at home. This is done by means of a special blade with holes, which will allow you to simultaneously sift the material when separating the waste product. After that, you need to pour fresh granules into the tray.
Sand needs to be changed daily. This filler is bad and that can get enough sleep. It is useless to sow, dry or separate - it does not save the household from the smell and grains of sand near the tray. If there are several pets in the house, the filler will have to be cleaned once every 3-5 days, focusing on the smell that comes from the tray.
How to fill?
The amount of filler for cats depends on its type and absorbency. In addition, the age of the animal can also affect this. Based on the per cat, you may need:
- wood material - up to 2 cm in height;
- silica gel - no more than 2 cm in thickness of the layer;
- mixed product - up to 3 cm;
- sand - no more than 2-3 cm.
The filler in the trays with the grid should not be in contact with the grid - between them there should be free space necessary for the swelling of the granules. This will allow moisture not to linger on the lattice, but to go down. If there is too much material, he will climb through the grill, which will give the pet discomfort.
As for trays without gratings, here the volume of the product can be slightly increased. In this case, the breeder must rely on the amount of granules of a particular material. In addition, the filler can be diluted with small stones intended for kittens, which are still being taught to the toilet.
Filling the tray with fresh material is necessary only after washing it.
If this is not done, the plastic will be saturated with the smell of urine and excrement, so there will be no sense from the filler. Lumps in trays without grates are removed immediately when they are detected, otherwise the pet may smash some part of the filler. In addition, he may begin to disdain to go to such a place.
Recycling
Waste material needs disposal. However, it is impossible to flush cat litter into the toilet - the reason for this is the absorption capacity of the granules. This can lead to clogging of the sewer system and the formation of traffic jams, because even the waste material can increase in size.
Some manufacturers claim that their products can be flushed in the toilet, as indicated by the image of the underlined toilet on the packaging of the filler. However, one cannot discount the eternal contamination of pipes and the reduction of their internal diameter due to poor quality water, which is typical of many houses in our country. In old houses, the internal diameter of sewer pipes is small, so you should not create an emergency.
Throw away the spent cat litter in the trash. To prevent the smell from spreading around the house, a plastic bag should be put on the bucket in advance. Once the filler is recycled, the bag is tied into a knot and discarded. Throw away the absorbent material immediately. This also applies to sand: it should be cleaned and thrown away immediately using a garbage bag.
About what the cat litter best, you will learn from the video below.