Q: Why do shelters use clay litter?

Oct 18, 2008

Cost savings, easy to purchase and it's what's most often received in the donation box.
I've never had a problem switching litter for my kitties. I know some kitties have their preferences, but in my experience if you introduce the new litter slowly, they'll do all right.

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Oct 07, 2008

Many do not. More than a decade ago, I worked for what is now the nation's largest cats-only no kill sanctuary. They used a generic version of Feline Pine (they bought white pine wood stove pellets, $4 for 40 lbs). Cheaper than any clay litter, and better at absorbing odors. Six years ago, when I went to work for a public shelter, I got them to convert, too. Now, many area shelters are following suit.

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Oct 06, 2008

It is a cost saving measure.

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Oct 06, 2008

It most likely a cost issue but also maybe a cleanliness issue. When you use scoopable litter you aren't always dumping and sanitizing boxes. I am not a shelter but I do foster and I have a litter of kittens now. I don't use much clay litter in box. Clumping kinds need to be at least and inch or 2 deep to work properly. That is a lot of litter to be dumping.

I use just a little clay litter and I just dump the whole box in the morning, wash and sanitize, dry and refill.

In the long run they probably would waste a lot of litter if using clumping kinds. In a shelter setting cleanliness and not spreading disease is a big concern as well.

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Oct 05, 2008

it's because of the limited budget.

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Oct 05, 2008

I don't think cats have any problem adjusting to another type of litter (maybe the pellets a little because of the different texture). And yes, shelters don't have a lot of money to be buying expensive kitty litters. But they do take donations and people could donate good kitty litter.

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Oct 05, 2008

yes it is the cost, plus the is in the most abundance

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Oct 05, 2008

Our shelter uses the clay litter in the cages. There is nothing worse than having a kitten who climbs the cage bars, falls in his water bowl and then gets in the litter box. So the clay is better as it will not stick as much to the wet kitten.

Now in our big play pen area where we have up to 8 cats, we use the scoopable. And so far we have never had one problem with cats going from the clay in the cages to the scoopable in the play pen.

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Oct 05, 2008

Shelters are on a limited budget and have to use what they can get, but another reason they use the clay is that with kittens you are not supposed to use the scoopable kind, also with nursing moms. The clay is more dusty which can lead to air quality issues, but it's more convenient and the only one that is universally acceptable to use for most cats.

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Oct 05, 2008

Shelters are run on a limited income. They buy the cheapest litter possible. Most shelters are always in need of cat litter. It is expensive and they go thru a lot of it.

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