For a few weeks now, we’ve decided to switch from mineral litter to silica litter. We mixed the two for a while to get her used to it, and since yesterday we’ve moved to 100% silica. I’m not sure if it’s related, but every time our girl comes out of the litter tray, she’s been having severe breathing difficulties for several minutes with a sort of cough. Isn’t silica litter meant to be less dusty? I’m wondering if I should switch back to mineral litter...
Thanks a lot for your advice!
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It all depends on the brand. I’ve also noticed that some silica litters produce a lot of dust, especially the ones with large crystals. The one I use (a micro-crystal silica brand) is as fine as sand and gives off a subtle scent when it comes into contact with urine. The result is no dust and no odour—in fact, the light fragrance actually makes it smell quite pleasant.
What you could do is set up another tray with some wood-based litter and maybe one day he'll decide to give it a go. I switched to plant-based too (I bought one bag from a garden centre and another from the supermarket to see which one I preferred). My little one uses it no problem, but my older cat is being a bit fussy. So I’ve got three trays with the wood-based litter and I’ve added a fourth one for her with her old litter, adding a scoop of the new stuff every day.
Now she uses the larger-grained plant-based litter without any issues—she's finally got used to it.
In fact, silica litter is also really dusty, it’s just that the dust is much finer; you only really notice it from a distance if the light is right.
I noticed the exact same thing! Even though it doesn’t produce much dust, I get the feeling it’s far more irritating for the airways... Every time she stepped out of the litter tray, it really seemed like she was choking on something!
Hi everyone,
I wanted to try out silica litter... but I had to stop pretty quickly because I was coughing every time I dealt with it!!! I reckon that in an enclosed space like a litter tray, it can’t be great for the respiratory system!
We’ve already tried plant-based litter as it’s more eco-friendly, but unfortunately she wouldn't go near it—to the point that she held it in for two days and ended up doing her business in her bed... We then opted for mineral litter which suits her perfectly, but I don't find it absorbent enough... That’s why we recently switched to silica litter, but it’s clearly causing her some respiratory issues, which I don't really understand as it’s much less dusty...
Hi,
I’ve never tried silica litter; I don’t really trust that kind of stuff. It’s got a bit of a reputation for giving off particles that can irritate the airways, on top of being bad for the environment.
If you want to reduce smells in the litter tray, I’d suggest trying a natural litter instead. I personally switched to that type because my local council introduced biodegradable waste bags, which were cheaper, so it was originally just to save money on bin bags. I wasn’t really convinced at first; I thought that because it was organic, it would actually smell worse and more quickly. But honestly, not at all. I really wish I’d made the switch sooner—it’s been a total game changer.
It’s made of plant fibre, so it’s completely biodegradable (you can even flush it down the toilet). It absorbs urine smells instantly and it clumps. You just have to scoop out the clumps and the poos (I do it every day) and it doesn’t smell of anything. Even better, you can keep it for 2–3 weeks without a full change, so even if it’s a bit more expensive to buy, it’s more cost-effective in the long run. My cats love it and took to it straight away. They don’t track it everywhere either, at least no more than they did with mineral litter.
For comparison, I used to buy Catsan mineral litter, which is supposed to be known for odour control, and I’d have to change it after a week at the very most because it would start to smell (that stinging cat-wee smell, you know the one). I don't have that problem at all now, as long as I’m regular about scooping out the clumps and the poos.
