I’ve noticed that some people use wood pellets (the type used for heating) as cat litter. Have any of you given this a go? We’ve got 3 cats in total at home and I was wondering if it’s actually any good, as the reviews online seem to be a bit mixed. The mess on the floor isn’t really an issue for us since the litter trays are in the garage!
Thanks in advance!
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Hi, I’m bumping this thread 4 years later as I have a question about pellets. I wanted to try this litter (initially by mixing it with the current one, though Roux is a smart cookie and spotted the little sticks straight away; he probably mistook them for bits of poo because he tried to cover them up, despite not having done anything...). What bothered me during this trial, however, was clearing out the poo: the pellets are actually quite large, so they stay in the scoop with the poo. If I use a scoop with bigger holes, then they do fall back into the tray, but... so does the poo! How do you lot manage? From what I’ve been reading here and there, the solution is meant to be picking up the main bits (the 'logs') with tongs to bin them, then for the smaller bits, use a standard scoop and 'shake' it over the bin (or whatever you use for waste): the pellets stay in the scoop and the small bits of poo fall into the bin. I’d love to know how you do it, as for now I’ve given up on the idea of pellet litter (too much waste!). Thanks!
Hi everyone! I manage to scoop out the poo with very little waste and don’t have an issue with the scoop, but I’m completely lost when it comes to cleaning up the wee.
Hi, I’m bumping this thread after 4 years as I have a question about pellets: I wanted to try this litter (starting by mixing it with his current litter, though my Roux, who’s no fool, spotted those little sticks right away; he probably thought they were bits of poo since he tried to cover them up without actually doing anything...) but what bothered me during this trial was getting rid of the poo:
basically, the pellets are quite big, and they stay in the scoop with the poo. If I use a scoop with bigger holes, then yes, they fall back into the tray, but... so does the poo! How do you do it?
From what I’ve read here and there, the solution would be to pick up the main bits of poo (the "logs") with tongs, bin them, and then for the smaller bits, pick them up with a standard scoop and "shake" it over the bin (or another waste container): the pellets will stay in the scoop, and the little bits of poo will fall into the bin.
I’d like to know how you guys manage, thanks for any tips because as it stands, I’ve given up on the idea of pellet litter (too much waste!). Thanks!
Hi there, I manage to pick up the poo with very little waste and I’m fine using the scoop, but it’s cleaning up the wee that’s got me stumped.
Hi, I’m bumping this thread four years on because I have a question about wood pellets. I wanted to give this litter a go (starting by mixing it with his current litter, though my ginger boy, who’s no fool, spotted these little sticks straight away; he probably took them for bits of poo since he tried to cover them up without actually having done anything!). What really put me off during this trial, though, was trying to clear out the poo.
The pellets are actually quite big, so they stay in the scoop along with the poo. If I use a scoop with larger holes, they fall back into the tray, but… so does the poo! How do you lot manage? From what I’ve read here and there, the solution is meant to be picking up the main bits (the ‘logs’) with some tongs, throwing them away, and then for the smaller bits, using a standard scoop and shaking it over the bin: the pellets stay in the scoop and the small bits of poo fall into the bin.
I’d love to know how you do it, because as it stands, I’ve given up on the idea of pellet litter (too much waste!). Thanks for any tips!
Everyone ends up finding the litter that works best for them depending on where they live, the size of their home and... the number of cats they have.
I used clumping litter for several years, first in standard trays and then in a builder's mixing tub, but I much prefer wood pellets now (if I had 10 cats, I think I’d need 2 mixing tubs).
With 5 cats, it lasts well over a week and there’s nothing for me to scrub.
I live in the countryside and I don’t flush anything down the loo. The wood goes straight onto the compost heap. Before, I had to scoop out the waste and put it into plastic bags. Dry grit tends to get tracked everywhere, and when it's wet, it sticks to the bottom of the tray.
Anyway, I’ve made my choice while I wait for that revolutionary self-cleaning litter box! 👍
Unlike @Blue Cat, I find wood pellets a real pain to clean. Once they get wet from urine, they just disintegrate and the sawdust ends up at the bottom under the dry pellets. So, to clean it out, you have to push the dry bits aside to get to the soiled sawdust. Otherwise, you just end up with clean, dry pellets in your scoop. Since the sawdust doesn't clump, you have to take your time to get it even remotely clean. It's cheap, but not practical at all. Plus, as already mentioned, after a week—or even less depending on how many cats are using it—you have to do a full change and scrub the litter tray.
I much prefer Cat’s Best clumping litter, which can be flushed down the loo or put in the compost. It lasts more than a week (about 2 or 3 weeks if you top up the tray in between). It's so much easier to clean (and with 10 cats at my place, that’s a big deal 😉); urine smells are absorbed quite well if you keep a depth of about 7-8cm (which lets it form clumps that are really easy to scoop out) and there's very little waste when you’re clearing out the poo.
Just for info, my neighbour used to use pellets, but since she’s been over to look after my kitties, she’s switched to the same one as me. 👌
Hi, I’ve seen some people using wood pellets (the kind for wood-burning stoves) as cat litter. Has anyone tried this? We have 3 cats at home and I wanted to know if it actually works, as the reviews online are a bit mixed. We aren't too bothered about a bit of mess on the floor because the litter trays are in the garage! Thanks in advance!
🙂 Hi everyone!
I’ve just discovered that wood pellets used for heating can be used instead of the ones sold specifically as cat litter.
I’m going to start buying those instead as it’s much more cost-effective. In both cases, it's basically just "compressed sawdust—spruce, pine, or fir".
I have 5 cats and a garden, but some of them prefer using a tray, and when it’s raining, they all prefer being indoors.
A few years ago, I solved the litter box problem by buying a builder's mixing tub (60x40cm, 18cm deep), and I just pour a whole bag of litter (about 7 litres of pellets) straight in.
I don’t have to touch it, except to scoop out any visible poo while it’s still on the surface in the dry part.
I’ve noticed that with wood, they hardly scratch at all.
You can see when the litter is saturated just by looking at it; there's no need to wait until it starts to smell🙅.
I empty the whole lot onto the compost heap, but if you don't have one, you can just put it in a bin bag.
As mentioned before, it doesn't stick to the tub at all, so you just need to give it a quick rinse.
Hi everyone,
I’m new to the site and have just seen your question. I started off using bamboo pellets but the smell of urine was awful. I’ve since switched to wood pellets (the Woody Cat brand) and honestly, it’s amazing—there’s no smell at all. The pellets break down into sawdust when they get wet, and the poo stays right on top. You just need two different scoops to make sure you don't waste any. Woody Cat is about £7.50 for a 33lb bag at the pet shop.
Alternatively, you can put some baking soda in the bottom of the litter tray; it gets rid of the urine smells and doesn't bother the kitties.
