Look at the adorable face of your little fluffball. Does he look like one of the most successful crepuscular predators in all the animal kingdom? Well, he is, and behind those adorable eyes lies one of the most ingrate instincts in all the pets found in Aussie households. Cats are special animals.
They can adapt easily to apartment living, they are fiercely independent, they have no issues in setting up boundaries, but they are also loving, intelligent, compassionate, and can form genuine bonds with their owners. Some say they are cold, while others say they are the perfect pet. Personally? I am in the second camp.
The Necessity of Purchasing Accessories
Even though cats are the second most popular type of pet found in Australia, and by all accounts, they are significantly cheaper to own than the majority of dog breeds, you will eventually need to invest in tools and accessories that will make your pet ownership process a tad easier. Your kitty is hyperactive, his eyes are glowing when he catches a glimpse of your favourite pair of sneakers, and the last time you came home, did you catch him riding the fan? Well:
- That’s an interesting cat you have there
- It will be necessary to invest in accessories that will distract him and give him a medium to refocus his energy levels
A good idea, therefore, would be to invest in good-quality toys, a cat scratching post, and, why not, maybe even some catnip. But before purchasing anything else, you need to get a proper kitty litter. No matter if you go for conventional lumping sand or crystal cat litter, going for a top-quality litter box is absolutely necessary, as if there is one instinct that dominates cat behaviour, it is their tendency to bury their waste.
Is It Really Necessary to Purchase Kitty Litter?
In the majority of cases, the answer is yes. In their natural environment, cats bury their waste for three main purposes:
- Hide their presence from other large predators
- Make it harder for prey to detect their presence.
- Keep themselves clean
Now, is your home the perfect hunting ground for your apex killing machine? No. But he doesn’t exactly know this, and for this reason, without a designated place in which to deposit his droppings, he might get stressed out and develop negative behavioural traits that will make the pet ownership process a challenge.
Sure, if you have an outdoor cat that doesn’t visit your house for days on end, a lack of appropriate kitty litter is not really that much of a concern. But do you own an indoor kitty? In that case, investing in clumping or crystal cat litter becomes a necessity.
Are There Practical Advantages to Kitty Litter?
Yes, loads of them, actually. One of the top benefits of top litter is that it traps ammonia and other odour-producing chemical components that can spread throughout your dwelling. You can purchase normal sand and call it a day, but top kitty litter can:
- Make your home smell nicer
- Require less frequent litter changes
- Transform the litter box into a safe environment for your kitty
- Make it easier to scoop droppings
Top-quality clumping or crystal cat litter can encourage your kitty to use his litter box consistently; it has better moisture absorption, and is less likely to stick to your cat’s fur. Believe me, you don’t want that mess. One time I purchased some low-quality clay litter from my local pet shop that, for some reason, got stuck in my kitty’s fur like it was actually play-dough. Have you ever tried to give a bath to a cat? Well, imagine that and trying to untangle fur that was bound together by clay. It wasn’t pretty, and some scratches were involved.
Good kitty litter can make it unlikely for your cat to avoid his litter; it produces less dust, and it’s longer-lasting. In the end, it’s a matter of basic math. Who really cares if a product is cheaper as long as you run out of it quicker and its quality is not that great? Top cat litter clumps better, absorbs smells better, lasts longer, and so, overall, it represents a better long-term financial value.
What Happens If You Go for Poor-Quality Litter?
It depends on what type of litter you go for. Have you chosen some cheap clay-based cat litter? Well, you can expect to deal with excessive dust and more frequent litter box cleaning. It’s all fun and games until your home starts to look like the Sahara. Likewise, cheap clay-based litter can stick to your cat’s fur, and just like I said previously, this is a nightmare you really don’t want to deal with, believe me.
Low-quality crystal cat litter, on the other hand, might have poor absorption properties and make it more likely for fungal growth to start inside the litter box. Plus, it will also let out more smells. In the end, the equation is quite simple. Do you want to improve the cleanliness of the litter box and enhance your cat’s comfort while making your house smell great? Then, the best thing you can do is focus your attention on top-quality products.
What’s Different About Crystal Cat Litter?
Crystal cat litter is made of silica gel beads, and their biggest advantage is that they can hold a significant amount of moisture without forming the dust we usually associate with clumping clay litter. Crystal litter is:
- Great at absorbing urine
- It has excellent odour control
- It lasts for quite a long time
- And it’s quite lightweight
However, there are also downsides. For one thing, it doesn’t clump. So, scooping solid waste can be a problem. Secondly, some cats don’t really like the consistency of the beads. My cat, for example, doesn’t like them, while my gf’s kitten, on the other hand, has no issue with them. Plus, in some cases, crystal litter can cost more than conventional clay-based litter. But it does smell better, and for some people this is enough of a benefit to make it all worth it.
