This Reader’s Pine-Pellet Kitty Litter is Budget-Friendly & Pet Approved!
Looking for some kitty litter?
This week’s Happy Friday reader Jeanette came up with a brilliant kitty litter hack! Not only is it compatible with her furry friend, but it also saves her tons of money! Keep reading to see how.
Meet Biscuit, our cat…He’s a handsome 12-year-old guy who really needs a little help with odor control with his litter box! We have used several products in the past but wanted to share what really floats his boat!
This huge 40-pound bag of 100% pine pellets has been a lifesaver! And the cost?! $6.99 for the bag! We get ours at our local farm store (Wilco)…Maybe you have a different farm store with a different brand? In Biscuit’s case, the odor control is so much better than the Tidy Cat’s scoopable litter we were buying, plus the Arm & Hammer litter deodorizer… Oh, plus the Febreeze plug-in just over the litter box… Yeah, he was that potent!
I take this scooper and put in about a 2” layer of pine pellets…Over the next month, Biscuit uses the litter box and the pellets will break down into a soft, sawdust-like texture. Taking out the solid waste every so often will help to keep the box fresh. Stirring the pellets around also, with a scoop, will help since Biscuit likes to go potty in just one spot…
After about one month, I pour the entire litter box into a kitchen-sized garbage bag and toss it into the garbage. Then, we start again! I was surprised at how lightweight the pellets were; once they were moistened/sawdust form, it was easy to pick up the whole litter box and not feel like I had just lifted weights!
Oh, we do put this “carpet” in front of Biscuit’s litter box so he can “wipe his feet” The amount of mess that follows Biscuit’s paws is a lot less than the Tidy Cat’s…
So, if your sweet feline needs a “daintier” option, feel free to look at your local farm store for some pine pellets and see if your kitty will take to it! Your wallet may thank you for it!
Pine pellets are completely pet-approved!
Thanks, Jeanette, for sharing this convenient pet tip! Recurring items for our furry friends can become a bit pricey, so every recommendation counts. 🐱
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I made this switch after my litter picky cat passed away. It saves so much money! I sprinkle baking soda in with the pellets and use a sifting litter box between changes. The 40lb bag is less than $5 at Tractor Supply!
Thank you so much for this! It is definitely worth a try for the tyrant that allows us to share his space😁 And I never would have even known about or considered pine pellets.
This particular brand of pine pellets is the best. I use pellets for my chickens and this brand creates the least amount of dust of any other brands O have found.
When my two kitties were under a year old, I made the switch to this after I thought.. well, this looks so much like feline pine! We buy our 40 pound bags at Tracker Supply.. and we save so much money!! It takes a bit to get your cat used to it at first, more so if your cat is older and really used to clay litter.
You want to start gradually adding the pellets to your clay.. so as they dig around they can feel the pellets. When I started I just put maybe an inch in the bottom of a clean litter box, then I covered the pellets with just a little less than the normal amount of clay they used. I was thinking if they got in there and dug “through” the clay and found the pellets at the bottom of the box, it would seem like “layers” or “texture” they might find in the ground if they were outdoors. As the weeks progressed I would just add more pellets and less clay until it was all pellets and no clay!!
Totally worth the try to see if your kitties will use it!! And.. It’s so cheap.. you can just “Dump” the WHOLE thing every week or so without regret or scooping forever!
We’ve used this for years. Please stress the importance of using kiln dried pine pellets. If not kiln dried, it can be harmful. We use a sifting litter box and only need to dump the saw dust from the bottom tray weekly. No need to empty the top ever. So much healthier for us all. No litter tracking. No perfumy paws. Thank you for posting this.
I have been doing this a while now and get my pellets at Tractor Supply too. I didn’t like the shifter boxes that are available so I purchased a 6 inch deep Stainless Steel Steam pan, along with a 4 inch Perforated Stainless Steel insert. Yes, it was more expensive than the plastic cat boxes but this will last forever, easily disinfected and doesn’t retain any orders. I line the bottom pan in a garbage bag then insert the perforated pan on top and fill with pellets. Scoop the poop and then give the pan a shake. Putting a scoop of pellets in as needed. Once a week I take the bag off the bottom, turning it inside out as I’m taking it off. No need to dump the remaining pellets in the perforated pan, just add more if needed.
Hi Vera, I like the idea of stainless steel. Where did you find your stainless steel pan and insert?
Thank you!
I’m going to try this, thank you.
This is fantastic, I just started using this instead of clay or the kitty’s best litter which was a corn by product & was too dusty & also can contain mold & bugs ick. My kitten easily adapted after he got past trying to play with the pellets. I just added some of the clay litter to the new pine pellets in a sifting pan I purchased & left out his clay box next to the pine pellet one….after 2 days he switched himself to the cleaner smelling pine pellet one & he lost his desire to “play” with the pellets. I love that it has virtually no smell and that you really just have to take out the #2 contributions 😉 and then you gently shake the pan and the pine pellets that have been #1’d on turn to sawdust and filter down to the bottom pan. I line the bottom pan with a 13 gallon plastic kitchen garbage bag & I dump that about every 6-7 days. It has only a pine smell. I spend so little time on litter now it is awesome & the pine pellets I purchased 40 lbs of America’s choice Premium Bedding Pellets from Walmart for $5.88 & they also have them at Tractor Supply. You just want to make sure that your pine pellets have been kiln dried…as the high heat removes the phenol residue from the wood that could irritate cats. I love that the litter is not being tracked anywhere anymore and there is NO dust! A win, win for our household.
FYI. Here’s the link to the sifting pan that I purchased and is working really well with the pine pellets..
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002ASCO4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This is very helpful knowing what box will work! I’m totally gonna try it out! Thank you for all of your helpful tips!
Sorry but have to say how much I HATE these for our foster kittens. It smells weird and does not mask pee smell and the turds just sit at the top with no coverage so you smell it till you scoop it out. Ew no way gross.
Feline pine pellets are a game changer for us. I was sick of constantly sweeping up litter and paying top dollar for non clay litter options. One cat took to it right away. Another protested with poop on the bed so I had to make the change much more gradual for her (slowly adding in the pine pellets). I was almost ready to throw in the towel but now that both cats are on board we will never go back to regular litter. 40lbs is a lot to commit to. You can find smaller sizes with feline pine and it is inexpensive too. Ps. We put the pine dust (not the poop) in the green bin.