Sasha today! Big news (at least in this boring house)! The peep cleaned the potty room in the basement a few weeks ago. She was “appalled” (not sure what that means) at the amount of dust the litter was kicking up. She used words I’ve never heard like “holy crap” and worse. Then she said she was going on a mission.
I envisioned her conquering treat trees (they do grow on trees don’t they? Kind of like oranges?) or exploring exciting places like cat food factories. (Do mousies grow on trees too?) Maybe a catnip field (that would be heaven). What was her mission? Finding another litter without dust. Boring.
We cats are fussy about our magic boxes. (They are indeed magic. We poop and the next time we visit it’s magically gone! It’s like that flushy thing peeps use.) We’ve been using gray stuff for years. Sometimes the container changes but it’s still gray dusty stuff. She bought brown stuff, made from ground walnut shells. Different color, different smell. Reviews said other cats liked it. She knows how to transition us but instead she put a box with it next to our regular magic boxes. We ignored it. Not a fan.
We’ve had it for a month. One of us will poop in it (we’re not telling who) but that’s it. One little present every day. She started mixing it into our gray stuff. Still only one present a day. She has finally decided to bag it (literally) and try something else. Yesterday the brown was gone and something that looked like beach sand was there. No one used it overnight but I’m sure she’ll start to put it in our regular magic box to get us used to it. She’d have better luck if there was a ‘niptini stand next to it. Maybe some sun lamps and a beach chair to snooze on.
Peeps don’t know how to do these things right!
Editor’s note to any cat people out there: If you have a low dust litter recommendation, we’re all ears! BTW our old clay litter was marketed as low dust but it wasn’t.

Transitioning litter is tricky for sure. Hope you find some without any dust!
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So far I don’t think that exists. Maybe less dust!
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That’s a reasonable goal
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Transitioning litter is always a bit of a gamble—we’ve had to do it a couple times and, luckily, Kalo didn’t stage a full-on rebellion. The bigger challenge was finagling a new litter box setup in the bathroom after Surley, my ever-curious service dog, decided it was a buffet line. 😅
Living in an apartment doesn’t exactly give you room for architectural feats, but we made it work with some creative maneuvering and a bit of grumbling from Kalo, who believes all change is an insult.
Thankfully, the transition went smoothly in the end. Wishing you better luck with your switch, and may your cats accept the new litter without passive-aggressive protest poops!
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I’ve changed brands several times and there never was an issue but it was always clay based. I’m trying something new with hopefully less dust. 48 hours and no takers in the new box (old box is still there). I will put some of the old litter on top to get them started. I think the walnut litter was too extreme. Both the dark brown color nad odor turned them off.
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We had no idea that cats were so particular about litter. Dogs just go and while they may make it inconvenient (the taller the grass or weeds, the better), they’re predictable and fairly routine. Hope your kitty owners can suggest a litter products that’s less dusty.
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Perhaps it’s giving them a choice that makes them picky. I will start mixing the old stuff into the newest litter. I did that with the walnut stuff but they weren’t having any of it. Then again they are cats. Need I say more?
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My cats LOVE the Breeze System!
Instead of litter, there are pellets of hard-rolled paper (and it lasts for months), sitting in a box with a perforated bottom so the pee goes through to the tray underneath. The tray has liners that absorb the pee & then can just be thrown away & replaced with a fresh one.
The hard stuff sits on top and can be easily scooped & flushed down the toilet. Everything stays nice & clean and there is no smell. All it took to introduce them to it was one piece of “stuff” on top of the pellets so they understood this was the place… after that they went right to it. They seem to really like that it keeps their paws dry… and there is no scatter in the house.
We highly recommend it!!!
Kiisa, ChubbyWubby & Kiko, and our mom, of course1
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What happens if there is a soft stool? Hard to clean that off the pellets or do you throw them out?
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Even the softer stuff stays kind of dry & can easily be scooped up – they include a little scooper with the system. On days when I’m gone, even if there is soft stuff, it is still light years cleaner than any litter I ever tried! Just scoop & flush!
MEOW & OUT
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What made you change from the original grey stuff? Are they about to discontinue it?
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No, it’s just incredibly dusty!
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I had no idea cat litter was dusty….the things I learn here!
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I think clay is the most dusty although all the bags say 99.9% dust free. That .1% dust is incredible.
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Oh Sasha – well what if the Peep despairs at trying all the different dusty and non-dusty kitty litter types and decides you all will need to be toilet trained? Put a bug in Gus and Morgan’s ear about that ….
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The peep will figure it out. I think she’s looking for something that isn’t so heavy to carry too.
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I wish I could help you all, but I’ve never had a cat.
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We can fix that! 🙂
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Yes, I know. 🙂 I’ve been following “Best Friends Animal Society” on social media and see a lot of cutie-pie cats and dogs running across my screen looking for forever homes.
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Sorry, I use Walmart clay litter, and it is dusty, but cost-effective with 12 cats.
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That’s the other piece of it. Gracie drank water and peed a lot. My litter usage has gone done substantially since she’s gone. There are some litters that are really $$. They may last longer but I’m reluctant to try them at that cost. The walnut stuff was lightweight and seemed to last longer and was definitely less dusty but if the cats don’t like it all that doesn’t matter. They may have been put off by the smell (of walnuts) or the color (really dark brown just like walnut furniture).
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Cats are picky about everything. They are fortunate to have “magic” litter boxes. Walnut litter???
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Indeed!
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I love the personalities and determination of your cats. They definitely each have minds of their own.
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That’s the good news and that’s the bad news! 🙂
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Sasha, thank you for telling us how things were for you cats. I have to tell you, though, I tend to side with your peep. She is marvelous!
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Her thumbs are awesome!
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It’s been a long time since I have thought about cat litter. I don’t miss the dust but I miss the Z Cat. I was using Dr. Elsey’s with Z because she had some respiratory issues. Well Sasha, you certainly have a poop mystery going on. I hope the Lady Peep finds something that makes everyBODY happy!
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The brown stuff is gone. We’ll see how we feel about this beach sand. So far no one has tried it. Eventually the peep will start mixing with the old stuff.
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Once I bought some cat litter to use in a portable toilet set-up for camping. The checkout lady asked me how my cat liked this brand as she was thinking of trying it. On the spot I had to make up an imaginary cat and no, the cat hadn’t tried it yet but I promised to get back to her next time we met! 🫢😉🤣
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Ok, that was weird!
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My mother swore sand from an actual beach was the best liter She’s send my father who’d come home with a bushel basket filled lined with a Hefty bag. I’d often have to go assist wondering if we were stealing… my mother telling me to shut-up.
Oh Sasha, how you bring up such fond memories. Just remember the Peep never lets you, Gus and Morgan down.
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The beach is just one big litter box!
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Fluffy sure liked it.
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Makes me glad we have a dog!
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Plus and minuses on both sides! I don’t have to walk any critters early or late.
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True!!!
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Have you tried Feline Fresh pelleted litter? It’s totally different, but my cat didn’t seem to mind the change at all.
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I haven’t heard of it. I’ll check it out!
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I will be watching your blog to see if you find a magical solution. I’ve tried everything from crystals to corn.
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That doesn’t sound promising!
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We use Tidy Cats Breeze Litter Pellets. No dust …just some pellets get kicked out of the box. You do need to use a Tidy Cats litter box. Works great in our opinion. And our mom likes it because it’s easy to keep clean. Sophie and Jack😸
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Is that the one with the pad underneath that catches the urine? I had tried that once when I had Hazel. She had diarrhea in it twice and I had to toss all the pellets.
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Try with the cats you have now. The pellets don’t cause diarrhea. Unless maybe they avoid the box and end up with diarrhea. I have found it to be neater than the other kind. I don’t use a whole bag at one time. I just put more in as needed.
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Hazel had chronic diarrhea from the time we adopted her. They never did find the exact problem. It didn’t come from the pellets.
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Miss you Patricia. 🙂
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maybe fairy dust can do the trick? poo-things are very important… quasi poop-ular… a happy weekend to you all
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I need the fairy along with the fairy dust to clean it up! 🙂
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We use Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal, and it seems to be low on dust. Not lightweight, though.
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I have a box of that in the basement now. I know they will use that because it looks like clay.
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I’m afraid you might be “dreaming the impossible dream”…..but perhaps there is a Valhalla of Litter out there somewhere. If so I haven’t found it. We switched to a low dust one and it’s also a lightweight (which my back appreciated). Ted uses whatever we put down (fortunately) but he tracks almost all of them out of the box and “wherever”. We’ve stuck with the lightweight stuff anyway and just vacuum those areas more than once a week. Why can’t we potty train our cats? I think they are “selectively smart” !!! They can be so smart about some stuff but “duh” about other stuff. If you find the “Valhalla” – PLEEEEZE SHARE IT WITH YOUR ADORING FOLLOWERS??!!
Hugs, Pam
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I got a recommendation for Nature’s Miracle Premium Clumping Corn litter. Less dust but since it’s lightweight, more tracking. I had to wash everything that was stored in the utility room including every single paint can. It was a nightmare. Of course, I let it build up because I don’t like to do it. The new one is Arm & Hammer Hard Ball. Lightweight and doesn’t have an odor. The walnut stuff did have a walnutty odor that may have turned off the cats. Clay is cheap but heavy. I had to switch from 40 lb. bags to 20 lbs and pay more. They need to use a toilet like we do! 🙂
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Yes – if only (toilet training)………I’ve seen photos of cats sitting on the potty SUPPOSEDLY trained to use it but it’s awkward and who wants to be constantly cleaning the toilet or checking it to see if you need to flush it?! Good luck with the new litter!!
Hugs, Pam
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In my experience there isn’t any such thing as low dust litter, despite marketing claims. Sorry!
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That’s not what I want to hear! New litter is lighter. Lugging the 40 pounds of litter was getting hard. If the cats approve, at least I’ll have that.
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