When Clumping Litter Is Bad for
Kittens, elderly, and cats with mobility issues should not use clumping litter.
Five rescued kittens mewed pitifully from the little carrier. Their mother may have died, but those four-week old kittens were very much alive and telling us so!
Judy, a long-time Leech Lake Legacy volunteer, reached into the carrier, handing each kitten to me. I placed them into the nest box of fleece we’d made in the stainless steel kennel; their home until transport the next day. Judy's face went dark as she picked up the last, then began grabbing for a sibling already settling in. She thrust it into my hands and instructed me to inspect it like she was doing with the one in her hand. We both gasped as we found the backs of their legs, between their toe pads, around their little anuses, and some parts of their eyes, noses and mouths – all caked with cement-like clay.
Like many kittens with fragile systems, they had diarrhea. The clumping litter used by the good Samaritan who rescued the kittens was doing the job it was designed to do but in ways it wasn’t intended to do. The absorptive material was turning saliva, mucus, and diarrhea into cement-like blocks stuck to the kittens.
It took two of us to hold each writhing kitten as we carefully used warm, wet washcloths and combs to tease the litter from its hold. The kittens survived to mew for another meal, but a lesson was learned.
Clumping Litter Puts Kittens and Nursing Mothers in Danger
Clumping litter may be non-toxic, but the process of turning moisture into cement-like lumps can be harmful. Clumping litter is not discriminant. It doesn’t care if the moisture is from waste products like urine, feces, or is naturally part of the anus, eyes, nose, mouth or tongue.
Low-riders are just too little to stand high above the litter in a box. The short stature of a kitten and naturally wobbly nature or immature muscles make it easier for the clumping litter to find wet places.
Clumping litter doesn’t stop working when a mother cat dutifully cleans her kittens. It can stick to her mouth and tongue.
Older kittens, the playful type that dig like kids at a beach, or those that like to slumber in soft sand, are also at risk. Clumping clay will find moist and wet areas.
Clumping Litter Can be Harmful to Adult Cats with Mobility or Health Issues
Our disabled adult cat, Checkers, has limited control of his back legs. He often falls onto the litter after using the box. I don’t use clumping litter because I don’t want cement-like litter adhering to wet fur.
Adult cats with diarrhea could also be at risk for internal harm if they try to clean clumping litter stuck to their fur.
Ever see a cat sleep in its litter box with nose and mouth resting on the soft material? I’ve seen it often when I volunteer during surrender events.
I’ve also seen many of these same cats produce volumes of diarrhea under stress and diet change. Most cats are smart enough to stop sleeping in the litter box once the diarrhea sets in, but that still puts them at risk of clumping litter sticking to wet fur.
My suggestions are not based on rigorous science and measurement but rather direct experience from caring for 300 cats and kittens during a year’s worth of surrender events.
In a Nutshell, Use Clumping Litter with Caution
All types of cat litters play a role in keeping indoor cats clean and healthy. Use clumping litter for healthy adult cats not restrained in a kennel or carrier.
Use non-clumping litter for kittens and nursing mothers with kittens. Transition to clumping litter after kittens are weaned and no longer play in their litter.
Use non-clumping litter for any kitten or cat with health or mobility issues and those confined to kennels.