Cat litter is an absolute must if you have indoor cats. What many people don’t know is that most cat litter brands contain clay that is strip-mined, which is harmful to the environment. While there are brands that are organic and a bit more environmentally friendly, these can be a tad expensive. If you want a safer alternative to kitty litter and you want it a bit cheaper than major organic brands, we have just the kitty litter recipe for you.
You will need to buy about 50 pounds of chicken scratch. You can get this at any feed store, and it costs around $20 for the 50 pounds. You also need baking soda, and you can use cedar shavings, but these are optional. The shavings are for scent, so you don’t actually have to have them.
You just need to pour enough chicken scratch into your litter box to cover about 2 inches. Next, cover the chicken scratch with about ¼ cup of baking soda, and if you have chosen to use cedar shavings, crumble just a couple of handfuls on top and mix the ingredients together.
This is scoopable litter, so you can use your scoop to clean it out every day and keep it fresh. Just replace as you normally would.
Charlotte lewis
This make your own kit litter you said it was scoopable but is clumpable that's importantimportant
Thank you
Charlotte
Mel
Sorry, but there is NO WAY that Chicken Scratch could be a litter alternative. Chicken Scratch consists of whole and cracked kernels of corn and wheat grains... so that certainly wouldn't work as a litter option. I think you are actually referring to LAYER CRUMBLES which are made of corn, but are a small grainy substance that would definitely resemble cat litter. PleasepleasePLEASE update your post as to not confuse the masses. Thanks!
Annelise
As a chicken owner, I don't believe she's referring to chicken feed at all... I think she must be referring to grit, which is just the fine ground limestone that the chickens peck at to help their digestion. That would align a little more with the price estimate for 50 lbs as well. Crusher fines from a quarry might be another good option, but I am not sure about that or the grit yet. May be worth trying.
I have fuller's earth clay I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs and had been considering using that as an ingredient in cat litter I can make, that's how I came across this recipe. I think the fuller's earth clay will help with the clumpability factor another commentor mentioned.
Stephanie
I'm sorry, you advertised this as a money-saver? Pretty sure I buy 40 lbs of litter for less than $10. There's NO WAY I'm paying twice that for 10 more lbs of the main ingredient of a different litter...
Bunny
If you read the article she says this is more economical than ORGANIC litters, not your basic cheap clay litter
Melanie Salikin
Read carefully people before you answer.. This is someone trying to help people figure out a way for a healthier alternative to the cheap clay litters.. healthier for our fur babies and for the environment.. I'm thankful.. we are all free to chose what we like.. yet, if your here, then you too are looking for advice for an alternative.. not to bring negative responses to the one who' s page this is.. They are doing us a service by providing some information.. Do what you like with it.. I think the chicken scratch is a wonderful idea.. i want to add..that when our cats were kittens, we used good ol' dirt.. for i had no problem changing the dirt daily.. we prearrange a dumping area specified for the dirt.. it all goes into the ground the same as when they go outside as the adult cats they are now.. we also got them to use the tub in case they could not make it to go outside.. then i take it and flush it. i have an organic spray that cleans and disinfects..
Thank you xp
Maya
You should never flush cat feces. It is actually illegall in most states. Toxoplasmosis occurs often with cats that go outside and it kills sea life especially turtles
Brenda Dixon
Where do you get clumping cat liter for 40lbs/$10.00?
Sandy
The litter I currently purchase costs $8 for 40 lbs. Please explain how this alternative is a huge money saver.
natosha
Where do you find it this cheep that is scoopable?
MARIANNE
The reason all of those litters are so cheap, is because they are terrible for your cat, you and the environment. Clay puts out a lot of harmful dust, & the clay that is in cat litter has a lot of added chemicals. So considering that the dust from the chicken scratch won't give you or your cat lung cancer in the long run.... it saves you quite a bit of money! Plus if your cat or your kids start eating it, it won't kill them or put them in the hospital/emergency vet. If your only here to shoot down any idea that someone post in an attempt to help everyone else, then why waste your time commenting.??...
Cindy crist
Thank you very much. I have two boys out of seven cats that are peeing outside the box. . I've done everything. I'm an experienced cat person but these two baffle me. . I've been researching a new litter and this crumble has come up alot.. I don't buy the cheap litter & everyone knows you have to change each box totally, at least, once a week.. This shouldn't be about stomping on the person posting but giving ideas to those who are having actual issues with cat behavior. I'm willing to try anything to make my guys & girls happy & in the litter box...
Kaya
Cats that pee outside their box may have a medical issue. Please consider taking them to the vet to rule out any health issues. Good luck!
Donna thompson
my friend lost her cat to the clay litter . my friends cat had wet feet & tried to clean the litter off them .the clay is like cement . She could not pass it through her intestines
April
I was having the same issue with one of my cats getting sick after she would clean her paws, so I started looking for an alternative. I changed all 4 of my boxes over to pellets. I buy the stall bedding for farm animals at Tractor Supply (a feed store) for $6.35 after tax for 40lbs. Also since you don't need a lot in the pan because of expansion that 40lb bag lasts my almost all month for 5 adult cats (it's the same as what they sell the feline one for but charge 4x more). If you get a multi-layer sifting litter box u can put a pee pad/training pad under the the sifter bin, it will absorb most of the moisture and change it daily to extend the life of the pellets. The pellets turn to sawdust when they get wet and it has actually helped with the ammonia smell.
Denise
I got the pellets you are talking about. Had them 2 wks. Have 5 cats. Someone peeing in it. The other box has pretty litter works great too expensive but 1 cat pooping in house. They don't like the pellets!
Lavida
Have store here but not sure which bedding what is name of bedding i need a little clearer on which bedding thank you
barb
I live in Canada.. and Arm & Hammer have a clay-less product (link below) that is the same thing.. it's about $20 for 18 lbs! http://armandhammerpets.ca/products/essentials-natural-clumping-litter
Quin Oconnor
This is excellent. It has replaced my World's Best corn litter which is around $30 for 18 pounds. I have used the crumbles for years. Please remember to buy only NON-MEDICATED crumbles.
Justin
You can also purchase equine pelletized bedding or pellet stove pellets for around $5/40lb bag as an alternitive for feline pine cat litter.
Penny
Pellet stove pellets have chemicals on them...not good for your cat! You can smell them when they burn!
Erica
How long does it last? About the same as regular kitty litter?
debbie
Thanks for this money saving tip. I've been using the leading flushable corn litter which my 3 cats and I both love. BUT it's about a dollar a pound. If this is .40 a pound, I would be saving a lot! I just hope I can find chicken scratch on Long Island NY
Kf
Yeah, mostly commenting because of the haters here. I, too, will echo my appreciation for this post because that generic kitty litter is crap. I mean, think about how you react when you're scooping the litter box to those terrible chemicals. I know I had a hard time breathing it in, and so I've since switched to natural, non-clay, non-scented kitty litters. I've found a great brand from King Soopers that works well, but it's upwards of $10 for just a few pounds. Goes so quick. But it says it's just grass seed, which has made me think I could just buy a big bag of grass seed from Home Depot for a helluva lot cheaper.
If you are still using clay litter, please do some research on the effects it can have on your kitty and its respiratory system. I also want to say that regardless of how organic your litter is, please do not flush it down the toilet. Kitties can carry a communicable disease that, when entered into waterways, has the possibility of contaminating other animals and I believe people, as well. While it is unfortunate to send it to a landfill instead, it's the most sanitary option.
Also, to reduce your impact on landfills, consider NOT purchasing plastic baggies to scoop your litter box and instead just save all your old baggies - think chip bags, cereal bags, coffee bags, etc. If you're going to send those to the landfill anyway... might as well fill them with cat litter. Plus, they are sturdier than your standard plastic bag and the coffee bags seal in odor pretty darn well.
Kaley Stoner
Please do NOT flush cat feces!!!! It is recycled through the water treatment plants and is not purified through that process. Think about your health and others that can’t afford bottled water.
Molly Platts
I buy large sacks of hardwood. Stove pellets. They work and are. Cheap
Lisa
Just a precautionary note, I too tried chicken feed car litter alternative after reading online posts. We became infested with corn mites that hatched out of the corn chicken feed. The many very small mites were troublesome to exterminate. I've began using wood pellets sold for horses bedding without problems.
Cng
Does anyone know of anything bad happening from using Litter Pearls? They are made of silica gel and have an absorbency that also holds in the smell. We have tried pellets made of paper but couldn’t handle that litter box smell. Also, about the poop carrying communicable diseases, wouldn’t it be better to just incinerate it?
BHood
I know this is old, but toxoplasmosis is a common complaint about flushing cat litter, and it's just wrong. I did a little research, and flushing cat poop is no more illegal than flushing human poop. If you have indoor cats, they likely have never encountered toxoplasmosis. TBH, I wouldn't worry about cats having it, even if they are outdoor cats. gondii oocysts for 2 weeks, then never again. Humans are more likely to have gotten it themselves and flushed it down the toilet without realizing it. The main source of infection for humans is eating or handling raw or undercooked meat. If you've had it, you've probably attributed it to food poisoning and flushed it down your toilet. Fortunately modern municipal water treatment systems in the United States are generally effective at removing oocysts.
I have three indoor cats and have been flushing litter for my three indoor cats for over a year. I wouldn't have started without doing my research to confirm I wasn't endangering anyone. It's good to be concerned about potential dangers, but there is so much misinformation about toxoplasmosis out there. If anyone wants to do their own research and check my results, I encourage that. I relied almost exclusively on scientific papers, though I did delve into how modern sewage systems generally work.