cat litter - Stuff Parents Need

Litter Box Hacks: How to Make Your Cats Happier and Your Space Neater

October 3, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · 1 Comment

This post brought to you by Fresh Step Lightweight Extreme Litter. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

After I finally let go of my cat litter workout equipment a few weeks ago, I started using Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme in the litter box for our two cats, Hattie and Rose. We noticed right away that the litter did an excellent job with clumping and with odor control. We have also noticed that when it is time to change out the litter, the removal process is easier on account of it not being as heavy. That’s a nice perk for the pet owners, especially when you consider that there just aren’t too many perks to be had when it comes to changing the litter. Take them where you can get them!

One problem we have been encountering with our cats ever since having them share a litter box is that they are quite messy. I’m not sure if they just don’t want to be near each others waste (which is fair) or what, but they are going NUTS with tossing litter around. Here’s what’s happening:

Ok, then. Since we already improved the litter situation for the humans in a few key ways (less weight, great odor control, aweome clumping) let’t go ahead and make some other improvements to deal with cats who play with litter like it’s the best toy ever. Since Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme is available at Target, we headed that way to pick up another box of litter, and to get a box that we could turn into a litter palace for our kitties.

Then we reached for some tools! Always striving for perfection and precision, we created a circle using our salad plates, which aren’t even perfectly round. This is how we DIY, people. If you attempt to make this litter box, just be sure that your hole leaves enough room at the bottom to block a significant amount of litter that the cats might try to throw out of the box. YOU KNOW HOW THEY DO. You might also find that you need something sharp to get the cutting process started. We used a thingy that was on Tim’s multi-tool thingy. You’re welcome for the very specific suggestion.

Hattie served as the overseer during the construction of her new throne. Getting the hole started was kind of tough, but once we got going, it actually didn’t take long at all to finish. We got the new litter box in place, filled it with Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme Litter, and added the mat at the bottom to catch litter that might be on the cats’ paws as they exit. MUCH better, don’t you think? And so far, so good. The litter is tototally under control now; the party stays IN the box. Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme Litter, combined with a newfangled litter box system, have pretty much revolutionized our whole litter experience! 🙂

On Working Out and Becoming a Lightweight (#FreshStepCats)

September 22, 2014 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I’ve been working out faithfully for two weeks now. It feels really good to be getting into a routine and to be moving more, but to be honest, I’m already getting a little bored with the videos I’m finding online. While I’ve found some good aerobic routines, I’ve learned that I really do need to incorporate strength training into my routine. But do I really want a set of weights in my house taking up space? Especially when I have other things I need to buy for my kids and my kitties? So I decided to find something that I could make use of that also had a more practical application.

Bingo!!!!

Fresh Step® Lightweight Extreme Litter, available at Target, is now offered in a 30% lighter variety. It’s down to 15.4 pounds for the box as opposed to 25 pounds.

Hmm…..Challenge accepted!

I most definitely worked out with a box of cat litter this week. No shame in my game. Workout when you can, however you can in the time and space you can scrape together with the equipment you have on hand. In my case, that means utilizing the landing on the stairs and a box of cat litter. Welcome to real life as a parent and cat owner. Your needs do NOT come first! So if you have to choose between getting yourself a free weight set and getting your cats the best cat litter, this is going to be the end result:

While I have to make some sacrifices for my cats, they are certainly worth it. And in this case, I get to keep on working out and doing good things for myself while also doing good things for them. How could I deny these precious faces, anyway?

Stay tuned for an update about how the cats are enjoying their new litter, and about how my guns are coming along. I’ll have some new crazy cat lady photos you won’t want to miss! 🙂

Tidy Cats Innovative Design Helps Clean Up Litter!

March 11, 2013 · by Tiffany Merritt · Leave a Comment

I love to celebrate products that have great design. Tidy Cats gets a gold medal AND a gold star in my book, today. They’ve released a great new design for their already great cat litter products, and they’ve also released a hilarious video to showcase it. Basically, they are winning at life right now!

Can you relate to the problem of over-pouring or spilling your cat litter? Thank you, Tidy Cats, for taking “battle with the cat litter while pouring it” off my list of things to do!

I received a complimentary product for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

World’s Best Cat Litter: Lavender Scent! (Big GIVEAWAY!!!)

June 12, 2011 · by Tiffany Merritt · 2 Comments

Last year I reviewed a product that claimed to be the world’s best of its kind. That’s quite a hefty claim, don’t you think?! In fact, the company was so bold about this claim that they incorporated it into their name: World’s Best Cat Litter. You can read all about my initial review of the product here.

If you are short on time, I’ll give you the scoop (heh heh). The litter works beautifully, the smell is totally captured, and the product is environmentally friendly. It’s a winner, all-around! Now The World’s Best Cat Litter has come out with a lavender scented formula, and we have been giving it a test spin (more specifically, our cat Hattie has been trying it out).It works just as well as the original formula! I will say that the scent was a bit overpowering at first. But the litter box in our house is kept in a very small bathroom, so it doesn’t get a lot of ventilation.I thought the smell calmed down significantly after 24 hours.

I really like that one small bag of litter is designed to last one month (assuming you scoop the litter daily). So far, so good for the amount we’ve used. It looks like we’re going to hit that one month mark!

If you have not yet tried World’s Best Cat Litter, I strongly encourage it. You can find it at most major retailers and I think you’ll be really impressed with how well it captures odors, even for multiple cats!

One thing I wanted to highlight is that World’s Best Cat Litter was kind enough to send me four of their 17 lb bags of cat litter to donate to the local shelter of my choice. What an awesome way for them to have a positive impact on a local nonprofit! Thanks so much!

Win it!: WBCL didn’t forget about you! Oh boy, there are going to be FOUR winners of this giveaway! Two winners will each received a 17 lb bag of scented litter, just like what I reviewed. One winner will get a 17 lb of clumping litter, and 1 winner will get a 17 lob of Multiple Cat clumping litter! Woo hoo! The contest will run until June 22nd at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Check out the World’s Best Cat Litter difference, and tell me something you learned!

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: Like World’s Best Cat Litter on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Like Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my homepage.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

Seriously, This is The World’s Best Cat Litter

July 13, 2010 · by Tiffany Merritt · 146 Comments

This post is for all the families out there who have cats. The House of M (as we call ourselves) is a cat family, for sure. We will likely always have a cat as a standing member of our clan. At the moment, we have 2 cats. This makes for lots of love, lots of hair around the house, and LOTS of smelly cat litter to frequently clean/change out.

Tim and I have had a cat since 2005. We’ve been through so much litter during these past 5 years, and we have tried several different brands. First we tried Feline Pine. It was the cat litter of choice at the shelter where we got Hattie. It is also very environmentally friendly. Some people love it, but in our experience, it didn’t flush down the toilet as promised (we ended up having to get a plumber out to clear out our litter mess, setting us back $100). And most importantly, IT SMELLED. There was just no denying that there was a litter box in the room, folks.

Then we went the completely opposite route. We bought Tidy Cat. We threw our environmental concerns out the window and just hoped for the best with the cheapest litter we could find. It worked ok. The smell was better than Feline Pine. But then our conscious started to get to us. This stuff was bad for the earth and also bad for our kitties (definitely not something that should ingest).

We then went with Fresh Step. Now I have to say, Fresh Step totally worked in terms of containing the smell. I think that is what it is known for. But it is another brand that is bad for the environment, and there are all kinds of reports online of cats who have Fresh Step (and other similar products) stuck in their stomachs. Ugh……

What to do? If we control odor, it comes at the cost of our cat’s health and the environment. If we do the right thing for our cats and the earth, our house reeks of cat poop and pee.

World’s Best Cat Litter

My friends….there’s another option!!! There is a product called World’s Best Cat Litter. The name is a bit presumptuous, don’t you think? But I now realize that when you really are the best in the world, you might as well just go ahead and put it out there.

Here are some key things to know about World’s Best Cat Litter:
1. It is the only litter made from whole-kernel corn. It naturally has a micro-porous structure that traps nasty ammonia odor in every clump, without using artificial perfumes or scents!
2. This litter clumps moisture on contact, and each clump locks in odors. This quick clumping also keeps the rest of the litter dry, which means that you won’t have to change it as often. Hooray!
3. You can flush the clumps you scoop out of the litter box in the toilet! They disperse in water. Very cool!
4. When you are scooping the litter, it doesn’t smell. This is revolutionary, people!
5. Because of the quick-clumping nature of World’s Best Cat Litter, one bag will last up to 2 or 3 times longer than other clumping litters. That keeps more of your money in your bank account and out of the litter box. A small bag can last 1 cat over 4 weeks!
6. Because this litter is all-natural, there is nothing harmful for your cats to ingest, and no harmful dust for your family to inhale.

If you aren’t sold yet, just take a look at this video and see how World’s Best Cat Litter works!

The World’s Best Cat litter site has a list of retailer s. Check it out! I just found out that the Kroger that I shop at weekly carries it. I have already added this litter to my shopping list for this week! You can also find it at Amazon.

Win it!: World’s Best Cat litter is going to send one lucky kitty (and one very lucky kitty owner) a bag of litter to try out, and to fall in love with (and yes, you will fall in love!). The contest will run until July 23rd at 7:59pm CST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification email before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Limit one entrant per household, please. Open to residents of the United States.

Mandatory Entry: Tell me what cat litter you use now, and your biggest beef with it (if you have one).

Additional entries:

1. Follow World’s Best Cat Litter on Twitter

2. “Like” world’s Best Cat Litter on Facebook

3. Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

4. “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

5. Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by email, RSS or Google Friend Connect (only one extra entry, even if you subscribe multiple ways)

6. If you are a blogger (and have written a post in the last 3 months), add my button to your blog and send me the url so that I can see it.

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways (listed on the sidebar of my main page).

Disclosure: I was sent a complimentary product to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post may contain affiliate links.