There are many types of cat litter available on the market today and available at pet stores. While I have used traditional clay cat litters in the past, I have switched to using the newer variety of silica gel cat litters exclusively for my cat.
For those who are unfamiliar with silica based cat litters, silica cat litters are made from the same material as the desiccant packets that come packaged with many types of electronics equipment. Silica crystals have the property of absorbing surrounding moisture. By placing the crystals in an enclosed environment such as a sealed electronics package, one can ensure that any moisture in the package is absorbed by the silica crystals instead of damaging sensitive equipment. Some brilliant soul figured that due to its absorbent properties, silica gel would make an excellent cat litter that would absorb moisture from cat urine and feces. While traditional clay litters are semi-absorbent, the silica gel significantly outranks clay litter in terms of its absorbency.
One immediate advantage to switching to silica gel cat litter is that the litter must be changed significantly less often. With a full litter box of Tidy Cats Crystals I am able to change the litter every three weeks or so instead of every few days. There is still some regular maintenance to be performed on the litter box, though. While the silica crystals will absorb a good deal of the moisture from the urine and feces, the cat’s fecal waste must still be removed regularly, although they will be significantly dried out from the silica having absorbed all their moisture.
When the time does come to change the litter, the soiled Tidy Cats Crystals will be significantly heavier than when they were fresh due to the fact that they have retained all the moisture from the pet waste. In all honesty the urine-saturated Tidy Cats Crystals are a little disgusting due to the urine smell once the crystals are saturated, but the painful process of changing out the foul smelling litter is a small price to pay for having to deal with the litter box far less often than with traditional cat litter.
It is worth noting that Tidy Cats Crystals is not the only brand of silica gel cat litter available. Tidy Cats Crystals are unique, however, insofar as Tidy Cats has also incorporated some fresh-scented crystals into a mix with the plain silica crystals. I have found that the blend of scented crystals with the plain crystals neutralizes some of the odor as the crystals start to get saturated with urine. This is a double-edged sword, though, because one of the signs that tells one when to change the silica litter is the odor. The odor signifies that the crystals need to be changed. If one does not detect the odor as easily because of the scented crystals, then there is a danger that one will not recognize that the litter needs to be rotated. Of course, performing regular maintenance such as removing feces and stirring the silica crystals will counterbalance the danger, as it will allow you to see how fresh the crystals are at each maintenance check. So while there other brands of silica cat gel available, I find that Tidy Cats Crystals are the best of the best regarding this unique variety of cat litter. The other brands are great in a pinch, however, and have the same absorbency as the Tidy Cats Crystals.
In conclusion, Tidy Cats Crystals utilize the absorbency of silica gel to create a litter that is highly absorbent and that will last exponentially longer than traditional clay cat litter. Regular maintenance is still required but one needs only to change the litter for one cat every three to four weeks. I highly recommend that you try this litter when choosing a litter for your new kitten or as a replacement litter if you are dissatisfied with your traditional litter.
