Automatic Litterbox Central

I figured I'd post an update. My cats may not be picky about the box (thankfully), but they are very picky about the size of their litter substrate. They do not like the feel of Yesterday's News pellets for example and I've tried cracked corn, same thing. They don't even like the original clay cat litter because the pieces seem too big. I was concerned about the safflower seed as the seeds themselves are bigger than the CG pellets as well as their size bothering my kitties. I opted for the millet seed, the little orange round seeds roughly similiar to the size of the CG pellets. The cats didn't really seem to notice a change in the substrate, the seeds hold up just fine in the wash/dry cycles, and they also don't seem to go under the rim as badly as the pellets do. They still track, but not nearly as much as the pellets do. In addition, they are extremely cheap at approximately $1.75 for 4# or 0.43 a pound at Walmart.

ghostbean wrote:I figured I'd post an update. My cats may not be picky about the box (thankfully), but they are very picky about the size of their litter substrate. They do not like the feel of Yesterday's News pellets for example and I've tried cracked corn, same thing. They don't even like the original clay cat litter because the pieces seem too big. I was concerned about the safflower seed as the seeds themselves are bigger than the CG pellets as well as their size bothering my kitties. I opted for the millet seed, the little orange round seeds roughly similiar to the size of the CG pellets. The cats didn't really seem to notice a change in the substrate, the seeds hold up just fine in the wash/dry cycles, and they also don't seem to go under the rim as badly as the pellets do. They still track, but not nearly as much as the pellets do. In addition, they are extremely cheap at approximately $1.75 for 4# or 0.43 a pound at Walmart.

Is the millet seed still working well for you?

Yes it is. The cats seem to like the rounded feeling better I guess. It has also held up very well with the washing/drying cycles.

so the different seed alternatives don't grow/sprout or deteriorate with all the water?

se7enty wrote:so the different seed alternatives don't grow/sprout or deteriorate with all the water?

No, but If they are kept in there a long time I am sure you are going to get deterioration.

how long is a long time though?

Don't get the litter-free pellets for the cat genie, as they are larger and get stuck in the little orange drain stopper, in the hopper!!! Found out the hard way!

Ghostbean:
Could ya give us a one-month update on the millseed? Still working well, or getting waterlogged / sprouting at all?

Thanks --Bill

Update: I haven't had any issues thusfar. The millet seed has not sprouted, nor has any mold, and my cats prefer the boxes with the seed versus the boxes that still have the initial pellets that came with the CGs. I'm going to be switching them all to seed in the next few days for this reason. Also, I've seen much less tracking of the seeds over those of the pellets.

Thanks for the update! What are you using for cleaning solution? The PN standard SaniSolution, or something else? I'd expect that maybe some of the enzyme cleaners might not be the best for this kind of 'organic' litter, but who know?

Thanks --Bill

I'm not sure of the seller on eBay with the "black pellets" - but my friend bought some off eBay (they are marketed as bio media for an aquarium - plastic sinking tubular pellets) and her CG has clogged every day since. They are the same size at the Genie granule - maybe a hair larger but basically the same size. They even sink so they clean like the CG ones - but they have repeatedly clogged not only the hopper, but the "hook" that leads to her laundry drain as well.
I think she paid $8 for 10lbs - now she's got 9.5lbs of plastic pellets as a paperweight.
I think the problem is the shape but I could be wrong.
I'd love to have another alternative - but so far the options mentioned (seeds, BB's) worry me that they would do more harm than good.

WickedKitten wrote:they have repeatedly clogged not only the hopper, but the "hook" that leads to her laundry drain as well.

This won't necessarily fix your friend's problem with the pellets she got since they are clogging the hopper, but PN now recommends not using the hook attachment for laundry drain installations and just jamming the hose into the drain pipe a few inches. That might save from future, unrelated headaches.

Awesome! Thanks for the advice I'll pass it along!

Angels8 wrote:I use the Doll stuffing pellets, I got mine from hobby lobby. They work great and significantly cheaper than CG litter granules. Also these are large enough to spot in light colored carpet when they occasionally track out of the box.

I started using the plastic granules from Michaels and it does track, but I've noticed every cycle getting a little collection of them in the toilet as well. While its just a "pinch" of them, at three cycles a day its going to burn through it at a pretty fast pace. My bigger concern is will these end up causing problems with my sewer system?

Anyone using the Michael's beads seeing the same thing? I was going to order the 5# bag from CRS (the Michaels beads were kind of a "hurry" thing) - do they end up as "floaters" as well?

Anyone using the Michael's beads seeing the same thing? I was going to order the 5# bag from CRS (the Michaels beads were kind of a "hurry" thing) - do they end up as "floaters" as well?

I use the CRS pellets and they do float and rare few sink, bull get just a clean because of the scrubber arm! you will always get a few because they stick to the poo and there is nothing you can do unless you want to clean the poo first...LOL