Helen Martin’s Blog

*UPDATE: I’m in a much better mood :-) See the end of this post for the rest.*

Maybe Elvis, Roxanne, and our dear departed Audrey, would have been prince and princesses if I had played along; but any delusions of grandeur they may have had must have been given up long ago.

I usually don’t mind them. Sometimes I even enjoy them. But there are moments when I’m sorry I ever saw them.

Never am I more distressed by their existence than when I look at my ruined leather couch. (What moron thought that would work? Me. Even with kitty press on nails on the front claws, the back claws did lots of damage.)

But I will always HAVE to have a cat. We’ve neither seen nor heard any hint of a mouse in our house, not once in the 12 years we’ve lived here; I can never give that up.

So I have been trying to find ways to make it bearable for the next 50 years. We’ll have to get kitty press on nails on their back feet (oh that should be a REALLY delightful process.) We’ll need another repair kit for the couches. Or two. Or three…

But what about the cat box; what to do about that constant source of frustration and disappointment? I couldn’t scoop or sweep enough to keep our feet or their paws clean. (The cats even had bits of litter in their baskets.)

Enter what may be the biggest improvement to my quality of life that I’ve made in years: there are now cat litter crystals in the box. (Ken bought Fresh Step Crystals, but I know there are several brands.) I’m simply thrilled at the prospect of no more clay dust, no more tracked gray mess, no more massive scooping.

I know it’s been around for years, but it just never occurred to me to try it. It was more money and looked weird - like rock salt. In fact, I think in the back of my mind that’s how I registered it: “rock salt cat litter.”

But now I know what it is: silica gel crystals; and how it works: the crystals absorb the liquid and dry out the solids (which are all you need to scoop out.) How cool. I put it in the box last night, cleaned the laundry room for about two hours, SHOWERED, then waited and watched.

The cats have not rebelled.

There’s a chance that I won’t want to avoid that room anymore; maybe that will help me keep up on the laundry. Perhaps if I drop a sock on the floor, it won’t necessarily have to be sterilized! Possibly the kids can use the downstairs bathroom because they can step on FLOOR and not clay bits!

I am so excited. Yes, I need to get out more. But nevertheless, this promises to be a big deal, and worth every penny.

(Of course, if anyone knows a place to get it cheap, please let me know!)

UPDATE CONTINUED: Anyone who read what precedes this might think I hate my cats. I don’t. I was just at the end of my rope with the mess that has, up to this point, been a relentless part of having them.

It is tons better already with the new litter. The floor was just as clean this morning as yesterday’s. The scooping/stirring is a b-r-e-e-z-e and the cats seem utterly unaffected. I am very pleased to give them and us a cleaner, more manageable environment. End of Update.*

SECOND UPDATE: The dehydrating power was used up much faster than the box said, but I think the key is that we need two boxes for two cats so the stuff has time to dry in between uses. So that is part three of my experiment. Part two was trying Tidy Cat Crystals and they seem far superior.

I don’t think I can ever go back. It is still so clean in my laundry room!

THIRD UPDATE: Exquisicat Crystals. $10 at Petsmart (with their PetPal card.) Good stuff; cheap. Still thrilled.