Friday, July 19, 2013

Litter One - free product for honest review and a giveaway


So when I attended BlogPaws I met a representative of the all inclusive litter system called "Litter One" (they are also on Facebook) who offered me a free box - which I totally jumped on.

The box arrived and it was promptly claimed as a new cat bed by The Crew, and I didn't have the heart to take it away from them until they stopped sleeping on it.  That usually happens sooner rather than later, this time it took a while.


Finally I carted it down stairs (it is kind of heavy) and started setting it up..


Each kit contains everything you need in regards to setting up a litter box.  The box obviously, pine litter, a scoop and bags.. all of which are biodegradable!


Another nice feature of this system is it has a 'false floor' so that once the pellets are urinated on and break apart, the debris falls through the holes (with a little help from you) so it is kept apart from the 'fresh' pellets.



The good:

*It is all inclusive.  Can't beat having everything you need in one package.
*It is biodegradable.  Now you have to realize that if you throw it in a landfill the chances of it actually biodegrading is next to zero, but it is made from easily renewable sources, growing trees for litter is good for the environment, even more so when compared to digging clay. There is always the possibility that you can use used litter as mulch.. but seeing as it is covered in cat urine, that would be up to you.
*It is shipped straight to your house.. no more lugging litter..
*Great for emergency situations or transporting cats.
*Litter pellets make awesome kitten toys.

The unknown:

*The false floor is made out of cardboard. Would it support a heavier cat??
*It says it is good for four to six weeks.  I set it up four weeks ago and it was used by five kittens but they had two conventional boxes that they strongly preferred.  How would it hold up with an adult cat?  or two? I just don't know.  The box is currently holding up pretty well with the kittens, and I will most likely toss it once this set of foster kittens goes back in a week or so.  Your mileage may vary IE: if you have a kitty that pees a lot or a little..

The not so good:

*Not all cats like using pine litter. The scent alone can turn some cats off.  Cats tend to like sandy substrate to eliminate on.. pine is bulkier and kind of pointy and hard on the paw pads as well as..
* Pine pellets are MURDER on your own feet if you step on them, and you will because they will get knocked out of the box.
*Soak through.  My two pound kittens would pee through the pellets and get the false floor wet.  What would a normal size cat do?  And then there is diarrhea.. there is just no cleaning that off cardboard.
*The bags they included were doggie doo doo bags.. They were on the small side, and HIGHLY scented.  I am sensitive to scents and they bothered me.  Not to mention they had dogs on them.  (yes, this is totally aesthetic, but it kinda bothered me)
*and something to keep in mind is the fact that pine oil is toxic to cats.  Most makers of pine litter will tell you that the oils have been removed and they are very safe.  But they do still smell like pine.. and there is concern that they can not remove them all.  If you have a kitty with liver or kidney issues or is generally sensitive and reactive to things, you might want to keep that in mind.  MANY cats have used pine litter for years and not had issue.. and I am not saying this product is toxic, I'm saying it is something to keep in mind.

Even though it seems like there is a lot of 'not so good' here I think they are fairly minor. I still love the idea of the product and in execution it was pretty cool.  You can't scoop up the poop with out taking a ton of pellets with it, so I generally used the bag to just pick up stool - which generally worked out OK as the kittens didn't really like pooping in this particular box..

The folks at Litter One sell the kits for $24.95 with $3.95 shipping or free shipping if you buy two.  If you buy using the referral code CS12351 (good until Jan 2014) you can get $5 off (and you still get free shipping if you buy two) and I earn credit for the referral. They also have an auto ship program if you want to use this product continuously.

Amanda from Litter One also offered me one kit to give away.   I know people aren't really a fan of rafflecopter, but it makes it so easy for me in that I can reply to comments and not have to worry about it throwing off my count.  I tried to make it really easy so I hope you don't mind too much.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Now I was given one for free in exchange for a review.  If you purchase through the referral link I get credit for it.

25 comments:

  1. I tried pine with my cats ages ago and they were under impressed... But this sounds good for when I start fostering! ;-)

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    1. The shelter uses wood pellets for litter pretty much exclusively now as buying wood stove pellets are much cheaper. Clay based litters that are donated are saved for the foster homes.

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  2. I don't know. I am thinking with my 'big boy' there would be more pee on the outside of the box then inside. LOL! But I like the idea of it for 'travel'.

    Happy weekend to you and the kitties!
    xo Catherine

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  3. Good review....I am FINALLY gonna get mine set up this weekend (sick kittens throw off everyone's schedule) and see if Licorice will use it. I am curious.....

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    Replies
    1. I see Trevor in the box all the time.. He tends to use it the most.. The others I rarely see in there.. Every cat is different..

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  4. I wonder if they wouldn't consider a version using corn or another eco-type litter? I know ours would not use pine pellets. I do like the idea for emergency or temporary situations, though.

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    1. Interesting thought. I can't use food based litters (wheat or corn) because Jack eats them.

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  5. I don't think it would fly in my house. My boys are SUPER picky and with a new foster, I don't dare upset the apple cart anymore than it already is. That said, I can definetly see the benefits of such for others.

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  6. Good honest review. I didn't like the sound of it from the beginning. There's just something about disposable that bothers me. I don't see how diarrhea sticking to the box is a minor issue but it may be for some who don't like cleaning/disinfecting regular boxes. If I win, you can donate it to a shelter or keep it for your fosters.

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    1. Minor in that not all cats experience diarrhea.. So far we only had one stool in the box that was less than ideal and it was in the middle of the box so the pellets 'absorbed' the liquid in it and it was fairly easy to contain. Then the next day there was some in the conventional box all over the side.. hence the - if they had it over the side it would be difficult to clean..

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  7. That was very informative, Connie!! Austin has pine litter. he has never had anything else, but of course he's business is usually done outside!

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  8. We kitties here will be trying it out in the next few weeks. With three adult kitties, all over 10 years old, I get the feeling it might not make it the whole month... but we'll see!

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  9. Sylvester would flood that out in one use. I have never seen a cat pee so much!

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  10. I purchase pine pellets in bulk at the farm supply store as horse bedding or wood stove pellets, whichever are cheaper. My cats prefer litter in smaller pieces, but we all find the odor control better than anything else we've used.

    The risk of toxicity from pine oil in the litter would be the same as the risk of any unfinished lumber, which is very little. Essential oil and other related products are extracted and distilled from parts of the tree such as needles, bark and twigs which are far more aromatic, not so much from the wood, and the distillation process naturally concentrates the oils, unlike the undistilled oils in the wood which are not concentrated. Encountering them in compressed pellets is about the same as that of scratching a cat tree made of unfinished board lumber.

    One thing I've learned as a Master Gardener through organic gardening is that our pet wastes should never become part of our food stream even in the back yard because of the risk of pathogens, or I'd have been adding this to the compost bin for decades, and I don't. The fact that it's biodegradable is nice, but as you said if it goes into a landfill it's not going to biodegrade in this century, and you certainly don't want it biodegrading in your back yard.

    I wouldn't like doggy doo doo bags in a cat box either. I'll stick with my plastic boxes. Thanks for the review!

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    1. as I said, I don't think 'the product is toxic'.. I think there is something to be said so that owners who have kitties who have sensitivities can be aware of it.

      I also don't think it is 'as safe as unfinished lumber' because of the fact that it is ground up, and as such oils are more likely to be released. I say this for the simple fact that pine (but more so the cedar) shavings are an no go for rabbits and small animals due to the toxicity of the scent/oils - yet it is still marketed and sold to all small animals.

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  11. Great review connie,never seen this here in the uk,xx

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  12. Nice review but we don't think we better try it. We're happy with our current litter.

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  13. This sounds like a great idea. But we have never liked pellet litter or pine smellng litter. So we'll pass on the giveaway. Good review!

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  14. I felt so bad about the one I was given - I asked a friend fostering kittens to review it since none of my crew like pine pellets (in fact Faraday *actively* despises it - and he told me so in no uncertain terms his first week with us!).

    She liked the idea of using it with the kittens since clumping litter's so bad for them. Unfortunately, the box absolutely terrified them and they would not come near it. *sigh*

    So I opted not to do a review, since it didn't' really seem we coudl get a fair read on it.... Glad you were able to. And your points are interesting. I hadn't thought of the soak-through issue!

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  15. Great review. Moosey is kind of particular, so we're going to pass. But it's a neat concept, for sure!

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  16. You did a fabulous review! I do see a lot of pros; however, we have a ton of litter stockpiled and now only have one kitty and we will be moving in a few months. I think it's an especially good idea for transporting.

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  17. I use a similar pellet type litter that is made of recycled paper. I find it very economical and it allows me to check on the condition of the urine since the urine goes through the holey box to the solid box. :)

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  18. This looks really cool! i have 4 kitties :)

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  19. I have 8 furry kids and currently use pine litter. I haven't heard of Litter One until today. Totally willing to try it out as i'm all for biodegradable and completelly against clay.

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  20. I didn't know about the pine oil! It is indeed good to know. Thank you.
    I too think the idea is pretty good, but some details have to be worked on.
    Nice review :-)
    Carine
    (Texas' human)

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