arm and hammer double duty cat litter danger potential

Please be advised that "arm and hammers new cat litter called "double duty" has a lot of perfumes that can cause very serious breathing reactions in some cats.

After switching my cat smokey over to it right after he got his diabetic diagnosis he began coughing. He was not doing this on the clay litter that was not scented. He never coughed before this. He has had some hair balls which he has coughed up but not this kind of asthma like coughing.

As soon as I found out that cat litters with dust or scents can trigger breathing issues like broncitis, or asthma I got rid of the stuff immediately.

I later read on amazon.com review and tons of people hated the scents. One other person said the cat coughed and was sick, another lady said her 3 cats got skin rashes and lost a bunch of fur. Another lady on amazon.com said after scooping the litter her asthma got really bad and she had to go to the emergency room where the doctor said he had heard this litter was a problem with other peoples breathing.

Do not get it, no matter how cheap it is. It has a lot of chemicals added to it. The vet said my cat had some signs problems on his lungs related to irritations in the radiographs they took. It was only two weeks on the "arm and hammer double duty" and the coughing started right after. so now I feel pretty sure it's the new litter since other people and cats got lung problems with the litters chemicals. My cat was maybe using it two weeks. But it did it's damage. Hopefully he will get better and it won't continue to be a problem.

The vet said cats with diabetic conditions can't easily be treated for asthma with the steriods because it makes the diabetic condition worse. Just don't use any litter with scents or much dust in the event your cat might get asthma. I am now using paper litter and it's totally dust free and Smokey is fine with it.

He is taking an antihistamine for his cough and hopefully things will clear up and it's just allergic reaction and he doesn't have regular asthma. I am praying this heals. Poor Smokey. He's been a trooper. Just be warned.

 

Thanks for posting this. My sugarcat wouldn't go near the downstairs LB because of this stuff. I now have Cat Attract in all boxes.

Come to think about it, the Arm and Hammer litter made me cough.

 

how do they get away with making products that have so many chemicals in them for animals? It needs to be recalled.

 

I researched where to complain about adverse reactions for cat litter ingredients. It seems that it falls under the FDA and under cosmetics, which are not regulated but if there's a problem then they get contacted.

Since this cat litter could also harm humans who scoop the litter I am hoping the FDA will investigate it.

If you have bad pet food contact the FDA and report it. There have been several pet food recalls.

With the cat litter, a cosmetic in category they would probably need several complaints. But I will contact them and see what I can do. Keep you guys posted.

 

I switched my previous cats years ago to Feline Pine when one of them kept developing URIs from the clay litter. Haven't ever bothered trying the stuff again. It's sad to hear it's still such a common problem.

 

I do hope your cat does not have asthma caused by this litter but just to let you know, cats with asthma can be treated with inhaled steroids which goes in the lungs but not systemically. You use an Aerokat inhaler made just for cats. See the site http://www.fritzthebrave.com/

 

We have that same issue with TidyCat scoopables with 2 of my civies. I've changed to crushed walnut shells by Blue - it seems to have helped a lot.

HUGS!

 

One of the best litters we've tried is Worlds Best. It's virtually dust free and fragrance free (they do have a lavender & a pine scent both of which are not overwhelming). It it is expensive, but it lasts a long time. My smooshie faced cats do really well on this--they have trouble with any litter with dust or fragrance.

 

I just bought an Arm and Hammer litter called Clump & Seal. Wonder if it is the same. It is supposed to control odors for seven days and with our current diarrhea issues, sealing in the odors would be helpful. Guess I will just have to check it out first. We certainly have enough issues going on right now.

 

Update on the Clump and Seal - some scent but doesn't seem overwhelming to me. However, one of the kittens is OBSESSED with it. She keeps playing in it and sniffing it. I had to wrestle her out of it several times before she walked away. Did they put catnip in there?

 

OK, the scent on the Clump and Seal IS pretty strong. However, it's better than the scent of sick kitten residue.

 

I purchased the Arm and Hammer double duty litter and one of my two cats started sneezing A LOT and becoming congested (her purring started sounding very phlegmy). I initially thought she was getting a cold but over a period of three days or so it appeared to be getting worse. After thinking it may be a reaction to anything new in the house I realized that I had switched to A and H double duty litter. This stuff is VERY perfumey and also very dusty. I researched out a few sites about allergic reactions to cat litter and then found this thread. I got rid of the A and H litter immediately and went back to my old clay clumping UNSCENTED litter. I am relieved to say it worked. The sneezing and what appeared to be congestion stopped. Thank you for your posts on this.

 

I smell the litter in the store when I buy. More because of me and the smells but also because none of my cats will go near a scented box.

I always found the arm and hammer scent more powerful than any other. Including their unscented.. I also think the ones with baking soda are quite strong in scent.

 

I couldn't take the dustiness of the Tidy Cat clumping litter anymore. Too much coughing by ME everytime I scooped the box and dust all over the house. I've switched to Dr. Elsy's Precious Cat, order it from Chewy.com and get it delivered directly to my door. Much less dust, no perfumes and I'm not coughing anymore every time I scoop the litter boxes.