cat litter problems

Since Tooters started having diabetes, he has been urinating a HUGE amount. This is what got my attention that something was wrong. The problem is, I try to keep his litter clean but, he has managed to get HUGE, concrete, chucks of clumping litter stuck to his back paws/pads of feet. When he walks you can hear his feet click across the wood floor. Any ideas on to remove? I have tried coconut oil and it helps some to loosen but not completely.

Thanks,
Julee

 

Oh I remember this so well. The only way I figured out to get it off is to wet it and slowly pick at it. It may help to soak for a bit in the bath. If he tolerates water of course.

I have discovered that clumping clay litter is definitely not compatible with my diabetic kitty. World’s Best cat litter is my recent favorite (you can find it on Chewy.com). It’s made of corn and is clumping but doesn’t turn to goo like the clay litter does when it gets wet. No more wet litter poo prints all over the house either haha. If you’re looking to change, I highly recommend!

 

I LOVE Okocat natural wood clumping litter. It clumps surprisingly well, and it smells so much better than others. My sister was having issues with her cat getting the 'concrete feet', so I recommended it to her. It solved the problem, and she loves it, too. https://www.chewy.com/okocat-natural-wood-clumping-cat/dp/106790

 

I've heard that snap/crack noise too many times with $1.99 litter rakes. For my once a week Olga the maid routine I use this monster. I believe it's made for dogs but the all steel construction handles the concrete block pee-against-the-side-of-the-box with ease.
Anyone else taken their litter boxes to the car wash for a good cleaning? I got a bit of splash-back, spent an hour in the shower.

 

Thank God Sammy is past this, but I struggled with it for too long before getting him checked out and diagnosed. I thought he was just getting old and arthritic. The peeing lessened dramatically when we switched to low carb dry food, even before we started insulin. But here's what I did to deal with it - I used a jumbo litter pan, got a small garden trowel to break up the rocks in the box, then a heavy duty sifter, and cleaned the box 3X a day. Fill it with more litter than normal, and found that lightweight litters are easier to get off his legs. Burt"s Bees makes a rinse-free shampoo (Sammy won't tolerate a bath) and when we finally did get to the vet, they did a "sanitary shave" on his back legs. Maybe you could do this at home? Hang in there, this too shall pass!

 

I haven't tried the carwash routine but do haul Bama's box outside once a week and use a garden hose, stiff brush and Dawn dish soap to get it somewhat clean.

 

When Sherlock was wearing his cone-of-shame, he pretty much constantly had this problem. The cone kept him from turning around properly in the box, so he'd step in his mucky wet spots, and then end up with litter toes. DW and I basically had to double-team, with one holding him and one using a damp towel to soak his feet and gently pry the litter off again once it was damp. Not fun or efficient, but it got the job done.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. I am going to look at different cat litter for now. I have a automatic cat litter box, so I have to find some type of clumping litter that isn't big pellets. I did notice a decrease in his urine at first after switching off of dry food, but it seems to be back. I have started him on Lantus, but it hasn't kicked in yet (you can see his numbers). I will have to look into Burts Bees rinse free shampoo, but I think just working it out with oil has been the best. Maybe when I take him to the vet for his next blood test, I will ask about some "shaving".