This is a bit of fun with a serious ending. What is the maximum distance from the litter tray where you find litter deposited by your cat? This depends on the litter and the cat. Actually a cat’s toes play a major part too.
If you use wood chip litter your cat can carry whole pellets for many yards ;). He can even go for a trip outside and deposit the pellet 400 yards from the litter tray. That is probably a world record mind you.
I live in quite a small apartment so Charlie hasn’t got the opportunity to spread his wings. But he does deposit whole pellets on the bed and the tray is in the living room at the moment. Quite impressive really.
As I said, he holds the pellet between his toes and walks away with it. It does not bother him that there is a large chunk of wood between his toes. You’d think he would stop and get rid of it. But no. When it does come free, I might walk on it and break it up into dust. It can get a bit messy.
If you use clay based litter things are very different. My impression is that a cat will walk some dust from the litter tray about two yards or so from the tray. He or she might kick some whole lumps of the clay litter away from the tray while exiting and these might end up about three yards away or so. These are maximum distances. Perhaps someone has a different idea.
There is no doubt in my mind that wood pellets are the best travellers. There is no end to the possibilities.
I wonder if this is a factor in buying litter? Do people consider the “litter spread factor” or the “litter travel effect” when buying litter. I doubt it.
One major factor with clay based litter is the dust that a cat inhales. Also the fact that cats lick their coats and feet thereby ingesting whatever is in the litter. Dust from clay clumping litter is the biggest downside for using it and the potential health problems are serious. I would not buy it for my cat.
Essentially, a cat breathing in the dust of clay clumping litter is breathing in a substance that will clump inside him/her. This clumping can take place in the lungs or digestive tract. This is ignoring for a minute the potential damage done by the chemistry of the clay itself. What does that do inside a cat’s lungs and gullet etc.
I’d much rather see a wood pellet on my bed than know there is dust inside my cat.
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He is a big-time spreader. Charlie is a walker. Long distances but not much litter. Damon just chucks it around. Neat but messy.
Damon has the olympic gold here.
He will kick out half a box around 2 1/2 yards if I’m not right there to stop him. Even then, he’ll move on to another box when my back is turned. He is such a character and busy, busy, busy every minute of every day. I’ve never had a cat like him.
Charlie is not messy. There is little “spillage”. There is just the walking-a-pellet-between-his-toes-problem.
How many yards or metres! Measure it 😉
I’d like Charlie to go back to going outside but he is still nervous about the outdoors. One good point, I can check his poo! Helps me to check his health.
He does not feel the huge pellet stuck between his toes. It is strange.