Ever wondered how to save money on cat litter? If you are on a tight budget, then spending around $20 on cat litter might seem expensive. However, if you have a cat, then you simply cannot do without cat litter or can you?
Here’s a secret: You can save tons of money on cat litter by not buying cat litter!
Saving Money on Cat Litter by Not Using Cat Litter
It’s actually very simple to save a lot of money on cat litter. Two words: Stove pellets.
Stove pellets are used for wood-burning stoves, and they’re basically the exact same thing as pine cat litter, only much cheaper. Stove pellets (and pine cat litter) are made of compressed sawdust, which absorbs moisture quickly and efficiently.
However, while a 40-pound bag of Feline Pine cat litter would cost about $20, a 40-pound bag of stove pellets would cost about $4.80.
To put it into perspective, you can get 160 pounds of stove pellets for the same price as 40 pounds of the exact same thing marketed as pine cat litter. Stove pellets are cheaper because they’re usually sold in bulk, and pine kitty litter is more expensive because it costs a lot to promote such a product in a competitive market.
Before you run off to Home Depot or your local farm supply store to grab a truckload of stove pellets, please keep in mind that some stove pellets are NOT designed for animal usage because they hold accelerants and/or toxic pine oil.
Only buy brands that specifically claim that their natural and chemical-free stove pellets can also be used for animal bedding and litter. If you’re not sure about a product, you should contact the manufacturer and ask them if their product is safe for animals. When it comes to accelerants and toxic pine oil, you can never be too careful.
If your cat has a hard time adjusting to the new litter, here’s something for you to try: Place a layer of the pellets in the bottom of the litter tray, then cover it with your old cat litter brand. Hopefully your cat will take to new scent quickly!
Dealing with the Smell Problem
While stove pellets (and pine litter) could win a gold medal for absorbing moisture quickly and effectively, they’re not as useful in the smell department (much like many other brands of cat litter). A quick way to fix and prevent the smell problem is to sprinkle some baking soda over the pellets, and you should be all set.
Have you ever used all-natural stove pellets in lieu of kitty litter? If so, we would love to hear about it. Feel free to join the discussion in the comments below.
YES, YES, YES!!! I have used wood stove pellets for about 15 years w/different cats. Never had any problems, never had issues w/smell. Very absorbent and easy to scoop the wet areas (pellets turn back to sawdust when wet). Depending on the size of the cat, one 40# bag can last 6 mos to 1 yr! Very enviro friendly & economical. Thanks for the article… did not know about the accelerants &/or toxic pine oil
My cats are using pine pellet horse bedding for their litter, from Tractor Supply. No accelerants to worry about. I’m now wondering how stove pellets compare in both price & quality as a litter.
I checked Tractor Supply website and the Pine Pellet Horse Litter is 5.99 for 40#. Amazing save. The cheapest thing I’ve found is to teach/allow my cats to be indoor/outdoor cats. They seem to prefer “going” outside, even in the winter, if the ground is soft enough. Save on indoor litter and odor.