Building a Wood Pellet Kitty Litter Box

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Building a Wood Pellet Kitty Litter Box

Have you ever wanted to switch your cat from traditional clay litter to something more natural, sustainable and less messy (also less costly).

What is Wood Litter

Wood litter, often made from compressed sawdust or wood shavings (waste product from saw mills) is a natural alternative to traditional clay-based cat litter.  When exposed to moisture, the pellets turn back into soft sawdust, making it easy to sift and clean. This type of litter is traditionally used as horse bedding, it is biodegradable, low dust, and free from synthetic additives, making it a healthier choice for both cats and their owners.

Additional benefits include, little to no waste as you only discard pellets that get wet, naturally absorbs odor, environmentally friendly as it uses a waste product and can be composted.


How to get Wood Pellets

Wood pellets are available at most pet stores at comparable costs to clay litter, however there are cheaper alternatives.  The pellets are exactly the same as those available at any hardware store for wood pellet stoves.  I pay about $8 for an 18 Kg bag which lasts about 6 months.

Why change the litter box

Since the pellets work the opposite of traditional litter where there is no clumping and you want to get rid of the saw dust, it is helpful to build a sifting litter box, don't worry it is a pretty easy process!


Building the Litter Box:

Step 1:

Buy two basic litter box, that are stackable and drill holes in 1 of them.  The holes should be about 1/4 inch in diameter (smaller than the pellets).  I divided the litter box into 6 segments and left bands where the there were no holes so that the litter box will still have a lot of strength.


Step 2:

Get a length of ABS pipe (doesn't have to be ABS, but this tends to be cheapest), available at any hardware store, about 2 feet long, if you can find someone with a left over piece, all the better, you do not need much.

Cut it into 6 equal segments, I used 2 inches, but you could go to 2.5 or 3 if you want to.  These will be stand-offs to raise your litter box up. 



Step 3:

Place the ABS pipe into the second litter box that does not have holes, this is the base of the litter box and will catch the saw dust.



Step 4:

Place the litter box with holes on top of the base litter box and fill it with pellets.

If you cat is like mine, she will do most of the work moving the pellets around so that the saw dust drops to the bottom of the litter box through the holes. 


Transitioning your Cat to Wood Pellets

Switching your cat to wood litter can be a smooth and stress-free process with a little patience and care. Start by mixing a small amount of wood litter into your cat's current litter, gradually increasing the ratio over several days or weeks. This helps your cat adjust to the new texture and scent without feeling overwhelmed. If your cat seems hesitant, slow down the change and give them time to adapt at their own pace.

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