Diabetic Cat Litter

While human blood sugar is almost always measured through small blood samples, this process is more difficult to perform in cats. Because of this, most pet owners who have diabetic cats opt to use urine testing instead. Certain types of cat litter help make this process easier.

  1. Non-Clumping Litter

    • Clay-based, non-clumping litters provide a common alternative to clumping litter. While non-clumping litter is not as convenient to clean, it does make urine sampling significantly easier. Owners simply mix a tablespoon of freshly wet litter with a tablespoon of water and test the mixture. The resulting number indicates half the cat's blood glucose level. Petco clay litter and Tidy Cats Odor Control litter are two high-quality brands of non-clumping litter.

    Clumping Litter

    • Typical clumping cat litter is problematic for diabetic cats because it interferes with the urine testing process. Instead of absorbing the urine like clay litter, clumping litter hardens around the liquid, making it a solid, scoop-able mass. This process makes it impossible for the pet owner to test the glucose in the urine.

    Plastic Litter Box Filler

    • Veterinarians often recommend plastic litter box fillers for diabetic cats, such as Katkor, since it is ideal for glucose testing. This nonabsorbent "litter" (actually composed of small plastic pellets) comes complete with thin plastic tubes that are used to draw up the urine so that it can be easily placed on the test strip.This eliminates the inconvenient scraping and tilting most cat owners go through while trying to obtain a urine sample.

    Other Substitutes

    • Another common substitute for clumping litter is aquarium gravel. The texture of the gravel is similar enough to litter that cats don't usually notice the difference, but its non-absorbent nature keeps it from soaking up the urine. Since these rocks are designed for use in fish tanks, they can be washed and reused repeatedly.

    Experimenting

    • Some owners with pickier cats find it helpful to experiment with a variety of other substances that have a texture similar to cat litter, such as dry lentils. Nearly any filler that is not harmful to your cat and does not change the test results is likely to work well.

    Precautions

    • Before using any of these substitutes for clumping litter, be sure to test the litter box filler itself, without the urine. If your cat's testing strips get a reading from the filler alone, it will alter the results of the glucose test. Be careful to select a neutral filler so that you do not receive false readings and compromise your cat's health.

    Special Litter Boxes

    • Owners looking for "piece-of-cake" urine sampling should consider purchasing specially designed litter boxes, such at the Smart Cat Box. This type of litter box combines the advantages of non-absorbent litter with a new litter box design that keeps both cats and their owners happy. The litter box comes complete with a non-absorbent litter that is spread over a slotted litter box. When the cat urinates, it passes through the slots and onto a slanted surface that directs the urine to a reservoir where it is stored until the box is cleaned. This reservoir collects the urine easily for hassle-free testing.