Litter Pearls live up to the claims
Written: Jul 25 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: not smelly, super absorbent, long lasting
Cons: roly-poly on your floor
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| annette's Full Review: Harvest Ventures Crystal Clear Litter Pearls |
I'd like to start out by saying that I LOVE the Litter Pearls. In this epinion I'd like to address all of the claims on the product's web site and other people's complaints and give my take on each of them.
I assume that if you're reading this, you already have an idea of the product. If not, Crystal Clear Litter Pearls are a super-absorbent, non-toxic, non-smelly silica sand based cat litter that is touted as being "The Future in Cat Litter!".
Harvest Venture says:
1. Absorbs Moisture Instantly
This is true! No, I haven't stuck my hands in the catbox... but at my local pet store they had a little display where they encouraged you to spray the litter with a bottle of ammonia, wait a few seconds, and then run your hands through the litter. I decided to give it a try, and was honestly impressed when my hands came out dry.
What this means in practice is that the cat pees, and by the time she's done burying it, the pearls are most likely dry. Not bad!
2. Totally Eliminates Odor
I happen to have had a cat living solely in my bedroom for the last two months and have therefore been quite close to the litterbox. For the first couple of weeks I was using clumping litter and the smell was... smelly. The odorlessness of the Pearls was one of the main reasons I decided to try it out, and I have been very pleased. For the first few weeks, there is no smell. By the third and fourth week, you can smell things a little bit when you're down there scooping out the brownies, but the smell is not noticeable at any distance. I have not used the litter for much longer than four weeks and can't comment on extended-use smells.
3. Very Low Maintenance
More or less. I feel that in order to keep my kitties happy I need to scoop out the solid waste a little more frequently than with clumping litter. I suppose it's because the waste is more easily unearthed with this litter, or maybe I should say more _obviously_ unearthed, and the cats don't like that. In any case, scooping it out frequently isn't a big deal, and I still consider the Very Low Maintenance claim valid.
4. Earth Friendly
I'm not a scientist of any sort, so I can only assume that Harvest Ventures is not lying when they make their claims of earth friendliness. I have yet to try flushing the litter, however.
Other people say:
1. The litter tracks, and the pearls hurt your feet
This is pretty much true. I haven't been injured by any pearls yet, but they have turned up in the strangest places. Because I'm not afraid to touch them, I just deal with this when I'm cleaning the box by picking up stray ones I see on the floor and throwing them back in. According to their web site, there is a new, non-tracking version of the Pearls and I hope to try it out soon.
2. Does not dry out solid waste
I would have to disagree with this. When I clean out my box, the outside of each nugget is covered in pearls and the whole thing is a little dry rock. This is most likely dependent on the cat's diet and the liquidity of their waste.
3. Difficult to sift
I've not had too bad of a problem, but sometimes I catch Pearls that are larger than the holes in my scoop. (I never got the special scoop designed specifically for the pearls.) I almost think that, because of the way it dries out the solid waste, it'd be just as easy to get some tongs and pick the stuff out rather than sift it. Just a thought though... I'll try it and perhaps post a follow-up.
4. Cats don't like the change
My two cats didn't mind the changeover, but this will of course vary from cat to cat.
5. Expensive
I agree with the person who said that though it costs almost twice as much, you buy it half as often. And even if it DOES cost more, it's still definitely worth any extra pennies I may be spending on it.
6. Crusty layer at bottom of pan
I have encountered the yellow crusty layer in stages of formation. You can probably avoid this by using a cat box liner. However, both of my cats hate liners, and I haven't found the crustiness to be a big deal.
In Summary
I think I have found a litter for life. I sincerely encourage cat owners to at least try the stuff once. I understand that there are other "crystal" litters coming out on the market now, and believe wholeheartedly that this material is in fact "The Future in Cat Litter."
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
annette
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Location: Washington, DC
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 19 members
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