Tales of cat litter. This is what my life has come to.

The last few months I haven't been able to find a store that carries the exact type of cat litter I prefer to buy. That is, Fresh Step Fragrance and Dye FREE. I prefer this because 1) it's generally cheap (as compared to Cat Attract) 2) I'm allergic to most fragrances (this is the biggest reason. Well, this & that it's cheap.) and 3) it just sounds like it's somehow better for my cat even though I'm really doing it for me.

So I've been forced to purchase whatever Fresh Step type the store has in stock. Do not let their lack of "Scented" on the box fool you. They are all scented. If it doesn't specifically say "Fragrance and Dye FREE" it's scented. Big time. It smells like really awful cheap perfume. You may be saying, "But isn't that better than the scent of cat urine and feces?" to which I would reply, "Only if you're not allergic to the fragrance of really awful, cheap perfume!"

It had gotten pretty bad. I could smell everywhere my cat had stepped. It smelled like horrid cheap perfume thanks to Fresh Step. And it burned my nose. And it made my eyes water and itch. And it made it harder for me to breathe. Basically the time came where I could not stand it any more and the following trip to the store I attempted to find any cat litter that stated it was fragrance free or unscented. Yeah. That crazy cat lady reading the labels on all the cat litter in Target that afternoon was me. There weren't any that I saw, by the way. Not all said they were scented, but none said they weren't and as is my experience that means they all were. Now lest you think I am shopping at some tiny mom & pop store that carries like one brand of cat litter. No. Target is generally my shop of choice. Super Target, baby! It is also worth noting that I looked many other places for Fresh Step Fragrance and Dye FREE cat litter as well during this period. No go. There is always Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract which is good stuff. I mean, it really is. If your cat has issues with not using the litter box, try it. But goodness it is pricey! Yes, the included coupons in every bag helps, but not enough for this single mom to buy it on a regular basis even to save herself from allergy issues.

Which leaves the option of that stuff that looks like wheat berries. What is the deal with that? I doubt my cat would tolerate it plus I guessed it was most likely scented. Then there is the option of the pine or cedar type stuff. We used to have pet rats (Yes. Rats. As pets. This was pre-cat, of course.) and yeah. I'm also allergic to many types of trees and therefore those also exacerbate my allergies. Good times all around. So I ended up buying what I thought had a chance of being unscented/fragrance free. It's from Arm & Hammer. They call it "Essentials" and it's made of biodegradable corn fibers. Ok, that's pretty cool right? Totally eco-friendly cat litter. Because of this I thought it might actually be fragrance free. You know, in the name of naturalness, etc., etc., blah, blah. Yeah, it's not. It doesn't smell like cheap perfume though which is a huge, huge plus. It smells like that sweet almost fruity type scent you get a whiff of when you walk into a Bath & Body Work's store. Dare I say that it's actually kind of pleasant. This is what I'm saying now. I only now put it into the cat box. We'll see what I say in a few days if or when I can smell it on every chair, every blanket and every inch of my bed.

This is not the look of a happy Skye

Nothing else will matter however if my cat decides she doesn't like to crap on corn fibers and decides to instead take to the carpet in our new house. Arm & Hammer and I are going to have a serious falling out if this occurs. I am already sightly apprehensive since Skye generally leaves her mark in her box as soon as I clean it. It's already been an hour and nothing. Eeeek.

.... to be continued... or not... hopefully not.....