It always pays to look for ways to save money on cat litter. In addition to the food, it’s the product you’ll need to buy most for your pets, but you don’t want to cut back on the quality of either of them.
Whether you own a Ragdoll cat, a domestic shorthair, or any other breed, here are five good tips for cutting down on cat litter costs. These will benefit pet owners who need a helping hand keeping their litter budget from stretching too thin.
The Best Ways To Save Money on Cat Litter
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1. Use a Low-cost Alternative
You don’t need to use ‘kitty litter” as a litter for your cat if you can find a cheaper alternative product. Some good options include chicken corn feed pellets, which you can buy at a tractor supply store, or wood stove pellets.
These are natural materials that offer good absorption, which is all you really want from a litter. If you can buy these, especially in bulk, you can save money compared to regular litter.
2. Use Coupons
Coupons are a great way to save money on cat litter. But don’t just sit and hope you’ll stumble across coupons in a pet magazine or that you’ll have them dropped in your mailbox. The best place to find coupons is on the manufacturer’s website or their social media pages – Facebook often has codes and coupons you can use if you find the official brand page.
Still no luck? Try writing to the company and asking. You’d be surprised how often this works since brands are more than happy to encourage loyalty. Don’t be shy!
3. Look Out for Sales
Beyond coupons, you can get discounts through sales, particularly at your local pet stores or grocery stores. Most pet stores, even independent ones, will have some online presence, either with a website or a Facebook page, so you can keep tabs on when they’re running a sale so you don’t miss out. Even small businesses join in on Black Friday and other regular sale times, too, so keep that in mind.
Also, ask if they have a rewards program. You might get discounts or special offers if you become a loyal customer.
Always look at the price per pound of your cat litter, and compare it that way – buying from your favorite pet store only works out as good value if you make sure you’re getting the best price for the amount you’re buying.
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4. Buy In Bulk
Stores like Costco and Sam’s Club often sell cat litter in bulk at heavily discounted prices – you need to ensure that if you’re buying more than one 40-pound bag, you’ve got plenty of space in your car and home to store them.
If you find that these stores don’t stock your regular litter, you can switch (provided you do it carefully – more on that below), but always buy unscented cat litter. Scented cat litter only masks odors and is not a healthy product for you or your cat, so you should avoid it.
If you’re not a member of Costco, but you know someone who is, you don’t have to ask them to carry heavy litter bags for you – ask them to please pick up a Costco Shop Card (like a gift card) and then you’re allowed to shop there using that.
5. Order Online With Auto-ship
Some online stores will offer lower prices if you choose the auto-ship option – essentially subscribing to have your litter delivered. For example, you might get a 5% or 10% discount on the regular price since you’re guaranteeing them repeat purchases.
Make sure you choose one with free shipping; otherwise, you could eliminate the cost savings. Some will also offer a larger discount on your first order. And if you order online, you don’t have to haul it around the store and to your car.
Other Suggestions for Saving Money on Cat Litter
Photo credit: Deposit Photos.
There are other ways that you can save money on your cat litter just by preserving the litter as much as possible:
Buy a good litter mat that catches loose litter, preventing it from being tracked around your home by your kitty’s paws. You can dump this unused litter back into the box.
Use a good scoop that doesn’t waste litter, only picking up the solids and used clumps – something like the Litter-Lifter.
Don’t unnecessarily over-fill the tray. Even if you’re buying litter boxes for high-spraying cats, they’re designed for urine to run down the sides – they don’t need too much litter.
Changing Your Cat’s Litter
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If you want to explore changing your cat’s litter to help save money, then you must go about it slowly and methodically. Of course, that’s the same with any change you make for your cat.
They’re creatures of habit, and if you change things too quickly, you might upset them. And if you do that with their litter box, it might mean they either end up with health problems by refusing to go toilet or do it elsewhere around your home.
Therefore, it’s essential to transition to any new litter gradually. In week one, use a mix of 25% new litter and 75% old litter. If that goes smoothly, increase it to a 50%/50% mix in week two. And as long as that doesn’t cause problems, move to 75% new and 25% old for week three.
If all goes well, by week four, you should be OK to transition to the new litter fully. But if your cat stops using their litter box, return to the old brand. You can still try again but do it even more slowly.
Summary
Photo credit: Deposit Photos.
There are many ways cat owners can save money on cat litter, and many don’t need you to switch brands if you look for the best deal.
If you make a switch, stick with unscented cat litter and carefully manage any transition. Don’t force anything on your cat too quickly, or it will get stressed out.
Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags, I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other Ragdoll cat lovers around the world,
