I am all fired up over kitty litter.
Or, rather, the absence of kitty litter.
First world problems, I know. But I think it illustrates neatly the lack of power lowly consumers have over corporate decision making because those decisions are made to serve the shareholders ahead of the folks who buy the products, the same folks who actually provide the profits which go to those shareholders. And that's kind of a global problem.
Not like global warming, mind you, but a result of a consumer society that's contributing to emissions and thus to global warming.
There, now I've justified writing about my complaint and will carry on.
I have used Yesterday's News Original Unscented kitty litter for well over a decade now. It is - or was - made of recycled newspaper, formed into pellets that broke down when wet. It was not scoopable and it was somewhat more expensive than most cat litters, drawbacks which I was okay with because of its good points: it wasn't dusty (which was helpful for me and for one of our cats as we both have twitchy airways), it did not track, and it had a naturally woodsy smell without added scent. It also came in a sturdy paper bag which was recyclable and compostable.
For the last month our local stores have had empty shelves where Yesterday's News kitty litter used to be. After a couple of weeks, I found a new version of Yesterday's News at a single store in our town - it was a flaked or pulverized form of the product, and was supposed to be clumping and dust-free. The litter situation at home was getting dire, and I couldn't find any other acceptable substitute, so I bought some.
It was not dust-free, it did not clump in any helpful way (i.e., it clumped but then it fell apart as soon as I tried to remove the clump), and it tracked worse than a dozen children who've been at the beach all day.
I decided to contact the company on their website (Purina, a subsidiary of Nestle) and ask if the product had been discontinued. I also - politely, I believe - expressed my issues with the new form of the litter.
It took several days for them to respond. Engagement Specialist #1 did not answer my question about the product being discontinued, but did ask for my zip code so they could check for nearby stores where I might be able to buy the litter.
If you're keeping score, they got half marks for trying to help and half marks deducted for not answering the question.
I replied with my postal code. Zip codes are American, postal codes are Canadian . . . which I felt did not bode well for finding a nearby store.
After several more days, I received from Engagement Specialist #2 a short list of pet stores that supposedly sold the product. The company also provided a link to their website, directly to the page describing the product I wanted.
Only two of the pet stores were remotely close to my home, and neither had the product in stock.
And here's the penultimate in ridiculous: the product page - to which they provided the link - stated the product was being discontinued in July of 2021.
So the company's own customer complaint personnel didn't grasp - or didn't want to confess - that the answer to the question I had specifically asked about the product being discontinued was Yes.
If you're keeping score, we are now at a minus position because the list of stores provided was useless and providing the link to their website without stating up front that the product was now unavailable was misleading.
And yet, when I replied to tell them so (more politely than I've stated it above), they continued to soldier on. This time I heard from Engagement Specialist #3, who sympathized with me, told me their product wasn't usually dusty so I should provide the product information from the bag and the name and address of the store where I bought it, presumably so they could download blame to the store; they also suggested I should maybe try placing a mat outside of the litter box to catch the litter before it could be tracked across the floor. (Due to needing to keep the cats separated, I have a total of five litter boxes throughout the house, and I refuse to buy five mats to "maybe" deal with this issue.) Finally, they asked for my full address so they could send me coupons for a product I had already said I would not be buying again.
After taking a day to compose myself, I replied that I no longer had the packaging (true - it went with the compost earlier in the week) and I had no need of coupons because I wasn't going to buy the new product. I also said that the ONE THING I would like to know was why they had discontinued a product that worked fine.
Yes, I already know that the answer is "profit" but I want to hear them admit it.
If you're still keeping score, the company is now at minus eleventy million.
I'm under no illusions that my protest will do any good, no matter how many facts I have on my side nor how long my buying history is.
But it was better than doing nothing. Hopefully there are a few more consumers out there who might have registered their complaints.
I'll let you know if a miracle happens.
Oh, wait, I already had my miracle with the leaky water pipe.
Darn.
I have no idea what I'm going to use for kitty litter now. I guess the cats will just have to learn to use the people toilet.
*****
Let us decompress with a few funnies. And by "us" I mean "me", unless you too need to decompress, in which case I really do mean "us".
If you have a cat, what kind of litter do you use and do you find it satisfactory?
If you have a dog, just thank your lucky stars you don't have a kitty litter problem.
Have a good day, everyone!
67 comments:
Frustrating!
Aside from the personal effect of the product being withdrawn, it is very unfortunate to lose an environmentally responsible product. I'm the first cat.
Arm and hammer I forget the specific one, but it's in the purple box. Clumping clay litter. Not too much dust but some. Pretty good odor control. I like it
I have no idea, but can cats learn to go outside?
Maybe you can find something similar online. What about sand (tracks, probably) or ... ugh...I don't have cats and also don't have any ideas. I just like to be helpful.
I found a similar product at a "pet emporium" type of store (Pet Smart in the US; I don't know if there are similar stores in Canada, or if any are convenient to you.) It was in the aisle for "small pet" supplies, such as hamsters, guinea pigs, etc. Good luck. Carol, a reader in Philadelphia, PA
I have mats in front of both litter boxes and they do help, certainly I don't see trails of litter being left when Lola walks away from the trays. I have a tray in the laundry and one in the back porch. The back porch one gets litter on the mat because Lola is very enthusiastic with her 'covering'. I just fold the mat and tip the litter back into the tray.
I tried a newspaper litter when I first had Angel, but neither of us was happy with it, I eventually used the crystals with Angel and the smell was greatly reduced, with the droppings drying out so well I could flush them in the people toilet, but Lola prefers the clumping clay kind so that's what I'm stuck with. There's no flushing happening, the whole mess just gets bagged and put into the regular rubbish collection bin. Perhaps you can find what you want from a different manufacturer?
Oh my goodness, what a run around you got from them! I hate it when you find something you like and they stop making it. Total frustration! I do hope you find a new litter that your cats like and will use. I keep finding a shortage of some of my cats' favorite foods. This started back at the beginning of the pandemic and has continued on and off.
My two cats use Purina Tidy Cat Litter. It is a clay based litter but is "low dust". I have used other brands and this one is not as bad on the dust as the others, but is not dust free. I use this brand because it is what my cats like. They are picky and do not like other brands! I just checked online at Chewy.com and they carry several non-clay cat litters including some pellet types and even one made from walnut shells.
I love all your cat funnies, especially that last one! That dog's face says it all. These days we all need to decompress and these are wonderful for that!
The text "New improved [insert appropriate attribute here]" is more often than not a warning to never again buy this product. This problem is as old as time itself, the old Romans already had the saying "Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware". This said I'm with you sputtering and almost swearing at those inane people at customer's support, who always seem at best ignorant and at worst deliberately deceitful.
I have neither cats nor dogs, and suppose that even if I knew the name of the very best cat litter in Denmark it would so not be helpful ;)
We use Catsan Clumping Clay. It is satisfactory - but it tracks. And certain cats like to fling it out of the box with gay abandon.
Good luck in finding an acceptable substitute. And huge sighs at the customer service fail. I liked (and needed) the funnies too. Thank you.
That's a drag that they aren't going to make it any more.
We use Tidycats lightweight that's supposedly 99% dust-free, but in reality Littlebeast flings it onto everything, including the side of the vanity, so I have to pretty much wipe it down with a sponge daily. The thing I don't like about it is that it comes in a huge plastic jug that I don't think recycles.
When I worked at Tumbleweed, we carried Sani-Cat litter, that came in paper bags and contained diatomaceous earth. It was a pain to work with, because the paper bags punctured easily and so we lost a lot of it. On the other hand, we had a plastic garbage can in the warehouse that we dumped all of the unsellable litter into so we could use it to soak up spills, and it worked great for that purpose.
I thought that they stopped making it a while back, but a quick Google search turns up the new product line they have on offer, one of which is plant-based, from recycled materials, and compostable. I don't know if it's available where you live, but it might be an option if you're still trying to decide what to do.
I also don't know how much it costs, and I forget sometimes that most of the stuff we carried at Tumbleweed was on the pricey side.
When Littlebeast was allowed outside, he never, ever used his litterbox. These days he's on lockdown and using it again, which is unfortunate, but he's getting used to it.
Hope things are otherwise well for you,
Your friend,
-Doug in Sugar Pine
It's so irritating when companies stop products that have worked well for years. 5 litter boxes around the house must be a record. When we had 2 cats they had one and I found that a pain to clean all the time.
Oh quickly I must add a lol to this comment just to make it sound amusing when it wasn't. lol.
Isn't that sh*t aggravating? I had a similar issue not long ago with what I consider a defective drip coffee maker. Sure, I'm still using it, and the manufacturer has yet to reply to my message (it's now been about 6 months). I've been saying it more and more lately- customer service is not what it used to be. Oh, and I use Arm & Hammer multi-cat litter for our one cat. I think no matter what brand, she's going to track it at least across the floor in the room where she sh*ts.
I am so sorry. I hope you and I both find a good replacement. Lukas will not be happy abiut this.
Many of the service reps who answer phones these days aren’t helpful at all. I share your frustration! The recordings which ask you to press…if…are the ones I have lost my soul over.
Yes - although as usual, now that I've let off steam about it, I'm getting resigned to my fate :)
Yes indeed.
I wasn't sure at first what you meant by "first cat" - I thought maybe that was your honorary title around the house. Then it hit me :)
Thanks - I'll have a look for that!
Definitely, cats can go outside, and outside cats do - generally in someone's flower garden or worse in their vegetable garden! But my cats are strictly indoor cats, so they need a litter box.
Your comment made me smile. I like to be helpful too so I understand completely :)
Ah . . . I will follow up on this. Thinking outside the box! so to speak :) Thanks, Carol.
I might have to break down and try the mat idea. It would be better than having litter everywhere. Maybe one mat at first and see how it goes. We have to put our used kitty litter in the compost bin - ugh. It makes cleaning up harder than it used to be. I've checked what's available locally and everything is by the same company. I may resort to ordering online although I'd prefer to buy in person. Thanks for your ideas, River.
The supply of certain cat foods has been unstable here as well. It's a worry when you go to buy a new bag and can't get it. I've been going sooner than usual just in case I need to switch our cats to something else; it's easier for them if you do it gradually.
I'll have another look at the Purina litter you mentioned. Do you find it tracks out of the box very much?
I saw that walnut shell litter but I worry about my cat that has asthma/allergies. I've looked online and found that cats can be allergic to walnuts. I'll have to check online sources more closely, now that I know I can't get the kind I prefer. There might be something else I missed while focusing too much on the one I wanted.
Thanks for your recommendation, Bonnie.
Hah! No, probably not. The shipping fee would put it out of my reach :)
Good customer service is becoming very rare. The reps I dealt with were very polite but they weren't actually HELPFUL, which is the whole point of customer service, or so I thought!
I will check to see if we have that here. At this point, I would - just to be contrary - buy a tracking litter as long as it was made by a different company. I know, that's childish of me, but we must get our revenge in any way we can. Hah.
"Certain cats" - lol! Don't tell him I knew exactly who you were referring to :)
The Sani-Cat litter sounds intriguing - I'll check that out. And I've seen Tidycats lightweight here but it's a Purina brand and I'm ticked off at Purina at the moment :D
I love Littlebeast's name; have I ever told you that? I have to imagine what he looks like because you haven't started a blog yet. LOL
Five boxes seems like a lot but it's more for my convenience, so I don't have to move them around when I move the cats around. And to have at least one on each level (3) of the house. But, yeah, it's a pain when it comes time to clean them all.
I see what you did there and it IS funny! :)
That's two votes for Arm & Hammer litter - I'm going to check whether it's available here. Yeah, customer service is abysmal in most places these days. I think they take courses in how to be pleasant without actually doing anything to help. And some of them skip the pleasant part. Thanks for visiting and leaving your recommendation!
Aha - you use this too? If I find something I really like, I'll let you know. Poor Lukas, and poor you. It's such a lot more work now cleaning up the litter that is EVERYWHERE. Including on my bare feet. Ugh.
Yes - my "problems" never seem to be covered by their recorded options. This is especially true with CRA, I regret to tell you, in case you ever have to call them. Although if you can get a real person on the other end, they're generally okay. The wait time to speak to a real person is horrendous, though. It is common to have an hour's wait these days.
We just use regular clumping litter, the Special Kitty brand from WalMart. There doesn't seem to be any easy solution to the cat litter problem.
Have you thought about the Breeze system (it uses some kind of pellets) or the Feline Pine?
You asked if the Purina litter tracks much. It is not too bad about tracking but Zeus, our male cat, sometimes gets it between his toes and then shakes it out later - but I only find a couple of grains of it and that is all. Sophie, our little girl, is very particular and no litter ever leaves the box with her! I will say that litter sometimes gets kicked out of the box but that is just next to it not all over the house. I hope this helps!
Here in South Australia it's law that cats must be kept inside, because too many complaints came in about cats killing wildlife during the night and about cats using other gardens as their toilet. I don't know about the wildlife thing, as far as I know most wildlife sleeps at night, but I can understand about the cats fouling gardens not their own.
We are supposed to put it in the green waste/compost bin too, but it's outside and usually filled with leaves etc that somebody swept up form the paths and gutters here.
Mine is also Catsan, but it doesn't track. I don't even see bits around the tray in the laundry, the back porch tray is covered but she still manages to kick some clay out through the entrance with her covering style. But it doesn't stick in her paws, so there isn't any through the house.
My four cats go outside. X
Since I have a dog, I have no good suggestions for cat litter. But I do commiserate with you. Don't you 'love' when a perfectly decent product is discontinued and the "improved" version comes out, only to find it costs more...oh, not by an increased price, but by downsizing the content. Like crackers that come in the same size box as always, but now only fill half the box. You look at the weight and what used to be 16oz is now 14oz, or maybe only 12oz. Coffee is another example. Remember when you used to get one pound of coffee in a packet? Now most are only 11 ozs. Grrr. Cat funnies do help take the edge off, so thanks for sharing.
Oh dear. May this be solved for you, soon.
I don't know if this will work, but if it does, here he is:
https://www.facebook.com/proleftpodcast/photos/a.223365674360305/2713427382020776/?type=3&theater
-Doug in Sugar Pine
It worked! He is so handsome! Is he all black? Black cats are wonderful! We've had three over the years :)
Yeah, he's all black. We got him when he wandered into our yard in Richmond and just stayed. So when he originally had issues getting along with the other cats around here, I was like "He's just a poor black cat from the inner city, just give him a chance."
Which they did out of kindness, but he still doesn't seem to know how to behave himself around cats who have their own territory and have had it long before he showed up, so we're keeping him inside for the time being.
-Doug in Sugar Pine
Oh, that's a drag. I hate it when some company discontinues a product I like. But as you said, they're not looking out for us -- they're maximizing profit for their shareholders. I used to use "Yesterday's News" for my cats, too!
Thanks, Bonnie. This is one of the few alternatives available to me so I'm glad to hear it's not too bad for tracking.
It seems Catsan is not available here; darn it.
He's undoubtedly safer as an indoor cat (think coyotes and birds of prey, for example), but I bet he misses going out. Cats are so territorial.
Neither of those are available in the stores here. I'll probably just have to be resigned to sweeping up the tracked litter every time the cats use it!
Lucky you! Do they use your flower gardens? I hope not :)
Yes, it's very devious! That's another thing about the new version of my old litter - there's less in a bag and it costs far more. You're right, it seems to be happening in so many products.
I think there is no good solution, only one-sided compromise (by me) - hah
I was so happy with the product. Oh well, I'll get more exercise sweeping up the mess :)
How dare they! Arnotts biscuits is discontinuing the lovely, flakey Lattice biscuit and I am outraged. Maybe you should write to them for me.
I love that they are currently scoring eleventy million in the negative, well I wish they would just reinstate the product and get back in the black but you knew what I meant
We had two cats at separate times - Blizzard and Boris. They did not require litter or litter trays as they did their "business" outside during their forays through the cat flap in our back door. This toileting happened even when there was heavy snow on the ground. However, I understand your annoyance about the withdrawal of the cat litter that you knew and loved and about the company's poor responses to your legitimate complaints.
There is lots of space here, and fields where they disappear to.
I can just picture the aggravation! Makes you want to take your kitties over to their offices, set up a pan of their less-than-acceptable litter and have the kitties 'show' them why this litter is useless. Ugh. I hate it when a product I love suddenly disappears. (*cough*Costco!) Was I the only person buying it? Ugh. Good luck with your litter-al problems...
I agree, there are critters around who he would lose to if he tangled with. Last year the neighbors caught a picture of a mountain lion on their trail cam, and this year Terry's friend caught a picture of a small black bear on his phone.
That said, Zsuzs and the neighbors both let their cats outside, and have for years without any problems... until Littlebeast showed up.
This thread has reminded me of my neighbors in Richmond who sold delicious tacos from under an awning in their driveway. I was waiting for my tacos one day and noticed their toddler playing in a sandbox on the porch. I asked them "You don't have cats, do you?"
-Doug in Sugar Pine
I use the pine scented wood pellets for mine and its great, it does break down into sawdust but I bought a matt from the pet shop that goes in front of the tray and takes most of the litter off of their feet. The best thing is that it doesn't smell at all nasty when they've done the business lol
I am stocking up on cat food as I can see shortages coming and whereas Tom and I can eat toast they need their food.
Thanks for your lovely comment, you of all people know what it's like. Some days I can cope and other days I am upset.
Tom is a good patient but its hard for both of us knowing that the days are numbered.
Good luck with that litter.
Briony
x
So very awful, jenny_o. Customer service is absolutely dreadful these days and I am sorry that you had to go through all of that. I hope you get some good advice on new litter. Best of luck with that. Take care.
Oh, how frustrating! Cat litter used to be a never-ending struggle for us, too, when we had cats. That company's "Customer Lack-Of-Service" just added insult to injury to your experience.
Your funnies made me giggle, though! And hey, cats using the 'people toilet' isn't unheard-of. My aunt and uncle used to have a cat that refused to use cat litter - he insisted on using the human toilet. They finally built him his own commode in the basement, since they only had one bathroom in the house and their family of seven couldn't afford to wait while the cat used the facilities.
Oh, yes, how dare THEY too! (Arnotts) The cookies/biscuits sound good; I could get quite worked up over that :)
I didn't start out wanting to complain to the company; I just wanted to know if the product was still being made. But while I was writing, I figured I'd give them some feedback on the new litter. It wouldn't have been so frustrating if it had ended there.
The smell is much worse with this litter, too, I'm finding. Aaargh! It tracks AND stinks! Ha ha
I'm going to look into wood pellets; they sound like a similar product and I'm not doing well with the litter I'm using now. It's a lot smellier, which is even worse than the tracking :)
Make the most of every day together, Briony . . . but I don't need to tell you that. Hugs
I've gotten some good ideas here from readers so I'm hopeful I'll find something suitable. It's only litter - there are so many worse things in the world. Very annoying, though :)
LOL! That's amazing - and hilarious about the cat getting his own toilet!
i am glad you protested dear Jenny
being from a country where people make fun of one who even thinks to do so i did this few times though i knew at the same time it won't make any difference i found it my duty to do my part .
i don't know about your part of land but when you mentioned that specialist asked for the store you bought product it reminded me some incidents reported in national news some years ago ,some fake companies or they were not companies at made copy of actual products (drinks i remember most) and sold them in market .after some unpleasant incidents were reported authorities tracked them down .i wonder since than if we are using which number of copy of actual things .in the hands of businessman people are not humans ,only costumers but they forget to whom they will sell if they finish all by providing fake harmful stuff .
health ,peace and joy to you my precious friend!
We just got a puppy a couple months ago. I”ve been meaning t o blog about her. Like, maybe, super early in the morning which is when she likes to get me up to take her outside. On those days, I kind of wish there was a kitty litter solution. Like maybe a kitten instead of a puppy. She’s a doll, though, so I just need to wake up and deal with it. I can’t help much with your kitty litter replacement options but I am rooting for you
Beautiful blog
Good news. This is most I talked about kitty litter... ever. =)
I saw this today and remembered your kitty litter dilemma. Have you seen this? It's new from Martha Stewart, attractive kitty litter. Yes, I kid you not. It's called Pretty Litter.
http://ginny-letyourlightshine.blogspot.com/2022/01/pretty-litter.html
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