How old does a kitten have to be before it’s safe for him to begin using clumping litter?

Shannon K: How old does a kitten have to be before it’s safe for him to begin using clumping litter?
I adopted an orphaned kitten at 3 weeks old. He is now 5 weeks old. I understand that clumping litter is not healthy for baby kittens so I’ve been providing him a small litter box filled with traditional clay litter. When can I let him use the litter box with the “grown ups”?

Answers and Views:

Answer by apple
well my cat just had kittens not to long ago and they started using it at 6 to 7 weeks

Answer by gothhick
so far there doesn’t seem to be any scientific confirmation of this. however just to be on the safe side you may want to stick with a standard litter. you can always switch to a clumping later if you feel it is safe.

Answer by Bri
well, i had a couple of kittens and they decided to follow their mom into the bathroom when she used the litter box and they’ve used it ever since.

Answer by [email protected]
God bless you for taking good care of the orphan kitten. I would say that as long as he is 2 pounds and over 6 weeks old, he can use the clumping litter.

Answer by riddler
When you gotta go you gotta go!!! My Kittens are 3 weeks old and when they were tired of peeing on the towel they followed their mom into the clumping litter! I’ve never have had a cat have a problem with clumping litter, except one old cat that when I changed him from regular to clumping he sneezed alot. He finally got used to it!

Answer by Beth
Here is a very good article on clumping litter:

https://cats.about.com/cs/litterbox/a/clumpingclay.htm

Honestly, I suggest using clumping brands like:

Nature’s Miracle and World’s Best Cat Litter. They are both made from organic substances and are safe for both you and your kitty.

I’ve tried both, and I like Nature’s Miracle. It clumps nicely, and it doesn’t have any kind of odor. It also masks litterbox odors quite nicely, as long you keep the litterbox clean.

Both of the above mentioned litter brands can be bought at your local PetSmart or PetCo. Sometimes, they can even be found in a supermarket.

Good luck.

Answer by bengali
As soon as he is readily using the litter tray, and no longer trying to put any of the litter in his mouth. This is the main reason clay litters, especially clumping litters, aren’t healthy for kittens; because they eat the litter, and it clumps in their stomach, besides the fact that it cant be digested.
When he uses the litter tray each and every time (which, he may be getting pretty good at it by this age, though it may be better to wait a little longer; that’s up to the individual kitten; some kittens can take up to 8 to 12 weeks to properly use the litter box,), then you can gradually mix clumping litter in with his current litter; each time you change the litter, give him less of the original litter and more of the clumping litter. The reason for this, is that each litter smells and feels different. If you just automatically switch litters, he may have problems switching; he might not, as well, but its always better safe than sorry. When he’s using mostly clumping litter; start moving his box, a few foot at a time, every day or two, closer to the other cat’s litter. That way he always know where it is, it doesn’t just switch from one room to another room of the house. When the two litter trays are right next to each other, and he’s using both; remove one, if you want; or just leave both, whichever suits the number of cats you have best.
I hope this helps!