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The Ups & Downs of Fostering Special Needs Kittens

When I first heard of a 5 week old kitten that had one of his legs amputated due to getting caught in a glue trap left in a basement, I knew I wanted to help him. I took him in as a foster kitten and quickly fell in love. 

Not only was he a tripawd, but he was also feral, and he required daily wound dressing changes, oral and topical antibiotics. The whole package!! How to socialize a feral kitten is a whole other topic in and of itself so I’ll link to that here once I write about it ;). 

There are a couple of products that are an absolute must for fostering a single kitten (not just an injured one). Highly recommend getting a Snuggle Kitty which is like a surrogate mom for orphaned kittens. It has a heart beat and soothes kittens while they’re alone. Definitely a must for bottle baby kittens as well!! The Feliway plug in is another must have. It emits the same pheromones as a mother cat would to console her kittens. I really believe that having these two things helped our little guy heal faster! 

Like I said, he required daily medication and vet visits. This might seem intimidating at first but it’s actually a lot easier than it sounds. Once you get the hang of it, you’re a pro in no time. If you’re ever presented with an opportunity to foster a “special needs” animal, I strongly encourage you to do so. These animals are often times the hardest to place in a temporary home, but the most deserving of your love and affection. The reality is that if I hadn’t stepped up to foster him, he wouldn’t have made it out of the shelter alive. 

The shelter named him Sprite (like a fairy, not the soda lol), and over the weeks that I had him, I got to watch him turn from a scared tiny injured kitten, to a fierce and sassy amazing (slightly older) kitten. 

Was fostering him emotionally taxing? Sure. Was it one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had? Absolutely. The hardest part about fostering Sprite was having to find him an adopter. I had him for so long, and while I’ve gotten attached to every kitten I’ve fostered before, none of them compared to Sprite. 

Sprite received hundreds of applications. Which is amazing! Everyone wanted him now that he was healed. I was lucky enough to sort through the applications and pick his adopter. It was a very emotional day and I cried. A lot. But I knew that there are more kittens like Sprite out there who will need me in the future. His forever family is absolutely perfect for him. Goodbye is the goal. 

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can’t wait for the rain to come and take away this heat wave 

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Water Garden Cottage

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The Best Natural Cat Litters

Ever since I adopted my first cat, Sparrow, I have been on the hunt for the best natural cat litter. Let me start with why I prefer natural litters over clay litters: 

Environmental reasons: clay cat litter is derived from mining and drilling into mountains, just like what is done to get oil. This is extremely toxic for the environment and not a sustainable resource. 

Health reasons: Clay cat litter is disgustingly dusty. Breathing in that dust is harmful to both you and your cat. When cats lick their paws and ingest the dust or clay particles it starts to expand in their body which turns into a mass causing problems in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to illness and even death! This is especially true for immunocomprimised cats (and people) such as kittens and senior cats. NEVER use clay litter with kittens who are more prone to eating their litter!

Efficiency: In my experience, regardless of brand, clay cat litter simply does not work well. There would still be an incredibly strong ammonia/poop smell even after scooping immediately. 

Okay, now that that’s out of the way…. Here are the best natural cat litters imo! 

1. Grass Seed Cat Litter

Pros: This is by far the BEST litter I have ever tried (and I’ve tried them all). The clumps don’t break apart like other litters do, there’s virtually no dust, and it has a light (natural) scent of oatmeal. I no longer have to hold my breathe while scooping the litter box! It also holds the ammonia and poo smells in perfectly. I have two cats and two litter boxes which are in our primary living area but you’d never know it! 

Cons: It does track quite a lot, although so do most other litters. I have an extra long litter mat which collects the majority of fallen litter for easy clean up. It is also a little pricey. Still on the hunt for the cheapest of the grass seed litter brands.

2. Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh

Pros: Before I found the grass seed litter, this was my litter of choice. It is made out of walnut shells grown in California, so you are supporting California farms! Makes pretty strong clumps but can break apart if overloaded. Doesn’t track as much as other litters. Does a pretty good job at containing odor. 

Cons: Clumps a little too well and can be difficult to get the clumps out of the litter box. While it does contain odor well in the beginning, you have to change the whole box frequently to keep it that way. The ammonia definitely will seep through if you get a little lazy with scooping. It is also dusty, not as much as clay but still. Sparrow has white paws and a freshly poured litter box will leave him with brown dusty paws. This litter is also on the pricier side. 

3. Swheat Scoop

Pros- Made out of wheat! Not dusty. Less expensive than other natural litters. Before I found the walnut litter, this was my go-to. 

Cons- Doesn’t do much for odor control. Tracks everywhere. If your cat has a grain allergy, such as mine, not the best to have them ingesting it as they clean their paws. 

3. Feline Pine 

Pros: Smells like a forest. Doesn’t track. Fairly good odor control. 

Cons: Price! Very pricey, however I have heard of people using pine pellets from the tractor supply store that are the same thing but much less expensive. Non-clumping. I personally prefer clumping litters for easier clean up. This litter however is pelleted, so when your cat pees on it, it turns into dust–which is how you know when to change the litter. I personally didn’t like my cats walking on their urine without a way to scoop it out. 

4. Crystal Litter

Pros: When I first found this litter I thought it was the one. Zero odors. Zero dust. I was so happy!! But then…..

Cons: It. Tracks. Everywhere. And on top of that– it hurts when you step on it. It feels like little rocks stabbing your feet. What must that feel like on delicate paws??? 

5. World’s Best Cat Litter

Pros: Made out of corn! Doesn’t track too too much. That’s about it……

Cons: When I was first looking into natural litters, eeeeeeveryone was recommending  World’s Best. They said that it really was the best litter! Wrong. Sorry. But no. The clumps were soggy and odor was strong. Dislike. 

So there you have it! Sprout & Sparrow’s guide to natural litters. Let my trial and error lead to your success. 

On another note– When I first adopted Sparrow, he was my first ever cat, so I didn’t know what a normal stool was supposed to look/smell (ew) like. While having a great litter helps control odor, it is important to know where that odor is coming from. Their food! Once I switched Sparrow to a raw diet, there was virtually no smell AT ALL when he pooped. Prior to that his stool was rancid and he would poop multiple times a day which isn’t normal! If your cat has obscenely bad litter box odors it might be time to switch up their diet! 

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by any brands.  

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It’s international cat day so here’s my baby getting lit with some nip to celebrate. @capt.catsparrow on ig <3

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Do you ever look at your cat and think “how did I get the best one out of all the cats in the whole world???????” 

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The Best Natural Cat Litters

Ever since I adopted my first cat, Sparrow, I have been on the hunt for the best natural cat litter. Let me start with why I prefer natural litters over clay litters: 

Environmental reasons: clay cat litter is derived from mining and drilling into mountains, just like what is done to get oil. This is extremely toxic for the environment and not a sustainable resource. 

Health reasons: Clay cat litter is disgustingly dusty. Breathing in that dust is harmful to both you and your cat. When cats lick their paws and ingest the dust or clay particles it starts to expand in their body which turns into a mass causing problems in the gastrointestinal tract, leading to illness and even death! This is especially true for immunocomprimised cats (and people) such as kittens and senior cats. NEVER use clay litter with kittens who are more prone to eating their litter!

Efficiency: In my experience, regardless of brand, clay cat litter simply does not work well. There would still be an incredibly strong ammonia/poop smell even after scooping immediately. 

Okay, now that that’s out of the way.... Here are the best natural cat litters imo! 

1. Grass Seed Cat Litter

Pros: This is by far the BEST litter I have ever tried (and I’ve tried them all). The clumps don’t break apart like other litters do, there’s virtually no dust, and it has a light (natural) scent of oatmeal. I no longer have to hold my breathe while scooping the litter box! It also holds the ammonia and poo smells in perfectly. I have two cats and two litter boxes which are in our primary living area but you’d never know it! 

Cons: It does track quite a lot, although so do most other litters. I have an extra long litter mat which collects the majority of fallen litter for easy clean up. It is also a little pricey. Still on the hunt for the cheapest of the grass seed litter brands.

2. Blue Buffalo Naturally Fresh

Pros: Before I found the grass seed litter, this was my litter of choice. It is made out of walnut shells grown in California, so you are supporting California farms! Makes pretty strong clumps but can break apart if overloaded. Doesn’t track as much as other litters. Does a pretty good job at containing odor. 

Cons: Clumps a little too well and can be difficult to get the clumps out of the litter box. While it does contain odor well in the beginning, you have to change the whole box frequently to keep it that way. The ammonia definitely will seep through if you get a little lazy with scooping. It is also dusty, not as much as clay but still. Sparrow has white paws and a freshly poured litter box will leave him with brown dusty paws. This litter is also on the pricier side. 

3. Swheat Scoop

Pros- Made out of wheat! Not dusty. Less expensive than other natural litters. Before I found the walnut litter, this was my go-to. 

Cons- Doesn’t do much for odor control. Tracks everywhere. If your cat has a grain allergy, such as mine, not the best to have them ingesting it as they clean their paws. 

3. Feline Pine 

Pros: Smells like a forest. Doesn’t track. Fairly good odor control. 

Cons: Price! Very pricey, however I have heard of people using pine pellets from the tractor supply store that are the same thing but much less expensive. Non-clumping. I personally prefer clumping litters for easier clean up. This litter however is pelleted, so when your cat pees on it, it turns into dust--which is how you know when to change the litter. I personally didn’t like my cats walking on their urine without a way to scoop it out. 

4. Crystal Litter

Pros: When I first found this litter I thought it was the one. Zero odors. Zero dust. I was so happy!! But then.....

Cons: It. Tracks. Everywhere. And on top of that-- it hurts when you step on it. It feels like little rocks stabbing your feet. What must that feel like on delicate paws??? 

5. World’s Best Cat Litter

Pros: Made out of corn! Doesn’t track too too much. That’s about it......

Cons: When I was first looking into natural litters, eeeeeeveryone was recommending  World’s Best. They said that it really was the best litter! Wrong. Sorry. But no. The clumps were soggy and odor was strong. Dislike. 

So there you have it! Sprout & Sparrow’s guide to natural litters. Let my trial and error lead to your success. 

On another note-- When I first adopted Sparrow, he was my first ever cat, so I didn’t know what a normal stool was supposed to look/smell (ew) like. While having a great litter helps control odor, it is important to know where that odor is coming from. Their food! Once I switched Sparrow to a raw diet, there was virtually no smell AT ALL when he pooped. Prior to that his stool was rancid and he would poop multiple times a day which isn’t normal! If your cat has obscenely bad litter box odors it might be time to switch up their diet! 

This post is not sponsored or endorsed by any brands.  

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