Hi Mr & Mrs Mondok
that's the point right? weighing the costs vs the benefit? what i didn't expand on here is that by using recycled material like fiber (wood pulp pellet or paper pellet), you eliminate dust tracking in the house and in the air (reduce incidences of allergy and sensitivity), it's easy to clean up (you scoop only the poop and the pee2 part and throw), it doesn't scatter or track so you don't have to wipe after your cat everytime he goes toilet, it is safe and doesn't contain any chemical and preservative (you're safe too) and best of all, it doesn't smell - serious...as long as you give your cat enough depth to work with, once your cat covers up the poo, there's no smell, and even if you don't throw away the pellet damp with urine, it won't smell at all! serious.
i'm willing to go through a lot for my cats but not to the extent to turning my house into an oxidation pond with the smell!!! cat urine really stinks and unneutered cat urine stinks even more!
but ever since i turned to recycled paper pellets, honestly there was minimal smell really otherwise my sis would have kicked me and the cats out of the house a long time ago. same with my dad. just kidding. the cats would be kicked out of the house and i'd be banned from having pets. the condition i was given was to ensure there's minimal disruption to household procedures and we won't have to go through lots of hassle to keep the cats.
the hassle comes from using "old" methods that was previously okay when we live in a more natural environment (no tiled porch, no tarred roads with paved road shoulders) lots of earth and sand around. this method cannot be transplanted into our "modern" lifestyle wholesale. we changed our lifestyle therefore we also need to help our cats adjust to our modern lifestyle while allowing them to follow their instinct too.
that's why we have all sorts of amenities for cats- with a little of more money spent, it makes life easier for us and our cats - just change the mindset...and your cat and you are set for a quality life together.
i speak from experience and yes, i don't mind paying extra and i do go without buying things for myself (clothes, books, movies,) i budget strictly.
however the less time i spend cleaning up litter and the less stressed i am, the more time i am able to spend with my cats and the more i am able to relate to them without the "ugly feelings over dirty litter, etc" hanging over our relationships.
think about it. we take cats out of their natural environments and dump them into our own environment - therefore it behoves us as responsible owners to ensure that their needs are taken care of in a manner that will not contribute to anger, stress or misunderstanding for the cats.
it's never the cats - it's always us, remember that and this is to all out there, me included!
the reason i start this thread is to open for discussion and show through example and experience that it is possible to have a good relationship with your cat, including simple litter-box cleaning steps.
because based on experience, i know one of the major reasons people dislike keeping cats or give them up is the claim " they dirty up the whole house -they are dirty, they are stupid..they are troublesome, etc".
this is nothing but furthest from the truth - cats are smart, highly intelligent, witty, wicked sense of humour and timing and fastidiously tidy.