Daily Tip: Biodegradable Kitty Litter
Conventional clay and silica-based kitty litters are not only burdens on landfills, but they come from strip mines (a very non-ecofriendly practice). Switch your cat over to some natural alternatives. These natural based litters are biodegradable, reduce odor and have less dust, which means less irritation for your cat’s lungs (and your lungs too.)
In her article on greening pets, GO’s Kelli Best-Oliver suggests a wheat based litter Swheat Scoop.
Tip mavens over at Ideal Bite suggest the following natural litters: Corn-based One Earth Cat Litter, and World’s Best Cat Litter; Yesterday’s News, pellets made of recycled newspaper; and Feline Pine made from reclaimed sawdust pellets.
If your cat is having problems getting used to the new stuff, try working in a little bit each week with until you’ve completely switched over. And if you’re not composting, throw out the litter in paper bags instead of plastic bags.
Amy says: I don’t have cats but I do a lot of cat sitting and cleaning the litter box is part of the duty. With each scoop into the clay based litter, I try not to breathe in. Next time I might try leaving a bag of the natural variety for the cat owner to try out.
For more on natural kitty litter:
Ideal Bite - What sort of legacy is your kitty leaving behind?
Care 2 Green Living - Eco-Friendly Kitty Litter
Care 2 Green Living - The Dangers of Clumping Cat Litter
Related articles from GO:
Green Pet Care: Toxic Medications?
Lighter Footstep: Why You Shouldn’t Use Dryer Sheets to Control Pet Hair
Tags: biodegradable, cats, Daily Tips, Home and Garden, kitty litter, pets
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May 13th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
Please be advised that if your cat has wheat or corn food allergies, wheat and corn based litters can cause health issues for your cat. If your cat has dietary issues, you might want to try Yesterday’s News first.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:57 am
I have tried many cat litters and I hate the clay ones just because they just lay on the ground and if it rains, they turn into a slick mud that can be dangerous. I live out in the country on two acres so I wanted something biodegradable. I tried Feline Pine and it smelled like someone mixed pinesol with amonia. Then I tried World’s Best Cat litter. It works better and smells better, but it’s dusty and tracks horribly. The cats prefer using the dry grass clippings around my trees, but they don’t stay outside unless I’m supervising them so to help with the tracking, I bought small, soft, washable bathroom rugs and placed them in front of their litter boxes. The work great and I can shake them outside or just wash them. I toss the used litter into the edge of my woods where it degrades and fertilizes my trees. I now have the largest persimmons I’ve ever seen!
January 19th, 2009 at 11:49 am
[...] you use biodegradable pet litter or scoop up pet poo, then you may also want to try composting the pet droppings. There are tumbling [...]
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:58 am
[...] They’re generally made from recycled paper, sustainably harvested wood, and other safely biodegradable [...]