Environmentally friendly kitty litter is a good choice to help alleviate the carbon footprint of pet cats, but many people don't know where to start when choosing an eco-conscious cat litter. Here is a guide that can help narrow down the choices.
Why Choose Environmentally Friendly Kitty Litter
According to an article by Melissa Breyer on Care2.com, Americans send approximately 2 million tons of kitty litter to U.S. landfills each year. Most of these are clay-based litters, which aren't biodegradable, and they are typically disposed of in non-biodegradable plastic bags.
The production of traditional clay litters isn't healthy for the environment, either. Clay litter is produced by strip mining, causing irreversible damage to the local area. Luckily, there are a few natural cat litter options for eco-conscious pet owners to choose from. Many of these options are also promoted as organic kitty litter if they are made from organic materials.
Sawdust Pellets and Wood Chips as Green Kitty Litter
Sawdust pellets are made from the sawdust created during lumber production. The resultant sawdust is shaped into pellets and sold as cat litter. Feline Pine and Exquisicat both make pine-based sawdust pellet litter. Next Gen Cat Litters makes litter products from recycled wood scrap mixed with other ingredients such as green tea leaves for odor control and antibacterial properties.
Wheat Cat Litter as a Natural Option
Wheat litter has been around for a while and a few brands are carried in major stores. Sweat Scoop is a popular brand and it is both biodegradable and flushable. Another wheat-based kitty litter is Cat Country, which is made from wheat grass. The biggest problem with wheat-based litters seems to be that sometimes cats try to eat it, since its smell is reminiscent of food.
Recycled Newspaper and Shredded Paper Litters
Recycled newspaper litters are another eco-friendly choice. These kinds of litters tend to be highly absorbent and can be found in pellet form or as a softer granulated version that's easier on feline feet. Brands that make recycled paper litter are Yesterday's News, Good Mews and PaPurr.
A different option is for owners to shred their own paper to use as kitty litter. While it isn't generally advised to use newspaper for this purpose since newspaper ink can be harmful to the cat, shredded office or household paper is always an option.
Corn and Corn Byproducts Litter for Cat Litterboxes
One advantage of corn-based cat litters is that they don't create any dust. World's Best Cat Litter is a famous brand of corn-based kitty litter. Other versions of corn litters are Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Clumping Cat Litter and Nature's Miracle Clumping Litter, both made from corn cobs.
Other Eco-Friendly Kitty Litter Options
Healthy Pet Clay Free Cat Litter is made from cellulose of different plants and has a proprietary odor-fighting compound in it. This company also makes a pine litter and milled grain litter, which are also environmentally friendly options.
Some small local companies make cat litter out of even more exotic materials, including orange peels or peanut hulls, and there is always the option to make litter at home.
No matter which green cat litter owners choose, they should remember to also dispose of used litter in an eco-friendly way. Composting biodegradable litter for use in flower beds is one popular way to get rid of feline waste without sending it to a landfill. For people without a garden, choosing biodegradable litter bags, or even using paper bags, to dispose of litter is an eco-friendly choice.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
