Environmentally Safe Cat Litter Options
Odour-Free Ways to Get Your Kitty Litter Out of Landfills
Nov 10, 2008
Cat litter creates waste. According to the American Bureau of Waste Management, approximately 8 billion pounds of kitty litter is dumped into landfills each year. While there doesn’t appear to be many Canadian studies on the amount of cat litter that goes into landfills, most people agree that a more efficient option would be to use flushable, or biodegradable litter than can be put in a compost heap.
Avoid Clay-Based Kitty Litter
For city dwelling cat lovers who do not have access to compost, having a kitty litter than can be safely flushed without clogging and bursting your plumbing may be a solution. Look for any brand that does not include clay as an additive. Most kitty litters that feature a “clumping” trait means that it was made with clay. This is not only harmful to your plumbing, as it hardens and clogs your pipes, but clumping litter can be hard on cats’ paws, particularly those who had been de-clawed.
Consider what You and Your Cat Need from Kitty Litter
Most commercial cat litter resembles coarse oatmeal, and has the unpleasant effect of “tracking” – the process where used cat litter may cling to the cat’s paws or fur, and be scattered throughout different parts of your home.
Used cat litter has a pungent and pervasive odour of ammonia, and having tiny bits of it scattered around your home means that even frequent cleaning of your cat’s litter box isn’t going to be enough to prevent “that cat smell” from emanating from your home. Look for a brand of litter that ends tracking: Most brands of litter already advertise that it eliminates or reduces odours.
The Dangers of Silica and/or Clay Dust
Another concern may be silica dust, or even clay dust from kitty litter: The dust can create lung problems for both the pet and the owner, as tiny particles can be inhaled, and cause longer medical bills in the long run. Finding a brand of litter that you can flush is another story. The following environmentally safe brands have neither silica, nor clay dust.
Flushable Cat Litter Brands
- Cat Country Organic Wheatgrass Litter: Made from winter wheatgrass fibre, it’s chemical, perfume and polymer free, and is both flushable and compostable.
- ExquisiCat® Enviro-Friendly Pine Litter: made from 100% pure, recycled pine. Biodegradable and flushable.
- Purina® Yesterday’s Newspaper-Based Cat Litter: Made from recycled newspaper. This product is made with 70% recycled paper. It is formed into unscented paper pellets that feel like clay litter, but is apparently softer on cats’ paws.
- Elegant Cat Litter: A biodegradable and flushable litter contains natural chlorophyll.
- Swheat Scoop Natural Wheat Scoopable Cat Litter: A wheat-based cat litter made from naturally processed, non-food grade wheat. It’s clay free, chemical free, fragrance free and biodegradable. Flushable, compostable and is sceptic tank safe, too.
- Healthy Pet Clay Free Cat Litter: Formerly named EcoFresh Cat Litter, contains pure cellulose, and can absorb 2 times it’s weight in liquids. Free of crystalline silica dust and is flushable.
Where to Buy Compostable and Flushable Kitty Litter Online
Aside from your local pet supply store, here are some websites that do deliver: Pectacular, a site that delivers to both Canada and the US, it may be your best shot if you are looking for American-only brands; check to see if they sell Feline Pine to Canadians, first.
Petsmart features a store locator on its website, should you feel more comfortable going in person. The advantage of in store shopping is the reduction of shipping and handling fees.
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