I’ve been researching the most environmentally friendly cat litter, having to suddenly start using it. My cat Lottie has always gone to the loo outside, even refusing to use a litter tray when we had snow! However since having a bout of cystitis she is now using a litter tray.
It is a minefield with a number of options.
Here is my research summary:
- Flushing cat litter down the toilet is not a good idea even if it says flushable and biodegradable. Water companies strongly advise not flushing these cat litters and other so called flushable wipes, since they do not dissolve quickly enough. Not only can it clog up your waste pipes but cat feaces and urine are harmful to humans. This is because they can contain parasites. These parasites are not destroyed in water treatments, so no cat poo down the loo either.
- This means disposing of cat litter in your waste bin in bags. To minimise plastic bags I reuse ceareal bags, multi crisp packet bags, empty dried cat food bags, in fact anything that comes in a strong bag!
- Some cat litters say they are compostable but with soiled cat litter you risk health issues. I guess as long as you don’t use the compost on vegetables or fruit and it won’t come into contact with children or pregnant mothers it is a possibility.
- Instead consider the environmental impact of manufacturing cat litter. Clay based ones are not good being mined but luckily today there are other options. Wood based, paper, wheat and corn are more sustainable. I find my cat leaves a sawdust trail in the house with the wood pellets, so I’m going to try wheat or corn. Have you tried any of the more sustainable options?
Sources used for this article The Guardian and Recycle Nation
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