Let’s face it: As a lot as we like our cats, coping with cat litter shouldn’t be anybody’s thought of time! Not solely do we’d like our cats to be proud of the litter, but it surely additionally must be comparatively problem free for us to wash.
In the event you’ve determined that you just wish to begin utilizing an eco-friendly cat litter, however you’re undecided what form is greatest and even how you can go about switching over to a brand new litter, we’ve acquired you lined.
On this article, we focus on the totally different sorts of eco-friendly cat litter accessible and how you can swap to a brand new one efficiently.
What Precisely Is Eco-friendly Cat Litter?
In the event you’re involved in regards to the surroundings and wish to preserve your carbon footprint as small as potential, eco-friendly cat litter will help. Such a litter is mostly made utilizing biodegradable supplies which might be recycled and renewable. It will also be byproducts from different industries, which suggests it has gone by means of minimal processing and is sustainably sourced.
Disposing of eco-friendly cat litter will also be practically guilt free, on condition that it’s biodegradable and compostable.
How one can Swap to Eco-Pleasant Cat Litter
A lot of this will depend on your cat and what you’re on the lookout for in a litter. Nonetheless, right here’s a common information:
1. Do It Step by step
Cats should not followers of change, notably relating to their meals and litter. One of the best ways to introduce new litter is to do it slowly and step by step.
Combine a small quantity of the brand new litter with their common litter. Within the first week, goal for about 20% new litter to 80% previous. Within the second week, do 40% new litter to 60% previous, and so forth till your cat is barely utilizing the brand new litter.
Whereas making this transition, place the brand new litter on the underside with the previous litter on high.
2. Keep away from Too A lot Change at As soon as
Don’t introduce your cat to new litter if there are different issues already happening within the family. For instance, for those who’re switching litter since you’re getting a second cat, it’s not a good suggestion to change your previous cat’s litter. They are going to be coping with the stress of the brand new cat already.
Don’t take into account making a change if the rest is occurring, such as you’re transferring, having a brand new child, or doing renovations.
3. Set Up Extra Than One Litter Field
In case your cat appears reluctant to make use of the brand new litter, take into account organising a second litter field with one more new litter. You are able to do this with greater than two if desired.
For instance, you’ll be able to put down one litter field with walnut, one other with pine, and a 3rd with bamboo litter. This provides your cat a number of new litters to select from and will help you pinpoint the litter that they like essentially the most.
4. Make It Acquainted
Cats can have preferences on the kind of litter field as nicely, for instance they will not be used to a lined or self cleansing field. Maintain the kind of litter field constant, and the placement comparable, when switching to new cat litter. Typically cats choose to make use of litter containers which might be clear, simple to entry and really feel ‘protected’. Keep away from inserting containers in noisy areas and put them away from their meals and water bowls.
5. Reward Your Cat
In case your cat remains to be reluctant, give them a deal with or reward at any time when they use the brand new litter. Like practically all animals, cats are meals motivated, so giving them a high-value deal with once they use the litter may encourage them to maintain utilizing it.
6. Maintain Making an attempt
So many issues about cat litter can delay your cat, the feel and the odor being the most important components. In the event you’re making an attempt out a litter and your cat would slightly pee on the ground than go within the litter field, you need to get a brand new one.
Making an attempt out a number of litter containers can turn out to be useful, but it surely does imply spending fairly a bit of cash for all of the totally different litters. Go for the smallest or most cost-effective containers/luggage potential. In case your cat is repeatedly going toileting outdoors of their litter field, or there are some other adjustments of their conduct, get them checked out by your vet to verify there aren’t any underlying medical points that want addressing.
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What Are Eco-Pleasant Cat Litters Made From?
There are many eco-friendly cat litter accessible, from fairly quite a lot of supplies! When selecting, make sure you think about any allergy symptoms you or your cat might have. The next are all accessible as cat litter, and every has its benefits and downsides:
- Bamboo: Bamboo shouldn’t be the most typical of pure cat litter, but it surely’s absorbent and first rate at odor management. Nevertheless, the clumps are inclined to crumble.
- Coconut: Coconut husk makes an ideal cat litter. It may be clumping or non-clumping, and it’s light-weight and utterly biodegradable. However it may be messy and laborious to search out for buy.
- Corn: Corn cat litter has been round for some time. It could clump and is light-weight, nearly dust-free, and sometimes flushable. Nevertheless, it isn’t at all times one of the best at odor management.
- Grass seed: Grass seed litter clumps, is sort of dust-free, and is delicate on the paws however tends to trace.
- Paper: Recycled paper will be clumping or non-clumping, absorbent, and dust-free. However odor management could be a difficulty.
- Pine: Pine litter is a biodegradable cat litter that’s been round for some time. It may be clumping or non-clumping and doesn’t monitor too badly, but it surely isn’t at all times good with odor management.
- Tofu: ‘Tofu litter’, constituted of soybean byproducts, is dust-free, clumps, doesn’t monitor, and reduces dangerous odors. Nevertheless, the clumps don’t at all times keep collectively and might get a bit mushy.
- Walnut: Walnut cat litter is constituted of the fibrous materials discovered inside walnut shells. It reduces dangerous odors and is absorbent and dust-free. It tends to trace a good bit, although, and doesn’t at all times clump nicely.
- Wheat: Wheat cat usually litter is flushable and good at clumping, however it may be fairly dusty.
- Wooden: Wooden cat litter is constituted of totally different sorts of wooden, so there are a lot of choices.
Even one of the best cat litter can shortly begin smelling dangerous. To keep away from the expense and inconvenience of regularly changing your litter, you’ll be able to attempt an ideal litter additive like Hepper’s Superior Bio-Enzyme Cat Litter Deodorizer, a pure product that makes use of bio-enzymes to neutralize odors.
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This deodorizer works on all sorts of litter and will not disrupt your cat’s litter field habits.
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What to Look For in an Eco-friendly Cat Litter
Home cats are descended from wildcats that dwell in a desert surroundings, so they have an inclination to choose a sand-like texture of their litter.
When purchasing for an eco-friendly litter, it is advisable take into account the feel and scent of it on your cat. However you’ll additionally want one thing that you would be able to work with, as some are extra difficult to take care of than others. Many of those sorts of cat litter is not going to clump in addition to clay or silica, so that you’ll must weigh what’s extra essential to you.
Learn critiques (three-star critiques make a pleasant steadiness between adverse and optimistic), and search for the important thing facets that may make or break a litter: mud, monitoring, clumping, and odor management.
What’s Improper With Conventional Cat Litter?
Conventional Clay
Clay is the most well-liked cat litter and has been across the longest. It’s identified for its potential to soak up and maintain liquid and gives good odor management.
However conventional clay doesn’t clump, so it wants frequent altering; sometimes, all the litter field needs to be dumped, cleaned, and replenished as soon as every week.
Bentonite Clay
Sodium bentonite is what causes conventional litter to clump. Actually, it might probably improve to fifteen instances its dimension. Clumping litter is kind of well-liked, notably as a result of it’s simple to wash. Nevertheless, there have been issues in regards to the mud from the sodium bentonite being inhaled and inflicting respiratory points. If ingested the clay could cause severe gastrointestinal points when it swells up. Additionally, the clay generally used is obtained from strip mining which is damaging to the surroundings.
It’s as much as every cat proprietor to weigh what’s greatest for his or her cat and speak to their veterinarian relating to their issues.
Silica
Silica gel makes up the crystallized cat litter that can also be fairly well-liked. It’s absorbent and gives good odor management, and is long-lasting. There haven’t been any main research on the potential dangers, however up to now it’s thought of protected except ingested.
It’s made with silicone dioxide, which is a pure materials that varieties into tiny pearls. Whereas it’s typically thought of protected, some silica litter is tough in texture, and lots of cats dislike the way it feels on their paws. It’s additionally not biodegradable, and since silica is derived from quartz, mining operations are vital to acquire it.
Conclusion
Altering your cat’s litter may go extremely nicely, or it would find yourself taking quite a lot of your time and persistence earlier than your cat adjusts.
Since litter is such an integral a part of cat possession, your cat have to be okay with their litter. When you choose a brand new litter, make sure you learn the directions on one of the simplest ways to make use of it.
There’s no query that you just’ll must undergo a little bit of trial and error when switching to an eco-friendly cat litter, but when completed proper, you’ll have a barely smaller carbon footprint and hopefully, a happier cat.
Featured Picture Credit score: Lightspruch, Shutterstock
