Let’s face it: As a lot as we love our cats, coping with cat litter isn’t anybody’s thought of a superb time! Not solely do we want our cats to be proud of the litter, however it additionally must be comparatively problem free for us to scrub.
For those who’ve determined that you just wish to begin utilizing an eco-friendly cat litter, however you’re unsure what form is greatest and even how one can go about switching over to a brand new litter, we’ve bought you lined.
On this article, we talk about the totally different sorts of eco-friendly cat litter obtainable and how one can change to a brand new one efficiently.
What Precisely Is Eco-friendly Cat Litter?
For those who’re involved in regards to the surroundings and wish to preserve your carbon footprint as small as potential, eco-friendly cat litter can assist. This sort of litter is mostly made utilizing biodegradable supplies which might be recycled and renewable. It may also be byproducts from different industries, which implies it has gone by means of minimal processing and is sustainably sourced.
Disposing of eco-friendly cat litter may 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 is dependent upon your cat and what you’re on the lookout for in a litter. Nonetheless, right here’s a normal information:
1. Do It Progressively
Cats usually are not followers of change, significantly in relation 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, purpose 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 prime.
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 occurring within the family. For instance, in case you’re switching litter since you’re getting a second cat, it’s not a good suggestion to modify your previous cat’s litter. They are going to be coping with the stress of the brand new cat already.
Don’t think about 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, think about 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 can assist you pinpoint the litter that they like probably the most.
4. Make It Acquainted
Cats could have preferences on the kind of litter field as properly, for instance they will not be used to a lined or self cleansing field. Hold the kind of litter field constant, and the placement related, when switching to new cat litter. Typically cats favor to make use of litter packing containers which might be clear, simple to entry and really feel ‘secure’. Keep away from putting packing 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 each time they use the brand new litter. Like practically all animals, cats are meals motivated, so giving them a high-value deal with after they use the litter may encourage them to maintain utilizing it.
6. Hold Making an attempt
So many issues about cat litter can postpone your cat, the feel and the odor being the largest elements. For those who’re attempting out a litter and your cat would slightly pee on the ground than go within the litter field, it is best to get a brand new one.
Making an attempt out a number of litter packing containers can turn out to be useful, however it does imply spending fairly a bit of cash for all of the totally different litters. Go for the smallest or most cost-effective packing containers/baggage potential. In case your cat is commonly going toileting outdoors of their litter field, or there are some other modifications of their habits, get them checked out by your vet to ensure there are not 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 obtainable, from fairly quite a lot of supplies! When selecting, you’ll want to think about any allergy symptoms you or your cat might have. The next are all obtainable as cat litter, and every has its benefits and downsides:
- Bamboo: Bamboo isn’t the commonest of pure cat litter, however it’s absorbent and respectable at odor management. Nevertheless, the clumps are likely to crumble.
- Coconut: Coconut husk makes an awesome 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, virtually dust-free, and sometimes flushable. Nevertheless, it isn’t at all times the perfect at odor management.
- Grass seed: Grass seed litter clumps, is sort of dust-free, and is comfortable on the paws however tends to trace.
- Paper: Recycled paper could be clumping or non-clumping, absorbent, and dust-free. However odor management is perhaps a problem.
- 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, however it isn’t at all times good with odor management.
- Tofu: ‘Tofu litter’, created from soybean byproducts, is dust-free, clumps, doesn’t monitor, and reduces bad odors. Nevertheless, the clumps don’t at all times keep collectively and may get a bit mushy.
- Walnut: Walnut cat litter is created from 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 properly.
- Wheat: Wheat cat usually litter is flushable and good at clumping, however it may be fairly dusty.
- Wooden: Wooden cat litter is created from totally different sorts of wooden, so there are numerous choices.
Even the perfect cat litter can shortly begin smelling dangerous. To keep away from the expense and inconvenience of continually changing your litter, you’ll be able to strive an awesome litter additive like Hepper’s Advanced Bio-Enzyme Cat Litter Deodorizer, a pure product that makes use of bio-enzymes to neutralize odors.
Hepper Advanced Bio-Enzyme Cat Litter Deodorizer Powder
- Bio Enzymatic Cat Litter Freshener – Sensible formulation makes use of pure elements eliminating cat…
- Save Cash – Stuff for cats isn’t the most affordable. With this litter field odor eliminator, you’ll…
- Each Litter, Each Floor – Are you afraid this additive gained’t work in your litter? Concern not!…
This deodorizer works on all forms of litter and will not disrupt your cat’s litter field habits.
At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for a few years and determined to take a controlling possession curiosity in order that we may gain advantage from the excellent designs of this cool cat firm!
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 a tendency to favor a sand-like texture of their litter.
When shopping for an eco-friendly litter, you’ll want to think about the feel and scent of it on your cat. However you’ll additionally want one thing which you could work with, as some are extra sophisticated to cope with 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 vital to you.
Learn critiques (three-star critiques make a pleasant stability between adverse and constructive), and search for the important thing elements that may make or break a litter: mud, monitoring, clumping, and odor management.
What’s Flawed With Conventional Cat Litter?
Conventional Clay
Clay is the preferred cat litter and has been across the longest. It’s identified for its means to soak up and maintain liquid and supplies good odor management.
However conventional clay doesn’t clump, so it wants frequent altering; sometimes, your complete litter field must be dumped, cleaned, and replenished as soon as per week.
Bentonite Clay
Sodium bentonite is what causes conventional litter to clump. In actual fact, it could enhance to fifteen occasions its measurement. Clumping litter is sort of common, significantly as a result of it’s simple to scrub. Nevertheless, there have been considerations 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 discuss to their veterinarian relating to their considerations.
Silica
Silica gel makes up the crystallized cat litter that can also be fairly common. It’s absorbent and supplies good odor management, and is long-lasting. There haven’t been any main research on the potential dangers, however thus far it’s thought-about secure except ingested.
It’s made with silicone dioxide, which is a pure materials that types into tiny pearls. Whereas it’s usually thought-about secure, some silica litter is tough in texture, and plenty 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 obligatory to acquire it.
Conclusion
Changing your cat’s litter may go extremely properly, or it would find yourself taking a substantial amount of your time and endurance 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, you’ll want to learn the directions on one of the best 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 carried out proper, you’ll have a barely smaller carbon footprint and hopefully, a happier cat.
Featured Picture Credit score: Lightspruch, Shutterstock
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