Whereas pet possession has a number of advantages, it additionally has environmental penalties. Cats place calls for on the setting in two main methods. Pet meals manufacturing is extremely resource-intensive, requiring tons of water, time, land, and vitality. And the processes concerned in acquiring cat litter and disposing of feline waste additionally place heavy calls for on the setting, as many conventional kitty litter merchandise aren’t biodegradable and find yourself in landfills.
For those who’re searching for a option to cut back your cat’s environmental footprint and need to change to a pure litter alternative, chances are you’ll be questioning about utilizing sand. Sand is a viable litter alternative. It’s available, cheap, and permits cats to alleviate themselves on a pure substance. Cats within the wild are naturally drawn to utilizing the toilet in gentle, sandy locations that permit them to bury the proof.
Industrial Kitty Litter & the Atmosphere
Cats undergo tons of kitty litter yearly. Globally, pet house owners spent over $10.82 billion on cat litter in 2021,1 which is predicted to succeed in $16.44 billion by 2030. Homeowners are sometimes suggested to substitute all the contents of their companion’s litter field at the least as soon as each week, leading to a great deal of cat-related waste.
Many business cat litters, together with clumping and crystal choices, aren’t biodegradable, leading to cat litter sitting in landfills and probably releasing harmful contaminants. Contemplate a number of choices if you happen to’re searching for a extra environmentally-friendly option to cope with kitty litter, from pure merchandise akin to sand to business biodegradable decisions.
Sand Litter
Sand is a superbly cheap litter alternative choice. It’s pure and sometimes cheaper than business cat litter. It tends to clump fairly properly, and most cats know what to do after they see sand of their litter packing containers. Then again, it tracks simply, so that you’ll must spend a good period of time cleansing up after your pet. As well as, it doesn’t provide odor management.
Cats typically get pleasure from gentle, fantastic sand, which is comparatively simple to seek out and never terribly costly. Search for merchandise usually utilized in kids’s sandboxes. Shopping for luggage of sand at massive backyard facilities and landscaping shops can also be potential. Don’t accumulate and use sand that’s not meant on the market. Although free, it is likely to be contaminated with parasites and microbes shed by different animals which may infect your kitty.
Whereas sand isn’t technically biodegradable, it doesn’t degrade and launch dangerous chemical substances into the setting. However utilizing sand additionally comes with very severe environmental penalties. Worldwide sand mining is essentially unregulated, which generally results in environmentally damaging extraction practices.
Sand mining has been linked to coastal and riverbed erosion, which can contribute to elevated vulnerability to flooding. Sand is an extremely necessary world useful resource utilized in concrete, glass, and laptop chips.
Some consultants recommend the world could run out of sand inside many years if present consumption charges and extraction practices stay unchanged.2 Sand is just not a renewable useful resource and is probably not the only option if you happen to’re in quest of sustainable choices.
Industrial Biodegradable Choices
There are a number of business choices if you happen to’re enthusiastic about an environmentally pleasant cat litter product. Merchandise can be found in scented and unscented varieties.
Pine & Paper Litter
Biodegradable, non-clumping, unscented merchandise are simple on the earth and wonderful decisions for allergy victims or these with delicate noses. Pine litters function a pure recent scent that helps with odor management. Choices product of recycled paper give additional life to used newspapers and magazines however generally should be modified extra regularly than different biodegradable choices.
Odor Management
To maintain odors underneath management, chances are you’ll want to vary biodegradable litters extra typically than clay and clumping merchandise. Baking soda is a improbable all-around non-toxic odor reducer and stain remover. You need to use it to unclog drains and get pet smells out of carpets and fabric. Whereas baking soda is a good non-toxic cleansing product, it could possibly make cats sick in the event that they ingest it, and it’s finest used (for cleansing functions) when your cat is occupied elsewhere.
Flushable Litter
Whereas many environmentally pleasant manufacturers are marketed as flushable, it’s finest to get rid of them within the trash. Not solely are they typically laborious on plumbing, however they’ll additionally injury sewer methods. Additionally, cat waste shouldn’t be launched to the water provide because it could comprise parasites.
For instance, cats could shed the mature eggs of Toxoplasma gondii, which is of zoonotic concern. The parasite can trigger start defects (when pregnant girls purchase the parasite) and make individuals with weakened immune methods fairly sick.
Cat pee, poop, and litter are finest disposed of within the trash and based on native guidelines and rules. You should purchase recycled, biodegradable waste disposal luggage as an alternative of standard plastic luggage when altering your cat’s litter if you wish to be additional good to Earth. Alternatively, chances are you’ll contemplate rest room coaching your cat to keep away from having to make use of any litter in any respect.
Tips about Transitioning Cats to a New Kind of Litter
Cats will be significantly proof against adjustments involving their litter, so if you happen to determine to make the change, give your buddy loads of time to transition. Begin by lowering the quantity of previous litter and including a little bit of the brand new product if you change your cat’s litter. Preserve lowering the quantity of the older product and persistently add the next share of the brand new product over time.
Whereas some cats zip via the change, it’s common for some to want extra time to get used to issues. Regulate your pet’s reactions and be able to strive a unique model in case your companion isn’t comfortable; it’s frequent for cats to reject sure forms of litter.
Conclusion
Gentle, fantastic sand will be used as a litter replacement. It clumps properly, and cats usually acknowledge what it’s for. It’s finest to make use of sand that’s utilized in kids’s sandboxes or for landscaping.
Though sand retains odors greater than business litter, you may add baking soda to scale back the odor. Alternatively, several commercial products function recycled paper, corn, wheat husks, and even dried tofu, making it potential to seek out sustainable decisions that meet your cat’s wants.
Featured Picture Credit score: Zoran Photographer, Shutterstock