I had a 1-year-old toddling around my house last weekend.
This is always entertaining, for both me and my cats. I tend to think there is a point at which children become smarter than animals, but in general this is around 3 or 4 years old. Until then, they make great buddies with similar intellects.
The tot at my house is just beginning to show interest in sandboxes. See where this is going?
I have several litter boxes at my house: The recommended number is one more than the number of cats that live in a house. I have four; my roommate has one. That makes for a lot of potential sandbox fun — if you’re 1. This sandbox appeal got me thinking about other types of cat litter. And today’s visit to the pet store was an eye-opener. It’s not all about the dusty clay pellets anymore.
There are several premium varieties of pet litter that espouse environmentally friendly benefits.
One I found sort of interesting was called Yesterday’s News — made out of recycled newsprint, of course — that is 99 percent “dust free” and claims to be three times more absorbent than clay, according to its maker, Purina. One of its better selling points is that the newspaper pellets won’t be tracked all over the house. Their larger size prevents that. This product however, if not well-maintained can cause a soggy urine odor and once wet can be tracked about the area.
Another variety, Crinklepaw’s “Eco-Clump” granular litter, is made from milled corn by-products and naturally absorbing green-polymers. What attracted me to this variety was that it is completely flushable and safe for septic systems (and not to mention our pets’ digestive system should they ingest any), making the scooping poop chore so much easier, this kind also does not create the hardened crust layer like other wheat and corn based offerings on the market. The formulated mixture of natural elements paired with the absorbent neutralizing polymers masks odors from pet urine and feces quite well.
There are several varieties of pine litter now available. The pellets are made from compressed natural pine wood. (One company adds in its description that “no new trees were cut down” for the making of this product.) According to several users I have spoken with, this is the best type of litter available. The pine scent overwhelms any negative cat smells which may cause the cat to refuse to use it. It also is extremely absorbent yet creates a soggy trackable mess if the user does not maintain the litter box at least every couple of days.
But the best part about these environmentally friendly, biodegradable products — they can’t be confused with a sandbox.
Tags: absorbents, cancer, cat litter dangers, clay litter, coastal regions, coastal waste, crinklepaw, dead zones, eco-clump, eco-friendly pet products, flushable pet litter, granular litter, green, green pet products, gulf of mexico, indoor pets, litter boxes, litter sheets, pets, polymers, sea otters, silica
