Eco- Friendly Cat Litter

What does eco-friendly mean?

Looking up the term eco-friendly in the dictionary, you will see that it means “not harmful to the environment", environmentally friendly.

Why consider using eco-friendly cat litter?

With over 8 billion tons of soiled cat litter currently hitting our landfills, “Going Green” takes on a new meaning.

How do you dispose of eco-friendly cat litter?
Most eco-friendly cat litters are biodegradable and easier to dispose of in bags, bins, trays, flushing waste or however you remove it from your home.
 “Miller Kitties are Going Green.” They have been testing the eco-friendly cat litters available on the market today.  Let’s take a look at the findings (so to speak):

Eco Friendly Cat Litter Reviews

Pet Ecology- Perfect Litter Alert

This special litter is designed to alert the cat owner about potential Urinary Tract Infections. The chart on the back of the bag displays the color chart:

• Normal-no change in the litter color
• Mild- litter turns light to medium pink
• Serious- litter turns medium pink to dark pink
• Urgent- litter turns blood red

I used this litter with Samson an older gent who is prone to UTI. He was fine for a week; then the litter turned a medium pink.  I put him on antibiotics and in a few days, the Perfect Litter maintained its normal color. 

• It is worth noting that changes in your water or food can affect the ph level, so know your cat and stay aware daily of the color of the litter.

The Perfect Litter Alert by Pet Ecology:

• Destroys odors effectively
• Clumps instantly
• Virtually dust-free.

It is 98% natural and easy on planet earth. One 2 lb bag of Perfect Litter is equivalent to 14 pounds of regular cat litter.

When the Miller Kitties tested this litter they gave it a Big Paws Up. During the testing process for the group, the litter remained its neutral, normal color.

For more information visit- petecology.com

Perfect Litter by Pet Ecology

Perfect Litter is incredibly lightweight making carrying a box upstairs a breeze. It absorbs faster than regular clay clumping litter. All of the Miller Kitties gravitated to the boxes containing Perfect Litter ignoring the regular clay litter nearby.

• Perfect Litter is made from all natural minerals
• Cuts down odor from soiled litter substantially
• Flushable
• Scoop-able
• Minimal dust
• Less is more
• Saves money AND time

For more information visit- petecology.com

Cat Country Litter by Mountain Meadows

The name flows as easily as the litter into the litter pan on this earth-friendly product. Made from a special blending of Montana wheatgrass fibers with the extra mixture from an organic chemist, this cat litter in pellet form stood up to all the claims.

• Healthy for you and your cat
• Diminishes cat odor in your home
• Flushable
• No tracking
• Economical to use

As with most of the pelleted litters tried, the scooping factor can be challenging.  The waste can easily get buried down into the litter and the urine soaked pellets are hard to scoop out entirely. I solved this issue by using the Litter Lifter litter scoop. The wider blades and angled scoop made the job of scooping much easier. At least, when you are digging for the soiled litter you aren’t being consumed by toxic dust.

For more information visit mtnmeadowspet.com

Swheat Scoop by Petcare Systems

Not only is this cat litter eco-friendly, but it keeps farmers in business as well because it is made from 100% food-grade wheat combined with other natural substances. Initially the wheat comes out in pellet form- but through their process the pellets are crushed so they resemble the type of litter your cat is accustomed to using. It’s a renewable resource.

• Controls odor
• Clumps naturally
• 100% clay and chemical-free
• No flowery scent that can cause litter pan avoidance
• Safe to use around kittens
• Minimal tracking
• Economical- less does more

Living in a multi-cat environment, I can appreciate all the benefits that Swheat Scoop has to offer. The one drawback I found is that the litter can stick to the bottom of the pan (if not scooped out right away) but if you spray the bottom of the litter pan with Pam® Cooking Spray that solves the problem with ease.  During the testing process, a rescue came in who had been declawed. I was grateful to be able to provide him with a softer type of cat litter to use as his de-claw had been botched. He was pooping and peeing on the rug prior to arriving at my home. He does not have this issue now.

Big Paws up for Swheat Scoop from the Miller Cats.

For more information visit swheatscoop.com

World’s Best Cat Litter

Another renewable, sustainable cat litter, World’s Best Cat Litter has developed a sort of fan club across the Internet. This eco-friendly cat litter is made of 100% corn product. I initially tested their new product on my cats- that is 100% lavender scented Multi-cat formula. Not the biggest hit in the house. Only a few cats used the litter box with this product (most preferred instead to roll in it). I attributed this to the smell of the litter so I switched over to their plain formula instead- with much better results.

• Litter doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan
• Easy to scoop
• Minimal smell
• Firmer clumping action
• Dust-free
• Safe for kittens to “taste-test”
• Lasts longer than most eco-friendly litter
• Safe for the environment
• Dissolves quickly in water (flushable)

Although the price of World’s Best Cat Litter can seem a bit high, it is worth the price. A little litter goes a long way. Another added bonus is it keeps the farmers in business. The odor sticks to the litter, not to the litter pan so clean-up is a breeze.

For more information visit  worldsbestcatlitter.com/

EnviroKats™ Cat Litter System

The claim on the website is intriguing-“a renewable, reusable cat litter lasting up to five months.” This litter substrate is made up of tire crumb (crushed tires). In pouring the litter into the provided boxes; I noticed bits of thread and tiny pieces of debris within the mixture. That got me thinking what else might be hidden in this cat litter?  I live by a busy highway and many a semi has blown its tires near our home. The remnants left behind are heavy and wrapped with wire, nylon and other material.

In researching tire crumb, one aspect became evident; there aren’t enough studies currently available to substantiate the claim that this litter won’t harm the planet or your cat. I sought out help from the ASPCA Poison Control Center which in turn led me to Dr. Tina Wismer, Senior Director of Veterinary Outreach and Education. Here is her response to the possibility of using tire crumb mixture as a potential cat litter:

“Crumb rubber is recycled rubber from automotive and truck tires. The steel and other materials are removed leaving tire rubber with a granular consistency.

Looking at several studies, crumb rubber appears to be safe in some situations but can be harmful to the environment in others.  For example, crumb rubber is safe for humans when used on astro-turf fields.  However, water run-off from these fields may contain levels of zinc, aniline, phenol and benzothiazole that could be toxic to aquatic life.

So, this brings us to cats.  Cat urine is quite acidic when compared to rain.  I would be concerned about increased leaching of those toxins into the urine left in the pan.  As we know cats will walk in the litter and then groom their paws.  This grooming behavior will give us oral ingestion of potential toxins.

I would feel better about using it if there had been toxicology studies done looking at the levels of toxins found in the urine after it had set in the pan for hours (or even days).”  
 
Although I’m sure this litter lives up to the claim that it controls odor (just take a deep whiff next time you are in a tire store) I would also caution anyone using any type of cat litter (that departs so completely from the realm of what is normal for cats to use) to do your research first before deciding to purchase any type of new product. Whether it be made from crushed orange peels, dried lemon rinds, *tire crumb mixture or flowery scents understand that your cat will come in close contact with this product getting up close and personal. Based on my research and my findings, I chose not to test this one product on my cats and leave you with these words “caveat emptor.”

It is clear that some companies within the cat litter industry are making great strides with viable alternatives to the standard clay litter that currently exists. Not only wanting to keep the planet safe, but also keep the cat and the owner safe, most of the eco-friendly cat litters on the market today deliver as promised. Read the box, bag or container carefully and note which product will offer your cat the best alternative. Hopefully, in the future all the house cats in the world will be “Going Green.

”References: Y. Chien, S. Ton, M. Lee, T. Chia, H. Shu, Y. Wu. Assessment of Occupational Health Hazards in Scrap-tire Shredding Facilities. Sci. Total Environ. 309: 35-46

Thanks goes to the ASPCA Poison Control Center for the assistance in this review.