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If you need to make your guy care eco - friendly while save money , consider switching to an alternative computerized axial tomography litter . My cats use pine pellets which are both sustainably - sourced and biodegradable and , most importantly , the cats approve .
For happy indoor cats also seeWhat to Buy Your cat ( Beyond the Basics ) .
Switching to Eco-Friendly Cat Litter
Many of us have used the popular food market store big cat bedding material made from clay , sand , or other crystalline material but there are other options uncommitted which can both preserve money and have a lower shock on the environment .
While no cat bedding is zero thriftlessness , some go away a much lighter footprint than others .
Eco-Friendly Product Checklist
When prefer any product for sustainability , expect at the entire cycle from production to disposal :
cadaver - based cat littersare not considered the good choice for a figure of reasons .
Using Pine Pellets for Cat Litter Boxes
Alternative Kitty Litters
price wander from low to high but all have environmental advantages .
After look over all the option , the one that ticks the most box seat for us is pine pellets .
You may also findthe same matter made from various type of wood(Amazon ) .
They are low - cost — one bag can last for calendar month — and , because they bear pine ( and nothing else ) they are biodegradable , compostable , and sustainable . The pellets are made from pine sawdust leftover from other fabrication so no new Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree are log to create it .
The sawdust is kiln - dried or exposed to high pressure steam to form diminished pellets that promptly revert back to sawdust when exposed to liquid ( including cat pee ) . That ’s the key as you ’ll see .
There are no fragrances , additive , or other constituent : these shot are 100 % true pine . And because they are hot - processed , there is no concern with pine residual for cat-o'-nine-tails .
Pine pellet are sold to a few dissimilar markets . The very same product is packaged for heat stoves that use wood pellet , as a bedding production for horse stalls , as pocket-size animal bedding , and specifically for cat little boxes .
What you utilize will depend on what ’s uncommitted where you are .
At our localfarm supplying shop , wood stove shot would have been the bum option ( $ 7.99 CAD / 35 lbs ) but they were sold out so we get down horse stall pellet instead ( $ 9.99 CAD for 35 lbs ) . price are approximately 30 % lower in US dollars .
See Pine pellet here at Amazon
Pine pellets marketed as cat bedding are $ 10 - 20 CAD for fundamentally the same product although there are some variations including softer pellets for more soft paws .
With two cats , we practice just under six bags a twelvemonth .
How Pine Pellets Work
Pine pellets are used in a sifting kat litter box . This is a two - level litter box with little incision or holes in the base of the top bin .
Sifting Cat Litter Box| Amazon
You canmake a sifting CT box using these instructionsor corrupt one quick made ( see it at Amazon ) .
As name , pine pellets are water soluble so , when a CT pees in the litter box , the dampened pine pellet become sawdust again .
satisfying waste is removed with alitter scoop .
During daily care , the box can be throw off or the damp pellets pushed with a scoop , causing the sawdust to fall through the slot to the lower bin .
count on how many cats you have , the sawdust may need emptying every calendar week or every few week .
There is more on disposing of the firm waste and sawdust below .
Introducing Cats to a New Litter Box
You probably already bonk how your bozo will respond to a new bedding box setup — either dismissive or a little suspicious .
Our cats came from a troubled backdrop where they face a lot of doubt , so we precede raw things slowly , not wanting to take chances any regressive behavior .
Other quat are okay so long as basic needs are met and may not care or find .
To get ours used to the pine pellets , which look and finger a lot dissimilar than the old clay - based bedding , I just started tot up a handful of pellets to the existing litter box each 24-hour interval . After a workweek of increasing the amounts , I swapped out the old boxwood for the new one .
I kept everything else the same – the liquid ecstasy and location – so it all still seemed conversant enough to accept .
Related:18 Sweet Ways to Memorialize Beloved Pets
Daily Cat Box Care Routine
We have two computerized tomography and I empty permissive waste from their box twice a mean solar day .
Solid waste material is placed in a backyard animal waste composter , observe separate from other compost .
To keep the box tidy , I usethe litter scoopto push the pellets around , make any sawdust to come to the binful below . If you could , find a scoop with one-armed bandit the correct size of it to allow the pellets fall through but hold the pet waste so no pellets get chuck out .
When enough sawdust has hoard , which takes a few weeks , it is added to the outdoor pet waste composter .
I have not noticed any problem with odors in our home or the composter .
The cats do leave a trace of sawdust on the floor near the box but it ’s less than they used to tail with the Lucius DuBignon Clay merchandise .
I much prefer this to sending masses of clumping clay litter in shaping udder to landfill .
How to Safely Dispose of Cat Waste
It is never urge to redden clay - free-base bedding because it expands when loaded and can clog up plumbing pipes . Sand and silicone bedding also cause problems .
When you switch to pine pellets ( and other dissoluble natural products ) , it may seem logical to flush solid cat wasteland but that too is debatable .
Cat waste can contain risky bacteria and parasites including Toxoplasma gondii that should not go into our sewers or , consequently , our water systems . wastefulness management systems can not filter them out and they are they harmful for pregnant char and wildlife .
Your local waste collection divine service can supply the recommended disposal options for your country .
Some have green bin programs that accept pet waste .
Others urge placing it in garbage that goes to landfill . If this is your only option , expend truly biodegradable bags instead of plastic if you may .
But , if you have room , a favourite waste compost bin is an eco - friendly way to hive off it .
Composting Cat Waste
As mentioned , you will involve to dedicate anoutdoor compost binfor quat ( or other pet ) waste only and not flux it with other compost used for intellectual nourishment garden .
This will be a ‘ hot ’ compost organization that naturally heats the waste above 145 ° F for an protracted period of time to kill off the pathogens .
If this type of composting interest you , I suggest mystify guidance from experts in your area . It ’s totally do - capable when done the right way .
Ultimately , any steps in a greenish direction supporter , and it ’s skillful to have so many option available .
~Melissathe Empress of Dirt ♛
