Benefits Of Choosing Alternative And Natural Cat Litter
Cats are clean pets by nature. They clean themselves regularly and like their litter box to be kept clean as well. Cats will refuse to use an unsanitary litter box and start using other parts of the house as their private bathroom instead if they think the litter box is not up to their standards. Because of that, it’s crucial that cat owners and their cats find a litter that they both like, but is also safe.
When buying cat litter, one of the most significant concerns needs to be how safe the litter is. That’s because, as part of cat hygiene, they always lick themselves after using the litter box. With that, they ingest the particles of the litter that get stuck in their fur and paws. The ingestion of litter particles can sometimes lead to several health issues. Some immediate problems can be caused if the cat accidentally ingests too much of the litter and it expands in their digestive tract. The long-term problems are usually caused if the cat inhales those particles which coats their lungs, causing several respiratory problems.
Amongst all the health issues mentioned above, some litters have dangerous chemicals in their composition that can lead to severe diseases like cancer and neurological damages. These chemicals are not only hazardous for cats, but it can also be dangerous for humans.
We know chemicals can be harmful to us and our cats, but what a lot of people forget to take into consideration is how much it can be catastrophic for the environment. Most litters that use bentonite clay as its base to clump and lock moisture and odours are sourced from surface mining, which extract the clay by removing the entire layer of topsoil. This process destroys landscapes, forests and the wildlife that lives in it, leads to soil erosion, increases the risk of chemical contamination of groundwater, and causes several other problems to nature.
After reading all the potential risks of some of the conventional cat litter, some cat owners must be feeling helpless, but they don’t need to. There are some safe and eco-friendly options that will make your four-legged friend’s carbon paw print as little as possible.
Fortunately for our kitties and us, there is an increasing number of litter selection that are all natural and chemical free to pick from. There are lots of natural alternatives that we have in our favour today; we can choose from beet pulp, cedar, corn, pine, soybean, tea leaves, wheat, wood waste, and even some recycled paper. Most of them are biodegradable and can be composted or incinerated.
When shopping for cat litter, the best way to identify the brands that are not hazardous to your cat and the environment is to read the label and look for a composition that is as natural as possible, is made of recycled or biodegradable material that will break down naturally and won’t take as long to decompose like plastic and similar materials.
For further information, visit the following websites: www.ecolife.com, www.organicauthority.com, www.pethealthnetwork.com.