Ideal Bite

What sort of legacy is your kitty leaving behind?

04.10.2007

Submitted by tmeronek on Tue, 04/10/2007 - 1:06am.

The Bite:

It could be stinky, so go for biodegradable alternative cat litters, since conventional clay- and silica-based litters are actually strip-mined (like, from the earth) and sit in landfills forever.

The Benefits:

Fewer strip mines. More than 2 million tons of non-biodegradable kitty litter made from strip-mined clay end up in landfills every year.
Biodegradable. You can actually compost the stuff made from wood, newspaper, sawdust and wheat (but save it for your non-edible plants).
Unplug your nose. Natural litter masks smell better than conventional varieties, and it's unscented, which many cats prefer.

Personally Speaking:

Froggy started out using regular clay litter at the SPCA. Jen didn't want to shock him, so she weaned him by mixing a little bit of One Earth into the clay over the course of a week. He's never looked back.

Wanna Try:

A sprinkle of baking soda keeps litter fresher, longer. Try with these faves:

One Earth Cat Litter - biodegradable, clumping corn-cob granules absorb 2X more than clay ($10/7 lbs).
Yesterday's News - pellet litter made of recycled newspaper. Also available for rabbits and ferrets ($14/13.2 lbs).
Swheat Scoop Wheat Litter - 100% compostable and biodegradable, and no, it's not a typo ($10/14 lbs).
World's Best Cat Litter - this modestly-named gem is made from super-absorbent whole-kernel (but GMO) corn ($9/7 lbs).
Feline Pine - made from unusable sawdust pellets reclaimed from lumberyards ($5/7 lbs). Try a free bag.

Expert Panelist:

Stephanie Shain

Mary Jo Baldridge, Vera Carbo, Cara Cooper, Sue Dolence, Jennifer Lindsey and Kate Moyes