Find a cat litter both you and your feline can live with

Lately, I have been hearing debates about the environmental impact of the manufacturing process of cat litter and the impact upon disposal.

The people having these discussions are either not cat caretakers or they only have one feline. The real debate is: Will your feline adjust to a new product? Noble intentions are great, but if your feline does not like the scent or texture of the product you choose, you will be crying the litter-box blues.

Feline caretakers are bombarded with numerous choices. Clay vs. clumping clay. Plant derivatives, such as corn, wheat or pine, are all recycled matter, as is recycled paper pellets. Multiple silica gel products have hit the market in recent years.

Besides your cat’s wishes, how should you choose? Your main concerns are probably dictated by budget, cleanliness and ease of scooping or how often.

Mined clay is the cheapest alternative on a budget. You will change the box more often because this product is messy, even in the low dusting formulas. I call this variety my parents’ generation of cat litter.

If you are budget conscious, spend the extra to bump up one grade and purchase clumping litter. This litter clumps when wet and easily scoops out. Not every brand is equal in clumping power, so you may have to try several before you find one that does a satisfactory job.

Conservationists find clay challenging because of the large amount of space it takes in landfills. Only so much clay in soil is necessary to keep toxins from leaching into our soil. Let’s face it, we are running out of landfill areas.

My experience with recycled pellets such as corn, wheat, pine and paper was not very positive. My felines hate the texture of the pellets, and though they used the litter box, I could tell they were not happy with these products by the way they walked into the box.

Even mixing pellets with some clumping product did not please them. The pine broke off into pieces that were messy sawdust, and the paper pellets smelled like dirty ink when wet. The recycled paper pellets were far messier than the plant derivatives. My felines hated it so much they did not even want to use it post surgery!

Even if the environmental impact of plant and paper litter is more friendly, I say so what if the cats do not like the litter. Paper products are also messy if you have light colored floors. Save this product for post-surgery situations.

Silica gel is a synthetically manufactured product that is probably the most expensive to use. The product is very absorbing and odor trapping. The crystals absorb the urine totally by drawing the urine to the bottom of the box. You scoop less frequently and solid waste is easily removed and bagged.

In single-cat households, silica’s claim to fame is “You only change the box totally once a month.” With that said, it is clear silica has less disposal implications on the environment vs. clay.

Clumping clay and silica hybrids are also available. This option is far more affordable than pure silica crystals. Whether or not this option is available to you might be determined by the number of cats that need to use the box. In multiple-cat households, the hybrid variety tends to become more messy and much more scooping is necessary.

Finding the right litter for your ease of cleaning, for keeping you and your felines happy can be quite the challenge. Whatever you try, do not change out all the litter at once. You may have a rebellion on your hands. You may even want to stick to the adage: “Don’t fix it if it is not broken.”

Adoptables

Indie is a 6- or 7-year-old spayed female. Indie is a super friendly black and white tuxedo cat. When her owner died abruptly, she found herself homeless with her sister, Gabby. These two would like a home together.

Gabby is about the same age as Indie and is tabby with white. Her facial markings are very expressive and sweet. Gabby is ultra-friendly and is the leader of the two. These two are never far apart in one of our multiple-cat rooms.

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas

You can always shop in Buddy’s gift shop, but this year we are also sending out special Mother’s Day cards when a donation is received in your mom’s name. This is quite a unique gift for your special mom.

Ÿ Contact The Buddy Foundation at (847) 290-5806; visit us at 65 W. Seegers Road, Arlington Heights; or online at thebuddyfoundation.org.