Is my cat litter bad for the environment?

Question

I just adopted a new cat and as this is my first cat, I wasn't sure what kind of cat litter to buy. I chose Tidy Cat clumping litter because it came in a big bucket that I plan on refilling with whatever litter I buy next. However, I noticed some pine litter that claimed to be environmentally friendly. I don't think my adult cat would like it though because of its texture, so I'm hesitant to try it. But it has me asking - is the clumping litter not biodegradable?

Answer 1

I use clumping litter as well for my cat, easy to scoop out and refill (once a month, I throw out any remaining old litter, clean the litter box and put fresh litter - the cats love it).

I tried the pine litter, my cats didn't like it. I do think that the clumping litter is environmentally not the best solution, but there are far worse things, for example all the gasoline we burn and all the plastic that goes to the landfills. (clumping litter after all is silicone based sand product - what comes from the Earth, goes back to it, not the same for plastics and/or gas emissions).

Answer 2

If you want to change cat litters you just keep putting a little of the new stuff in the box over a period of time.

Clay litters are strip mined, clay is not biodegradable (just dump some in your back yard and revisit it in a few years).
Also clay litters produce what is called silica-dust (bad for kitty and bad for children and pregnant people), have fun breathing that in, even if they claim to be dust free.

The best clumping (non-clay) cat litters are wheat scoop, pea-pod and Natures marical (smells very good)

Yesterdays news sucks so don't use that one.

Answer 3

I use Tidy Cat but the non clumping. It's mostly clay.