How To Make Homemade Eco-Friendly Cat Litter

Have you eve asked yourself how to make homemade eco-friendly cat litter? Any responsible cat owner should consider making their own homemade, eco-friendly cat litter. Since we care about the environment and are animal lovers, it is crucial that we consider it when choosing products for our cats.

When it comes to food, toys, or even beds, that is simple enough. What about those of us who want to make our cats’ bathroom breaks a little more environmentally friendly?

You’ll discover towards the conclusion of this article that it is indeed feasible to create homemade kitty litter that is eco-friendly. You’ll also be aware that it’s more sustainable as well as less expensive. You may become more self-reliant and benefit the environment at the same time!

Homemade eco-friendly cat litter: What Is It?

Cat litter that is eco-friendly can refer to a wide range of products and materials.

Usually biodegradable, it won’t spend a long time in landfills. Typically, natural materials are used to make eco-friendly kitty litter. This indicates that it will either be built of recycled materials or components sourced from sustainable sources.

It’s not necessary to spend a fortune on the kitty litter you use. You can more than likely find the supplies you need to make it yourself.

But what distinguishes it from conventional litter? Eco-friendly kitty litter is typically defined by what it is not, regardless of what it is made of.

Traditional Litter: A Challenge

In the past few years, regular cat litter that you buy at the shop has advanced significantly. A powdered substance that was initially only intended to soak up water and keep the house clean now has a variety of extras.

Currently, odor control and clumping chemicals are added to store-bought cat litter.

Mineral strip mining harms the environment

Although these are useful traits, the methods used to create them are highly harmful. In nations like Brazil, strip mining is used to obtain sodium bentonite, the mineral that enables some kinds of cat litter to cluster around waste (and thus be removed more readily).

Natural places are severely harmed by this practice.

Normal cat litter is toxic.

There is a lot of dust in cat litter as well. The dust itself may contain dangerous particles like silica, and this affects people who already have respiratory conditions like asthma.

Long-term exposure to silica can cause silicosis, a condition that can occasionally lead to cancer in people.

The Effects of a Cat on the Environment

Although cats are adorable, it is well known that they can have an adverse effect on the environment.

Toxins and parasites found in cat faeces are dangerous to pregnant women and marine life. You should therefore be cautious about where you dispose of it, and you should never flush it.

Using homemade eco-friendly cat litter is a terrific method to lessen the environmental impact of both you and your cat.

How to Make Your Own Homemade Eco-Friendly Cat Litter

It’s not as difficult as it sounds to make basic kitty litter. You will need newspaper, biodegradable dish soap, and baking soda for this particular “recipe.”

First: The newspaper should first be cut into strips. It will be considerably simpler for you if you have a paper shredder!

Second: The paper should then be soaked in warm water including dish soap. Most of the dirt and most of the print will be eliminated by draining it and soaking it again.

Third: Stir the baking soda into the mixture after adding it. This will cause the paper to fully dissolve and become very frail, so use caution. Because baking soda is a natural odor eliminator for litter, it is used.

Fourth: Let the mixture dry after draining. To remove extra water, you might need to squeeze it out. The paper will be gray and disintegrated into damp, wrinkled blocks. Let it fully dry before moving on to the next step (this may take a few hours).

Fifth: Crush the litter into smaller bits once it has dried. It will then take on the consistency more typically attributed to cat litter as a result. Place it in the litter box for your cat. Remember to scoop frequently!

Using recycled newspaper to make your own eco-friendly kitty litter might not be the best long-term answer. It can require more work. But if you are completely out of kitty litter and have no other options, you might take this into consideration.

Nowadays, it’s much simpler to get eco-friendly kitty litter than it always was.

Other Homemade Eco-Friendly Cat Litters

The aforementioned technique is time-consuming but inexpensive. Fortunately, there are other options you can explore that are environmentally friendly. Like with all of these, you should choose items based on your cat’s preferences; otherwise, they won’t utilize it.

Alternative Homemade Eco-Friendly Cat Litters

A standard newspaper is tried and true by owners all around the world if you don’t feel for soaking and washing the paper. It will be more effective to shred it first rather than use uncut paper, and your cat will probably find it more enjoyable.

Sand

Sand clumps when wet, making it a great substitute for litter that is mineral-heavy even if it is not recycled. Be cautious, though, since your cat may kick buckets worth of stuff out of the litter box or drag it about the house on their feet.

Chicken Feed

Chicken feed, which comes in pellet form, works well as a homemade alternative to cat litter. It is economical and a good absorbent. You can also add baking soda to the litter to get rid of the odor. The only disadvantage is that it could lure mice and pests, so take extra care when placing it.

Pellets for equine bedding

Horse bedding pellets, which are formed of sawdust, make a wonderful substitute for homemade cat litter. It is cheap, very absorbent, and environmentally friendly. However, because they expand in the water, keep the amount in check to prevent overflowing.

Pellets of alfalfa

Alfalfa pellets are not only a well-liked rabbit food, but they are also a good choice for cat litter. It is readily available at the local pet food store and biodegradable, making it environmentally friendly.

Crushed grain

Many of the commercially available biodegradable cat litters are only composed of grain ingredients. Although these are fantastic, you could also create your own version of this.

The same outcome may be achieved by purchasing whole wheat grains from any whole foods store (or even a pet food store) and crushing them in a food processor or blender. However, you can require quite a bit, especially if you have multiple cats.

Wood Shavings

You can have a lot of wood shavings or wood chip laying around if you experiment with other DIY projects. Why not scoop them up and use them instead of throwing them away? They are quite light and will occasionally become entangled in your cat’s fur while being incredibly absorbent.

Another environmentally friendly option that is safer than clay-based litters made from mined clay is silica gel cat litter.