Eco-Friendly Kitty Litter

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Annie B. Bond
February 17, 1999
2:56 am
169 comments

Some kitty litters can be burdens on landfills and the traditional clay variety, which is often strip-mined, often contains silica dust, a carcinogen. Below are some tips for using a more eco-friendly litter that is environmentally sound both inside and outside your home. A number of eco-friendly kitty litters are available online.

• Try litter made from recycled newspapers. The paper absorbs just as well as conventional clumping litter, but this approach helps the environment by reusing resources. Two great brands are Yesterdays News and Good Mews.

• Another great option is litter made from reclaimed wood. Sawdust that would normally end up in landfills is concentrated without the use of dangerous chemicals to produce environmentally safe litter. Two brands are Nature’s Earth and Catfresh.

Read more: Pets, Everyday Pet Care

Annie B. Bond

Annie is a renowned expert in non-toxic and green living. Named one of the top 20 environmental leaders by Body and Soul Magazine, Annie has authored four books, including "Home Enlightenment" (Rodale Press, 2005) and "Better Basics for the Home" (Three Rivers Press, 1999).

also by Annie B. Bond

New G.

11:35PM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Thank you.

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Kathy G.

10:19AM PST on Jan 20, 2012

I have been researching many different kinds of kitty litter, but can't find one that I think would be both economical and clean enough for me. I have 4 cats, they all use one litter box, which is great for me, I don't have to run around the house cleaning multiple boxes. But still, 4 cats make a lotta poopoo!! I prefer the clumping style, needless to say because the ammonia smell would drive me out of the house inside of a week. I have seen litter made from wheat husks, corn, paper, and there was one other kind that I can't remember at the moment. Problem is, none of them seem to be scoopable. I can't see the litter going through the slots of the scoop. I can't afford to be completely changing the litter every day, especially at the price of these litters. I don't know if we have the paper litters that are mentioned in this article here in Canada, but I will look for them. In the meantime, any suggestions from those that have tried various methods? Thanks so much!

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Trudy K.

2:37PM PST on Jan 19, 2012

Thanks for the information especially options compared to clay litter, which I do not use but all 3 of my cats are pretty fussy about the type of litter, paper or Sweat they will use. It is a lot of trial & error with them. They do not like anything really scratchy or rough, scented or dusty. But I love them despite their quirks.

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Michele W.

3:24AM PST on Jan 1, 2012

Thank you

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meo D.

7:42AM PST on Nov 21, 2011

I used to use World's Best until I discovered that it is made from GMO crops. Then I switched to Sweat Scoop and liked that too. But this attracts mice and although the cat's love the "playmates" it is like I am bringing the mice to their last supper. So I am looking for a good paper product to use. I never tried Yesterdays News, but will give it a go. Would like to have a larger selection of this sort of product...

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patricia m l.

6:48AM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

Cedar-i-fic is another good one. Smells nice too.

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patricia m l.

6:45AM PDT on Oct 30, 2011

I use one made of crushed corn and it's scoopable. Since I live in a rural area, I just spread it in the meadows.

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Fred K.

9:47AM PDT on Oct 3, 2011

We can't have pets where I live (condo rules only allow 'service animals' and small caged pets or plants). My local friends generally scoop their cat litter and flush the clumps, though a few toss it in the compost and use it for flower and lawn fertiliser. Landfilling it just seems wasteful; at least the paper and wood based stuff could be used as tinder in a bonfire...