Flushable Cat Litter

Can flushable cat litter make litter box chores easier? There are both benefits and drawbacks to using this type of litter.

Flushable litter is usually made of materials that break down easily. Some of it can even be composted once the solids are removed. Some of the most common substances in this litter are:

• Wheat fiber
• Pine
• Recycled newspaper
• Cellulose (a plant fiber)

There are many reasons a cat owner may not like using clay based cat litter. Each type of litter has benefits as well as some negative qualities.

The clay based litters often retain the strong ammonia smell of cat urine. This smell can be difficult to get out of the house and, especially in damp weather, seems to permeate everything. On the other hand, flushable cat litter does not retain the odor as much. In fact, it can cover odors better than the clay based litters, especially if it is made out of pine.

The clay based litters do seem to cost less than the flushable (and compostable) cat litters. There is actually not that much difference in cost because of the weight difference. Keep in mind that although the flushable litter costs more, one pound of it has much more volume than one pound of clay based litter.

Clay litter must be cleaned daily and the entire litter changed regularly. The clay litter does not really biodegrade, and it contributes millions of pounds of waste to landfills each year. However it is less than four percent of the total amount of waste going into the landfill. According to Sorptive Minerals Institute the clay based litter may actually be beneficial to the environment because it helps to contain and filter the polluted water in a landfill, thus protecting the ground water and streams in the surrounding area.

Cleaning flushable litter is a simple matter of scooping out the waste and flushing it down the toilet. It is a quick and easy fix to a smelly cat litter problem, right? Maybe not. Some people have ultimately found that the flushable types of litter eventually cause damage to pipes and septic systems. While clay litter may end up in the landfill, flushable litter uses gallons of water each time it is flushed. There is growing concern that parasites carried by cats (and flushed) could be contributing to the decline of sea otters, as well.

The sodium bentonite clay used for conventional cat litters gives off particles that fly through the air as dust. These particles are carcinogens that can have an effect on the respiratory systems of both cats and people. The clay can also contribute to allergies and asthma problems in both you and your cat.

Of all of the reasons why cat owners may find that flushable cat litter does not work for them, the most frustrating may be that your cat simply won't use it. Cats are fussy about the way a kitty litter feels on their paws, the way it smells and other reasons known only to themselves. You may try every brand of flushable litter on the shelves only to find that the only type your cat will use consistently is the clay based litter.

One way to increase the chances that your cat will use the flushable litter is to transition slowly to it. Mix a small amount of the flushable litter in with your pet's normal litter. Each time you clean the kitty litter, add a little more of the flushable product until you are using only the flushable litter. Just be sure not to flush the cat litter during the transition process while there is still some clay litter mixed in.

The type of cat litter that you should buy is the type that works best for you and that your cat will use without problems.

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