Organic Cat Litter

Many cat owners are seeking out organic cat litter as an alternative to the conventional clay or silica based litters. But what makes organic cat litter better than non organic cat litter? Here we examine the benefits of using an organic cat litter, looking especially at health and safety issues, ease of use and environmental impact.

Organic Cat Litter - click here to buy Smartbedz organic, natural biodegradable cat litter in our online shop

What is Organic Cat Litter?
Organic cat litter is any litter made from plant matter. Non organic cat litter, by contrast, is made from non-plant material, the most common material being clay of some kind, or silicon. It is important to note that the use of the word "organic" here does not necessarily mean that the plant material has been organically grown (i.e. without pesticides or other chemicals).

There are many different types of organic cat litter available nowadays, made from a wide variety of different plant material. Common types include litter made from wood (e.g. chips or shavings), food crops (e.g. corn kernels), non food crops (e.g. hemp) and crop by-products (e.g. wheat husks, straw).

Benefits of Organic Cat Litter
When cat owners make the choice to use an organic cat litter, it is almost certainly in the expectation that it will confer benefits either to the cat, the environment or both. However, not all types of organic cat litter will provide as many benefits as others - and not all organic cat litter will perform effectively in terms of absorbency and odour control. So it is important to understand exactly what benefits you are hoping for, and then choose an organic cat litter which can deliver those benefits.

Safety Benefits
Many cat owners look around for an organically based cat litter as a way to avoid the health concerns associated with conventional clay or silicon based cat litters. Clay based litters can be very dusty, creating respiratory irritation for cats and owners alike. Not only that, but some types of clay and silica particles are known carcinogens and should be avoided.
In addition, these litters typically contain additional chemicals to aid clumping or to mask or suppress odours. Clumping cat litters can present significant health risks if inhaled or ingested, especially for kittens and smaller cats, while perfumes can be irritants for allergic cats and owners.

Of course a cat litter based on organic matter could also be dusty, depending on the raw material and how it has been processed, and could also have artificial chemicals added to it. If you are looking for an organic litter on safety grounds, be sure to choose one which is dust free and chemical free.

Environmental Benefits
The clay and silicon used in conventional cat litters are produced using strip mining. And when it has been used it can only be disposed of in landfill sites, since it is not biodegradable or recyclable. Strip mining and landfill both create a great deal of environmental damage, and many cat owners are keen to find a litter which does not damage the environment.

Just about any organic cat litter will do less environmental damage than a clay based litter - but some organic cat litters are more environmentally friendly than others. So if environmental impact is one of your motivations for moving to an organic litter, it is helpful to know which types of organic litter do the least damage.

The most environmentally friendly organic cat litters will:
(a) Not cause damage to the environment as part of its production - either by causing direct damage or by using excessive amounts of fuel or water to produce.
(b) Not cause damage to the environment as part of its usage as a product - causing harm to animals or humans.
(c) Not cause damage to the environment as a result of its disposal - contributing to landfill or environmental toxicity.

Using food crops for cat litter seems like a waste to many, as well as requiring water and fuel to produce. Wood-based cat litter may or may not be a waste product or a primary product, depending on its source. The ideal environmentally friendly cat litter will be a natural waste product of an existing production process, such as straw or husks which would otherwise be discarded. It will, as an organic product, also be biodegradable, allowing it to be disposed of safely in a variety of ways other than landfill.

Performance and Ease of Use Benefits
An organic cat litter should be at least as effective and easy to use as a conventional litter. Few modern cat owners will be won over by the benefits of organic litter if it creates more work or difficulties, or if it does not perform well in terms of absorbency and odour control.

To perform well, most organic cat litters require a degree of processing to create an absorbent product. A high level of absorbency is also associated with odour suppression, since it is the ability of a litter to quickly absorb urine which largely determines how well it can prevent the formation of ammonia and, hence, control odour.

SmartBedz - The Ideal Organic Cat Litter?
SmartBedz is an organic cat litter made of straw which has been processed into super absorbent pellets. It is virtually dust free, as a result dust extraction carried out during manufacture, and completely chemical free - it is therefore completely safe for cats, kittens and humans.

The raw material for SmartBedz - straw - is a waste product of existing food production, so it does not require additional energy to produce. It is fully biodegradable and can be composted or can even be flushed in small amounts - it need never see the inside of general waste bin.

SmartBedz also performs well as a litter, being highly absorbent and naturally odour suppressing. Wet pellets swell up, making them easy to see and spot clean. This all means that SmartBedz lasts a long time and, if spot cleaned daily, will need a complete change approximately monthly for an average cat (compared to once or twice a week for conventional litter).

SmartBedz therefore has all the qualities of the ideal organic cat litter. It is a natural, dust and chemical free litter that is safe for kittens, cats and humans alike. It uses a by-product of an existing process, minimising resources, and it is fully biodegradable. But at the same time it offers exceptional performance as a cat litter, especially in terms of absorbency and odour control.

Organic Cat Litter - click here to buy Smartbedz organic, natural biodegradable cat litter in our online shop