Why Some Cat Owners Are Switching from Clumping Clay Litters

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If you buy your litter from a big-box store or grocery store, typically you&#;re buying clumping clay cat litter. Many cats love this litter, and your cat might refuse to use anything else. A worry with clumping clay cat litter is the dust created by the litter. All litters create some amounts of dust, but clay litters can create a lot of dust that can affect your cat&#;s lungs. So if your cat has a condition that affects her breathing, it makes sense to look for a low-dust option.

In addition to how cat litter affects your cat, you may also want to consider how the environment is impacted by your litter choice. A cat can use hundreds of pounds of litter per year. If you&#;re buying a mass-market litter that contains sodium bentonite clay&#;a common ingredient in clumping cat litters&#;the clay may be derived from strip mining that harms the environment.

There&#;s some evidence that this clumping clay litter with added silica could cause intestinal blockages in cats. This is particularly true when your cat has long hair&#;litter will often collect between their toes and they&#;ll consume it as they groom. If they ingest too much, there&#;s a risk to their health. Silica gel crystal litters present an even bigger risk to your cat if you&#;re worried about intestinal blockages.

Due to these concerns, it might be worth switching your cat to a renewable litter. Not every cat will agree to a litter switch, but some cats will. And we&#;ve heard reports that the owners actually prefer some of the renewable litters due to their superior smell, clumping action or other features.

With all this information, you might be ready to make an immediate litter change if you&#;re using a clumping clay or silica gel litter. But not so fast. Both studies and conventional wisdom agree&#;some cats will only use a clumping clay cat litter. So, keep in mind the very best litter for your cat is one they&#;ll use happily. Cats are creatures of habit, so you&#;ll have to take your cue from your cat to find out if they&#;ll accept a litter change. If they won&#;t accept a transition after several tries, it&#;s not worth a battle of wills. Use the healthiest clumping clay litter you can find and trim the hair between their toes when necessary to reduce the chance of their accidentally consuming litter.

Cat Litter 101: What is Bentonite Clay Litter? | Benefits & Risk

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If you&#;re a cat owner, you&#;ve probably heard about bentonite clay litter. It&#;s become increasingly popular on store shelves for its price point and unique features. But what exactly makes it so special?

Once upon a time, people began using bentonite (a type of clay) instead of sand in commercial cat litter &#; probably because asking sand to clump was out of the question!

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Shortly after that, it became the official cheap, mainstream cat litter for most pet owners.

Today we love bentonite clay litter because of how easily it sticks together when wet. And though its price point and clumpiness seem like a heavenly match, bentonite clay litter isn&#;t without its potential downsides.

There&#;s a lot to unpack here. Let&#;s dive in!

What is bentonite, anyway?

Bentonite is a type of clay that becomes extremely sticky when wet. It&#;s made from volcanic ash, and has been around for centuries &#; in fact, it&#;s one of the oldest known materials used by humans!

What are the benefits of bentonite clay litter?

Bentonite cat litter has a few distinct advantages over traditional sand, plant, or wood-based litter.

Aborbancy: Probably the biggest selling point of bentonite clay litter is its nature to clump. It can absorb several times its dry weight in liquid and expand up to 15 times its original size (just look online for images of clay litter dust forming these heroic-looking balls when damp!)

Cost Effectiveness: Bentonite clay litter is usually cheaper than other types of litter, and though that&#;s not usually a good thing, it can help balance the budget!

And part of why this litter&#;s so cheap is how stretchable it is. When your cat pees, you only need to replace the soiled bedding and clumps; the rest is good to reuse.

Odour Control: Bentonite clay is known to be very effective at absorbing odors &#; like a natural deodorizer. It also has a neutral scent (without any added fragrances), so it won&#;t make your home smell any worse than before.

What are the risks associated with bentonite clay litter?

Just like with any other type of litter, bentonite clay litter has its drawbacks.

Allergy Concerns: Some cats may be allergic to this type of clay, so it&#;s best to watch for signs of sneezing or irritation while using it. If you notice your cat is itching more or has red spots you didn&#;t notice on them before, switch back to the old litter and contact your vet.

Dust: Bentonite clay is naturally dusty and its dryness can cause respiratory problems if inhaled -not just for cats, but humans as well. To avoid this risk, make sure to buy a dust-free variety of bentonite clay litter and wear a mask when changing the bedding.

Toxicity: Bentonite clay litter is generally non-toxic for cats, with a few types containing baking soda or activated charcoal. But so many of them contain additives like fragrances or other chemicals that are dangerous if ingested in large quantities. Check the packaging on your litter to make sure there aren&#;t any added ingredients that could harm your cat.

Bentonite Processing for Litter

Basically, The bentonite-to-litter process starts with grinding the clay to a powder, which is then mixed with various additives like fragrances and baking soda. This mixture is left to dry and then compressed into pellets, clumps, or granules. Finally, the litter is packaged for sale.

Sounds innocent enough.

But the real danger is that every box of bentonite-based litter comes from strip mining. That&#;s what convinced me to switch recently from clay litter to wood and tofu cat litter.

Strip mining:

1. Destroys wildlife habitats.
2. Removes topsoil from an area and causes sediment runoff that contaminates nearby lakes and streams.
3. Scarifies the land permanently.
4. Contributes to climate change by releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
5. Generates a significant amount of waste products from processing that must be disposed of properly.

I&#;m certainly not shaming anyone for using bentonite clay litter &#; heck, I still have two boxes of unscented Purina litter in storage for when (and if) my cat wants a change.

We all live in a commercial world, and while buying environmentally-conscious products is good for the planet, it&#;s not always good for the individual &#; at least referring to their wallets. Case and point: we have to choose our battles.

Is bentonite cat litter safe for domestic cats?

The short answer is yes, bentonite clumping cat litter is generally safe for healthy cats and kittens. But that doesn&#;t mean it&#;s necessarily the best option for your cat. Look around for alternatives if your cat and your budget allow it!

Have any questions? Feel free to comment!

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