Cat Litter

Cat litter

Given that cats are mostly indoor pets, one needs to keep a litter box with cat litter in it for the cat to excrete in. In the wild cats naturally excrete on softer soil so they can use their pawn and bury the faeces. To create a similar environment one needs about 2 inches of cat litter in the litter box. Cat litter also has materials added to it for absorption of moisture and elimination of smell so your indoor spaces do not smell too much.

Types of cat litter

The first kind of cat litter was created by Ed Lowe in 1947, this was the non-clumping litter which is a bit harder to keep clean. Later years saw the creation of clumping cat litter which makes it easier to scoop out the dirty bits without having to change out a lot of the cat litter.

There is also biodegradable cat litter; this was created as there is a lot of waste generated by cat litter. Biodegradable cat litter is made from various plant resources, including wood pellets, recycled newspaper, sawdust, wheat and such. This is generally more costly than regular cat litter.

Silica gel cat litter is another form, it is also known as crystal litter. This is the most absorbent option and also eliminates odour for the longest period.

Comments

A cat's litter box should be kept in a ventilated area preferably and it would be better if it is in a low traffic area of the home. This is also due to the fact that cat litter does contain chemicals and these should not be around people for extended periods. It needs to be cleaned daily as it could be a health hazard otherwise. How often one should change their cat litter is a matter of how many cats, but generally twice a week is suggested.

Litter that has high dust content is not good as it can cause issues for the cat as well as aggravate any allergies people may have, which is why lightweight litter is not recommended.

The price of cat litter is in the accessible range. Cats may need some training to understand that the cat litter is to be used, some people do this by initially adding natural soil to it and then reducing it and eventually having only cat litter.