Greening Your Pet

When we've taken pets into our homes and families, we must be conscious of their footprints, too. If you have a dog, consider using vegetarian feed. Cats are obligate carnivores, but you can at least steer clear of foods with beef in them.

Cat litter is another major source of environmental impact for our feline friends. First of all, stay away from clay based litter. Clays are not biodegradable or environmentally-friendly. There are, however, non-clay options that clump. Try Swheat Scoop. Made of (surprise, surprise!) wheat, Swheart Scoop is 100% biodegradable, flushable (for both sewer and septic systems), compostable (non-vegetable gardens only, of course), and renewable. It is free from fragrances and chemicals, and produces far less dust than your typical clay based litter. The litter feels about the same as your traditional litter, so your cat won't have a hard time transitioning at all.

There are other options, too! You can consider Feline Pine, which is chemical free and made from 100% recycled material. There's also Yesterday's News, which is fragrance free, non-toxic, more absorbent than clay, and virtually non-tracking. (I have reservations about only a "significant portion" of this litter being post-consumer material.)

Tree Hugger has a post about making your own newspaper-based litter, if you are so inclined (and have a source of used newspaper). Check it out here.