From the point of view of being eco friendly, neither is biodegradable, and adds to landfills, and the process of strip mining adopted to extract the main component of most clay based cat litter virtually mutilates the surface of the earth. Once again, both are best avoided if there are alternatives.

This article lists organic cat litter alternatives that you can use for manual scooping as well as in LitterMaid LM900 Mega Self-Cleaning Litter Box.

Let us also add that we have never used any of the brands in our cat shelter. We use a mix of sawdust and raw wheat chaff, and have found them very effective in both odor control and clumping property. Our personal recommendation, therefore,  would be Swheat Scoop since it comes closest to what we use. However, it is best that you decide for yourself based upon real user reviews. Links to both Product and User Review pages are given for each brand. If you have Java script enabled, you can see a box preview of the product as well. To see if this works, just put your cursor HERE

Organic Cat Litter Brands (in alphabetical order)

Note: for each cat litter brand, only features that are not debatable are listed.

For example,  ’unbeatable odor control’ or ‘better than any other cat litter’ is not listed.

We have also avoided litter brands that do not explicitly state the components, as well as brands with baking soda, just to be on the safe side. Brands that are specifically meant for flushing have not been listed either.

CAT COUNTRY LITTER
This one is made from wheatgrass, and comes in pellet form, so that there is no dust. In any case, wheatgrass is good for your cat. We have it all over our shelter, and the kitties seem to like it. It is surprising that this particular brand has had not too many takers at the time of writing this post. Or perhaps the customers did not, for whatever reason, write a review. Definitely worth a try.

Feline Pine Original Cat Litter
Chemical free and safe for your cat; 100 percent natural
Designed for multiple cat homes
Even though this is one of the most popular brands available, users complain that contrary to what the company may advertise, there is definitely a lot of dust in Feline Pine.

Kitty’s Crumble All Natural Coconut Husk Cat Litter

All natural and pet safe; no chemicals, silica dust or fragrances
Made of organic and biodegradable coconut husk (coir) with Small Carbon Pawprint
Recyclable in garden, compost bin or green waste bin (with solids removed)

Kitty Crystals Premium Cat Litter
This is another one that does not seem to have too many takers. It uses Zeolite, a volcanic rock that has superior odor absorption, and releases the odor when kept in the sun after which you can use it again. We don’t expect cat litter made from zeolite to be reusable, but it ought to be effective. Plus, it is non-toxic and biodegradable. We are thinking of using zeolite for odor elimination in our shelter. If we do, a review shall be in order!

Nature’s Miracle Odor Control Clumping Cat Litter
Natural corn cob granules with odor control; pine fragrance for freshness, good absorption capacity, and completely biodegradable. Reportedly good clumping property.

Purr&Simple All Natural Clumping Cat Litter
This cat litter is made from nutshell! Apart from being completely biodegradable, the materials are apparently renewable in one year. That is, in a nutshell, this product gives back to the environment what it took in a relatively short span of time. Beats cutting down trees and planting saplings!

Swheat Scoop
This one is made from wheat, completely biodegradable and non-toxic. We recommend Swheat not because we have used it, but because raw wheat chaff has worked for us.

World’s Best Cat Litter, Clumping Formula

The original sales copy is good enough to quote:

World’s Best Cat Litter Original Strength is an all-natural litter made from whole-kernel corn. Why Corn? Corn has a unique microporous structure that provides a large surface area to effectively trap and absorb ammonia. By using Corn, it’s safe for both cats and kittens without worrying of ingestion, dust or allergy problems. World’s Best Cat Litter is 99% dust free, containing no clays, silica, synthetic binding or dust reducing agents found in other litters.

Despite the somewhat pompous name, World’s Best is supposed to be very good, and certainly worth a try. It should serve as the perfect clumping litter if you have LitterMaid Self-Cleaning Litter Box, and wish to avoid clay clump cat litter.

PROBLEMS WITH LITTERMAID SELF CLEANING LITTER BOX 

The basic problem is that LitterMaid works best with premium clay based clump litters  which could kill your cat. However, we have experimented with organic litter that clumps, and the machine operates just fine. Owners of LitterMaid that we know use equal parts fine saw dust and raw wheat chaff . You might want to use Swheat Scoop and other Organic Cat Litter brands. Problem with wheat chaff is that it spreads a lot, and the area becomes a little dusty. LitterMaid comes with a paw cleaning ramp! So you don’t really have the cat litter spread all over your home.

The Waste Disposal System is perfect except for the fact that it obviously makes the litter box sit on a higher ground. Usually cats leap up and investigate. If you have kittens, just put something beside the Disposal box to create a step.

How LitterMaid Self Cleaning Litter Box Operates

A sensor detects the cat entering the litterbox. The timer is set automatically to ten minutes. The litter is raked into a self sealing reusable bag after ten minutes.
CLICK HERE FOR USER REVIEWS

How the Waste Disposal System Works

A cabinet with a large capacity bag that expands as it is filled. You need to empty the litter once every two three weeks as opposed to one to two days in case of the basic LitterMaid self cleaning litter box. This upgrade is perfect for people who travel frequently, or for a household with multiple cats.
This is one of the rare items with superior user reviews.
CLICK HERE FOR USER REVIEWS: This one doesn’t seem to have anything negative about it!

A Final Word on LitterMaid LM900 Mega Self Cleaning Litter Box

If it were not for the poor sea otters, we would not go beyond Cat Genie. However, since we know that flushing of cat excreta is hazardous to certain aquatic life, we hope to convince cat owners living in coastal areas to stay away from Cat Genie or any other means of disposing of cat litter that flushes it out of the home.
LitterMaid, although it has no such problem, does affect the environment adversely in that if you are using non biodegradable cat litter, you are contributing to landfills. Please consider using one of the organic clump litters instead, both for the health of the earth as well as for the safety of your pet. We find this important enough to warrant a repetition in the context of LitterMaid, especially if you have not read the posts on the hazards of clay clump cat litter:

SELF CLEANING LITTER BOX OR NOT, THE WRONG KIND OF CAT LITTER COULD KILL YOUR CAT!

We are personally familiar with only two brands of Self Cleaning Litter Box available in the market: Cat Genie 120 Self Cleaning-Self Flushing Litter Box and LitterMaid LM900 Mega Self-Cleaning Litter Box with Littermaid litter disposal system for LM980, LM900. Several others are listed in later posts with links to User Review Articles. There are standard methods of self cleaning most of which usually involve a sensor that alerts the box of the cat, a rake that scoops up the litter and either disposes of it by flushing it down the toilet or by placing it in a disposable bag.

Cat Genie 120 Self Cleaning-Self Flushing Litter Box

This is perhaps the most well known among the automatic litter boxes available in the market, and has the unique flush away method of waste removal. Unfortunately, in some areas, you may be breaking the law if you use this particular system of automatic cat litter waste disposal system. For a very specific reason, this cat litter box somewhat unwittingly becomes a hazard to the environment. What makes it relatively economical and supremely effective also makes it hazardous to certain aquatic life, and in some areas, illegal to use if you live near the sea or a river. Cat faeces sometimes contain germs of Toxoplasma Gondii, a disease that can cause abortion in humans and kill sea otters. The self cleaning litter box that flushes out the waste through the toilet also puts at risk aquatic life. You can find details regarding this in the post Cat Litter, Strip Mining and Environmental Issues. 

Negative user reviews on Amazon regarding Cat Genie Self Cleaning Litter Box:

(Click here for all User Reviews)

The most shocking problem that a LOT of USERS have faced is that, apparently, some soiled litter frequently stays back in the box, and when the washable litter is being dried by the machine, there is an awful stench of baked faeces!
Before recommending this self cleaning litter box to our cat lovers, we did a thorough survey of the user reviews and found the ones that dispelled our fears. Apparently, the earlier model (of catgenie) was flawed, and the comments refer to that self cleaning litter box model.

The new one, CAT GENIE 120, works like a charm.

And it has, for all of the persons we referred it to. We would be interested in your comments in this respect, but people we know say that Cat Genie indeed works like a washing machine, and is an excellent self cleaning litter box.

Self Cleaning Litter Box Cat Genie Internal Mechanism

USP of Cat Genie self cleaning litter box

Cat Genie is Environment friendly

• since no strip mining is required to manufacture  the cat litter
• the artificial cat litter granules are biodegradable
• the litter is 100% dust free,
• and pose no health hazard for cats even if swallowed
• even the Sanisolution that washes the used litter comes in biodegradable and recyclable cartridges.

Cat Genie is Economical

• the litter granules are washable, and so you save on cost of buying disposable litter.

Cat Genie is Comfortable

Our Experience with Cat Genie 120 Self Cleaning-Self Flushing Litter Box

Even though we can and do otherwise vouch for Cat Genie 120 Self Cleaning Litter Box, we are also going to say that

Cat Genie is not Economical

• if your objective in buying this machine is lessening ongoing cost of purchasing cat litter, then you are probably better off using not so automatic litter boxes:
• The reusable litter will not last forever, and a lot of it will be lost in tracking, as with any cat litter. The cost saving calculations regarding how much Sanisolution you will need or how much you will save on ongoing disposable cat litter cost does not work in real life.
• The initial cost of the machine is high, and you will probably have to pay somebody to get the necessary plumbing done to get it running (we did it on our own: took time and had to buy the materials anyway)
• The self cleaning litter box mechanism runs on electricity – adds to the bill (not much, but adds nonetheless)

Cat Genie Works!

• This one scores in efficiency and hands free operation.  Just don’t expect this self cleaning litter box  to be a miracle box as well: Cat Genie will need periodic cleaning, and will most likely sprout problems like all electronics goods.

There is obviously an environmental impact. Sodium Bentonite mining makes business sense only when it is found close to the surface. Therefore, it is strip mined for cat litter. The top layer of the earth (the overburden) is removed, when strip mining, to take out the clay. Even though there are laws that the land must be left as it was and filled and flattened, how scrupulously such laws can be followed is anyone’s guess.

RESOURCE/REFERENCE:
ANNIEKATEC.BLOGSPOT.COM | BEINGGORGEOUSLYGREEN.BLOGSPOT.COM | EARTHOBSERVATORY.NASA.GOV | GREATMINING.COM | GREENLIVINGTIPS.COM | PETGURU.WORDPRESS.COM | PLANETSAVE.COM | NMSEA.ORG

Coal is also obtained through strip mining. The following excerpt is relevant:

The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed in 1977. This established federal regulations for surface mining and required federal permits for mining on federal land. The act also created the Office of Surface Mining (under the Department of the Interior) which was charged with restoring abandoned surface mines and enforcing the SMCRA regulations.

Difficulties with Reclamation Efforts

In general, however, reclamation can be very difficult. This is because the original ecosystem removed by the strip mine represents a delicate balance of plants, animals, microbes, and soil nutrients, and soil structure resulting from eons of plant succession and nutrient fluxes in and out of the system. Re-establishing this balance in the short-term is at best a scientifically challenging endeavor. 

(NMSEA.ORG)

So much for post strip mining replenishment of the environment.

Image Courtesy www.anniekatec.blogspot.com

Please visit Polarintertia.com for wonderful (or hideous) slideshow about what strip mining does to  mountains. It is not very different from watching scenes depicting animal abuse and mutilation. Here is an image that shows the process (Click on the image on the right to view it in original size).

The clay for the cat litter is dried under extreme heat and turned into a powder or flake. There is a finer quality of powder that comes out of the cat litter making process that is used in the cosmetic industry.  The strip mining process, the cost of transportation to the drying facility as well as the use of petroleum products to dry the material does present some questions regarding whether such cat litter should be produced at the expense of the ecology. Add to that the fact that the used clay cat litter is not biodegradable, and is dumped into landfills.

Even cat litter that is biodegradable finds it difficult to degrade in a landfill since the waste is packed too tightly for oxygen to circulate optimally. One can only imagine what happens to the non biodegradable variety of cat litter that must be packed in a similar way. No one stores used cat litter at home. Just visualize the amount of cat litter that gets to landfill every single day, not to mention the amount of cat litter that ends up there in a year.

You are not supposed to flush cat litter down the toilet if you live near the sea or a river.

A a parasite in the feces, toxoplasma gondii, obviously still with the cat litter when it is flushed,  may be  killing sea otters.

An amendment to the California Fish and Game Code provides:

The Legislature finds and declares that several types of nonpoint source pollution are harmful to sea otters, and that scientific studies point to links between cat feces, the pathogen T-ghondii, and sea otter mortality. The Legislature further finds and declares that efforts to reduce the flushing of cat litter and car feces are steps toward better water quality in sea otters’ natural habitat.
Any cat litter offered for sale in this state shall contain one of the following statements:
“Encouraging your cat to use an indoor litter box, or properly disposing of outdoor cat feces, is beneficial to overall water quality. Please do not flush cat litter in toilets or dispose of it outdoors in gutters or storm drains.”
A general statement that encourages the disposal of cat feces in trash and discourages flushing cat feces in toilets or disposing of them in drains. (See California Fish and Game Code Section 4501).
As part of its educational outreach regarding toxoplasma, the Monterey Bay Aquarium suggests that guardians of indoor/outdoor cats provide an outdoor litter box as well as an indoor one.

Landfills, then, seem like the only option for used cat litter, and the less space for us and our cats as more and more non biodegradable cat litter accumulates in the landfills.

Strip Mining and Clay or Silica Cat Litters may be redundant after all

Whether or not we should seek out alternative sources of power is a question reserved for elsewhere. As a layperson, however, I tend to believe that destroying the planet cannot logically be the only means to light up our glorious civilization. As far as cat litter is concerned, with all the organic alternatives available in the market, the strip mining and industrial expenses for cat litter appears to be somewhat redundant.  Stripping the surface off the earth and laying it bare for cat litter that we do not need hardly makes sense.

Pet owners choose the most effective cat litter, the clump cat litter, without realizing where it comes from or where it will go. These are people that are already going that extra mile to care for a different species. Surely, if they were informed of the dangers of these cat litter varieties to their pets as well as to themselves and to the environment in general, they would opt for the organic alternatives  instead.  All we need is to let people know of  the truth about cat litter and strip mining. (Click here for information on Organic Cat Litter).

If you intend to let others know of the environmental impact of strip mining for cat litter, please click on the share buttons below and let people know that they do have choices.

If there’s one thing you can be sure of, it is that cats will lick themselves after using the Bentonite Clay litter (or any cat litter) because this clumping agent will stick to their paws.

Every time your pets visit the litter box, they ingest the cat litter through inhalation and licking.

RESOURCE / REFERENCE:
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The Bentonite Clay litter accumulates in their stomach and swells, forming a hard lump that renders the stomach to the same state as blocked plumbing. The body will try to cleanse itself through repeated bouts of diarrohoea during which time the stomach can hardly absorb any nutrient. Unfortunately, only the diarrohoea is diagnosed by most doctors, and medicines prescribed upon vague diagnosis. The patient eventually succumbs to a very painful death. The only treatment is first to remove the cat from the litter, and then to put him on holistic treatment using soothing laxatives to get rid of the poison. During this time, homemade chicken or fish broth or stock is prescribed for diet, and if the treatment had begun early, the patient will likely recover in a few months time.

Currently, there are three main categories of cat litter: clump, silica crystal and the plastic crystal varieties. The last one is used by Cat Genie automatic litter box and it is reusable (until you have to replace it). The first two types are used by Litter Maid, a Self Cleaning Litter Box. Apart from these two leading brands, clump and crystal cat litter are sold by various companies, either as a standalone product or as part of the specific brand of cat litter box.

The clump variety of cat litter comes as grainy particles that absorb the liquid from the excreta and also controls the odor by forming clumps which can then be scooped out and replaced. The most powerful clumping substance is Sodium Bentonite, a certain type of clay that swells up to 15 times its volume in the presence of water, and is, therefore, extremely effective as cat litter. Today, more than 50% of the cat litter sold in the U.S. is of the clumping variety, and most of it is made from bentonite clay. We are warned against flushing cat litter that is made of sodium bentonite as the cement like clumping property can block plumbing.

The problem is not the clumping property of the cat litter, but the material used in clumping.

This, of course, can be easily overcome by switching over to an Organic clumping material. There are a number of organic clump litter available.  Natural Wheat Cat Litter from Swheat Scoop is what we can probably vouch for. Probably, because even though we use wheat scoop, it is not the Swheat product. We purchase the chaff of wheat from wheat grinding mills in our locality and so far, the stuff has been more than excellent as litter.

The litter ‘box’ in our shelter is basically some shallow trenches dug in the ground and filled with sawdust and wheat chaff with a bit of citronella oil thrown in from time to time.

Recycled newspaper, wood shavings, good old sawdust, wheat chaff – anything organic that will not behave like cement is good cat litter for your furry baby. Click here for a list of  Organic Cat Litter types .

Even silica crystals are not safe, and apparently, the litter in this case is responsible for affecting the lung tissues of the cat with lesions, and eventually causing cancer of the lungs or the throat. Cat litter is meant for your relief and for your cat to relieve himself. Read the details about silica gel crystal litter here.

Several animal welfare organizations have already begun to garner support against the production of such harmful cat litter, and if you wish to join them, you could begin with a click!

TO LET MORE PET LOVERS KNOW OF THE DANGERS OF CLUMP CAT LITTER, PLEASE CLICK THE SHARE BUTTONS BELOW.

Silica gel is  cat litter often touted as harmless to humans and animals alike. However, some people use crushed silica gel to kill bed bugs and cockroaches, apparently! Regarding silica gel, the following excerpts might serve to illustrate exactly how harmless it really is as cat litter.

We have been using “crystal” cat litter that is a silica gel for several months. It is far and away the best litter we’ve tried in terms of odor control and ease of use.

However there is a tremendous amount of dust emanating from the stuff. It is so heavy, I fill the box by taking it outside, holding the bag several feet above the box, and pouring slowly so the dust blows off in the breeze. I hold my breath too. If by chance I breathe it, intense coughing is the result.

I’ve also noticed a few times, that when the box is fresh, the cat will leave the box and wheeze a few times

That quote is from a real life user of silica gel cat litter.

(http://www.mothering.com/community/t/794980/silica-dust-in-cat-litter-dangerous)

And this one is from a real life case study on silica  in cat litter and its effect on cats :
(http://www.stuffweuse.com/Lungwash.html)

Inhaled silica dust has been implicated as a cause of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases in humans and several animal species. Electron microscopy and x-ray spectroscopy were used to identify and characterize dust particles from seven brands of commercially available clay cat litters and to identify, characterize and quantify particles in the lung wash fluid of six cats with and six cats without signs of respiratory disease. Dust particles from clay cat litter have an identifiable appearance and elemental ratio (primarily aluminum and silica) and the same pattern was observed in particles obtained from lung wash fluid. Significantly more silica particles were obtained from cats with than without respiratory disease. This suggests an association between presence of silica particles and respiratory disease, but it is unknown whether silica dust particles contribute to respiratory disease or accumulate because of interference with normal lung ciliary function.

Silica Gel Crystal Cat Litter

Silica crystals are filled with millions of micro pores that absorb the moisture. Silica gel increases the porosity of sodium silicate. This cat litter is made from silica dioxide, the type of sand found in quartz. This, mixed with oxygen and water, make silica gel. The crystals are super absorbent, and suck the moisture out of the kitty poo. No wonder it makes for an excellent cat litter.

Sodium Bentonite is not the only culprit in clay based cat litters. Clay, as a substance is harmful if inhaled in the dust form. Apart from that, in clay based clump cat litter, silicon constitutes most of the dust particles. And that is not a healthy situation for either the human members of the household or the feline one that is using the cat litter.

The possible carcinogenic property of silica and the disease Silicosis probably should not be taken lightly. The blue colour often found in silica cat litters that indicates that the litter is fresh (and turns pink when fully abosrbed) is created by Cobalt Chloride, once again ‘possibly carcinogenic’ to humans and definitely hazardous to aquatic life and the environment in general. Cobalt Chloride free Silica Gel is being made available in the market for that very reason though not as cat litter . So far, we have not found any cat litter that advertises itself as being silica gel crystal without the ‘possible’ potential threat. Please feel free to post a comment if you are aware of an environment friendly and non-threatening silica gel cat litter brand. It may be a simple move to switch to organic cat litter, since organic alternatives to silica gel are abundantly available in the market.

Cat owners, if they were aware of the properties of silica gel cat litter, would surely check out these organic alternatives.

If you are convinced by now that there is more to silica gel cat litter than meets the eye and ear,

Please click on the buttons below to encourage people to find out the truth about silica gel cat litter.

RESOURCE/REFERENCE:
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