Reduce Your Cat's Footprint on the Earth
Gardens are becoming increasingly important as providers of food and shelter to many birds, because of a decrease in natural habitats and food sources. Red-listed species such as the house sparrow, starling and song thrush are becoming more concentrated in gardens and therefore in closer contact with pet cats.
According to a poll conducted by volunteer cat owners from across the UK, a correctly fitted cat collar with a bell reduced cat predation by upto a third. Results showed that cats equipped with a cat collar and bell returned 41% fewer birds and 38% fewer mammals than those with a plain cat collar. (RSPB Public Affairs 6 June 2005)
Birds are most active in the garden an hour after sunrise and an hour before sunset, so it is helpful to regularly feed cats indoors at these times.
The Great Litter Debate.
Clay litter- Traditional clay litters are not the best choice for the environment, as they are not biodegrade and instead pile up in landfills. The clay is obtained through strip-mining, a practice that causes adverse environmental effects on surrounding soil, water and air. Clay litter is also not the best choice for your cat because they produce dusts that contain silicon particles, which are known carcinogens.
Recycled newspaper litters- Recycled newspaper litter is biodegradable, flushable, burnable and 99 percent dust-free. Some people claim that this litter has poor odor control and that the Purina version, Yesterdays News, is way over priced. Fibre Cycle, out of Australia, seems to be well received and I like the ethos of the company; their primary mission is to find innovative and environmentally friendly uses for recycled paper. If you’re really motivated (or broke), I found this great tutorial on how to make your own here.
Plant-based litters- There are a number of choices of plant based litters such as corn, corncobs, cornhusks, wheat by-products, wheat grass and beet pulp. We used to use World’s Best cat litter, which is made from whole kernel corn, but had problems with flies breeding in it (I think because they ate it) and, no matter where we put the bag, the rabbits would find it, chew a whole in it, and have a tasty corn snack (I even caught Peter in the cat box eating it once(Gross!)).
Pine/Cedar saw dust litters- The pellets that pine and cedar litters contain are made from natural scrap materials that are biodegrade (this litter can be emptied into your compost or mulch pile). They also eliminate odor naturally—due to the innate ability of both pine and cedar to absorb and neutralize ammonia—rather than cover up odors with chemicals and perfumes. Feline Pine is a wood litter, made from 100 percent natural pine, that claims to have had the harmful wood oils removed; the veterinarian of the house is skeptical, though, as the great smell they boast is a product of the natural wood oils.
Organic Food is Not Just For People
Today’s factory-raised cow is not a solar-powered ruminant but another fossil fuel machine. Read our previous post on earth friendly bison, and this one on how to get cheap free range beef. There are tons of organic cat foods on the market now, so look around, some are not even that expensive.
Earth Day 2009
To celebrate Earth Day and the launch of our blog, we are offering a giveaway: One of our popular hemp dog collars or one of our soon-to-be-released hemp cat collars.
Be sure to vist The Modern Pet Blog on April 22 to enter!
(Pssst! Other giveaways are going on right now!)
Plus special Earth Day blog posts all week!
* Download free earth-safe, pet-safe cleaning product recipes to save money and the Earth!
* Veterinary advice on how to feed your pet sustainably, while improving their health.
* Tips on how to reduce the impact your pets have on the environment.
* ...and more!