Kitty Litter

One of the biggest dangers to your cat’s – and the rest of your family’s – health can be found in the litter box. There are two important things to remember when choosing a litter: Your cat will inhale what is in her litter box when using it, and ingest it while cleaning herself.

Clumping litters may be related to a wide range of cat health problems including diarrhea, vomiting, kidney problems, respiratory problems, lethargy and worse. Clumping litter forms a hard, insoluble mass when it gets wet.  It also products a fine dust.  When cats use the litter box, they lick themselves clean and ingest the dust.  The ingested dust expands, forming a mass and coating their insides, causing dehydration and preventing absorption of nutrients.

Sodium bentonite is naturally swelling clay added as a clumping agent to litter. When wet, sodium bentonite swells to approximately 15 times its original volume, acting as expandable cement would. When expanded, this clay will block plumbing so just imagine what it can do to your cat’s intestines.

Some low quality clay litters contain crystalline silica dust, which is not biodegradable and is said to be cancer-causing. Crystalline silica can accumulate in your cat’s lungs over time which can result in a condition called silicosis, causing shortness of breath and reduced lung capacity.

Don't expose your cat to the dangers of clumping clay litters, espeically those that contain chemical dyes, scents or deodorizers. There are a variety of safe, healthy litters available including litters made from pine and wheat.