At a recent talk at the Minnesota Valley Humane Society given by Michael W. Fox, DVM , Dr. Fox spoke of the importance of using a healthy cat litter. His choices are:
The World’s Best Cat Litter (corn-based), Swheat Scoop (wheat-based) and Yesterday’s News (recycled paper-based); in that order. Reasons cited included the non-chemical, renewable, biodegradable nature of these products. He also mentioned that the ingredients used in most scoop-able litter as a binding agent is less than desirable if ingested by the cat.
This was of particular interest to me since my boy, Jericho, is frequently constipated. It’s disheartening to think that stepping into his litter box to relieve himself, then cleaning his feet with a good tongue scrubbing could be causing him to ingest the very thing that might be binding him up – a vicious cycle! I’ve recently changed his litter back to one of those listed above. He has used them in this past, but I switched to a clumping, scoop-able clay litter for my convenience and cost savings. Sadly, I hadn’t given much thought to the effects on my cat companion or on the planet when I was using the less expensive, easier to purchase litter.
Dr. Cathy Lund, a friend and Jericho's veterinarian, pointed out at a recent vet visit that both corn and wheat are known allergens in cats. Clearly cats with such allergies should steer clear, so perhaps Yesterdy's News is a better bet.
