Composting Cat Litter

Have you ever thought of using your old cat litter as mulch for your flower beds? It may sound disgusting, but yesterday I went to a pet store that sells organic and biodegradable cat litters. Here's a run-down on the ones they sell that clump:

• S' Wheat Scoop brand is made from wheat
• Cat Country Elite brand is made from wheat grass
• P-Pod brand is made from pea-pods with a mint scent (mint is in the catnip family - it's supposed to calm down stressed cats and cats with litterbox issues
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• Vet Basis brand is made from lavender scented corn (also to calm a cat down that has issues with using his litterbox)
• World's Best brand is made from corn*
• Feline Pine brand is made from pine needles*

*These last two are specially made for cats with "litter box problems" or litter box "rage"

Each of the above litters has a different price range.

I bought the one made from wheat grass because it's supposed to have excellent odor control. It cost under $6 for 8 pounds. Most of the ones made from food can also be flushed. I plan on composting my litter before I use it as mulch (even though you don't have to) to help purify it a bit. If you are also interested in using a cat litter that's actually good for the environment, phone some of the pet stores in your area and see what natural based litters they carry or google any that I mentioned above.

Source: If you live in Washington state, the store that sells natural pet products is called Mud Bay Granary.

By Cyinda from near Seattle

Answers:

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

Since sending this post in several weeks back, I have had the time to really try out my organic cat litter made from wheat grass (Cat Country Elite) and I can't say enough good things about it! It has suberb odor control! The odor control is far better than any regular clay based litter, or any sand-scoopable and also far better than any crystal litter I've tried to date. I live in a small mobile home and the litter box is in a tiny bathroom under the sink and believe me when I tell you, there is absolutely no scent of cat-pee! You can even flush this litter and many of the other ones I mentioned because you are just flushing "food" products, but because I have a septic tank, I don't think I want to take the chance so I am instead composting the old litter. I can vouch for the Cat Country Elite. It's a wonderful product that not only stops all cat urine odor, but I don't feel bad using it because it won't hurt the environment. It's also fairly cheap (a month's worth is about $12, that's 3 full litter changes and two, 8 lb bags). As the cat uses it the litter fluffs up, so you need to add less litter than you'd think. I can't believe it, no more litterbox smell!

VetBasis litter is not made from corn (as I'd previously posted) but for corn cobs. Also each litter I mentioned above is a "clumping" litter. There are many other organic and healthy litters out there, there's also another a litter and animal bedding product derived from corncob called "Kaytee Kay-Kob".

* These natural litters can be used as mulch in flower gardens only. Do NOT use them in FOOD gardens! I am composting mine, so it can sit for a year to "breath and break down" before I actually use it in my garden.

P-Pod and VetBasis are the ones specially made for cats with "litter box problems" or litter box "rage" (because of the lavender or mint scent) NOT " Worlds Best" or "Feline Pine" as stated in the above post. (04/24/2008)

By Cyinda

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

I just bought World's Best the other day, and so far, I am pleased. I am scooping daily, so that helps with odor control. And being able to flush is great! It's not available in my town, but found it at Petsmart up where my sister lives. (04/25/2008)

By wendinbill

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

I have worked for a veterinarian for over 27 years. Please DO NOT use pine scented litter! It causes upper respiratory infections. Thank you. (04/26/2008)

By Sherri

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

It's a nice idea, but please don't do this if you are using your compost for a vegetable garden or have small children outside or a pregnant woman in the house, as cat feces contain the microbial parasite Toxoplasma gondii. (05/07/2008)

By Hank

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

Unless your cat eats organically as well and is also an indoor cat, there is no way I would want your compost near my home grown organic garden. That would be pointless! (05/28/2008)

By Sarah

Using Organic Cat Litter as Compost and Mulch

I have been experimenting with a variety of eco-friendly cat litters and by far my favorite is "World's Best Cat Litter" for its pleasant smell, clumpability, and natural ingredients (corn). "Swheat Scoop" didn't clump that well and the ammonia smell was really strong when I'd go to scoop out the frequently-falling-apart clumps. It's not very absorbent either (I wonder if they need to make the granules finer for more surface area.); unless I had about six inches of it in the pan the urine would find its way to the bottom and create a caked on mess. "Healthy Pet P-Pod Clumping Cat Litter" clumps better than "Swheat Scoop" (not as well as "World's Best"), but it's very dusty; it gets tracked all over by the cats and when I'm cleaning it I have to cover my mouth and nose. The cats (three of them) don't like this litter either. We have two boxes and (we're at the tail-end of experimenting) their preference is for the one with "World's Best" in it. (12/01/2008)

By Sirius Putsch