Natural Cat Litter - Smartbedz - Organic & Environmentally Friendly
SmartBedz is a natural cat litter suitable for cats, kittens and other pets including guinea pigs, rabbits, gerbils and more. It is an organic cat litter made of straw which has been processed and formed into super absorbent pellets. It is also an environmentally friendly cat litter since its raw material is already a waste product, and because it is fully biodegradable.
But why choose a natural cat litter in the first place? And what is the difference between natural, organic and environmentally friendly cat litter? This article considers the various problems associated with non natural cat litter and describes the various types of natural cat litter available and the benefits and problems of each.
Natural Cat Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
What Makes Conventional Cat Litter Unnatural?
The vast majority of cat litter sold is either clay based (clumping or non clumping) or made of silica gel (also known as crystal litter). While both clay and silica are naturally occurring minerals, they need to be mined, sometimes using strip mining methods which cause a great deal of environmental damage. These minerals are also non renewable, which means that continued production means opening up more and more mines to meet demand.
In addition, some of these types of litter have chemicals added to them to encourage clumping or for scent to help mask odours. Ingestion or inhalation of this type of litter - which is often inevitable if they are dusty clay types - is obviously not ideal for respiratory or digestive systems. And since human owners have to handle the litter, they can also be exposed to unhealthy levels of dust.
Both clay and silica are non organic materials, which means they are not biodegradable and can only be disposed of in landfill, further contributing to environmental damage.
What Makes a Natural Cat Litter “Natural”?
“Natural” can mean different things to different people, and different types of natural cat litter can be natural in different ways. Some cat owners want a natural cat litter in order to avoid harming their pets with dust or chemicals. Others want a natural cat litter in order to avoid harming the environment. Others want both.
We define a natural cat litter as one which is, above all, made from an organic, biodegradable raw material. Secondly, it should have natural absorbency and odour control qualities, rather than being achieved through the addition of artificial chemicals.
Ideally, it should also be as kind to the environment as possible at all stages of its lifecycle, from choice of raw material through to disposal. And it should present no potential health problems to either cats themselves or their owners.
SmartBedz meets all these definitions of natural as it is entirely organic, is naturally absorbent and locks away odours, is chemical free and is fully biodegradable.
Organic Cat Litter
Several types of organic cat litter have become available in recent years, as a response to the non environmentally friendly cat litter types (clay and silica based) described above. It is widely considered by popular environmental groups that the use of organic materials should be encouraged as they are more environmentally friendly than traditional litters.
Organic cat litter does not mean “grown organically” in the way that term is used for organic food. It simply means that it is based on some type of plant material. Cat litters have been made from a wide range of plant materials including wheat, corn and wood. While all of these will be biodegradable, many of them are not quite as environmentally friendly as they might first appear.
Food crops such as corn or wheat have to be specifically grown, requiring fuel and water. In addition, many feel uncomfortable with the idea of using a perfectly usable food crop to make cat litter. Litter based on unused parts of the crop, such as husks or plant stems will obviously be better from an environmental point of view.
Litter based on wood (e.g. sawdust, chips or shavings) may or may not be a waste product from an existing manufacturing process. Although wood is a renewable resource, the time taken to renew a tree is obviously much greater than the time taken to grow a crop such as wheat or corn. Litter based on sawdust can be problematic for some cats and owners because the particles are very fine and can be an irritant in a similar way to dust - although sawdust which has been formed into pellets helps with this problem. In addition, the natural scent from woods such as pine or cedar can be off-putting to cats. Litter based on wood chips or shavings can be much too harsh on sensitive feet.
SmartBedz is a fully organic cat litter. Its raw material is straw which has been formed into pellets. It is fully biodegradable so that it can be added to compost or used in the garden as mulch - it can even be safely flushed in small quantities.
Organic Cat Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
Environmentally Friendly Cat Litter
SmartBedz is a fully organic cat litter which is also environmentally friendly at the beginning and end of its lifecycle. Its raw material is straw, an existing by-product of wheat production, which is then formed into pellets. This means that as well as being quickly renewable, its production makes good use of a waste product. It is fully biodegradable so that it can be added to compost or used in the garden as mulch. It can even be safely flushed in small quantities which makes it appealing to owners without gardens too.
Because it is completely organic and chemical free, it is also completely safe for animals to nibble at – especially useful for foraging animals such as rabbits or guinea pigs. It is also virtually dust free, as dust is extracted as part of the manufacture process. Combined with the lack of chemicals, this makes SmartBedz an ideal choice of cat litter for cat or owners with allergies.
Environmentally Friendly Cat Litter click here to buy our universal bedding litter from our online shop
SmartBedz - a Natural Choice
In short, we have shown how SmartBedz is a completely natural product, being both fully organic, chemical free and biodegradable. It is also highly cost-effective: a 5kg bag of SmartBedz can last as long as up to 35kg of conventional litter.