Green Your Pets

I am the proud new owner of two 8-week old kittens. Now before you say, "What the hell were you thinking??" let me quickly say that they have so far been a joyful addition to our home. They have been here for five days. The kids enjoy them, they enjoy the kids (mostly) and my husband and I have our quiet time with them after the kids go to bed. That being said.....

I am trying to live a more holistic lifestyle. So of course any being who moves in with me is going to feel the effects of that process. And that means the cats. They are using a combination of two eco-friendly cat litters, and eating "natural" and also organic cat foods! Their litter box is made from recycled paper, and is 100% recyclable. Their water (as of today) is filtered. There blankets are washed using soap nuts, and have been dried in the sun. And of course they live in a home which has no harsh, toxic cleaners of any kind.

So. The particulars? Sure!

The cat litters:

I did an online search on "green" and "natural" cat litters, and aside from making my own (a cool idea, but really, who has the time?) these were the top two favorites.

World's Best Cat Litter: The bag reads: Pet and People Safe: Because World's Best Cat Litter is 
made from all-natural ingredients - with no added chemicals - it's 
totally safe for cats (and the whole family.) There are no toxins in 
case it is ingested. And unlike clay litters, there's no silica dust 
for you or your cat to breathe." It goes on: Planet Friendly: WB Cat 
Litter isn't minced, drilled or artificially produced. It's precisely 
milled from renewable whole-kernal corn and 100% biodegradable. And 
because it disperses in water, it's also septic safe and flushable!"

Feline Pine:Feline Pine. The bag reads: Chemical- 

free: Feline Pine Scoop uses the odor-fighting power of 100% natural 
pine instead of harsh chemicals or synthetic perfumes found in other 
litters. When your cat grooms, you can feel assured that he isn't 
ingesting any chemical additives."

Another popular one is called sWheat (made from wheat, obviously) but many complained of the smell when it got wet. I have seen this one at Pet Smart and at the grocery store, so it's easy to find. The others seem to be, also.

The food:

I am waiting to speak with the kittens' new vet on Friday to see what he/she recommends food-wise, but I'm kind of in favor of Newman's Own organic canned cat food. The cats have been eating another kind, and heck, I can't think of the name. I'll add it later. But they ate the one can of Newman's I bought for them to try, so that's what I'll get until I'm told otherwise. I also bought them some dry food called By Nature, which appears to be pretty good. But I'll update on the foods after we've been to the doc. It does appear that there are others like me out there, enough of us that there is a market for healthy, balanced, organic pet food. Awesome. 

The litter box:

I did not buy the litter boxes from this company, but this shows a picture of the kind that we use: Scuse the enormous link here, but I didn't feel like typing it! (copy/paste doesn't work for some reason...)

http://www.petco.com/product/9960/Kitty's-WonderBox-Disposable-Cat-Litter-Box.aspx?cm_mmc=CSEMGooglebase-_-Cat-_-Kitty's%20WonderBox-_-770272&mr:trackingCode=0408EC15-8381-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA


More later...