One of the most practical and fascinating features of feline behavior is the ease of learning to relieve itself in the cat litter box. Although some puppies may take a little longer to adjust, most do in a matter of days, especially when the people who just adopted them know how to positively reinforce kitty for using the litter box. This facilitates the daily care of the cats and the hygiene of the home, requiring less time and effort on the part of the guardians.
What many people don't realize is that the quality and type of kitty litter you choose can make it easier or more difficult to adapt the kitten to the box. In addition, there are some products that can even cause allergies or inflammation in the cat's mucous membranes because they contain perfumes or irritating chemicals. To avoid these negative reactions or rejection of the cat, many people look for more ecological and economical alternatives, so they decide to make their own biodegradable cat litter. If this is your case, in this article on our site we show you how to make homemade cat litter using different options.
What is the best cat litter?
Today there are several types of cat litter that adapt to the different needs of each kitten and the economic possibilities of each guardian. Therefore, we recommend you calculate your budget well to know how much you can and are willing to spend on essential material for the well-being of your animal.
It is important to analyze not only the price when choosing the best cat litter, but also to prioritize the cost-benefit of each product. For example, consider the lifespan of each type of kitty litter to calculate how often you'll need to change it. Plus, you can also think about practicality, as Clumping litters generally make it easier to clean up droppings.
On the other hand, cat litter made from biodegradable material has significant added value because it is made from plant materials that decompose easily and spontaneously in nature so as not to negatively affect the environment. Although these products generally require a larger investment, it is possible to make homemade versions with affordable ingredients. Therefore, if you do not have litter for your cat and you are looking for a substitute, the ideas that we will show below are excellent.
Remember that regardless of the type of cat litter you choose to use, it is also important to know how to choose the box for your pet. Ideally, a model made of resistant materials should be chosen, as it offers a longer lifespan and better hygiene. Also make sure the size of the box is proportional to the size of your cat's body. The animal must be able to turn around completely (360º) and squat comfortably inside the litter box.
Can you make homemade cat litter?
Of course! There are many natural and inexpensive products with absorbent and/or clumping properties that can be used to make homemade and even biodegradable cat litter. Here are several very easy options to make with ingredients that can be found at any market, fair or he alth food store.
If you have the possibility of using organic products, this would be ideal to complete a cycle of sustainable and conscious consumption. Also, don't forget to ensure that no chemicals used in growing and manufacturing the product could affect your kitty's he alth. If this is not possible, it is also still a great idea to make cat litter at home. Follow the instructions below to find out how to save on kitty litter and what substitutes exist!
Homemade cat litter with cornmeal
Do you know that cornmeal that is used to make delicious sweet and savory recipes? Yes, it is a great product for making homemade cat litter and it is biodegradable When it comes into contact with cat urine or poop (which has a certain amount of liquid), the cornmeal forms firm, solid lumps that make cleaning the kitty litter box easier. Therefore, it is an excellent substitute for clumping-type cat litter.
To optimize the performance of cornmeal as a homemade kitty litter, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda, since it This product prevents the sand from smelling bad. You can use any type of cornmeal, as well as crushed corn kernels.
Homemade cat litter with cassava flour
Another affordable and biodegradable ingredient that can be used to replace cat litter is cassava flour. You can buy the same flour used for cooking, but you get less refined flour, that is, coarser, much better.
The cassava flour grains react on contact with the moisture present in the kitten's urine and droppings, forming consistent blocks with a binding effect. A good idea to make homemade cat litter is by mixing cassava flour with corn flour, as this enhances the properties of this litter and provides a completely natural, economic and ecological.
The only downside to yucca is that its scent can be attractive to many pets. For this reason, your cat or dog may want to eat the contents of the litter box. You must be careful to choose the product that best suits the tastes and habits of your best friends to avoid these unforeseen events.
Homemade cat litter with wheat
As we mentioned before, many people are realizing the impact of irresponsible consumption on the environment and have decided to adopt more sustainable lifestyles and consumption habits. Realizing these changes in consumer attitudes, many brands have started offering recyclable and/or biodegradable pet products. A good example of this is cat litter made from natural products such as wheat, without the addition of industrial chemicals (although not all of it is organic).
Did you know you can make your own kitty litter using 100% biodegradable organic wheat? In addition, it is much cheaper than the products offered in pet stores and supermarkets. If you can't get organic wheat or some cheaper solution, you can also go for regular wheat. However, we do not recommend using plain flour because it is highly refined and may contain some industrial residue. Also, because it is so thin, it tends to spread and can leave your house dirty and full of white paws.
Therefore, the most natural, practical and safest thing is to buy wheat grains and grind them with an electric mill until you get a bran relatively fine, but not a flour. You can also ask he alth food stores if they offer ground wheat to make the job easier. Once you have obtained the wheat, to make this homemade cat litter you just have to cover the base of the litter box with this wheat bran and add a little baking soda to avoid strong odours. If you want to improve the clumping action of homemade cat litter, simply add a bit of cornmeal or cassava flour.
Ecological litter for cats with sawdust
As expected, wood is a very versatile material, but it also stands out for being biodegradable and completely renewable. Of course, the supply must be well planned to avoid deforestation and certify the sustainable origin of the raw material. An interesting idea to replace industrialized cat litter is to take advantage of the sawdust that is often wasted by the construction and carpentry industry.
Remember the importance of certifying the origin of the sawdust before exposing your kitten to it to avoid exposure to chemicals or artificial products used in growing or treating wood. Ideally, you should source organic sawdust or at least organic wood from reforestation and sustainable soil management initiatives. As we have already mentioned before, to avoid the bad smell you should put a little baking soda.
So, how to make cat litter with sawdust? Very easy, follow these steps:
- Remove any splinters that may remain to prevent the cat from hurting itself by stepping on them.
- You can wash the sawdust or not, depending on its origin. If you consider that its hygiene is not entirely optical, wash it with an ecological detergent and dry it very well.
- Mix the sawdust with a couple of teaspoons of baking soda Another totally valid option is to dilute the baking soda in boiling water, put it in a sprayer and sprinkle all the sawdust with this mixture. In this case, you will need to let it dry completely.
- Place the sawdust with the baking soda in the sandbox and you're done.
Homemade cat litter with soil or regular sand
Sand is naturally present in many parts of the world and can also be manufactured for various uses in the construction industry, gardening and other activities. Cats, like most felines, are drawn to relieve themselves on land or in sandy terrain, including nature itself. One of the reasons that can justify this fact is that they can bury their droppings to avoid attracting predators or simply tell other animals that their presence is peaceful and not a threat.
Keeping the above in mind, an inexpensive alternative is to use regular sand or soil to cover your cat's litter box. You can choose between construction sand and natural soil that are easy to find at affordable prices. Remember that these materials must not accumulate moisture or impurities to avoid the proliferation of microorganisms.
A good idea is to mix these two elements, since the litter tends to stick to the cat's paws and spreads easily around the house. If you want a more clay-textured substrate, use one measure of sand for every two measures of soil (for example, two cups of regular soil with one cup of sand). If you prefer to make a more classic cat litter, that is, with a sandy texture, you should reverse the proportions and use two measures of litter for each measure of dirt. In either case, you'll be able to combine excellent absorbent and clumping properties to make homemade cat litter easier to clean.
Can sand from the beach be used for cats?
It is not recommended to collect beach sand because if we all did that, we could seriously damage these ecosystems.
Ecological cat litter with recycled paper
Another economical and environmentally friendly option is to reuse certain materials that would simply be discarded and give them a new life. Instead of buying new products and spending more, reuse things like newspapers, magazine sheets, and shredded paper to make homemade cat litter.
How to make cat litter with paper? In this case, you'll need to follow these steps to make cat litter from newspaper:
- Chop or shred the newspapers, magazines and papers you want to use to make the sand.
- Soak the shredded papers or chopped with a little warm water and neutral or biodegradable detergent to moisten and give consistency to the preparation.
- When the preparation is at room temperature, you should strain it and return it to a clean container.
- Add a little cold or room temperature water and sodium bicarbonate Then, knead the preparation to homogenize and compact it. The idea is to form balls or small blocks of compressed paper, imitating what would be industrial sand or silica grains.
- Strain again to remove excess water and allow the preparation to dry naturally.
- Clever! Now you can use the organic cat litter to cover the litter box.
With this cat litter option you will make absorbent litter. If you want pee and poop to form solid blocks for easy daily cleanup, you can add cornmeal or cassava flour to the dry preparation before using it to cover the box.
And you? Do you know other ways to make homemade cat litter? Collaborate with the community and leave your recipe in the comments! And if your kitten doesn't know how to use the litter box, don't miss this article with our tips: "How to teach a cat to use the litter box". Likewise, don't miss out How often you should change your cat's litter.
