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Cat litter

Cat litter (often called kitty litter) is one of any of a number of materials used in litter boxes to absorb moisture from cat feces and urine, which reduces foul odors such as ammonia and renders them more tolerable within the home.

Several kinds of cat litter are commercially available, enabling consumers to decide which factors are most important. Some cat owners are concerned about litter being tracked throughout the house, while others may look for litters that are biodegradable. Absorbency, odor control, texture, safety and cost are other considerations.

Flushing cat feces or cat litter

Cat feces can contain a parasite, toxoplasma gondii, that has been linked to the death of marine mammals, including sea otters, whales and porpoises. The parasite can survive conventional sewage treatment and can make it to the sea where it can cause fatal infections in sea mammals. Cats generally pick up this parasite from eating prey which is already dead; therefore, cats who have spent their lives exclusively indoors are not likely to carry it.

Conventional litter

One of the first commercially available cat litters was Kitty Litter, available in 1948 and marketed by Ed Lowe. This was the first use of clay as an absorbent; prior to this time sand had been used in litter boxes instead. The new clay litter was more absorbent than sand, and its larger grain made it less likely to be tracked from the litter box. The brand name has become a genericized trademark, used by many to denote any type of cat litter.

Conventional clay litter is indistinguishable from clay-based oil absorbent (used to clean oil spills); as the latter is far less expensive, it is often used as a substitute.

Non-clumping cat litter is often made of zeolite or diatomite.

Clumping litter

Clumping litters were first developed in the UK in the 1950s by the Fuller's Earth Union, later to become a part of Laporte Industries Ltd. The type of clumping litter developed by the FEU was calcium bentonite, a less swelling and less sticky type than American bentonite. Subsequently in America, clumping bentonite was developed in 1984 by biochemist Thomas Nelson. Most are made from granulated bentonite clay which clumps together when wet and form a solid mass separate from the other litter in the box. This solid clumped material can then be disposed of without changing the entire contents of the litter box often. However, the entire contents should be changed on a regular basis to prevent buildup of bacteria; every four to six weeks is recommended. At the same time, the litter box itself should be disinfected. Approximately 69% of the cat litter market consists of clumping litter. Clumping litter also usually contains quartz or diatomaceous earth (sometimes called diatomaceous silica, which causes it to be mistakenly confused with silica gel litter). Because of the clumping effect, it is not recommended to flush clumping litters down the toilet. The top two clumping litters in the United States according to sales data are Fresh Step and Tidy Cats.

In recent years, there are increasing claims that clumping litter can be harmful to pets because if it is ingested or inhaled, it swells and solidifies inside them. This is thought to be particularly dangerous for kittens, who are more likely to ingest cat litter and less likely to recover easily. However, other than anecdotal testimonial, there has been little evidence for the claim, and no confirmed cases in the scientific literature. Clumping clay cat litters also contain crystalline silica, or silica dust, which is a known carcinogen according to California Proposition 65. It has been proven to not be of a significant risk to humans, but there are no regulations or studies to show the affect of silica dust on cats. Clay litter has also come under scrutiny due to the fact that the clay used in its production is commonly stripmined in an enviromentally degrading process.

Biodegradable litter

Biodegradable litter materials are pellets made from a renewable plant resource, and include recycled newspaper (Purina's Yesterday's News), wood pellets (typically pine) (Feline Pine) that basically disintegrate when saturated, sawdust, corn cobs (World's Best), dried orange peel, or wheat bran (Swheat Scoop). The top selling brand of biodegradable litter in the United States is Feline Pine, which comes in both Pellet form and a natural clumping formula.

Each year, over 2 million tons of cat litter, or approximately 100,000 truckloads, ends up in landfills in the U.S. alone. Primarily this is not biodegradable or renewable and adds unnecessarily to the waste burden. Some pet owners prefer biodegradable litters due to its friendliness to the environment. Biodegradable cat litter can be disposed of in landfills with less environmental impact compared to the other products. Biodegradable cat litter can also be eliminated completely by safely composting the used litter at home. Other cat owners are attracted to the biodegradable litters because of their flushability or superior deodorizing properties. The natural litters are non-carcinogenic. Asthmatic cats may sometimes benefit from the reduced dust in some forms of biodegradable litter.

Biodegradable litter packaged specifically for cats tends to be more expensive than traditional clay litters, so cost is often not a positive factor in their selection. But most biodegradable litters (such as pine litters) last longer than the equivalent size of clay or clumping clay litters. Grain-based animal or poultry feed also provides an economical alternative to products marketed specifically as cat litter. Another benefit from biodegradable litters such as pine sawdust pellets is that they last much longer than clay litter — one inch of sawdust litter can last over two weeks per cat. Also, most of these forms of litter are recycled from human usage and are thus re-using a waste product as opposed to drawing clay from mines.

Silica gel litter

Silica gel litter, a porous granular form of sodium silicate, has the highest absorbancy of any litter, and has excellent moisture and odor control. Cat lovers' opinions about crystal cat litter are divided.

Some praise its absorbency because 4–5 lbs (2 kg) can absorb liquid and odor for up to 30 days for one healthy normal weight cat. Stir it daily when scooping the solid waste, otherwise urine can pool in the box. When crystal litter is saturated, at the end of 30 days or so, it begins to smell and is visibly saturated. In comparison, over the same time period it may take 20–30 lbs (9–14 kg) or more of clay or clumping litter, because you have to replenish the litter that is removed when the clumped urine is scooped out.

Others dislike that crystal litter gives them no warning when it is saturated; the next cat to use the litter box will leave a urine puddle at the bottom of the pan. Crystal litter is extremely lightweight, especially when compared to heavier clay and clumping litter.

Silica gel litter comes in two shapes: irregular lumps and small beads. Sizes range from 0.5 mm to 4 mm.

Litter for dogs

Although most owners housebreak their dogs (through paper training, crate training, or signaling to go out), enough people litter trained their dogs to make Purina manufacture a product sold specifically as dog litter, called Second Nature. Also, many biodegradable pelletized cat litters can be used for dogs.