Harry & Lloyd's Cat Emporium

It’s interesting how often things go through a cycle of change, only to return to nearly the way they were in the beginning. Those silly humans take something completely natural and think they can improve on it. Before long, they’ve created more headaches for themselves and, in attempting to solve the problems, often find they would have been better off if they’d only paid attention to the way things were originally.

Take cat litter, for instance. From the beginning of time, cats have been able to take care of their business themselves just by digging a little hole in the dirt. But it wasn’t good enough for humans to have their cats living outside. They wanted them in the house where they could pet them any time they wanted. But when they brought them in, they realized they’d need to provide a box of dirt for kitty’s bathroom.

Now, I wouldn’t want to go back to living outside. There’s just too many risks, and I’m quite happy being an indoor cat. But sometimes you just have to snicker at the folly of humans. They set up a box of dirt for their little Fluffy, but then they had to deal with cleaning the box every day. And boy, did that box smell bad in the confines of the house! So they set about trying to fix that problem they’d created for themselves.

I won’t rehash what’s already been written; there’s already a good description of cat litter choices. Let me just say that human tendencies in general have resulted in them scratching their heads over what to do with all of their own waste, let alone the kitty litter waste they now have to haul out of their houses. Their landfills are overflowing, yet tons of cat litter, neatly packaged in non-degradable plastic bags, are dumped there every year — a ridiculous end for something that would otherwise decompose if they’d just left everything alone.

But anyway, as to the cycle of change I refered to, I’m happy to say that environmentally conscious humans, in their efforts to be more earth friendly, have turned their attention even to cat litter. Now they make litter out of natural plant by-products, like grain, wood, and recycled paper. These biodegradable cat litters will decompose and can be composted or flushed into the septic system instead of going to the landfill. It seems a good compromise: better than dirt, but almost as natural.

Lloyd can worry about how to hide the litterbox…I’m more concerned with what’s in the cat box. I mean, I have to step in it and, well, you know. And I don’t like the dust and odor any more than my person does. After all, I have to be closer to it than she does. And I hate it when kitty litter sticks between my toes.

I know there are all kinds of cat litter. The traditional clay litter, clumping and non-clumping. The newer silica gel litter. They both have their advantages, I guess, but there are things I don’t like about them, too. For one, they both end up in the landfill. That’s ridiculous. For years cats have been burying their business in the ground and letting it decompose to enrich the earth. Now we have to wrap it in plastic and send it to the dump, where it will take up valuable space and never break down. It makes no sense to me.

I like things natural and environmentally friendly. This is the only earth we have, and I think we should be thoughtful with it. So I was excited to find out about all the natural, biodegradable cat litters available. These kitty litters are made of things like recycled paper, wood, and grain products, so they come from renewable sources. The litter will decompose right along with, you know, the other stuff, so it can be flushed down the toilet instead of stacking up in the landfill. I like that idea.

See what I’ve learned about green cat litter. (My favorite is World’s Best Cat Litter, because it’s made of corn, and if I get hungry between meals, I can sneak a snack.)