EFAs

Pet Tip of the Month

Clumping Litter-A Health Hazard for Cats and Dogs

Many cat owners have been persuaded to switch to a clumping cat litter based on the ease of cleaning the litter box. But what the advertising doesn't tell you, is just how hazardous this type of litter can be to your cat's health.

Clumping cat litter is designed to both form "clots" and expand when it comes in contact with moisture, i.e. your cat's urine. This is precisely why the labels warns against flushing the litter down your toilet.

"Sodium bentonite, a naturally swelling clay, is often added as an extremely effective clumping agent. When liquid is added, bentonite swells to approximately 15 times its original volume. But because sodium bentonite acts as an expandable cement, litters containing sodium bentonite should never be flushed; when they expand they can block plumbing."

From "How Cat Litter is Made", Cat Fancy Magazine, (0ctober 1994)

After a cats uses the litter box, they generally lick themselves to remove any traces of litter that may be on their coat. If litter is able to swell to fifteen times it's volume in your plumbing, is there any reason to think this is a safe substance in the likely event that it enters your cat's body and intestinal tract?

Once ingested, clumping litter can coat the inside of the lungs, stomach and intestines, causing respiratory problems, digestive problems, vomiting, irritable bowel, and even death. The moist litter can coat the insides of the intestines interfering with nutrient absorption. A veterinarian may or may not be suspect of clumping litter as the cause of a health problem, but unless some other clear cause is found, you may need to suggest this possibility. Some holistic veterinarians caution their patients' owners against the use of clumping litter because these docs have identified the litter as the cause of above named problems in some of their feline patients. And the problem is not just limited to cats. If your dog "snacks" at the cat's litter box, he or she is at risk as well.

Next month, our pet tip will look at safe and healthy alternatives to clumping litter that are environmentally friendly both in their manufacturing and disposal.