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Have you been out there searching for the best sustainable cat litter alternatives or asking whether wood shavings and sawdust can be viable options for cat litter?
Traditional cat litters are made from a type of clay that is known as bentonite which clumps when the moisture is added and significantly helps to absorb the odor.
Besides the fact that this is considered a natural product, the clay is retrieved in a very debatable manner.
It is extracted using a method known as strip mining which is not sustainable.
It also produces dust which can pose health risks to the cat and humans.
Therefore, it’s a good idea to think of alternatives such as sawdust cat litter.
Table of Contents
Why not just buy a Cat Litter?
If you are here, you are certainly looking for cheaper and healthier alternatives to clay-based cat litters.
The cost of buying clumping cat litters is very high.
Thus, you want to save significantly using wood shavings as cat Litter.
If you have more than one cat in your home, you can agree with me that the cost of replacing the cat litter will overwhelmingly burden you at the end of every month.
Furthermore, most clumping and non-clumping cat litters produce toxic dust which can affect the respiratory system of the cat and humans.
You need safer and healthier cat litter alternatives.
Lastly, environmental concerns and sustainability are important considerations.
Can I Use sawdust as cat Litter?
Sawdust can work as a viable alternative to cat litter.
You can easily get a bunch of sawdust or wood shavings from woodworking shops.
If you have your own woodwork, you are better off.
Among the benefits of using sawdust as cat litter is the cost.
Sawdust is inexpensive and works perfectly fine.
The sawdust has a natural scent that masks the scent of urine and poop.
Sawdust is naturally and readily available from workshops and it doesn’t pose any negative externality to the environment.
The scientific Americans have ranked sawdust as the best and the most feasible eco-friendly cat litter.
But still, sawdust has its own share of disadvantages.
It’s unfortunate that, unlike sand, you can only get sawdust from workshops.
Some trees have been identified as a human carcinogen which can trigger allergic reactions.
Thus, you need to be more careful when buying sawdust.
Some people claim it’s better to choose the wood shavings as opposed to the sawdust.
Pros and cons of using sawdust as cat Litter
Pros
- This is the cheapest alternative
- It’s eco friendly
- Less tracking
- No chemicals
- Natural scent
- Less dust
Cons
- Not all likes like it
- Cleaning sawdust is difficult
- It’s carcinogenic
How to use sawdust as cat Litter
Using sawdust as cat litter can be overwhelming especially if you don’t have the right information.
To make it easy for you, here are some tips to help you use sawdust as cat Litter.
The tips may not apply generally to all cats.
It’s clear that different cats have different tastes and preferences and there are chances that one point may not apply to all cats.
- Make sure your cat likes the sawdust-I’ve already stated that not all cats like sawdust. Sawdust from different trees has different natural scents which can irritate your cats. The best alternative is to make sure the cat likes the scent.
- Kill bacteria and parasites. The sawdust may act as a hub for bacteria and parasites. The best thing to do in this case is to either bake the sawdust in an oven for 10 minutes or spray to kill all the bacteria.
- Scooping the sawdust seems puzzling at first. However, with some little information, it will turn out easy and unpretentious. Always adopt the best method that works best for you.
How often should you change sawdust cat litter?
How often you should change sawdust cat litter depends highly on a few things.
The number of cats you have in the household and how often the cat visits the litter box.
You should scoop the solids and immediately add more fresh sawdust.
Other factors to consider is individual cats and the odor.
Despite the fact that most sawdust has a natural scent, it’s definitely good to change the sawdust more often as a way of reducing the odor.
Transitioning to sawdust from traditional cat Litter
The process of transitioning from clay cat litters to sawdust cat litters can take some time.
You have to ensure that your cat is prepared and the scent is not very strong.
The second step is to use two litter boxes during the process of transitioning.
This way, the cat will take a very short time to transition.
FAQs
What is the healthiest cat litter?
The list for the healthiest cat litters is long and if you wanted to learn some of the best alternatives, you will probably like tidy cat lightweight free and clean unscented clumping cat litter, the arm & hammer litter clump & seal fresh home litter and weruve it’s a tea potty cat litters.
Is wood based cat litter good?
Yes, it’s a viable alternative to other cat litters available in the marker.
Firstly, its eco-friendly, natural and recyclable.
The other advantage is that the wood-based cat litter doesn’t track and it doesn’t produce any dust.
It’s 100% safe for your cats and can be used by more than one cat.
Can you use wood shavings as cat litter?
This is a perfect replacement for conventional cat litters.
It has its own set of advantages.
It’s one of the best and the most sustainable cat litters that you can find in the market today.
This is definitely the main reason why many cat owners that care about the environment choose sawdust and other wood shavings as a cat litter alternative.
Sawdust is a viable alternative to environmentally unfriendly and expensive cat litter.
But it has its own share of advantages.
Some cats will not like the scent and at the same time, it has been marked as human carcinogenic.
Though, you can still transition to sawdust cat litter within the shortest time possible.
