Earth Day is April 22, and it is a day to celebrate and raise awareness about protecting our planet. We can all do our part to care for the planet's health, including our cats! So let's look at ways we can celebrate by going green with your cat. You can get creative by not only recycling materials but by making conscious consumer decisions when purchasing cat food, cleaning supplies, and more.
Eco-Friendly Litter Management
Save all that extra plastic in your house for litter box poop-scooping bags! It could be something like that bread bag, cereal box bag or the plastic bag that your newspaper comes in. Another green option for scooping the litter box is to use a bucket or other container with a lid and line it with a plastic bag. Put all the litter box waste in it. After a week, remove the plastic bag and put it in with all your other trash. You’ll use way fewer plastic bags this way!
Purchase Biodegradable Litter
One of the best choices you can make for your cat and the environment is to choose a
biodegradable cat litter. Look for cat litter made from biodegradable ingredients and doesn’t have artificial fragrances, additives or silica dust. Alternative litters that are made from a variety of materials alone or in mixtures, including paper, corn, walnuts, wheat, wood, pine, and grass are widely available. There are also unscented litters made solely from recycled paper.
Use Eco-Friendly Pet Cleaning Solution
Many cleaning solutions are harmful to people and cats. Try using an ecological alternative that doesn’t contain bleach, ammonia, formaldehyde, isopropyl alcohol or any other chemicals that are harmful to our planet. Look for products that are eco-friendly and made with biodegradable ingredients.
Looking for an easy-to-make DIY cleaning solution that contains no harmful chemicals? Fill an empty spray bottle with equal parts of white vinegar and water and add 3-4 drops of dishwashing soap. Now you have an ecological way to clean the litter box or other little deposits such as hairballs!
Eco-Friendly Feeding Methods
There are cat owners who are constantly buying new coated paper or plastic dishes to feed their cats. Instead, choose the green alternative and use dishes made out of stainless steel. When refreshing your cat’s drinking water bowl, use it to water your houseplants or garden rather than dumping the old water down the drain. And when purchasing canned food, buy the largest cans. It’s more ecological and less metal. And, of course, recycle those cans!
Make Recyclable Cat Toys
Rather than buying plastic toys for your cats, recycle your worn-out socks (or those single socks that seem to get lost in the laundry!) to be used as cat toys. Sock cat toys are super easy to make. All you need is catnip and an old sock! Pour the catnip into the top and then tie it in a knot. Fancy battery-powered plastic cat toys are often no more enticing to your cat than a toilet paper roll, crumpled-up junk mail
or a crushed-up ball of recycled foil. When purchasing toys, read labels and find toys made out of recycled products. For example, the RippleRug is an interactive toy that is fun for your cat and good for the planet. This activity mat will keep your cat entertained for hours, and it is made from recycled plastic bottles.
Make a Recycled Cat Bed
Instead of buying new cat beds, tunnels or cubes, use cardboard boxes. A cardboard box can be repurposed as a bed with a cozy blanket or quilt. Cut off the flaps at the ends to make a tunnel. Or you can place the box on its side to create a cat cube. We’ve seen people get very creative with their recycled cardboard cat bed designs - here’s a handy video guide for one of our favorites!
Donate to Your Local Shelter
Do you have old towels or sheets you’ve meant to get rid of? Millions of cats could use these items in shelters while awaiting their permanent homes. Many shelters are non-profit and appreciate these donations to help clean and care for the cats. It’s a win-win situation: you keep the old sheets and towels out of landfills and at the same time keep a cat clean and comfy until she finds her new home.
We hope you enjoy celebrating Earth Day and going green with your cat! Make sure to follow @BarkBuildings on Instagram for more tips and tag us with your earth day pictures! And if you live in a Bark Building, reach out to your pet concierge for helpful tips and pet parenting guidance.