Cat litter is an absorbent material used to line the box in which the cat urinates and defecates in while indoors. It mostly comes in a granular form to reduce the smell of the waste material. Cats produce very pungent urine. It is highly concentrated with ammonia, which is the cause of such a strong smell.
Before discovering cat litter, it was challenging to live with cats indoors because the stench was unbearable. The discovery of cat litter helped many families to live with their cats comfortably in the house.
There are different types of cat litter, and each comes with its advantages and disadvantages.
How was Cat Litter Discovered?
Before the 1940s, many cats were wandering out on their own, but most cats started living indoors in the mid-1940s. To reduce the smell of their waste, the cat owners tried to use ashes and dirt in boxes, but this was not effective. However, in 1947, a man from Michigan known as Edward Lowe, who came from a family that used to sell sawdust, coal, and ice, discovered that clay absorbed cat urine and reduced the smell.
Edward helped his neighbor with granulated clay for her cat, and she reported that I was useful. The neighbor recommended the clay to her friends, and many people started using it. Edward named the product that he discovered as kitty litter and started selling it to pet stores. Thomas Nelson, who was a biochemist, discovered the clumping clay from bentonite.
The ammonia in the urine causes a strong smell because it quickly evaporates, but clay helps to reduce this smell. The ammonia binds to the hydrogen atoms on the clay to form ammonium ions, which remain bound to the clay and cannot evaporate; therefore, there is no smell.
Today, eco-friendly types of cat litter have been discovered, which are biodegradable. These discoveries have helped cats be more welcome in homes, and most people now adopt cats as pets.
What Are Other Uses of Cat Litter?
Cat litter not only helps to eliminate the cat smell, but that’s not the only way it is useful. Cat litter has been used to remove the bad smell in sneakers when a scented cat litter placed inside a sock is put inside the shoes overnight.
Cat litter is also helpful in the preservation of freshly-cut flowers. Grease spots can also be removed with cat litter because it absorbs the oil.
When placed at the grill’s bottom, cat litter prevents fire accidents because it absorbs the grease that runs off from the grill when grilling. When disposing paint, you can use cat litter to harden it because garbage collectors may refuse to carry liquid paint remnants.
Cat litter, when smeared in front and at the back of your car tires, helps it gain traction when the car gets stuck. Cat litter puts off pests and mice. And can remove moisture from your cellphone if it absorbs water.
What Should You Consider When Buying Cat Litter?
Type of Cat Clay
The first thing that you should consider when buying cat litter is the type of cat clay and its advantages and disadvantages. There are many cat litter options, and these options include the traditional clay cat litter, clumping clay, silica gel, and biodegradable pellet or granular cat litter.
It would help if you considered non-tracking cat litter. There are many types of non-tracking cat litter and these options include biodegradable cat litter and other types. You will have an easy time cleaning the house.
Cost of Cat Litter
The next to consider is the cost of the cat litter. The traditional clay and the clumping clay are the cheaper alternatives compared to the biodegradable types. It would help if you also considered the ease of disposal when buying cat litter. The traditional and the clumping clay are heavy and hard to dispose of because they cannot be flushed and have to be thrown away to the garbage.
The biodegradable cat litter is easy to dispose of because the pellets can be flushed or composted. It would be best if you also considered how long the cat litter is going to serve you. Traditional clay requires to be replaced many times, and this can be cumbersome and time-consuming. The silica gel cat litter requires minimal work.
Cat Safety
The cat litter’s safety is another thing that you should keep in mind when you are buying cat litter. The clay cat litter is dusty, which can provoke allergies, and it has been related to higher cases of cancers of the respiratory system.
The biodegradable cat litter is not dusty and is, therefore, safer. The biodegradable cat litter is more environmentally-friendly than the clay type because it is made from the recycled newspaper while clay has to be mined.
The Comfort of Your Cat
The other thing that you should consider is the comfort of your cat. The cat may be uncomfortable using the pelleted cat litter. Some cat litter is heavier than others, and this may be inconveniencing. The clay cat litter is heavier than the silica gel and the biodegradable type.
Cat litter helps to reduce the smell of cat waste in the house and has other uses like removing grease stains, removing the stench from your sneakers, preserving fresh-cut flowers, and preventing grill fires. When buying cat litter, you should consider the type, cost, safety, and ease of the cat litter’s disposal.
