Recycling cat litter???

Clare Q · #1 03/17/04, 04:06 PM

OK guys, with the help of my boy scout sons, we are getting ready to quit our trash pickup service, and recycle our trash. I have the papers figured out, aluminum and glass is easy, but I dont know how to dispose of our cat litter from our two house kitties. We are using a clay scoopable and just throw it into the morning trash. Soo, should I switch to a recycled newpaper product and burn it? Can I compost it??? I dont want to just dump it out somewhere.
How do you deal with this and dispose of it?

#2 03/17/04, 04:16 PM

You could try using a flushable cat litter and flush it down the toilet for the septic to break down. I thought I read somewhere about someone using some kind of animal feed that was compressed green stuff (chlorophyll keeping the smell down). That too should flush/break down.

Debbie in IL · #3 03/17/04, 04:22 PM

Litter Green (not sure if it is even available anymore) is alfalfa pellets. It always did a great job with the cat odor, but was a bit pricey. I would think it would break down fine. You probably could try pellets from a feed store. Not sure what you would do with the cat feces though. I don't think you would want that in you compost, but perhaps it could be buried?

KindredCanuck · #4 03/17/04, 04:33 PM

An option I use is chicken crumble feed.. its great on odors.. its cheap... and it can compost easily...

Just another idea..
KC~

Gayle in LA · #5 03/18/04, 12:14 AM

<<<<<Cat veterinarian here.........PLEASE do not compost your used cat litter. The colposting process, unless very hot and very well managed, will NOT kill some of the dangerous microbes like Toxoplasmosis, a major human health hazard. Burning the newspaper litter could be stinky. If I lived out in the sticks and could absolutely not afford to send it to the sanitary landfill, I would bury it 3 ft deep where it cannot leach and contaminate a well.

**Shrek** · #6 03/18/04, 01:31 AM

I pile my kitty litter way out back and down wind and add worms and vermi compost to it. It breaks down into yard clay. As far as toxiplasmosis, my vet said keep it out of the foot traffic area and avoid using it around food crops for a few years, but he also said it really doesnt make that much difference in the country since roaming cats regulary crap and pee in turned garden soil. As the kitty litter pile already has the scent , it could help keep the free range kitties from contaminating your food crops. Pregnant women are always advised to avoid cats and earth borne microbes during pregnancy.

Clare Q · #7 03/18/04, 10:28 AM

Hmmmm, I didn't think that this would be such a problem!! I think that I will switch to a brand like Yesterdays News (a pelleted newspaper by product) and try just burning it in our trash. It was so easy just to bag it up and throw it into the dumpster! Our recycler also has a bin for non-recyclable trash for disposal. I could also save it and dispose of it there weekly. Thanks for the input.

Non Sum · #8 03/18/04, 02:38 PM

The cheapest (clay) litter is washable, and dries nicely in the sun for reuse. I've been doing it now for 12+ years with the same healthy cat (who has yet to complain). BTW: saves money too!

#9 03/18/04, 04:12 PM

there's a synthetic litter that's flushable.
there's a litter made of pine wood, that might have some advantages for this kind of thing.
and this is a bit random, but i used to have a book by charles mingus (jazz bass player) and in the middle of all this different stuff about his music, life on the road, blah blah blah, there's directions on how to train your cat to use a toilet.

phil

sheraldyne · #10 03/19/04, 05:40 AM

We use Exsquisicat. Can be found at PetSmart. There is another generic brand, too, but can't think of the name right now. It is pelleted sawdust basically. A little more expensive than the cheapest litter ,but well worth it. When it gets wet, it breaks back down into a large dust I guess you would say. There is absolutely NO odor. You just give the pan a shake every once in awhile, and the dust goes to the bottom and the good stuff comes back to the top. I change the whole pan about every two weeks. I also add just a bit of new litter to the top every 3 or 4 days. The bag says that it can be composted. I have even just put some of it on top of the soil, and it will be tilled in later. Should help loghten up the soil a bit, too. We love it and won't use anything else.

Amy Jo · #11 03/19/04, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unregistered

there's directions on how to train your cat to use a toilet.

phil

Now THAT would be something I'd appreciate... I'm the designated "scooper" in my house. I'm hoping we can spring for one of those self-scooping boxes when we move to the new house... seeing as those "I'll help take care of the litter box and everything" people disappeared shortly after we got our kitties...

**Shrek** · #12 03/19/04, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Amy Jo

Now THAT would be something I'd appreciate... I'm the designated "scooper" in my house. I'm hoping we can spring for one of those self-scooping boxes when we move to the new house... seeing as those "I'll help take care of the litter box and everything" people disappeared shortly after we got our kitties...

Its done with a litterpan insert that fits in the toilet and is removed after the cat gets used to perching on the throne. I trained my first cat this way, however he peed on the commode too much and odor control was more of a headache than with the kitty box.