Cat litter (English: Kitty litter) [1] was invented by American Edward Lowe in 1947 [2] to bury and absorb cat feces and urine. It is used by owners who keep cats as pets. In addition to cats In addition, rabbits, ferrets, miniature pigs, or small dogs such as beagles and Chihuahuas can also use cat litter spontaneously or through training.
Many owners don’t let their pets stay outside, fearing dangers such as weather, wildlife, or traffic that may harm their health (the average lifespan of indoor cats is 10 years longer than that of outdoor cats). [3]Cat litter can effectively help pets avoid these outdoor dangers.
In the wild, cats will instinctively eliminate in soft or sandy soil to mask the smell, covering their feces with backward sweeps of their paws. To stimulate this instinct, cat litter is generally made in lengths of one inch (2.5 cm) or more. Cat litter is usually a loose granular material that can absorb moisture and odors (such as ammonia). It is generally used together with a cat litter box (or cat toilet). Pour an appropriate amount of cat litter into the cat litter box. When a trained cat needs to urinate, it will walk into the litter box and urinate on it. Some cat litter brands contain baking soda to absorb odors. The material of cat litter should satisfy the cat’s instinctive desire to dig. The most common material is clay, although recycled paper pellets and silica-based “crystalline” cat litter are also available. Sometimes, natural mud is also used when owners wish to stimulate their cat’s instincts.
Cat litter on the market is mostly granular, and commonly used ones include soil sand, mineral sand, paper sand, crystal sand, tofu sand, wood sand, wheat sand, etc.
Cat litter is a $2 billion industry in the United States, consuming 5 billion pounds (2.268 million tons) of mineral clay annually.
Non-clumping traditional cat litter
The earliest commercially available cat litter in the United States was the Kitty Litter brand launched in 1947, sold by Edward Lowe. [5] This was the first time clay was used in the form of Fuller’s soil in a cat litter box. Before that, materials such as sand, paper, and sawdust were mainly used. Clay is much more absorbent than sand, and this type of litter is made into large particles or clumps, making it less likely to spill out of the litter box. The brand name Kitty Litter has become a generic trademark. Today, cat litter can be purchased at a low price in various retail stores. Because conventional clay cat litter is more expensive, cheaper oil absorbers containing clay for cleaning oil spills are often used as an alternative. [6] Non-clumping cat litter is typically made from zeolite, diatomaceous earth, and sepiolite.
Clumping cat litter
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Traditional clay cat litter, like ash and sand, must be replaced frequently, making cleaning the litter box a tedious task. Biochemist and cat lover Thomas Nelson began researching alternative clay formulations in the early 1980s after feeling uncomfortable using traditional cat litter. He observed that bentonite clay clumps together when moist, which separates the waste and makes it easier to scoop out contaminated cat litter, leaving behind clean litter. [8]
Clumping cat litter typically contains quartz or diatomaceous earth, sometimes called diatomaceous earth silica, but is not the same as silica gel cat litter. [9] Due to the effects of clumping, manufacturers often indicate not to flush clumped cat litter down the toilet, as it may clog the toilet. [10]
Bentonite cat litter, like traditional clay cat litter, has the ability to isolate urine and attach nitrogen compounds produced by urine degradation, so it has a certain deodorizing function. [8] Clumping cat litter is a natural product. But it may also contain naturally occurring crystalline silica or silica dust, which can cause pneumoconiosis, silicosis, asthma, heart disease, kidney disease and even lung cancer.
Decomposable cat litter
Biodegradable cat litter is made from a variety of plant materials, including pine pellets, recycled newspaper, clumped wood chips, Brazilian cassava, corn, wheat, walnuts, barley, soybean pulp and dried orange peels. [14][15]
More than 2 million tons of cat litter, or approximately 100,000 truck loads, end up in landfills every year in the United States alone. Environmentally conscious pet owners will prefer biodegradable cat litter. Some cat owners also use biodegradable cat litter because it can be flushed into the toilet or has excellent deodorizing properties. [16][17] Using certain biodegradable cat litters will reduce dust and reduce the risk of asthma in cats. [18]
Animal or poultry feed can also provide a cheaper alternative to biodegradable cat litter. [19]
Silica gel cat litter
Silica gel cat litter
Silica gel cat litter, often referred to as “crystalline cat litter”, is a porous granular form of silica that has the highest absorbency of all cat litter types and is used for better dehumidification, relative to other cat litter types. Deodorizing ability. [9]
Compared with other types of cat litter, silica gel cat litter usually has higher usage efficiency.
Toufu Cat litter
Toufu cat litter is made of corn, pea powder, and its flushable ability is very popular in these years. Its eco-friendly feature and clean without dust are loved by most cat pet raisers. There are also many kinds of toufu cat litters in market, if you want to buy high quality and clean cat litter, please contact us.If you are a online business owner or supermarket brand distributor, we can also customize different package with your own package. OEM is our major business. Welcome all clients come to visit our factory and buy sample for testing.