How to green your cat in 5 steps

Photo credit: Per Ola Wiberg (Powi), flickr

Chances are, your cat doesn't read this website (they're too busy Photoshopping lolcats and searching for live mouse webcams) so it may be up to you to set him straight about a few things. Greening your cat isn't very hard if you follow these easy steps:

Step #1. Food. You're eating mostly fresh, whole, organic, unprocessed foods, so shouldn't your cat be, too? Dry food is about as far away from a cat's natural diet—fresh, raw meat—as it can get, so consider going raw. Squeamish about chopping up meat? There are several quality premade raw cat diets available. (Before going raw, research thoroughly!). Can't do raw? Research and find a quality organic cat food.

Step #2. Litter box. What goes in must come out. If your cat lives indoors, you'll have a litter box. Maybe more than one. Most boxes are made from plastic, easy to care for but hardly green. Unavoidable?

Step #3. Litter. Any litter that produces a dust cloud when poured should be avoided—it likely contains crystalline silica, a carcinogen that your cat breathes every time he scratches inside the box. Better choices are made from more eco-friendly ingredients: recycled newspaper (our fave), wood bits leftover from milling, or corn. But there's a tradeoff: how green can the flushable litters be? They use large amounts of water. But worse may be adding it to the landfill...

Step #4. Toys. Just like dogs, cats need green toys. Our fave? Tie a piece of paper to a string and drag it around the house. Your cat is guaranteed to follow. Repeat. But organic, dye-free, fair trade cat toys aren't hard to find (don't forget the organic catnip, or better yet grow your own).

Step #5. Lifestyle. Many people advocate an indoor lifestyle for cats for a variety of reasons including safety (from cars and predators) and bird protection (birds are one of a cat's natural foods). While we hardly think most cats will enjoy being leashed, providing a safe outdoor space for your cat is important (would you want to stay indoors all day, every day?).

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