What makes kitty litter

Cat litters are primarily made of clay and other minerals, natural ingredients such as pine, wheat or corn, or synthetic crystallized silica. Most cat litters, whether clumping or non-clumping, are made of a mixture of clay types. Companies tweak the types of clays and other ingredients used to create kitty litter formulas that have different levels of absorption and odor control.

So while most cat litters have the same basic ingredients, the type, mixture, and ratios of ingredients, as well as other additives do make a difference when it comes to how well they work. The most common clays used in cat litters are bentonites, such as sodium bentonite or calcium bentonite, that can swell up to 15 times their original volume.

Other common clays added to cat litter mixtures are sepiolite, montmorillonite and kaolinite, depending on whether it is a clumping or non-clumping formula. To get technical, all of the clays found in cat litter are hydrous aluminum silicates, formed from volcanic ash millions of years ago in the Cretaceous period you know, the time period of the great extinction, probably from when a meteor struck the earth.

These clays work well in cat litter because they trap moisture between layers of the clay, creating a negative ionic charge that attracts water and liquid. Perhaps appropriately for its use in kitty litters, the negative charge imbalance in the clay is caused by cations yes, cat-ions.

Many clumping cat litters literally attract cat urine to cations and bond them together. Although clay is the most common cat litter ingredient, there are cat litters made from a variety of other materials, including pine chips, wheat, walnut shells, corn cobs, sawdust, and paper.

These alternatives to clay litter come in both clumping and non-clumping formulas. Our cat experts recommend quick clumping litter for easier cleanup, improved cleanliness and odor control. Bentonite Clay In the s, biochemists developed a new kind of litter made of bentonite clay. Natural Litters For pet parents who are looking for planet-, pet-, and people-friendly cat litters, there are several natural options.

If you are human, leave this field blank. Most companies advertise that silica gel litter is not as dusty as clay, traps urine without having to scoop it out of the litter, lasts longer than the same amount of clay litter, offers excellent odor control, and is sometimes even preferred by cats over clay litter.

Silica get litter is usually more expensive than a clay litter bag of the same weight, but since it lasts longer, some pet owners do not see a significant price difference. Some types of silica gel litters, like Pretty Litter, even have color-changing indicators in them to help monitor a cat's urinary system health. Pine litter is popular because of its natural ability to fight off odors. Being made from pine trees, it is also lightweight, has low dust, is absorbent, and is softer than clay litter.

Some cat owners like the fact that it is more environmentally friendly than clay litter and that it could provide better odor control. There are both clumping and non-clumping options available. Non-clumping pine litter typically comes in a cylindrical pelleted form while the clumping form is a ground-up pine litter that looks more like sawdust.

Similar to pine litter, wheat litter is also an environmentally friendly alternative to clay litter, but it is made from processed wheat. It clumps, helps control odors, and is even flushable. There are not usually any added dyes or perfumes to this ground up, granular product.

When a cat urinates on wheat litter, it turns to a sawdust-like material and can be scooped out of the box. Less commonly available than most of the other types of cat litter, grass litter is another natural alternative to traditional clay cat litter. It looks similar to pine or corn litter and is a dried, biodegradable, grass seed litter. It clumps so that waste can be scooped out and typically does not contain dyes or added chemicals that some cat owners try to avoid.

It is also naturally low-dust and softer and lighter than clay litters. Another natural cat litter option is corn litter. It may come in a scented variety but it is still a biodegradable option.

It clumps and absorbs urine, is lightweight when compared to clay litter, and is composed of dried corn kernels. There are even some corn litter options that contain cat attractants. The absorption power of various types of bentonite is determined by which cation is present and in what amount.

Because sodium ions have a larger hydration sphere than calcium ions do, sodium bentonite can absorb more moisture than its calcium counterpart, explains clay scientist Shobha Parekh of Wyo-Ben , a bentonite mining company in Billings, Mont.

Sodium-rich bentonite is therefore the material of choice for clumping cat litter, she says. Recently, "crystal" cat litters that promise improved odor control have entered the market. The silica gel used to make these crystals is chemically similar to that used in desiccants. The silica gel crystals in such litters are dotted with tiny pores, allowing the crystals to absorb cat urine, then slowly allow the water to evaporate off. Some cat lovers fear--unnecessarily, cat litter manufacturers say--that their cats might harm themselves by ingesting superabsorbent clay litters if they lick their paws after doing their business in the box.

In response, a number of companies are marketing plant-derived alternatives made of wood pulp, corn, wheat--even peanut shells and orange peels. In addition to being safe to eat, Swheat Scoop and other plant-derived alternative litters are biodegradable and can be used as mulch or even flushed down the toilet.

Swheat Scoop founder Mike Hughes estimates that more than , tons of nonbiodegradable cat litter ends up in municipal solid-waste landfills each year. Despite this vast array of choices--both clumping and nonclumping litters made of clay, silica, and plant-derived alternatives--most cat lovers still think that cleaning the litter box stinks. Contact the reporter.

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