Re: Question on recycling cat's sand
Dear Alessandra,
I bought that clumping litter only once. I think it is
awful stuff. I use a much cheaper litter that is 100%
natural clay. It is sanitized and unscented. It absorbs
its own weight in liquids and the surface of the litter
box stays dry and fresh. I remove solid wastes to the
garbage (a use for all those plastic grocery bags we
accumulate). When I empty the litter box, I am gradually
building up a nice layer of this granulated clay (which
doesn't seem to decompose) on a sloping path down the
utility side of the house. I flush it out of the litter
box with the hose which more or less rinses the clay,
followed by washing from rainfall. It makes an attractive
and clean walking surface with good traction.
Diane Pertson
Vancouver Island
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vinciguerra Alessandra"
> Dear friends,
> Well it's not plants but maybe it could be of some
interest to cat owners
> in the group... Is there any way to recycle cat's sand
in the garden? I have
> to keep my two cats indoors, as much as I can, because
they are both white
> and risk ear and nose canker if they get too much sun (I
gather this is
> typical of medit countries, many of my friends from
colder countries have
> never heard about this risk). They do go in the garden
of course, but stay
> at home a lot, to their full satisfaction. Therefore, I
must provide them
> with the hygenic facility of this "sand", and then I am
faced with the
> unpleasant responsability of disposing of the used sand,
which I must do
> regularly and very often. It is perfectly legal to just
throw it in the
> litter bin, but I feel guilty, thinking of the millions
of cat owners who
> throw away every day tons and tons of this "sand". On
the other hand the
> stuff (in Italian, sepiolite, I imagine the english name
must sound the
> same) absorbs humidity and becomes glue-ish, and I
cannot think of a way to
> recycle it. Are there handy alternatives that can be
composted? I thought
> of chipped/shrudded material (before composting), but
then, would the cats'
> by-products affect the composting process afterwards?
Don't suggest to use
> plain dirt, I thought of it, but I would rather avoid
the mess of little
> catpaw's print on floors, carpets, sofas etc.
> Any suggestion will be more than welcome.
> Thank you,
> Alessandra
>
