Pet Products Go Green: Corncob Cat Litter

As an allergy sufferer, I've never been thrilled with clay cat litter. It served its purpose, however, so it's what I always used--until recently.

Walmart featured Arm & Hammer® Essentials® Natural Clumping Litter on an end cap about six weeks ago. I decided to try it out in one of our three litter boxes. I love it! The natural corn fibers absorb odor so well that within moments of the cats using the litter box, I can't tell. It leaves behind a fresh pine scent. Because it isn't sticky like clay, I don't have to scrape the bottom of the litter box to make sure I've gotten all the waste, which means clean up every night takes less time. In addition, I'm taking less litter out each time, so I'm saving money because I don't use as much litter as I used to. The only challenge is that since it is lightweight it tends to get tossed around a bit more than clay litter. I've taken to putting the cover back on one of the litter boxes to reduce the mess on the basement floor. That's worth it considering the time and money I'm saving.

I also tried out Pro-Pet™ Fresh Results™ Clumping Corncob Cat Litter. This litter has received great reviews, but I preferred the overall consistency of the Arm & Hammer brand.

If you're looking to make the switch to all natural litter, your cats might go through a transition period. When I first brought the new litter home, I switched one of our three litter boxes to the corn fiber litter. That didn't work well because the cats just used the two boxes with the clay litter in them more. So, I ended up adding a bit of clay litter to the one that had corn fiber litter in it, and then sprinkled corn fiber litter on top of the clay litter in the other two boxes. The following week, I switched a second box over to corn fiber litter, adding in a bit of clay litter on top. By the time I was ready to switch over the third litter box, the cats were using the two others that were mostly corn fiber litter as often as they used to. When it came time to switch the third box over, I had no more clay litter left, but the cats didn't seem to mind. They've been using the Arm & Hammer Essentials for over two weeks without a problem.

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - V

I was looking at a soft path project from my Garden Club newsletter from The Home Depot today, and it got me to thinking about vinegar. It seems there is no more versatile product out there than vinegar. We use it to ward off mosquitoes in the backyard. I cook with it. I've cleaned with it. I also learned today that it can help kill weeds.

According to the TLC Cooking website, little research has been performed to substantiate all the claims made about vinegar's health benefits. What they did say is that there is evidence to support that vinegar plays a role in helping to fight diseases such as osteoporosis, diabetes, and heart disease when combined with an overall healthy lifestyle. It also helps our bodies absorb important minerals from the foods we eat and recently has been said to help control blood sugar levels.

This post is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge.

 

Blogging from A to Z Challenge - A

Today kicks off the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. I participated last year and had a blast. I hope you enjoy blogging through the alphabet with me during the month of April.

From additives in our food to harsh chemicals in beauty and cleaning products, consumers are getting tired of what they don't want to ingest, put on their bodies or clean their houses with. As a mom, I have to admit stories about pink slime and possible side effects to food additives like aspartame have made me a more careful shopper. While walking down the produce aisle, the sometimes too perfect color of fruits and vegetables has moved me toward a decision to plant a garden for the first time in years. I've switched from regular bar soap to goat's milk soap. Last week, I picked up botanical disinfecting wipes. I'm even looking at better products for our cats.

It's time for my family to have more all natural products. They're worth it.

Visit some of the other blogs participating in this challenge.