{"id":17855,"date":"2014-08-15T11:45:20","date_gmt":"2014-08-15T17:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress-367309-1145705.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=17855"},"modified":"2014-08-15T11:45:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-15T17:45:20","slug":"keep-eco-friendly-indoor-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sustainablog.org\/articles\/keep-eco-friendly-indoor-cats\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Keep Eco-Friendly Indoor Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"eco-friendly<\/a>
Image credit: Julia Marchand<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For those of us who live on busy streets, letting our cats run wild is not an option. But anyone striving for a sustainable home <\/a>should still consider ways to keep their felines in harmony with the natural world.<\/p>\n

I’ve found that environmental responsibility for cat owners mainly comes down to these basics: ingredient sustainability, production location, product biodegradability and packaging recyclability. Once these qualifications are met to my standards, each product I consider for my cats has to then pass one final test: do my kitties approve?<\/p>\n

Eco-Friendly Food for the Cats<\/h3>\n

For ingredients, look for recognizable, whole-food ingredients. Remember that cows use more resources than chickens to raise, and some seafood is overfished<\/a>. Check FishWatch.gov<\/a> to find out if the fish in your pet food is from a safe population.<\/p>\n

Consider where it’s made. If your cat food is created across the globe, then getting it to you is an environmental drain (unless it comes via sailboat!). Also think about the amount of packaging it comes in and how easy that is to recycle.<\/p>\n

Our family’s favorite cat food is Wellness. We have been feeding this food to our boys for years! Their dry cat food is already naturally GMO free, and Wellness is working toward gaining the same standard for their wet food.<\/p>\n

Green Litter<\/h3>\n

The average kitty litter includes silica dust, which has been linked with upper respiratory issues, and bentonite clay, which forms the clumps, and may cause gastrointestinal distress. This clay is also non-renewable and is typically harvested via strip mining, an environmentally destructive process.<\/p>\n

We sought a kitty litter that would meet the aforementioned basics – sustainably sourced ingredients, biodegradable and made close to home with recyclable packaging. It took us awhile to find our favorite, so here are our opinions on the brands we tried:<\/p>\n