Skip to main content

Tag: cat litter

Pet Litter – The Best Types for Your Pet!

If you have a cat, rabbit, or other small critter like a hamster you purchase pet litter regularly. Maybe at the time you got your pet you didn’t look into it that much. Litter is litter, right? Well, sort of. Would you love to improve the process of cleaning up after your pet? Is your litter choice healthy? Read on while we break down the types and help you improve your pets bathroom experience!

Pet Litter – The Cat Edition

Did you know that before WWII people filled their cats litter boxes with sand, dirt, or ashes? Not the cleanest options to be honest. At the time, the military was using absorbent clay to clean up oil spills in factories and a former sailor had an idea – thus pet litter was born!

Clay litter was a big improvement over sand or dirt. It didn’t stick to the cats paws and get tracked around as much. It also helped with odor control. We’ve come a long way since the technology of WWII though! Clumping cat litter was later developed allowing pet owners to simply remove the soiled clay instead of replacing it all.

Now clay pet litters even come in scented varieties. While this may be nice for us, most pets don’t care for it. Be sure to gauge your pets reaction before you stock up on it.

Other natural pet litter options include litter made from recycled paper pellets, pine pulp, and even corn cobs! Many of these options don’t combat odor the way clay does, and will have to be changed more frequently too.

Small Animal Bedding and Litter

While clay based pet litter may be the best option for cats, it’s usually the worst choice for other critters. Many small animals like hamsters or gerbils live and sleep in the same material they use for litter. Wood chips like pine or aspen are most often used for these small creatures, though a paper option like the CareFresh bedding/litter is also a popular, though more expensive choice. These creatures will often have a designated area of their cage where they do most of their bathroom business. Regardless of litter choice, it’s important to regularly refresh this area.

Paper fiber litter is an ideal choice for a rabbits litter box, as it tracks very little and absorbs well. Aspen pellets are a great choice for absorption, though some pets enjoy fluffier material. Aspen chips or fiber over the pellets can be a great combination. Avoid pine chips for rabbit litter however. Pine, when soaked in rabbit urine can create unhealthy fumes for your pet.

Whatever litter choice works best for you and your pet, be sure that you keep their bathroom area clean. Many pets won’t use poorly kept litter boxes!

photo credit: Carly & Art Eco-Bun Henrietta knows a grand way to reuse packing material via photopin (license)

Cuddling Your Pet – The Pros & The Cons

Is Cuddling Your Pet Good For You?

There’s nothing like an affectionate cuddle with your pet when you’re reunited after a long time apart. Your pet will be thrilled to have your attention. That warm, velvety soft fur is simply irresistible. But how safe is it to get close to your pet in this way? What are the risks of disease? Are some people more vulnerable than others? From planting a sloppy kiss on your pet’s head to inviting him to cozy-up at night on your bed, we investigate what’s safe and what to avoid in the pet cuddling department.

Hooray for cuddles!

Generally, cuddling your pet is indeed safe. Many believe that the mental health benefits of cuddles far outweigh the risks of getting sick. A good cuddle with your pet creates feelings of security and well-being. It has also been proven to reduce stress levels by lowering blood pressure together with harmful anxiety-related hormones like cortisol. It also raises happiness-inducing hormones like oxytocin! The effects are comparable to eating chocolate. But this is nothing new; therapy dogs have been used to visit nursing homes, help ease the pain of hospital patients and calm autistic children since the 1970s. Their healing power is very much palpable.

Down with kisses?

The jury seems to be out when it comes to kisses. Some believe that letting your pet lick your face or kissing them on the snout is pretty harmless. The bacteria and viruses in a dog’s or cat’s mouth are similar to those in a person’s mouth. However, other pet owners reel at the prospect of slobbery kisses. Just think where your pet’s little nose has been! It’s likely that, through scratching and licking, germs will end up all over a pet’s coat. In fact, a report by the CDC highlights the risk of transmission of zoonotic agents by close contact between pets and their owners which has lead to cases of MRSA, chagas, roundworm, rabies and even the bubonic plague transferred from pets to humans. This is one of a number of issues for owners who bedshare with pets.  Those that practice good pet hygiene are at a greatly reduced risk. Other things to consider if you bedshare include sleep disturbance and aggravation of allergies.

It’s good to be cautious

There are instances when you need to be cautious of getting close to your pet. If you are pregnant and own a cat, you need to be aware of the risks of toxoplasmosis. This is an infection caused by a parasite in cat feces which can be picked up by clearing cat litter or touching garden dirt where your cat has been. Cuddles with your cat are safe as long as your cat is clean. Others who should practice caution when cuddling animals include children. Many young children find it difficult to interpret the body language of a pet. Cuddles should be supervised and guided by an adult at all times to guard against any dangers presented by a child who may be overly keen to show their affection.

Share the love

There’s no doubt about it, there are huge benefits to cuddling your cutie pie pet. The small risks to health shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying those soothing snuggles. As long as you are sensible and practice good pet hygiene, you can rest assured that your pet is the perfect snuggle bunny.

Photo by Andrew Spencer on Unsplash