How To Be A Sustainable Cat Owner
Emagazine.com 700Having a cat as a companion can make one feel complete. They are loving and caring and they can make your life better. Even though studies have shown that owning pets, including cats, can harm the environment, you should not feel discouraged. Here you can find a short and inclusive guide on how you can be environmentally friendly as the proud owner of a fluffy companion.
The Right Food
If you did your research on the matter, you probably already know that there is a lot of wastage involved in the manufacturing and the distribution of cat food. If you want to invest in healthy and organic food for your cat, you can look at the options analyzed by drfoxmag.com.
Another thing that you could try is to switch your cat to a raw diet. This means feeding your pet uncooked meat, bones and organs. You should refrain from providing your cat with only a plant-based diet, as this can prove damaging to its health. Because of their carnivorous nature, cats need taurine, an amino acid that can only be found in animal-based proteins. Taurine supplements can also be found online.
Adopt, Don’t Shop!
You might not know this but, currently, there are more cats and dogs than people on this planet. Because not all pets find a home, over 2 million are euthanized each year. Given this situation, it is highly advisable that you adopt a pet rather than purchasing one.
Farm animals exploit these pets and they waste a lot of supplies to care for the new babies. At the end of the day, this cruel industry causes immense harm to the animals that are exploited and it generates a lot of carbon emissions.
Another step that you should take once you adopt a pet is to have it spayed/ neutered. If you are not ready to care for or to find homes for the kittens your cat will give birth to, you should necessarily take this step, as it is highly beneficial to the environment. The kittens are brought into this world, the more resources have to be used to care for them.
If you own an outdoor cat that has kittens, you are actively contributing to the overpopulation situation that we have talked about before. On top of that, because of their inner need to hunt, cats have been liked as the main cause of the extermination of over 33 species of birds.
If you decide to adopt, you are in luck as most pets that come from foster homes are de-sexed and vaccinated before they are given for adoption. However, when you buy a baby cat, you will have to take it to the vet to have it vaccinated and neutered.
To prevent overpopulation and pet cruelty, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals offers numerous free and low-cost spay/neutering services that you can use. You can find more about them at just one click away.
Dispose of the Litter Correctly
The most popular type of litter that can be found for sale contains “diatomaceous earth”, a natural clay that takes a lot of resources to mine. Contrary to popular belief, this clay is not the by-product of other processes. In fact, to extract it, the manufacturers make use of a process called strip mining.
Strip mining is highly damaging to the Earth as it implies the use of heavy equipment that is powerful enough to strip the first layer of earth in order to reach this kind of clay. As you can imagine, strip mining leads to the destruction of thousands of acres of land.
However, do not despair, as there are plenty of environmentally-friendly products that you can buy instead. For example, you can use kenaf pellets, straw pellets, silica pearls, newspapers, corn cobs, and even pine dust as they all are sustainable alternatives.
Toys
If you are the owner of a cat that loves to chew and that destroys new plastic toys in a matter of days, it is time to look into more sustainable alternatives. There are many toys made of recyclable materials and of natural fibers that you can use instead.
To cater to the needs of pet owners who also care about the environment, numerous manufacturers have started to create toys made of sturdy, non-toxic plastic that is entirely recyclable.