Should You Be Using Cat Litter Made of Tofu?
Should You Be Using Cat Litter Made of Tofu?
According to a article published in Chemical & Engineering News, 60 percent of cat litters sold in the U.S. consist of clumping clay that does not decompose and should not be flushed in sewer or septic systems. &#;In contrast to clay litters, tofu litters appear to be a more sustainable choice,&#; Whitehurst says. &#;For one, they can break down, naturally giving more options for disposal, such as flushing. Secondly, they are made with a byproduct of soybean products and tofu waste, which gives life to a waste stream that would otherwise be lost.&#; It&#;s important to note that it is unclear where each tofu cat litter brand sourced its soybean dregs, so while we can say with confidence that these litters are biodegradable, we want to pause before calling them all &#;sustainable&#; until brands provide more clarity about their sourcing methods.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website taotaohui.
Plant-based alternatives to clumping clay litter have been commercially available since the s and include sawdust, wheat, alfalfa, oat hulls, corn cobs, peanut hulls, recycled newspaper, and, yes, tofu. Their &#;flushability&#; is a big marketing point and you&#;ll notice the word &#;flushable&#; appears on several tofu cat litter packages, including prominently on the packaging for Nourse Chowsing Tofu Cat Litter.
Who can blame any cat owner for daydreaming about the day they can just go to town flushing all that litter down the toilet and be done with it? But hold that thought. For starters, flushed cat fecal matter has been implicated in infecting southern sea otters along the California coast with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii and infecting humans with T. gondii, an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that usually does not trigger symptoms but can be harmful during pregnancy and in individuals with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of the Toxoplasma gondii infection can include flulike muscle aches and pains, swollen lymph glands, and signs of ocular toxoplasma, such as &#;reduced vision, blurred vision, pain (often with bright light), redness of the eye, and sometimes tearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even signed a bill in that required all cat litter sold in California to contain a statement that would notify customers of the water quality benefits of disposing cat feces in the trash and not in toilets or drains.
Read the fine print and you&#;ll find some cat tofu litter brands do not condone flushing their litter or use cryptic language when it comes to their flushability claim. Frisco Tofu Clumping Cat Litter instructs on its box not to flush its litter, and Zen Kitty states on its bag that to &#;maintain good water quality do not flush cat feces in toilets or dispose of contents through toilet or septic system&#; because it will &#;clog pipes.&#; Nourse&#;s Amazon product page maintains that you can pour agglomerated cat litter into the toilet, let it dissolve in water, and then flush it.
As for Pidan, the brand doesn&#;t provide flushing instructions on its website, but its Amazon product page gives this advice: &#;Flushing into a toilet is allowed. Due to the solubility in water, the garbage processing is more convenient. (Do NOT flush too much into a toilet in a time.)&#; There is no additional instruction on how much litter is &#;too much&#; to safely flush.
How do cat experts handle this? Galaxy says he tries not to flush natural cat litter. &#;There are always going to be potential issues and whether those are septic systems or not,&#; Galaxy says. &#;Even if the toilet can handle it, I tend to not, but that&#;s a personal choice.&#; He adds: &#;I mean, most of them will say that they&#;re flushable. It&#;s just I think with the vagaries of septic systems, a lot of times I don&#;t think any of the companies want to be on the hook for that.&#;
In other words: Flush at your own risk.
Should You Be Using Cat Litter Made of Tofu?
According to a article published in Chemical & Engineering News, 60 percent of cat litters sold in the U.S. consist of clumping clay that does not decompose and should not be flushed in sewer or septic systems. &#;In contrast to clay litters, tofu litters appear to be a more sustainable choice,&#; Whitehurst says. &#;For one, they can break down, naturally giving more options for disposal, such as flushing. Secondly, they are made with a byproduct of soybean products and tofu waste, which gives life to a waste stream that would otherwise be lost.&#; It&#;s important to note that it is unclear where each tofu cat litter brand sourced its soybean dregs, so while we can say with confidence that these litters are biodegradable, we want to pause before calling them all &#;sustainable&#; until brands provide more clarity about their sourcing methods.
Plant-based alternatives to clumping clay litter have been commercially available since the s and include sawdust, wheat, alfalfa, oat hulls, corn cobs, peanut hulls, recycled newspaper, and, yes, tofu. Their &#;flushability&#; is a big marketing point and you&#;ll notice the word &#;flushable&#; appears on several tofu cat litter packages, including prominently on the packaging for Nourse Chowsing Tofu Cat LitterTofu Cat Litter.
Who can blame any cat owner for daydreaming about the day they can just go to town flushing all that litter down the toilet and be done with it? But hold that thought. For starters, flushed cat fecal matter has been implicated in infecting southern sea otters along the California coast with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii and infecting humans with T. gondii, an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that usually does not trigger symptoms but can be harmful during pregnancy and in individuals with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of the Toxoplasma gondii infection can include flulike muscle aches and pains, swollen lymph glands, and signs of ocular toxoplasma, such as &#;reduced vision, blurred vision, pain (often with bright light), redness of the eye, and sometimes tearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even signed a bill in that required all cat litter sold in California to contain a statement that would notify customers of the water quality benefits of disposing cat feces in the trash and not in toilets or drains.
Read the fine print and you&#;ll find some cat tofu litter brands do not condone flushing their litter or use cryptic language when it comes to their flushability claim. Frisco Tofu Clumping Cat Litter instructs on its box not to flush its litter, and Zen Kitty states on its bag that to &#;maintain good water quality do not flush cat feces in toilets or dispose of contents through toilet or septic system&#; because it will &#;clog pipes.&#; Nourse&#;s Amazon product page maintains that you can pour agglomerated cat litter into the toilet, let it dissolve in water, and then flush it.
As for Pidan, the brand doesn&#;t provide flushing instructions on its website, but its Amazon product page gives this advice: &#;Flushing into a toilet is allowed. Due to the solubility in water, the garbage processing is more convenient. (Do NOT flush too much into a toilet in a time.)&#; There is no additional instruction on how much litter is &#;too much&#; to safely flush.
How do cat experts handle this? Galaxy says he tries not to flush natural cat litter. &#;There are always going to be potential issues and whether those are septic systems or not,&#; Galaxy says. &#;Even if the toilet can handle it, I tend to not, but that&#;s a personal choice.&#; He adds: &#;I mean, most of them will say that they&#;re flushable. It&#;s just I think with the vagaries of septic systems, a lot of times I don&#;t think any of the companies want to be on the hook for that.&#;
In other words: Flush at your own risk.
Clay litter vs Soy(tofu) Litter for cat - Lowyat Forum
PhotoPhag
661 posts
Joined: Jul
From: BananaLand
Junior Member661 postsJoined: Jul From: BananaLand
QUOTE(Steponlego @ Sep 4 , 07:01 PM)
Clay litter - cheaper, you get more. Usually 10L good brand RM20 something. But you need big litter box, cannot small litter box because then you will get mud everywhere. Odor control really good. Dispose in plastic bag. Good if you have many cats.
Tofu, expensive. Good brand 7L or 6L cost RM20++. No dust. Good for cat who have asthma. Safe for kittens because some kittens are stupid curious like to eat sand. Also recommend for if your cat just after surgery or have wound. Odor control is hit or miss. Good brand last longer, bad tofu litter will smell funky really fast. Sometime if the cat pee too much, tofu will become porridge like - it sticks on the litter box. Cleaning is a bit of work since the clumping is average and the tofu pellet does not go through your scoop like sand/clay do. Only recommend if you have 1 or 2 cats. You can flush it down the toilet no problem.
Depends.Clay litter - cheaper, you get more. Usually 10L good brand RM20 something. But you need big litter box, cannot small litter box because then you will get mud everywhere. Odor control really good. Dispose in plastic bag. Good if you have many cats.Tofu, expensive. Good brand 7L or 6L cost RM20++. No dust. Good for cat who have asthma. Safe for kittens because some kittens are stupid curious like to eat sand. Also recommend for if your cat just after surgery or have wound. Odor control is hit or miss. Good brand last longer, bad tofu litter will smell funky really fast. Sometime if the cat pee too much, tofu will become porridge like - it sticks on the litter box. Cleaning is a bit of work since the clumping is average and the tofu pellet does not go through your scoop like sand/clay do. Only recommend if you have 1 or 2 cats. You can flush it down the toilet no problem.
Thanks!
Clay litter vs Soy(tofu) Litter for cat - Lowyat Forum
PhotoPhag
661 posts
Joined: Jul
From: BananaLand
Junior Member661 postsJoined: Jul From: BananaLand
QUOTE(Steponlego @ Sep 4 , 07:01 PM)
Clay litter - cheaper, you get more. Usually 10L good brand RM20 something. But you need big litter box, cannot small litter box because then you will get mud everywhere. Odor control really good. Dispose in plastic bag. Good if you have many cats.
Tofu, expensive. Good brand 7L or 6L cost RM20++. No dust. Good for cat who have asthma. Safe for kittens because some kittens are stupid curious like to eat sand. Also recommend for if your cat just after surgery or have wound. Odor control is hit or miss. Good brand last longer, bad tofu litter will smell funky really fast. Sometime if the cat pee too much, tofu will become porridge like - it sticks on the litter box. Cleaning is a bit of work since the clumping is average and the tofu pellet does not go through your scoop like sand/clay do. Only recommend if you have 1 or 2 cats. You can flush it down the toilet no problem.
Depends.Clay litter - cheaper, you get more. Usually 10L good brand RM20 something. But you need big litter box, cannot small litter box because then you will get mud everywhere. Odor control really good. Dispose in plastic bag. Good if you have many cats.Tofu, expensive. Good brand 7L or 6L cost RM20++. No dust. Good for cat who have asthma. Safe for kittens because some kittens are stupid curious like to eat sand. Also recommend for if your cat just after surgery or have wound. Odor control is hit or miss. Good brand last longer, bad tofu litter will smell funky really fast. Sometime if the cat pee too much, tofu will become porridge like - it sticks on the litter box. Cleaning is a bit of work since the clumping is average and the tofu pellet does not go through your scoop like sand/clay do. Only recommend if you have 1 or 2 cats. You can flush it down the toilet no problem.
Thanks!
For more information, please visit Dust Free Tofu Cat Litter.
- 58
- 0
- 0