As it turns out, keeping animals as pets is bad for the environment. How bad? Examining your cats carbon paw-print may surprise you: dog and cats emit as much as 64 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. As calculated, US dogs and cats consume as much dietary energy as ~62 million Americans, which is approximately one-fifth of the US population. Considering that over 60% of American households boast at least one furry critter, it would behoove us all to be invested in the consumptive total of our feline friends.

Food

While there is some research that suggests that dogs are able to survive on meat free diets, and can be classified as omnivores, cats need meat to survive and thrive. And since a diet of wet food tends to hydrate and support a more comprehensive diet for cats, dry food cannot be the only solution to this quandary.

Tip 1: Buy Dehydrated Cat Food

Creating and shipping wet cat food, which has the proper water content that your cat needs, is unnecessary if you rehydrate the wet food at home.

Tip 2: Buy in Bulk

Buying in bulk results in less trips to the grocery store, less plastic packaging, and more time for you to spend with your feline.

Tip 3: Dry and Wet food

Set up a water fountain for your cat, and put some water into your cats dry food if you give them a 50/50 diet of wet and dry. Dry food is less carbon intensive.

Tip 4: Shy Away from Carbon Intensives like Pork and Beef

Does your cat care if it gets chicken, tuna, or salmon for dinner? Try to steer clear of the beef and pork products as they are the most carbon intensive items on the market. Opt for fish or white meat like chicken and turkey to reduce their carbon paw-print.

Litter

What goes up must come down….. or out. Your pet’s excrement is a big part of why our cats (and dogs!) are also a burden on our environment. Kitty litter, for one, is a serious problem. Clay kitty litter is obtained through strip mining. This process removes the entirety of the area’s top soil and vegetation, leading to the unavoidable effects of biodiversity loss, deforestation, and a host of other unwanted ecological effects. Modifying the clay is a carbon intensive process that requires high temperatures — all so your cat can enjoy their toilet break.

Further, cat litter ends up in landfills. Clay does not decompose, especially not sitting in a plastic bag. So this entirely linear plan of scooping your cats poo is not well thought out.

The Alternatives!

Alternative 1: Wood Pellets

Wood pellets are made from dehydrated, compressed wood that disintegrate when coming in contact with liquids (cat urine). Its easy to scoop the remnants from the pan, or just change it twice a week while continuously scooping out the solids. This option is much cheaper than conventional clay litter, and you can purchase a bulk bag for about $5 at home depot. The best part? You can dispose of the litter/excrement combination in your backyard, as it is biodegradable and does not harm the environment.

Alternative 2: Walnut Litter

Made of the shells of discarded walnuts, this option controls scent and does clump together. Definitely avoid if you have a nut sensitivity.

Alternative 3: Corn-based Litter

Corn-based litters score highly on containing smell, don’t contain synthetic additives, and are one of the least expensive alternatives options available at a pet store.

As pet ownership grows worldwide, and people hold their furry children in higher esteem than in generations past, it is important to remember that we have a responsibility to monitor our carbon footprints along with our dependents. If there are easy changes one can make to alter our waste, or the amount of greenhouse gasses we cause to be emitted, why not make the switch? Just like how you could be using biodegradable bags to take out your garbage or to take your kitty litter to the curb, you might as well just take your biodegradable wood pellets out back to be worn down by the elements and rain with much less of a significant impact on mother earth.