Pets Perspective on Going Green
Published November 17, 2011
Flickr User Floris van Lint
Sometimes, we can look to our pets for great suggestions on going green!
Since our two Oriental Shorthairs, Dr. Hush Puppy and Sir Hubble Pinkerton, frequently surf the Internet and are avid fans of Petside.com, they were thrilled that we are celebrating Green Week. But this morning as I was offering them breakfast, both of them were extremely grumpy and annoyed that I had neglected to ask for their input to help me write about such an important topic.
Our kitties are extremely concerned about the negative effects global warming is having on animal habitats around the world, and the impending frightening impact upon our planet. So, of course, they both want to do their part in helping to keep our environment clean, by reminding us about some simple things we as pet owners can do to live a greener life-style.
Being highly aware about some of the products on the market today that profess to make the lives of pet owners easier, the first on our cats’ hit-list are those automatic self-cleaning litter boxes. Since these automatic litter boxes need batteries to operate and require special litter, our cats give them huge thumbs down. Not only are they a waste of power, but they also interfere with keeping on top of their kitties output. In their opinion, hand-scooping litter boxes filled with an ecologically sound product made of corn or cedar shavings is an easy way to go green in the feline elimination department.
They feel strongly that those automatic pet water-ers and fountain dispensers are totally unnecessary. While they are advertised to constantly provide clean fresh water, and touted as safe, they too require batteries or an electric wall plug. While the power they use may be infinitesimal, changing a water bowl by hand is simple enough and saves energy.
In their opinion, pet toys made of plastic are a huge no-no as they are made out of nasty chemicals. Some of them are not even recyclable. Store bought or homemade toys fashioned out of recycled organic cotton, hemp or sturdy felt, filled with catnip are, as far as they are concerned, the “cat’s meow."
They also feel canned or boxed pet foods are preferable to pet foods packaged in plastic wrappers which should be avoided at all costs. Cans and boxes are easily recyclable whereas those empty “handy-use” plastic containers go to waste since they only end up in the garbage.
Of course, speaking of pets, both Dr. Hush Puppy and Sir Hubble Pinkerton suggest that folks considering adding a pet to their household go for the “re-cycled” variety and adopt a shelter pet! Adopting a pet from a shelter is totally a win-win situation for all involved.
What do your pets think will keep our planet greener? Add their suggestions with a comment.
Shortly after retiring as a social worker and psychotherapist, I discovered my "writer's voice"…
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Comments (7)
I agree on all points but the water fountain issue.
For cats with kidney disease or bladder crystals, maximum water consumption is vital to continued health. When my Cinders was diagnosed with PKD (polycystic kidney disease) we invested in a water fountain and she tripled her water consumption over drinking from the bowl. But a word of advice....to keep the fountain clean and operating in peak condition, it needs to be emptied and cleaned daily.
We even put it through the dishwasher (top rack) on a weekly basis. Cinders has since gone to the Bridge, but we still have the fountain, and when in is in the dishwasher and out of commission for those few hours, we have a line of frustrated felines looking for water where the fountain usually resides even though there are bowls around the house.
Cheers to Sir Hubble and Dr.Hush!
Madame Shakti, their cousin, couldn't agree more!
We cats suggested that others try their solution. Yes, we have water bowls but we also have a schedule with momma. Whenever she uses water we all gang together and she leaves the water dripping in the sink or tub while we get our drinks. We get fresh water and still have an emergency back up bowl or two around the house that is changed daily. We love our all natural foods and although they are expensive compared to other foods momma prefers to feed that to us cause we are more healthy. We use eco-friendly litter too. Our beds are hand made of cotton and stuffed with the wooll from the sheep. They are VERY soft and comfy. That's our take on this thing. Oh and we have our own catnip garden. In the fall momma cuts the catnip off and hangs it for drying. Some of it goes into the food dryer too. That's all from here. Have a Purrfect day. Head bonks.
Good tips. Re: water fountains, I've found that using a bowl encourages changing the water more often. The fountain is more involved to clean, which caused me to put it off until it was gross and unhealthy. I now only use water bowls. Sometimes convenience products are actually less convenient!
@jmuhj, clay is a natural product, but mining it causes a lot of destruction of the environment. The synthetic perfumes added to many clay litters are also less green/healthy. While most litters have some amount of dust, clay litters have significantly more than some alternatives.
We're not into the "green gimmick" which is, truly, just another trendoid gimmick users will submit to as long as it suits them. We just live like we always have, enjoying life as much as possible and trying to be as naturally healthy and considerate as possible, putting what I've been raised to believe in to good use. The self-cleaning litter boxes and the "green" litters? NO THANKS. BIG WASTE of money and inferior products. Clay, btw, is a natural product, and every kind of litter has dust. A cat fountain is a must for our family, who enjoy theirs, made of plastic, very much, and drink more than they will from plain water bowls. Using common sense, one can keep cats happy and healthy!
Our kitty has an old fashion litter box and seems to love it. So my take on this is, "If it isn't broke, don't fix it". All of our animals get the old fashion treatment with just about everything they come in contact with. They do not get plastic toys, rather ones that are not stuffed with some material that they can chew into and make a huge mess. Again, If it isn't broke, don 't fix it.
I love this article Jo ! Yes there are so many battery or electric operated convenience things nowadays that there really is no need for. Walter and Jozef help the environment by having doubled sided scratching pads for when they want a change from their upright posts. Then when both sides are scratched to ribbons out the pads go in the recycle box with all our used paper, cardboard etc. A friend buries the uneaten cat food her cats leave, in her veggie garden, she says it grows wonderful veg !!