Silica Cat Litter Raises Concern About Pet's Health

The newest cat litter to hit the market is one that is based on silica. Silica is widely used as a simple drying agent. You've seen little sachets of this material in expensive electronic or photographic equipment. The cat's litter box is laid with the silica litter just about an inch deep. That is sufficient to absorb all kitty's waste and especially the foul odor from the litter box. There's absolutely no smell anymore! Cleaning the litter is also so much easier as all the waste is as dry as a bone!

You need to use very little silica cat litter. For a single cat, you'll need to lay out one inch of the litter in the box, and this will last for two to four weeks. This saves you the bother of refreshing the cat litter every few days and in some cases everyday. This particular silver lining does have its attendant cloud! The fear is that silica is harmful to your cat's health and well-being.

Silica is the raw form of 'glass'. Knowing this you'll realize that silica can be sharp like glass. This can bruise your sweet little pet's delicate paws. Some owners are concerned that their pet may inadvertently swallow some silica when it's cleaning itself, which is not going to do Tabby's digestion any good!

You may be happy that you now have to refresh the cat's litter box just once or twice a month. But did you know that pet experts and pet lovers alike are very critical about this very point. Keeping the litter for so long is inviting bacterial, fungal and microbial infections. These infections may affect your cat, and spread to pets and people as well.

There is no doubt that silica cat litter is superior to the other cat litters available now. Its odor-killing quality alone is sufficient to make it the numero uno cat litter. The application cost is so very low, that even cost conscious pet owners have no reservations in using it. The daily chore of fishing around the litter box for the cat's droppings is now, no, not pleasant but, simple and bearable. You are spared the sight (and obnoxious smell, phew!) of stomach-turning slimy stuff. You just pick out some 'stones' from the litter and carry it off for disposal. Then the chore of refreshing the litter box has been erased from your daily task list. Once or twice a month is like... freedom!

The opponents of silica cat litter say that the cost effectiveness is as good as that of traditional cat litters if computed over a month's usage. You use less silica cat litter, but this is offset by its high retail price. The second criticism is that the silica litter 'absorbs' the liquids from the cat's waste matter, and traps it within itself. This cannot be removed every day. With the ordinary clumping variety you can remove the entire waste.

Let's not forget that silica can be physically damaging to the cat's paws. If you are extremely conscious of your cat's well-being, then you can go in for the mixed variety. Here the silica litter is mixed with the clumping variety which gives you a fairly good alternative.

The decision is yours, whether or not to use silica cat litter. The advantages and disadvantages have been set out in this article for your information. Use it to ananlyze your particular situation. It's always better to make an informed decision rather than going by 'buzz'. The mixed litter does seem appealing and worth a try-out. Anything to free the house from that obnoxious stench!

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