Cat litters used in the olden days, meaning prior to the commercial cat litters now found in neighborhood grocery stores, are literally litters. Usually these were dirt gathered from gardens.

Now, there are a variety of cat litters to choose from. These cat litters, for the most part, are great for the cat as well as good for the environment.
The following are tips and advice to make better a cat owner’s selection of the best litter possible for their cats.

Choose wisely

The choice of cat litters should primarily be based on how much this litter will affect the environment just as how much such litter is preferred by cats. Although cats really do not care much about how the litter may soon end up in a landfill, cats really prefer if their litter has no bad scent. They also care if the litter feels good.

Cats have a very keen sense of smell, so it is important that litters have little or no scents that are made artificially. It is also best if the litter contains no dust. It will do cats no good if their noses are irritated since they will try to avoid going thru the litter if it displeases them in any way.

Ask wisely

Cats love the feel of sand with pellets or any surface that has shreds and bits of chunks. It is best that a cat owner know which kind his or her cat prefers.

But to further help a confused cat owner decide, questions such as the following should be best asked:

Is the cat litter easily flushed in the toilet? Is it free from odors? Does the litter contain any form of perfumes or chemicals? Is the litter safe for the cat, the owner, the environment? Does the cat like the feel of the litter? How much does it cost and is it easily accessible?

Be aware

There are environment-friendly litters that are made from newspapers that are recycled. These types of litters can be easily flushed, can easily be burned and are almost a hundred percent free from dust.

There are also litters that came from plants. These litters usually come from corn – its husks, the cob and the corn itself. Byproducts of wheat such as wheat grass are also a source of cat litter.

But the best among all of these are the corn cobs because they are odorless as well as it control odor. It is absorbent as well. They also do not produce a lot of dust and are easily flushed.

Litter from pine and sawdust

These types of litter are also biodegradable. They are made by drying and compressing them into pellet-forms. They absorb moisture a number of times more than their weight until they break down again into natural sawdust. Due to their easily absorbent nature, any odor is naturally eliminated.

Be wary though, pine has natural resins and chemicals that aid in the elimination of insects and odor-causing bacteria because of its insecticide-like properties. This same feature could also cause respiratory damage as well as asthma and allergies. Humans as well as cats may easily be susceptible to such allergens.

Do not be afraid of odor

Odor is one way by which nature tells the un-aware cat owner that it is time to replace the litter. Cat litter should be regularly changed so that bacteria or micro-organisms will not collect in it. If odor persists check the diet your cat is consuming as that may also be the cause.

Cats and Clay

Clay is the most common type of litter being used today. A specific kind of clay made of sodium bentonite has a special feature that when it is urinated on by cats a clump is formed making it more convenient to remove the clumps from the litter. However, such
clay is carcinogenic and is easily absorbed by the lungs of cats.

All in all, the choice depends on the cat owner’s preference, budget and favorites. After all, cats are everyone’s best fuzzy, soft, cuddly and gentle meowing friends.

When the mouse is away, cats play. And cats have the tendency to both play hard and play soft. Toys are to cats the same as toys are to dogs. It helps fight the boredom experienced by these pets as well as gives our feline friends the opportunity to practice and use their natural inclination to chase and hunt for prey. It also gives the cat owner that great chance to play with their pets, an experience that will aid in bonding their relationship.

But what toys are best for cats? The following are tips and helpful advice to get that perfect toy for the cat owners perfect pets.

Play safe

The good thing about cats is that they can play ball inside the house and the owners will never know it. Still, there may be things inside the house that cats could find attractive yet might actually endanger their health and safety. Houses must be cat-friendly. As much as possible, take away any string, yarn, needles, rubber bands or other objects that could easily be swallowed by cats. These things could be lethal to cats. Do not let them play with these articles no matter how cute they may appear to be.

Play soft

Choose soft toys that can easily be machine-washed. It is best that the toys chosen to be played with by cats are also the toys marked as safe to be played with by children below three years old. Toys such as these usually contain fillings that are not hazardous. Also, avoid giving cats toys that are hard and rigid, these types do not appeal to them that much.

Know your cat, know their toy

It is best that one also familiarize themselves with your cat. Doing so helps in ones selection of the kind of plaything that best serves the size of ones cat – the kind of activity the cat likes and its unique preferences. Know the environment in which the cat likes to spend its time the most.

Choose active toys

Toys that are great to play with for cats are usually the round plastic ones (such as rings from shower curtains, plastic balls, golf balls, balls used in ping-pong) as these give cats the opportunity to chase and paw around. They could also carry these in their mouths, make sure though that these are big enough they cannot be swallowed but not so large that they cannot carry them in their mouths.

Choose active play

Balls can be placed inside bath tubs filled with water. Watch as cats frolic and play on and around the toy. It is just as enjoyable to the cat as it is fun for the cat owner. Another added feature that could be placed on balls are bells. One not only sees how cats play, one could also listen and take pleasure in the playful sound.

Another simple yet effective plaything for cats is a paper bag. Use paper bags that do not have handles. These bags are good for pouncing around. Cats hide in them too. As much as possible, avoid the plastic ones as cats have the tendency to chew these and they may eat the plastic. This is not good.

Toys with tails

Cats like playing with soft toy animals – specially the ones that have tails. They either bite them, paw them or chase these little stuffed toys around. It is best if these toys are as big or as small as the cats playing them.

Toys with catnip

Catnip is sometimes used as stuffing for toys that are soft. Putting catnip in such playthings make the toys more enjoyable to carry, kick and throw around. More importantly, it is safe for cats to chew on, roll around in, or eat.
It is okay for owners to place catnip on carpeted floors, or (to make clean-up easy) on towels. There are now catnip oils that can be placed on carpets, and they usually stay there. Cats detect these too. Although small cats, specifically kittens who are younger than six months have shown a certain kind of immunity to catnip.

All in all, it is best that cat owners define what kind of toy should be played by their cats. It is advisable that different kinds of toys be given on certain days, and that displaying all toys simultaneously may not be a good idea. Cats can easily tire of seeing the same fluffy toy animal again and again. Variety always works best. However if cats show a certain liking to a specific toy, let them play with it, or sleep with it – whichever they like.