DIY Cat Litter

Cat litter is a necessity for every cat owner. Unfortunately, many commercially available litters contain harsh chemicals that can be bad for the health of the owner and the pet. Most commercial cat litters also use clay as a base ingredient for the mix. This clay has to be mined from natural landscapes in order to be turned into litter, and the mining process is considered to be extremely detrimental to to the biomes in which it occurs. This has led many eco-friendly cat owners to seek for an easy and environmentally friendly option for DIY cat litter.

Things You'll Need

  • Paper shredder or scissors
  • Plastic container
  • Biodegradable dish soap
  • Baking soda
  • Mesh screen or colander
  • Latex or rubber gloves (optional)
  • Cookie sheet (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gather used newspaper to serve as the base for your litter. Avoid glossy, colored ads, as the material and dies react poorly with the litter-making process. If you don't have old newspaper lying around, ask friends and neighbors to donate their already-read newspapers to you instead of throwing them away.

    • 2

      Shred the newspaper into thin strips, using a paper shredder. If you do not own a paper shredder, you can use scissors to cut the newspaper into strips.

    • 3

      Empty the shredded newspaper into a plastic container.

    • 4

      Soak the newspaper shreds in a mixture of warm water and dish soap. Be sure to use a biodegradable dish soap to ensure that your cat does not have any allergic reactions to the litter. You should only need a few drops of soap for an entire litter box of litter.

    • 5

      Drain the water out of the litter. Pour the contents of your plastic container over a mesh screen or colander to remove most of the water.

    • 6

      Soak the treated litter a second time, using only warm water. This will rinse most of the soap residue out of the paper and clear out any remaining inks or dyes from the paper.

    • 7

      Coat the rinsed litter with a liberal amount of baking soda. Knead the mixture between your fingers to work the baking soda deeply into the litter. If your paper still contains some dye, be aware that the die may leak onto your hands and cause minor stains during the kneading process. Wear latex or rubber gloves while kneading to avoid this.

    • 8

      Drain excess water from the litter by squeezing out as much moisture as you can with your hands. Squeeze the wet mixture until it no longer produces water when pressure is applied.

    • 9

      Spread the litter out on a mesh screen or cookie sheet and allow it to air-dry for a few hours. Once the litter is dry to the touch, it can be used.