May 5, 2016
4 Comments

My Favorite Natural Cat Products!

So, besides talking about all the projects I’m working on lately or venting about the ins and outs of being a band wife, my other favorite topic to discuss is my cats!! I spend a lot of time with them so I’m always on the hunt to find things to make their life (and mine) a little better. Lately I’ve been trying to find more ways I can be healthier and more eco-friendly in my daily life (more on that whirlwind process later) but you can believe that trying to be more green has taken over the cat kingdom here as well. I had already been trying out a few all natural litters that I wasn’t that happy with when sWheat Scoop contacted me to ask if I would be interested in giving their natural cat litter a try. I said I would definitely be interested and I liked it so much that I wanted to partner with them to do a roundup of all my favorite natural cat products to share with the rest of you kitty mammas who might be looking for some good products to change to as well. sWheat Scoop Litter: The worst thing about litter boxes for me isn’t the the constant cleaning (or even the smell at times) but all the chemicals that go into traditional litter. Not only are those chemicals tracked around your house but the toxins are directly ingested by your kitty when they go to clean their paws—gross! I love that the sWheat Scoop is completely biodegradable and is made from 100% wheat. It’s clay-free, chemical-free, and you can even flush it down your toilet if you wanted to. The corn and pine based litters I was trying before this product worked OK and I liked that they were more natural, but they didn’t clump as well as I would have liked and when urine would mix with the corn product it would kind of give off a smell that was actually worse than the pee just by itself. sWheat Scoop is much better at masking odor than the other natural litters I tried and it clumps with liquid pretty well too. I would say that I usually let the liquid dry a bit before scooping it out though which helps it stick together a lot more than when it’s freshly wet. It’s great to know that there are no more paw-shaped toxins throughout the house and they can lick their paws in peace.Litter Genie: Speaking of litter boxes, this is another product that will make your household pawprint a little greener as well. We all know how many plastic bags you can use when cleaning out you cat’s box day after day, but the Litter Genie acts the same way a diaper genie does for dirty diapers and can save you from using dozens of plastic bags a month. The waste goes down a chute and is kept in a plastic bag lined area that is sealed off at the bottom of the Genie so no odors escape (really, they don’t!) and you can keep collecting waste daily until the cavity is full. Even with two cats we probably only have to change the liner ever 3 weeks (although they do like to dig and go outside in the great outdoors when they have a chance) and one liner will allow you to use it three times. I’ve kept one by every litter box we have for years and it’s made cleaning the boxes so much faster with less plastic use.
Only Natural Pet Stain and Oder Remover: I am the type of person that doesn’t like to use a lot of chemicals when I clean. In fact, I really only use water (with maybe a mild soap) when I can get away with it, but when there are pet accidents you want to use something that has enzymes to cover specific scents so the pets don’t come back to remark that spot again. This non-toxic stain and odor remover is made up of organic bio-enzymes that has an amazing fresh scent (mandarin orange and green tea) so you can keep your home smelling clean without any harsh chemicals.Kittles Cat Treats: Kitty snacks can be a tough deal in our house. We have one cat (Mac) that will eat literally anything and another kitty (Charlie) who is incredible picky about her tastes. In fact, there’s only ever been one treat that I’ve bought her that she’s actually eaten so she considers herself quite the connoisseur. I wanted to switch them to some treats without preservatives or artificial colors but I thought it would be quite a long shot to find something for Miss Picky-Picky’s palate. I couldn’t believe it when these Kittles treats (the first natural treats I tried by the way) were an instant hit with her. She does try to steal bites of my cooked salmon when I make it so I guess she appreciates the real salmon in the treats!This is me feeding Mac the treats during my kitty pajama DIY photoshoot. He’s an easy boy to bribe!
Junk Food Cat Toys: Ok, this one involves a little more work than the others, but it’s still my favorite natural toy for kitties. I made them these junk food cat toys last year, stuffed them with organic catnip, and they make me smile every time I see them scattered throughout the house. How can a cat playing with a tiny hamburger not make you smile?? Are you made of stone?!? You can even use organic plant-dyed felt for the toys as well so everything on the toy is safe to bite and play with. LOVE THESE!Trying to be more aware of the choices you make for your pets can really affect both your lives in a positive way and keep everyone happy and healthy for as long as possible. I don’t have a main natural food on this list because we are in a bit of a food transition with Mac having to be switched to a wet prescription food because of a serious UTI infection recently and so I’m trying to figure out what’s best for that situation right now. Also, if you have any tips I’ve been really interested in finding a more natural flea and tick repellent so we don’t have to do the chemical doses on the back of their neck. They love to be outside all day long and we live right next to some serious woods so they definitely need some good preventative treatment for sure.

Hope you’ve found a few good things to try in your house and let me know if you have any natural or green favorites that you love!

P.S. If you’re wondering where our other baby Charlie is in these photos, let’s just say she does not enjoy being photographed except for rare moments so I don’t force her into it! Mac however, will happily be a model baby all day as long as he gets treats…signature2 copy

4 thoughts on “My Favorite Natural Cat Products!

  1. Sarah

    Awesome recommendations! I’m definitely going to be snagging the litter Genie! Do you have any recommendations for kitty litter boxes? My cat’s box isn’t great, and he keeps knocking half the litter out every time he covers his stuff up! Thanks 🙂

    xo
    Sarah
    excitinglittlethings.blogspot.com

    Reply
    1. thebandwifeblog Post author

      Good question! It totally depends on the cat’s personal litter box habit for sure. In that situation I would try a top entry box and see how it goes, most of the conventional litter boxes may not have a high enough front wall for an overscooper. Hope it works!

      Laura 🙂

      Reply
  2. Raphaelle

    Hi Laura, I can’t wait to hear about your path to becoming more eco-friendly! That’s something I am pretty passionate about and I am glad to read more about it on a lifestyle blog 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.