Can i flush silica litter

I'm personally responsible, for example, for one Polly Pocket that I really, really didn't want to fish out. Once a cabbage leaf caused a week's worth of trouble because I thought it would biodegrade faster.

So, if your question is about damaging your plumbing, you can safely flush it as much as others flush clay litter or other litters or small plastic things or tampon inserts or other odd things from time to time with results that can be predicted, but not guaranteed. In other words, not safely, but it's what's done. I spent a lovely evening having drinks with a group of friends, one of whom worked in a waste treatment facility here in Toronto.

The horror stories are still there, branded into my brain, and now I can qualify my own infrequent toilet abuses with "Well, I'm not flushing dentures and small animals. We all do the best we can - but because it affects the world at large, I try to consider what is best practice for the community rather than what I'd prefer myself. Though my formerly-feral cat rescued by my MIL from a colony spends part of his time outside, he uses his litter box a time or two daily, so that that I don't think he's frequently polluting our neighbours' gardens.

There are a whole lot of feral cats around here anyway, another one that I feed who won't let me near him, so as I said - nothing is perfect when it comes to cat poop. The best thing to do would probably be to check your local waste-management or Public Health website, and see what they recommend.

As much as nothing is perfect, doing every little bit to help, by doing your best, is something to consider. Regarding the toxoplasmosis issue, I've read on metafilter and elsewhere that it's not actually treated sewage but groundwater run-off from feral pets that has contributed to toxoplasmosis in wildlife.

Technically yes, morally no. While silica gel particles will dry out feces and absorb its odor, if solid waste is left to collect in the box, your cat's box quickly will become smelly. Scoop out solid waste daily to prevent odors, according to Slate magazine. If your cat has diarrhea, you may end up removing more crystals than usual when you scoop it out, so add more crystal litter as needed.

Eventually, the silica crystals in your cat's litter box will become saturated with urine to the point that they will no longer absorb the liquid or its odor. While silica gel is nontoxic, if your cat ingests it, it could cause tummy upset and even an intestinal blockage , warns the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. When changing your kitty over to crystal litter, do so over a period of a week or two, mixing in the new litter with his old one.

Cat litter made from recycled newspaper bits presents a more environmentally conscious choice, at least where processing is concerned. However, the methods of disposal regarding this product produce similar concerns as clay and silica litter. There is no dust produced during the scooping process, but recycled newspaper is highly absorbent. It may not break apart as easily as toilet paper, so it's best not to flush it down the toilet. Although some newspaper litter manufacturers claim that such products can be flushed, the scoop and the baggie is, again, the safer method.

Wheat and Corn litters do not clump as effectively as clay, silica or newspaper. For this reason, pet owners find them less risky when flushed. However, since these litters fail to clump as well as other products, watch carefully for scattered particles as you clean.

Pine litters, like corn and wheat, are biodegradable. While its strong pine scent may require an adjustment period for cats, pine litter is amongst the safest and easiest cat litters to deal with. It is made from pine lumber, is non-tracking, and binds very well to waste. It is a flushable product because pine litter disintegrates so easily. In fact, the Feline Pine litter box takes even more of the guesswork out of pine litter, and its design is relatively simple.

When it comes to ecologically kind litters and disposal methods, pine litter tends to be the highest reviewed product. However, its efficacy as a litter product poses entirely different issues since it's not as absorbant as clay litter and that means the litter box will need to be cleaned more often. Using biodegradable litters and biodegradable baggies will provide you with a safer and more ecologically sound method of litter disposal.

Keeping your cat indoors will also lessen its exposure to pathogenic organisms that can contaminate its feces. Flushing litter down the toilet might be easier than scooping it into a bag and disposing of it in the trash, especially for cat owners with litter boxes in the bathroom or whose outdoor trash receptacles are not easily accessible, says Dr. Lori M. Flushable cat litter might be a more sustainable, convenient option but it also has several drawbacks.

A whopping 63 percent of cat owners choose litter that is clumping or scoopable, according to the APPA report—and for good reason, according to Teller.

Cat litter that clumps could clog the pipes, which means that flushable cat litter was designed not to clump and that can make it messier or more difficult to clean up. Some of the products used to make flushable cat litter, including corn and wheat, are common allergens. If you are allergic to these products and handle corn-or wheat-based cat litter, it could cause a reaction. Read the ingredient label carefully. Cat feces can also contain toxoplasma, an illness-causing parasite that can be passed to humans.

A growing number of marine mammals have been diagnosed with toxoplasmosis, which is believed to have survived the sewage treatment process , allowing cat litter flushed down the toilet to sweep the parasite out to sea. Even though it was designed to be flushed down the toilet, flushable cat litter can still cause clogs. Septic systems, in particular, were not designed to handle the extra solids from flushable cat litter and can struggle or fail to break down in the septic system.

Flushing pet waste may also exceed the design capacity of the septic system. Because of this, Teller recommends flushing one or two clumps at a time rather than emptying the entire contents of the litter box into the toilet. But, with each flush, your water use goes up and the environmental benefits go down—and it takes longer to clean the litter box.