The damage that strip mining does to the land, the cost of fuel to transport the mined bentonite to the drying facility and the use of petroleum products to dry the material make the production of clump cat litter ridiculously detrimental to the environment . Add to that the fact that used clay litter is not biodegradable and only adds to landfills.

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CAT LITTER THE WRONG CHOICE COULD KILL YOUR CAT
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Cat Litter, Strip Mining and Environmental Issues
by kapush on November 8th, 2011
Sodium Bentonite is one of the
most popular constituents of
clump cat litter. Mining bentonite
makes business sense only when
it is found close to the surface of
the earth. Therefore, it is strip
mined for cat litter. The top layer of
the earth (the overburden) is
removed to take away the clay.
Even though there are laws that
the land must be left as it was and
filled and flattened, how
scrupulously such laws are
followed is anyone’s guess.
Coal is also obtained through strip
mining. The following excerpt is
both relevant and significant:
The Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) was passed in
1977. This established federal regulations for surface mining and required
federal permits for mining on federal land. The act also created the Office
of Surface Mining (under the Department of the Interior) which was charged
with restoring abandoned surface mines and enforcing the SMCRA
regulations.
Difficulties with Reclamation Efforts
In general, however, reclamation can be very difficult. This is because the
original ecosystem removed by the strip mine represents a delicate balance
of plants, animals, microbes, and soil nutrients, and soil structure resulting
from eons of plant succession and nutrient fluxes in and out of the system.
Re-establishing this balance in the short-term is at best a scientifically
challenging endeavor.
(NMSEA.ORG)
So much for post strip mining replenishment of the environment.
Please visit Polarintertia.com
for a wonderful (or hideous)
slideshow about what strip
mining does to mountains. It
will not be very different from
watching scenes depicting
animal abuse and mutilation.
Here is an image that shows
the process (Click on the
image on the right to view it in
original size).
The extracted bentonite clay is
dried under extreme heat and
turned into a powder or flake.
The finer quality of powder that
comes out of the litter making process is used in the cosmetic industry. The damage

2. that strip mining does to the land, the cost of fuel to transport the mined bentonite to
the drying facility and the use of petroleum products to dry the material make the
production of clump cat litter ridiculously detrimental to the environment . Add to that
the fact that used clay litter is not biodegradable and only adds to landfills.
(Even organic litter degrades at a snail’s pace in the landfills since the waste is
packed in too tightly for oxygen to circulate optimally).
You are not supposed to flush cat litter down the toilet if you live near the sea
or a river
Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite sometimes found in cat feces, may be responsible for
killing sea otters.
An amendment to the California Fish and Game Code provides:
The Legislature finds and declares that several types of nonpoint source
pollution are harmful to sea otters, and that scientific studies point to links
between cat feces, the pathogen T-ghondii, and sea otter mortality. The
Legislature further finds and declares that efforts to reduce the flushing of cat
litter and car feces are steps toward better water quality in sea otters’ natural
habitat.
Any cat litter offered for sale in this state shall contain one of the following
statements:
“Encouraging your cat to use an indoor litter box, or properly disposing of
outdoor cat feces, is beneficial to overall water quality. Please do not flush cat
litter in toilets or dispose of it outdoors in gutters or storm drains.”
A general statement that encourages the disposal of cat feces in trash and
discourages flushing cat feces in toilets or disposing of them in drains. (See
California Fish and Game Code Section 4501).
As part of its educational outreach regarding toxoplasma, the Monterey Bay
Aquarium suggests that guardians of indoor/outdoor cats provide an outdoor
litter box as well as an indoor one.
Landfills, then, seem like the only option for used cat litter, and the less space for us
and our cats as more and more non biodegradable cat litter accumulates in the
landfills.
Strip Mining and Clay or Silica Cat Litters may be redundant, after all
Whether or not we should seek out alternative sources of power is a question reserved
for elsewhere. However, destroying the planet and packing it with waste is probably
not the best solution for anyone, human or feline. As far as cat litter is concerned,
with all the organic alternatives available in the market, strip mining for cat litter does
appear to be somewhat redundant. Stripping the surface off the earth for cat litter that
is, in fact, harmful for cats hardly makes sense.
Pet owners choose the most effective cat litter, the clump cat litter, without realizing
where it comes from or where it will go. These are people who are already going
that extra mile to care for a different species. Surely, if they were informed of the
dangers of these cat litter varieties to their pets as well as to themselves and to the
environment in general, they would opt for organic alternatives, instead.
RESOURCE/REFERENCE:
BEINGGORGEOUSLYGREEN.BLOGSPOT.COM |
EARTHOBSERVATORY.NASA.GOV | GREATMINING.COM |
GREENLIVINGTIPS.COM | PETGURU.WORDPRESS.COM | PLANETSAVE.COM |
NMSEA.ORG
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Please visit kapush.org/cat-litter/ for more information.