As a cat, I’d have to say my favorite activities are sleeping, eating, playing and the occasional snuggle. Some would call me lazy, but I prefer to think of myself as living the good life. However, even when life is good, I know it can be better by giving back and taking care of the planet.
Because I’m a cat, I delegate most of these do-gooder activities to my human. Given that it’s Earth Day and I’m an expert in doing nothing, I thought I’d offer up five tips on how to be more eco-friendly without a lot of effort.
1. Shop less often
How much time and effort would you save if you could shop less often? In terms of being green, by cutting back on the number of trips you make, you’d also help to reduce your carbon footprint. And, let’s not overlook the most obvious benefit. You get to spend more time at home with me.
So, what do you need to do? Hardly anything! All this tip requires is that you do a little preplanning before you shop and empty out a bit of space in your cupboard or closet. It’s really easy to get rid of stuff by posting it to Freecycle or Craigslist. Sometimes people will even pay you to come to your home and take away your unwanted items.
With the extra space, you can stock up when you go shopping. Buy the bigger bag of litter or pick up an extra case of cat food. Even when taking public transit, you can always fit just a little bit more in your bag so you that can save yourself a trip to the store in the future.
2. Switch to a lightweight eco-friendly cat litter
It’s actually quite simple to transition your cat to an eco-friendly kitty litter. Plus, if you choose a lightweight eco-friendly litter, you’ll save yourself tons of hauling. It takes up less space, is easier to carry and it’s sustainable. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, sometimes eco-friendly litters cost a little bit more, but I’m worth it!
However, there are ways you can save money on cat litter and still be green. Read some of the tips in 6 Ways to Save Money on Cat Litter.
3. Use less litter
Speaking of litter and hauling, another way to save you some muscle work and some money is to use less litter. If you reduce the amount of litter you use by one or two scoops per week, that can really add up over time, especially if you factor in that there are more than 70 million cats in the United States.
Let’s say you reduced your litter by 10 pounds per year and every other cat owner did the same. That would total 700 million pounds of cat litter per year (10 pounds x 70 million cats).
4. Use enzyme-based cleaners
While I am a fastidious creature, there are times when my systems may not be fully cooperative. If I happen to vomit on the carpet, spit up a hairball on your couch or leave an accident on the floor, there is an easy way to clean up the mess!
Forget about vigorous scrubbing. The lazy way to take care of stains and odors is to use enzyme-based cleaners. These cleaners are eco-friendly because don’t contain contain harsh chemicals. Instead, they use enzymes to digest organic matter.
After you pick up the chunks, all you have to do to remove a stubborn stain or odor is to pour the cleaner on the mess and let the enzymes do the rest.
5. Grab something from the recycling bin for me to play with
It’s a lot of work to keep me entertained. I’ll let you in on a secret. You don’t have to buy me cat toys. Simply reach into the recycling bin and almost anything you pull out could be a fun toy for me. It could be a paper bag, a bottle cap, or even a toilet paper roll.
Well, I suppose I could share more tips, but it’s time for my nap now.
Happy Earth Day!
Purrs Truly,
Furball
P.S. Do you have any eco-friendly cat tips to share? Please share your suggestions in the comments below.
Read more on eco-friendly tips for cat owners:
- 12 Awesome Eco-friendly Cat Toys
- How to Switch to Eco-Friendly Cat Litter
- Our Holiday Gift Guide for the Eco-Friendly Cat Lover
- 6 of Our Favorite Eco-Friendly Hipster Cat Toys on Etsy
- What Do You Know About Eco-Friendly Cat Options?
Learn more about your cat with Catster:
- Weird Cat Facts: 8 Reasons Your Cat Likes to Lick You
- 10 Sounds That Cats Make — and What They Mean
- 8 Things to Try When Your Cat Won’t Eat
About Holly Tse: Holly Tse is a green cat expert, lifelong environmentalist and the creator of Green Little Cat, a blog on eco-friendly living for cats and cat lovers. Practicing Taoist and Dragon Spirit Guide who has experienced more than nine past lives and can bend reality at will. Totally into alternative healing, but her Achilles’ heel is reality TV cooking shows. As a Canadian expat, she uses an American spell checker for her Catster articles.
