The Steps for Making Homemade Cat Litter

For those that are concerned about what might be in their current cat litter, that want to save money or are environmentally conscious, there are other options when it comes to cat litter.  One popular option is taking old newspapers, processing them yourself, and creating recycled paper litter for cats.

Newspaper Option 1:

Required tools:

Newspaper

Soap – Preferably biodegradable

Colander

Baking Soda

Screen

Optional – Gloves to avoid getting ink on hands

Time required: Less than an hour plus drying time

Step 1

Shred the newspaper and wash it in soapy water – you only need a few drops.  Stir until it has an oatmeal like consistency and the water has turned gray.  Drain and then rinse with fresh water and no soap.  Once it is rinsed, strain it in a colander.

Tip:  Shred the newspaper with a paper shredder to make it easier on your hands.  If you are shredding by hand, it is easier to tear vertically than horizontally.

Step 2

Add baking soda to the strained newspaper and mix it up – you may want to use gloves at this stage to prevent the ink getting on your hands.  Once it is mixed, break it up until it resembles pebbles.  Then spread it out on the screen to allow it to dry before using it.  Depending on the paper this may take overnight or it may take a few days.

Usage

To use this litter, put an inch and a half to two inches in the bottom of the litter box.   Scoop out the solids daily and change it out completely once a week.  This litter should last two to three weeks.  The cat litter will not clump like products that you buy in the store but the baking soda should help with any odor issues you may have.

Newspaper Option 2:

This method is much simpler when it comes to paper litter for cats but requires you to clean out the litter box entirely every day.  If you have multiple cats, you may need to clean it more often.

Step 1

Prepare the litter box by sprinkling a layer of baking soda on the bottom of your litter pan.

Step 2

Rip the paper into strips, probably about a foot long so that they will fit in the litter box.

Step 3

Put into litter box and let the cat do its thing.

While this method is less labour intense, it does require more work each day to keep the box fresh for your cat.

Regardless of what method you decide to try, be aware that your cat may be picky and refuse to use this paper litter.  To help prevent this, start adding the new litter a bit at a time and removing the old.  This is similar to how you would change your pet’s food.  Fill the box with a quarter of the new and three quarters of the old, and gradually change this mixture over time.  It may take a while, but your cat will be less likely to reject the new cat litter this way.