Are Clumping Litters A Deadly Convenience?
by Marina McInnis
Cats die. Kittens die. It's part of life. But we still grieve when they die, even though we know it is only
the body, not the spirit, that is gone. How much worse we feel when those deaths were unnecessary - could have
been prevented by something as simple as changing the kind of litter we use.
I breed Japanese Bobtail cats and I grieved in 1994 when an entire litter of kittens (born in November 1993)
died. Despite round-the-clock nursing and force-feeding of fluids and food, one kitten, then another, let go of
his grasp on life.
The three kittens started as a robust lively group. Then, at weaning time, just as they were learning to use
the litterbox, they began to vomit a yellow frothy substance and to pass yellow diarrhea; the diarrhea looked
and smelled like clay. They also had nasal and eye discharge. The diarrhea proceeded to turn harder and even
more clay-like, and finally the kittens stopped moving their bowels at all. The veterinarians said they could
feel a "hard mass" inside. The kittens dwindled into thin, dehydrated, frail little skeletons, sunk in apathy.
Then they died.
When these kittens first fell sick, I wasn't too worried because I had seen the same set of symptoms in two
earlier litters. The first time it happened, I'd lost one kitten, but the other survived with a week of
force-feeding fluids. When a second litter started to exhibit the same symptoms, we took the kittens and their
parents to the veterinarian who tested them for everything from intestinal parasites to feline AIDS. The
results were negative. "Some kind of virus" was the vague diagnosis, or "possibly giardia" (an intestinal
parasite), even though the test for it was negative. We nursed them, gave them fluids and love, and like the
previous kittens, these two were over the problem in a week.
So the third time, with the November kittens, although I was a little worried, I was confident we could pull
these through as well. But their illness dragged on for three weeks, and they grew progressively weaker. Again,
we had the cats and kittens tested for a variety of problems; again nothing. And then, all within the same
week, the kittens died.
When a fourth litter, born in late March, 1994, began to exhibit the same symptoms yet again, I felt
frustrated, frightened, and helpless. What was going on? Was there something in the environment? Was the home
somehow a "sick house"? Was one of the adult cats carrying something that the kittens were picking up? I
always keep my cats indoors, so it couldn't be exposure to outside cats.
A NEW PERSPECTIVE
I decided I needed a new perspective and began to look for a holistic veterinarian. The next day, a friend
gave me the card of a new holistic veterinarian in town, Dr. Stephanie Chalmers.
But before I had the chance to take the kittens to see this new vet, I was struck by a bolt of lightening.
The clumping litter! It was almost as though someone had whispered it into my ear. It made perfect sense.
Everything fit: it explained all the symptoms. My thinking went along these lines:
1. Clumping litter is designed to form a hard, insoluble mass when it gets wet. It also produces a fine dust
when stirred (as when a cat scratches around to bury a recent deposit). And these clumping litters absorb
many times their weight in fluids.
2. When cats or kittens use the litterbox, they lick themselves clean; anything their tongues encounter gets
ingested. Kittens especially tend to ingest alot of litter when they are first learning to use the box.
Once the litter is inside a kitten or cat, it expands, forming a mass and coating the interior - thus, both
causing dehydration, drawing fluids of the cat or kitten, thus compounding the problem by preventing and
absorption of nutrients of fluids..
My cats and kittens had probably started with diarrhea initially in an effort to cleanse their bodies of the
litter before it had a chance to settle and coat their insides. But kittens have very small intestines, a
hard insoluable mass could very well produce a complete and fatal blockage within a couple of weeks.
With the strength of these deductions, I immediately went out and bought a plant-based litter to replace the
clumping litter (gray with blue granules) inside. This was confirmation enough for me.
As soon as I could, I took all the kittens with their mother to Dr. Chalmers, who said that she had already
heard of problems with the clumping clay litter. She put the kittens on a holistic course of treatment (slippery
elm to help clear the intestines; homemade chicken soup to nourish the kittens without putting further strain
on their insides).
She also showed me an article by Lisa Newman, another holistic health practitioner. Citing some of the cases
of illness and death that she had seen first hand - illnesses and death likely caused by clumping litter. A
bell went on in my head when I read the following:
"There has been a rise in depressed immune systems, respiratory distress, irritable bowel syndrome and
vomiting (other than hair balls) among cats that I have seen in the past two years. All had something in
common. A clumping product in the litterbox. In several cases, simply changing the litter improved the condition
of the cat." (Healthy Pets Naturally, 1994)
The problem of health difficulties and deaths resulting from clumping litter appears to be more prevalent than
people are aware of. I recently spoke with another Japanese Bobtail breeder; she told of a kitten she sold
that frequently became ill with a severe respiratory problem. The new owner used clumping litter and her
veterinarian found that the kitten's lungs were coated with dust from the litter.
For a veterinarian to spot this problem is unusual. A more common diagnosis would lay the blame at the door
of a virus, germ, fungus or parasite. There is not a general awareness yet that the clumping litters can be
harmful - even fatal - to cats.
BEYOND CATS
And the problem extends beyond cats. As Lisa Newman points out in her article, dogs get into the litterbox for
"snacks" and they ingest the litter too. She reports that the autopsy of one dog revealed that his stomach
was filled with the clumping litter.
An article entitled "How Cat Litter Is Made" recently appeared in Cat Fancy magazine (October 1994).
Shockingly, the article contains no cautions against the use of clumping litter, even though the description
of one of the main ingredients in such products should be enough to alarm any thinking person. "Sodium bentonite,
a naturally swelling clay, is often added as an extremely effective clumping agent. When liquid is added,
bentonite swells to approximately 15 times its original volume. But because sodium bentonite acts as an
expandable cement would, litters containing sodium bentonite should never be flushed; when they expand they
can block plumbing." A few moments thought is all that is needed to realize that something able to block household
plumbing must be wreaking havoc on the plumbing of our feline companions.
What about my kittens after I switched to a plant-based litter? Sadly, the two females died. Both were passing
clay stools right up until the time of their deaths; one kitten was still passing clay almost two weeks after I
switched litters. The two males survived, though it took months for them to fully recover. Only after switching
to a completely organic homemade diet was I able to clear up the last traces of this ordeal. And still I
grieve for kittens who died so needlessly.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
You may feel as horrified as I do at the thought that there must be thousands of kittens and cats (and other
animals) ailing or even dying from clumping clay litter. What can we do to prevent such suffering?
One thing is let the manufacturers know we won't buy such products. My husband called a company that makes one of
these clumping litters. The woman he spoke with said that the company is aware that clumping litters may be
causing health problems, but that it is the consumer's responsibility to make sure their cats don't eat the stuff.
My husband pointed out that cats clean themselves with their mouths so, of course, they're going to eat the litter
every time they use their cat boxes. Unfortunately, the company's representative maintained the "buyer beware" position.
Given the attitude of such companies, we can vote with our pocketbooks by purchasing products from businesses
that are more responsive to our concerns. Be sure to let the makers of the clumping litter know why you no
longer purchase their product. You might even choose to boycott all products by these companies (it isn't hard
to find out who makes what - just read the labels). An even more effective move might be to show this article
to the owners or managers of stores selling these products. If you suspect that an animals may be suffering
an ailment caused by clumping litter, take him or her to a veterinarian or holistic practitioner immediately,
and explain what you think may be happening. If you encounter resistance, it may mean that this veterinarian is
not familiar with the problem and doesn't know how to handle it. Try to find a holistic vet - either locally
or someone you can work with by phone - who has some experiences with clumping litter impacting the intestines - and
the respiratory passages. Most importantly, replace the clumping litter right away with a plant-based alternative.
Even if your cat is healthy, it makes sense to switch to a different litter.
If you love cats as I do, spread the word. Tell everyone you know about this problem. Tell your veterinarian.
You may save the lives of many kittens, cats and other beloved creatures.
Clumping litter is often lethal. It contains sodium bentonite which absorbs moisture, swells, and hardens. That is why
this litter comes with advice not to flush it. It will ruin plumbing. Kittens with their tiny intestines are particularly
vulnerable to its effects but all cats will suffer, ingesting the chemical when they stir up the litter and then clean
their coats and paws. One cat we know got off easy. She was wheezing and coughing when her owner found out about the
litter. The cat was well a few days after the litter was eliminated.
Pet Rescue received this E-mail: Date: Sunday, May 30, 2004
Hi, my name is Jessica. I recently had a kitten named Maria that was as alive and well as any kitten you can imagine.
A couple of months ago, she started having a discharge from her eye and repeated bowel movements. We took her to the vet
and were sent home with some antibiotics but she became even worse. Before we could take her back to the vet she passed
away one night lying in a pool of her own vomit, a sight too sad for anyone to see. My husband and I just sat in dismay.
What went wrong? Did we do something? We had given her the best and done everything we could, so we just decided it was
her time to pass, and buried her near our home with our hearts near hers. Months later we decided to get another kitten
and brought home a brother and a sister. They were only seven weeks old and as cute as they come, both very active and
playful. One morning I noticed that the little girl had some breathing difficulty and was a little sluggish. By the time
I got home from work that night she lay on the floor with yellow vomit beside her. This time I noticed something strange,
little pieces of kitty litter were in it. I thought, that's it! I went on the internet determined to look until I found
my answer. Lo and behold, there it was, every symptom the kittens had. All I had used was clumping litter. I threw out
my new bag. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for posting this article and feel that there should be a warning on
every box of clumping litter. I don't know how many more deaths I could take before I just gave up and never owned a cat
again.