Clumping litter is a favorite amongst cat owners because it makes clean-ups that little bit easier, however, there is a hidden danger that you should be aware of before using this type of litter for your cat.

The danger you need to know about clumping clay cat litters is sodium bentonite.

This is the clay material that is added to cat litter to make it clump.

The danger is that when this is added to water it can expand up to 15x it’s original size.

So if you have one of those kitties who tend to eat cat litter (yes, that’s a thing!), that can cause a whole lot of problems for your kitty.

Even if you don’t have a cat who actively eats litter, some litter residue will be on their feet after using the litter. When your cat grooms themselves to clean this off, they will ingest this harmful material. 

When cat’s ingest sodium bentonite it puts them at great risk for an intestinal blockage due to the moist internal environment of their digestive system. It will essentially expand into a cement-like ball that can become stuck in their intestinal tract. 

Over time, this blockage will build and may stop your cat from being able to digest their food - this then becomes a medical emergency which may require surgery to correct and can of course be life threatening. 

My entire point of this litter series is that there is no one size fits all for all cats and you need to find the right option for your particular cat. Having said that, this is a really big danger to be aware of as it has the potential to do irreparable harm to your precious baby.

If you want to know my top safe cat litter recommendations, you can find them HERE.

Keep giving your pets the best of natural life!

~PetCoachApril 

April Arguin A.S., C.P.N., M.P.H

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