The Inside Scoop on Soy Cat Litter
Here’s the scoop on a new eco-friendly cat litter called, Close to Naturenow from The Organic Farm Store. Made from soybean meal and potato starch, this 100% natural and organic cat litter may be the product you’re looking for if you’ve been on the search for an eco-friendly cat litter that also has clumping properties.
We caught up with Scott DeWaide, President of The Organic Farm Store to get the inside scoop on Close to Naturenow. The Organic Farm Store is a family-run business based out of Washington and it specializes in earth-friendly products such as organic fertilizers. Close to Naturenow was actually developed rather serendipitously. Mr. DeWaide tells us, “The litter’s origin was stumbled upon. We have used the soybean meal for quite a few years in the production of our Organic Soil Amendments/Fertilizers. So it was a spin-off from that that it was created, we merely added the potato starch product to eliminate odor and assist in the clumping.”
Because it’s made from a food grade soybean meal, Close to Naturenow has a soft texture like a light flaky grain. If you’re switching from a clay litter, your cat may prefer this type of texture over some of the other eco-friendly options that are pellet-shaped. The potato starch in the litter causes it to clump as soon as your cat does his business. Mr. DeWaide likens Close to Naturenow to the World’s Best litter in terms of its clumping ability.
Having cooked with potato starch before, I can certainly attest that it glues together as soon as any moisture is added. It’s even stickier than corn starch. I think that would be the main reason I would consider this litter inappropriate for Furball. He had a blocked bladder a few years back and to help manage it, we give him lots of water, so he pees a lot. I tried a clumping eco-friendly litter made from wheat and found with the large quantity of urine, the litter turned into heavy bricks.
If Close to Naturenow cat litter is locally available to you, you may still want to give it a try as I don’t think this litter would glue together as severely as the wheat and urine did. Also, let’s be honest here — clumping makes life much easier when it comes to cleaning out the cat box.
Close to Naturenow cat litter is available directly from The Organic Farm Store at www.theorganicfarmstore.com. Since we’re trying to be more eco-friendly, please factor in the packaging and shipping distance when evaluating if this is a the best green choice for your kitty. The litter is also available from about a dozen distributors nationwide and also 250+ independent retailers. Use the Where to Buy Map on The Organic Farm Store website to find a store near you.
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