The House Where The Black Cat Lives: The House Where The Black Cat Lives Goes Green

Thursday, October 1, 2009

The House Where The Black Cat Lives Goes Green

Don't be alarmed by the title of this post. I have not turned into one of those annoyingly ardent environmentalists.

You won't find bamboo flooring or solar-powered anything (not even a calculator) at the House Where the Black Cat Lives.

But sometimes it just makes sense--morally and financially -- to do the green thing. Therefore, I van pool to work, recycle and use natural homemade house cleaning products. Frankly, there's not much that vinegar and baking soda can't cleanse, sterilize or deodorize.

Since I'm doing my part, I thought it was time the cats chipped in and did theirs.

Last week their litter boxes went green.

Anyone who reads this blog more or less regularly knows I have a lot of cats. Following the one for each plus one more formula, I have eight litter boxes. Which get emptied into the trash every week. That's a lot of kitty litter sitting around in landfills.

The average scoopable cat litter is made of all kinds of unnatural stuff with names you can't pronounce. But you don't have to be able to say it to know that its probably not biodegradable.

Actually, I didn't know that until I saw it on TV.

So I began searching for an alternative. First I tried Feline Pine, one of the first "natural" kitty litters. Outside of being ungodly expensive, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the kibble that I feed them. Since feeding and scooping are both among my 4 a.m. pre-work chores, I thought it best to avoid an unfortunate mix-up before it occurred.

Also the litter had an unnervingly strong pine aroma. Unnerving because it reminded me of the smell of all those toppled pine trees oozing sap after Katrina. Not one of my fondest memories. So ix-nay on the Feline Pine.

Next I tried some new stuff made of ground up corn and baking soda. It looked like sawdust, had a nice soft texture and a very pleasant scent.

I love it.

The cats hate it. Or they're waiting for a special occasion to use it. I'm beginning to wonder (and worry). Just how long can they hold it?

Has anybody out there got a suggestion or tried something else that works? And please don't say shredded newspaper. Not going there.

As Kermit the Frog always said, "It's not easy being green."

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The Story of the House Where the Black Cat Lives

Before there was a black cat, there was a tortoiseshell cat named Celie. She had five kittens, then left. Over the years, several other kitties have passed through. Two stayed. Ours is a happy house-- except for one very unhappy encounter between my niece and one of my black cats Sammy. Since that day, my place has been The House Where the Black Cat Lives. Life can get a little hairy, but my love of cooking, reading, decorating and traveling (especially Paris) gets me through. It just goes to show you can be a crazy cat lady and have a life, too. Come on in and visit. Hope you don't mind a little cat hair.