Keeping Our Furry Friends Sustainable

When it comes to leading a sustainable lifestyle and including your friends and family as much as possible, pets are often left behind. It’s understandable, we think of our animals as a natural part of the world which equates to environmentally harmless, right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. Through food alone, it’s estimated that if the pets in the US were their own country, they would be the 5th largest contributor to the world’s greenhouse gases. How can we help reduce this impact and give our best friends and fur babies a greener carbon pawprint?

Food

Food may be the most difficult transition for some, whether it’s because of your pet’s taste or financial reasons. The easiest thing to consider here is what your pet’s food is made of. Red meat, especially beef, has the highest carbon footprint of any food product. Look for foods that are made of fish (especially those certified by the Marine Stewardship Council) or fowl like chicken, duck, and turkey.

That being said, several brands go above and beyond if you’re willing to get experimental with your pet’s diet.

• Open Farm has a variety of options for types of food and supplies both dog and cat food. They are very transparent in their practices and make sustainability a central point in their business.
• The Honest Kitchen focuses on high-quality, organic ingredients and ethical practices. They also provide both cat and dog food with a variety of protein options and choices based on dietary needs.
• Chippin is a unique brand in that it provides dog food with cricket protein, specifically to reduce the carbon footprint of food production.

Activities and Accessories

While you might be ready to completely overhaul your pet’s toybox, the first thing to remember is that using what you already have is always the most sustainable option. If you have a dog that rips into its toys and quickly destroys anything new, this may be a challenge and that is definitely a time to consider getting more eco-friendly toys. Many of these are made from natural materials that are more likely to pass through your furry friend’s digestive tract more easily in addition to helping the planet!

Now cats are a different story for the most part. They will often prefer boxes and bottle caps over new toys and the market for sustainable pet toys shows this. However, with a little sewing, scrap fabric (or even an old sock), and cat nip, you can make kitty toys yourself! There are also tons of creative ways to upcycle old furniture and appliances into cat trees and beds.

Another thing to consider is how pets are getting their exercise. In a few paragraphs, we’ll look into why picking up pet waste is important, and that mostly relates to dogs. What about cats? As much as some people might not want to hear it, letting cats outside completely unmonitored is harmful to local ecosystems. In the United States alone, cats kill over one billion birds every year. Keeping your cat indoors, leashed, or otherwise contained can help reduce this number.

Health and Grooming

One of the best things a pet owner can do for their pet’s health is get that pet neutered or spayed. This also helps reduce overpopulation issues. Since our pets are nonnative animals, when feral populations are introduced it can do a number on the environment. This can happen if an unneutered pet is allowed to roam free or even if it just escapes and comes back the next day.

When it comes to products you can buy to keep your pet healthy, keep an eye on the materials used to make products. Brush bristles made of plastic will eventually shed and become microplastics. Shampoos can contain ingredients that are harmful to your pet and the environment, so opt for ones with clean ingredients with third-party verification.

Waste Disposal

Tip #1 for waste disposal is to make sure you’re doing it and doing it correctly. That means picking up dog poop, even in your yard. 40% of dog owners self-report not cleaning up after their dogs, often with the reasoning that the feces will decompose naturally. Not only does it take dog poop over two months to decompose, but because dogs are not native to the ecosystem, the decomposition can cause a harmful overabundance of nitrogen and phosphorus. A way to make this environmentally friendly act even better is to use biodegradable bags to clean up your pet’s waste.

When it comes to cats, if they are allowed outside their waste causes similar issues to dog waste. For indoor cats, consider looking for a more sustainable litter option. The most popular options for litter are generally the least sustainable: clay and crystal/silica gel. Neither of these materials is biodegradable and both use environmentally harmful mining practices to produce. There are several alternative options for more sustainable materials including repurposed sawdust, recycled paper, and soy pellets. Some bonuses are that these materials are often much lighter and easier to carry than mineral-based litter and are easy to find without synthetic perfumes that can cause allergies and trigger asthma.

Cleaning

As much as we all love our critters, we need to acknowledge one of the downsides: messes. Fortunately, cleaning supplies are one of the easiest things to find sustainable alternatives to. A classic that is effective in eliminating pet odors is baking soda. If you want something a little more intense, add a white vinegar solution to the mix. There are several effective DIY recipes for cleaners out there!

If you don’t have the time for making a cleaner yourself or experimenting with what works, don’t worry. There are also many companies that make natural and sustainable cleaning supplies that come with customer reviews so you can see what might work for you.