If you follow me on Instagram or on Facebook, you’ll have seen the Pink family have a very cute, furry new addition. Little Dot, (or Dotty) is our new kitten and we’ve had her about a month now and are all completely smitten. After deciding to get a cat, I did some research into what you need when you get a kitten, and also ways to make sure everything we got for her would be as eco-friendly as possible. I’m really happy with the eco-friendly cat essentials we got for our kitten, so I thought I’d share them with you, along with some cute kitten pictures, of course.
Why We Got a Cat
When I was a kid I really really wanted a cat. But for various reasons it wasn’t the right thing for our family. We had fish, hamsters and rabbits over the years. So I didn’t have any experience of cats. We feed my brother’s (rather snooty and unfriendly) cat when they go on holiday but that’s it. Meanwhile, when Ava was very young, I promised Ava she could have a pet when she was ten. And she never forgot! So the pressure was on to pick a pet, as she turned nine at the end of last year. And her dream came true on her 9 1/2 birthday, 6 months ahead of schedule ๐ We welcomed Little Dot to our home about a month ago.
We looked after Dot’s mum Ziggy last year when our friends went on holiday, and this was a great way to test the water to see if we would make good cat parents. It also cemented the need for a cat for the girls… So although we discussed hamsters and rabbits, really we all knew we’d choose a kitten. When Little Dot’s mum was pregnant it was the perfect time as we hoped her kittens would inherit her lovely temperament. This is Ziggy when she stayed with us – see how much Ava and Thea loved having a cat around? I’m not sure Ziggy felt the same way…
We picked up Ziggy’s kitten Dotty up a month ago and she became part of the family instantly. She looks like her mum doesn’t she!
As I work from home anyway (not just during Corona) I knew that I’d be around the house to keep Dotty company, even after the kids go back to school. And she’s turned out to be the friendliest, cuddliest kitten ever, and is happiest snuggling on a lap. So she couldn’t be more perfect for us.
What You Need For a New Kitten
I’m certainly not an expert, but this is what we needed for our new kitten, and what we were advised to get:
- A cat carrier to collect her and take her to the vets in
- A cat bed (though we were warned most cats will choose your most expensive blanket or jumper to sleep on!)
- A litter tray and scoop
- Litter
- Kitten food
- A shallow cat bowl
- A shallow water bowl
- Cat toys
- A scratching board
I couldn’t find eco-friendly versions of all our cat essentials, but I did manage quite few.
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I’ll Start With the Standard Cat Essentials
This is us collecting Little Dot from our friends’ house. We got a bag-style pet carrier, that folds down when not in use, to save space. I had a Groupon refund so ordered it from there. It’s got plenty of space so will be plenty big enough as our kitten gets full grown.
I didn’t want to spend a fortune on a cat bed as I’ve been warned that cats will most likely sleep anywhere but their bed. As we were on Lockdown when I was buying our cat essentials, I went for a Made.com small cat bed (it only seems to be availabe in medium and large now) as I was confident it would be good quality so we wouldn’t have to replace it soon, and it would also look nice in our grey kitchen. It was also on offer at the time, and Dotty loves it and sleeps in it every night.
Now on to My Ideas for Eco-Friendly Cat Essentials
When searching for eco-friendly cat items, I found a company called BecoPets, who specialise in eco-friendly pet supplies. You can find their products in lots of online pet stores, but I ordered direct through them.
Beco make degradable bamboo BPA-free bowls, scoops, litter trays and poop scoops, and use natural food dyes to make them colourful. They come in pink, blue and natural. I chose pink, of course.
Bamboo is a strong, sustainable material and grows really quickly, absorbing 35x more carbon than trees as it grows. Bamboo is mixed with rise husks, a by-product of rice farming, to reinforce and strengthen the products, and cornstarch, which is converted into polymers to give it the strength and versatility of plastic, without the environmental cost. The cardboard labels on their products are made of recycled paper.
Eco-Friendly Cat Feeding Essentials
A cat needs a bowl for food and for drink, and these low-profile moulded bowls easy to keep clean and Dotty finds them easy to eat and drink from. The bowls are top-shelf dishwasher safe.
I ordered the food scoop online too, not realising it was meant for dogs, and therefore really big! We do use it, just not anywhere near full.
Eco-Friendly Cat Litter Tray and Scoop
I ordered the matching bamboo litter tray and scoop. They weren’t cheap, but they also won’t contribute to landfill. We don’t have a cat flap so Dot will need it long-term so I think it’s a good investment.
This eco-friendly bamboo litter tray comes in two parts so the clock-on hood helps to catch the spray when the cat burrows into the litter. We do get some overspill but it’s not bad at all.
Eco-Friendly Bamboo Cat Toy
We ordered a cat wand made from recycled plastic bottles, and stuffed with catnip. Dotty is pretty keen on jumping for it.
It has a wooden handle, and the butterfly is made from 100% recycled plastic (RPET) stuffed with 100% catnip.
Cardboard Scratching Board
We bought a cardboard scratching block with catnip, but Dotty doesn’t seem to like scratching it (she prefers our lovely sofa, yikes!) She likes sitting on it though and we live in hope that she might start scratching it soon.
If you have any recommendations for scratching posts that she might like, please leave me a comment! So far the sofa is holding up really well but it’s not ideal.
Eco-Friendly Cat Litter and Cat Food
When it comes to eco-friendly cat litter, I found Natusan online. They make 100% natural, sustainable, biodegradable and compostable cat litter. It is not cheap though so I am looking out for a cheaper, but still eco-friendly cat litter: if you have a suggestion please leave me a comment!
We are currently using Purina One Kitten food as that’s what Dotty was fed on before she came to live with us. She loves it and I’m pleased to see that the bag it comes in can be recycled with carrier bags at larger supermarkets.
I hope you liked my guide to eco-friendly cat essentials, why not Pin it for later?
I’ll leave you with some kitten spam:
It’s an original cat ๐
It’s sad, in France, every year, about 100,000 pets are abandoned, mostly during the summer period. Often, people buy them just like they buy toys…
Gosh Sophie that is an awful number, absolutely heartbreaking! We have been planning to get a pet for years now and are well aware of how much of a responsibility it is.x