Caring for a cat has its obvious costs like food, grooming, and vet bills. You most likely use a litter box if your furry friend is an inside cat. Do you purchase the cheapest litter brand you can? Do you pick up whatever cat litter is on sale at the supermarket? The cost of the litter for your cat is much more than the actual litter you put in the box.

Most people don't know how much they actually spend on cat litter and associated items per month. Items like litter liners and garbage bags, among other things, need to be considered when calculating litter cost. This all adds up. I’ll break it down to show you the real cost of having a cat litter box.

The Cat Litter

Felines like to hide their personal business by covering it up. This is a natural instinct that comes from the wild when it was necessary to hide their tracks in order to stay safe from predators. Our indoor cats have kept this behavior and that is why we provide a safe place for them to do their business in.

Cat litter comes in a variety of options and your cat may or may not be finicky about which you provide. Here is a list of the most common cat litters used by cat owners.

• Clumping Cat Litter Clay: This is one of the most popular on the market because of the ease of scooping the waste out. It’s made of pulverized clay and bentonite sodium and clumps the urine into a ball that you can scoop out along with the feces. Clay cat litter can be messy as your cat can track the clay all over your house on his paws.
• Non-clumping Cat Litter Clay: This type of litter is also pulverized clay but it doesn’t clump. This is cheaper than the clumping option and can also be very messy and dusty. You will need a lot of this litter to keep the smells at bay and the litter box clean.
• Silicone Crystal Cat Litter: These litters are made of silicone absorbent crystals that trap liquids and odors. These tend to be a little pricier and are better at odor control then the clay options and are less messy.
• Natural Cat Litter: Many natural cat litters have come onto the market in recent years due to the demand for a more healthy and environmentally friendly way to care for our cats. These can be made of walnut, pine, wheat, corn, and paper, among other natural ingredients. These may cost a little more but the benefits are sometimes worth it.

What Does it Really Cost

The Hidden Costs

What you spend on your cat's litter box per month is more than the bag of clay. There are several extra items that you need to purchase to keep the litter box and your home clean. Traditional clay litters don't last very long and they need to be replaced often because of its limited ability to absorb liquid and to suppress odor. You will probably also need some sort of perfume or substance as an odor mask. Because they’re not flushable or compostable you will need to purchase litter liners or garbage bags to dispose of it.

As you can see by my calculations, the actual costs of maintaining a cat litter are much more than the simple (and heavy) bag of litter you drag home from the supermarket. When you add it up, the total cost of the extras needed to keep the cat litter box (and your home) clean and the environmental destruction of traditional litters far outweighs the costs of a more premium, all-natural cat litter like TofuKitty. The outdated thought that natural cat litter costs a lot more than traditional cat litter has been debunked!