If you ask most cat owners, most will say they love their furry friend but hate cleaning out the cat box! The hassle of having to clean the litter daily, not to mention scooping the litter alone is a workout in itself. Cat boxes can be stinky, dusty, and just a pain to deal with in daily life.
Some owners have turned to flushing their cats litter as a way to avoid having to scoop and bag the litter daily. While this may seem like an easy way out to a stinky situation, cat litter when flushed down your drains can cause a list of problems!
Difference in litters
Most cat litters are clay based. They soak up the cat urine and allow for tight clumps to make it easier to scoop. But what happens when you decide to put that down your toilet? Since the clay litter soaks up so much moisture, it creates a hard ball. Flushing this down your toilet can cause the litter to get stuck and causing a back up in the sewer pipes.
Flushable litter is advertised as an environmentally friendlier alternative to clay-based litter. These litters are often made up of corn, wood, or wheat, so they’re biodegradable if you don’t put them in a bag. Some will trap odors without relying on artificial fragrances, common in clay-based litters. Some also clump.
Of course the big take away is that you can flush your cats litter and no longer have to deal with scooping or bagging it! But how safe is flushable litter for your pipes?
Does flushing cat litter cause plumbing issues?
The average consumer would think that flushable litter is safe for their plumbing but we have to take a look at the type of plumbing system you have.
Before you buy a flushable litter, you’ll need to make sure it is safe for your sewer. Even if it is safe, you still need to break up hard clumps so they won’t get stuck . But what if you have a septic system? Some septic systems can’t break down these materials and will cause major back ups.
Even the type of toilet you have should be looked at. Some toilets can only get down a certain gallon amount so even if it does flush, it may not be able to get it all the way down to the sewer or septic.
While it may seem convenient to flush the litter, it can also add issues to your existing plumbing system. Flushing your cats litter once or twice may not be enough to cause problems but beware of multiple uses. The last thing you would want as a home owner would be your favorite feline causing hundreds of dollars in plumbing bills!