Green Girl Leah Thomas' Favorite Sustainable Cat Products · Kinship

The environmentalist shares her sustainable product recos, from recycled catnip toys to organic cat grass to biodegradable kitty litter.

Sustainability can be factored into every aspect of life, even some of the less obvious areas, like pet care. As an environmentalistopens in a new tab, I try my best to be cautious of my overall environmental footprint by reducing, reusing, and recycling. However, it wasn’t until I worked for an environmentally friendly pet-care and home-cleaner brand, ECOS, early in my career that I considered my cat’s footprint too. While my cat is as zero waste as can be (except for what she leaves behind in her litter box) I was not being a sustainable pet parent by spoiling her with every cute toy and treat out there. Some cat products have toxins, are produced wastefully, and are just as bad as non-sustainably made human items — which is why sustainability is an important factor to consider when choosing pet products. Lucky for you, I’ve done the research so you don’t have to. Here, my top seven sustainable pet products.

Btw, our editors/contributors (and their pets) picked out these products. They’re always in stock at the time we publish, but there’s a chance they’ll sell out. If you do buy through our links, we may earn a commission. (We’ve got a lot of toys to buy over here, you know?)

I use these so that my cat’s waste is completely compostable and biodegradable. When you choose a plastic bag, the bag itself will sit in a landfill for hundreds of years (or more!).

My cat is an only child so I try my best to groom her with a brush, but she absolutely loves these wet wipes that help keep her sanitized after an outside stroll and don’t contain any harmful chemicals.

To keep my cat hydrated — and to stop her from jumping into my bathtub (it’s happened before) — I bought a water fountain for a constant stream of refreshing water.

Some kitty litter contains toxins and I don’t want that for my cat. That’s why I opt for a sustainable kitty litter.

This cat grass is sustainable and not treated with any chemicals. It also helps her avoid munching on plants that could be toxic to her when she gets an outdoor break.

When buying cat accessories, recycled and remade options are the most sustainable.

Cat toys can easily be made out of recycled materials (and most cats aren’t that picky). Honestly, my cat prefers to play with a recycled box more than other toys, so I always gravitate toward recycled options.

Leah Thomas is an eco-communicator, a.k.a. an environmentalist with a love for writing and creativity, based in Ventura, CA. She’s passionate about advocating for and exploring the relationship between social justice and environmentalism. She is the founder of eco-lifestyle blog @greengirlleahopens in a new tab and The Intersectional Environmentalist Platformopens in a new tab. Her articles have appeared in Vogue, Elle, The Good Trade, and Youth to the People and she has been featured in Harper’s Bazaar, W Magazine, Domino, GOOP and numerous podcasts. She has a B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from Chapman University.

Not to be confused with catnip (or other buds).

The burgeoning start-up is creating cat food and furniture for modern pet parents.