Here’s a guest post from cat lover, Becky, who wrote a pawsome summary on greening your cat’s dining habits.
If you’re one of the many Americans trying to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about the environmental impact of the food on your plate. But have you considered the carbon footprint of the food you feed your cat? In the struggle to create a sustainable future, every little bit counts. Here’s some things to consider when you’re creating a more eco-friendly diet for your cat.
Different Species, Same Questions
All of the questions that you ask about the food you eat are good questions to ask about your cat’s food too. Does the meat come from animals raised on an organic farm? Were they treated with artificial growth hormones and antibiotics? Did their diet include healthy wild grasses or large amounts of highly processed grains?
You also want to consider how local the food you feed your cat is. Even meat from an ethical organic farm can have a large ecological footprint if it has been shipped across the country. There’s also the issue of containers. Does the food come in a can made from recycled metal? Is there an excess of unnecessary plastic packaging?
DIY If You Can
The most eco-friendly way to meet your cat’s food needs is to make the food yourself. That way you can have total control of the ingredients and make sure that you’re using only local, organic, ethically raised meat. You can also tailor the food in unique ways if your cat has any allergies or other special dietary needs. Making the food yourself also eliminates the need for any packaging, and will be a manageable expense whether you use cash or credit card.
Baby Steps
For many of us,making our own cat food is out of reach because we have limited time and/or money. If that’s the case for you, don’t worry. There’s still a lot you can do to reduce the waste and energy consumption associated with your cat’s food.
First, see if you can find some locally produced organic cat food. If money is a concern, check out the websites of some local pet stores and use your credit cards comparison shop. You might be surprised at the deals that are available.
Regardless of the brand you buy, be sure to recycle the metal containers. If you purchase food in bags, try to buy a larger bag next time. This can dramatically reduce the amount of packaging that ends up going to the landfill. When you go to the store to buy more cat food, pick up more than you normally do. By taking trips to the pet store less often, you’ll save both time and gas.
Chances are good that some of these ideas will fit into your budget and lifestyle. If you’re like most cat owners, part of the reason you wanted an animal companion in the first place is because you love the natural world.
Changing your cat’s diet to a more eco-friendly one will help make
sure your pet is helping the rest of the world at the same time.