Do Cats Like Newspaper Litter?

Litter manufacturers have found a way to use up yesterday's daily paper, rather than throwing it away. Newspaper litter isn't simply a bag of torn-up newspaper. Instead newspaper, as well as egg cartons, cardboard, old phonebooks and other paper materials, are ground into tiny particles. During processing, the minuscule pieces undergo compression and, voilà! Pellets are born. Newspaper litter is an eco-friendly way to give your fuzzy family member a potty area without making you feel guilty about creating a lot of waste.

Cats often prefer to use a fine-grain type of cat litter, such as clumping litter, reports the Humane Society of the United States. Some kitties don't like the sharp edges of regular clay litter or silica crystals. Although newspaper pellets are large particles and not fine-grain, they are made from paper instead of hard pieces, making the pellets gentle on Max's sensitive paws. Aside from the texture, newspaper litter isn't packed with fragrances. Many felines dislike the strong floral or fresh linen-type of aroma from scented cat litters. Newspaper litter has a generic smell that isn't overpowering for Max's strong little nose.

Don't swap your purring companion's litter overnight. Going from clay litter one day to newspaper pellets the next might upset him. Give him several days or weeks to get used to the feel of newspaper pellets. The next time you change the litter, add a small amount of pellets to the mixture. Use something like one part newspaper pellets to three parts of the litter he's already using. As long as he uses his box with no complaints, the next time blend equal parts of both litters. If he starts having accidents outside the box, it may be a sign that he doesn't like his potty, so you'll need to cut back on some of the pellets to let him adjust. Eventually you'll be able to fill the box with just newspaper pellets.

Newspaper pellets are all-natural and usually don't have any additives. This type of litter is perfectly safe for Max if he was recently declawed, neutered or recovering from some other type of surgery. Since the pellets are somewhat large, as compared to clay particles, they most likely won't get stuck in between his healing toes or stick to an open wound when he squats.