If you really love your pets, you probably can't imagine your life without them. A dog or a cat can be your confidant, your comfort, and your best friend (does your favorite picture on your free internet dating profile show you with your pooch? Thought so!). But unfortunately, taking care of a pet the usual way contributes a lot to waste-- almost everything involved in your pet's care can be very harmful to the environment. Fortunately, though, there are ways to keep to your green ideals while keeping your pet healthy, happy, and clean. Read on for 7 tips on how to do it.
1. Get crafty with toys
Pet toys (and especially dog toys) aren't only expensive... their production is also harmful for the environment. Just like over consumption is a bad idea for humans; it's also a bad idea for your pet. The truth is, Fido doesn't know if you spend ten bucks on a toy or make one out of an old t-shirt. All he knows is that it's fun. Your dog can rip one of those cheap-o rubber toys from the pet store apart in about 10 minutes. So instead of contributing to extra waste, give him something made from natural materials or from items you were planning to throw away anyway: old socks, balls, rope, old towels, etc.
2. Give them a baking soda bath
All the chemicals found in most pet shampoos --one to make it smell good, another to make it foam, etc.-- find their way into nature. Want to prevent this? Give your pet a dry shampoo instead, using baking soda. Simply sprinkle your pet's fur with baking soda and rub it in with your hands. Then use a soft-bristle brush to spread the baking soda throughout your pet's fur. Keep brushing until there's no visible baking soda. Not only will it keep your pet clean, baking soda is also easy to apply, doesn't require rinsing, and is totally non-toxic.
3. Make your pet's food
You cook for your kids, so why not your pets? If you really want to keep your pets healthy and happy, cook for them using natural, local ingredients. Don't have time to slave over a bowl of puppy chow? Then at least look for pet foods marked organic or, even better, that are also produced locally.
4. Fight fleas the natural way
The last thing you want is for your pet is to be covered in nasty, biting fleas-- it's torture for them! But all those strong chemicals you use to kill the fleas off kill other things, as well. Flea treatments are essentially pesticides... and if you wouldn't want it on your food, why would you put it on your pet's skin? Instead of harmful, expensive pesticides pick up flea repellants with herb-based essential oils instead.
5. Change your litter
I love my cats-- and one of my favourite things about them is that I don't need to walk them around the block a bazillion times a day to get them to use the bathroom. They do their business in the house, clean as could be. But that same litter that keeps your home and your cats clean can do a lot of harm to the environment. In the U.S. alone, two million tons of that clay-based cat litter a year work their way into landfills. And it's not biodegradable. Instead of "normal" litter, search for biodegradable or organic litters, instead. These sorts of litters can be made of plant leaves, recycled paper, you name it. And it's a heck of a lot gentler on the environment... not to mention softer on your kitty's paws.
6. Watch your pup's waste
Cat litter creates a ton of non-biodegradable waste. But so does cleaning up after your dog. Letting your dog's waste just sit there and biodegrade naturally just isn't an option (unless, say, you live on a farm). It not only disturbs the people you share your city with, it can also run into drains and water sources. But that doesn't mean that it's not important to keep the environment in mind, too, when cleaning up your pup's waste. Using a whole plastic bag every time you want to clean up after your dog isn't the most environmentally-friendly way to do things. It will just sit in a landfill for years to come-- the bag and the waste inside it, too. Instead of plastic bags, go for paper or other biodegradable bags instead. No, they're not as comfortable to use as a slick and non-absorbent plastic bag. But thinking of the mountain of waste-filled plastic bags your dog has created probably isn't so comfortable, either.
7. Get a goat
No, really. If you're considering getting a pet and don't know what kind you're looking for, think about one that serves a practical as well as an emotional purpose. If you've got a bit of space, a pet like a goat --who can provide wonderful milk for cheese-- can supply your family and reduce your carbon footprint while giving you loads of entertainment (they have a lot of personality!).
