The three "R"s of going green--Reduce, Reuse, Recycle--apply to pets as much as humans. Naturally, the reduce principle is the most critical when it comes to enabling your cat to live sustainably: it is absolutely essential that you, as a pet owner, do what you can do reduce the population of cats throughout the world.
Feral and stray cats wreak havoc on natural ecosystems. The effect is the greatest in island communities (including Australia, as large of an island as it may be), and these cats have, according to the Audubon Society of Portland, been responsible for the extinction of hundreds---if not thousands--of bird species. A wildlife rehabilitation group in Washington State reported in 2005 that 17% of birds in their care were being treated for cat-related injuries, compared to only 2% who were being treated by injuries caused by automobiles. Feral cats also displace native predators, including bobcats and foxes, and contribute to epidemics involving fleas, FIV, feline leukemia, roundworm, and the human-transmissible virus toxoplasmosis. To avoid contributing to this problem, always spay and neuter your cats. Consider adopting a rehabilitated stray or feral cat, and do not support people who breed cats recklessly.
In addition, because of the damage caused by free-roaming cats, it is a good idea to keep your cat indoors, especially during the summer, when ground-nesting birds are likely to be nesting. If you do allow your cat outdoors year-round, be sure that he wears a bell on his collar; this will alert native birds of his presence and prevent him from harming breeding birds.
Your cat's domestic diet makes up a large portion of his ecological paw-print. Cats who eat typical, commercial cat-food are a major stress on the global ecosystem, since most cat foods have to be shipped long distances in nonrenewable containers. According to the United Nations report "Livestock's Long Shadow", published in 2006, the meat industry is among the most globally harmful ecological hazards, contributing to everything from global warming to acid rain.
While some, including the organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta), believe that this justifies lowering your cat's ecological impact by feeding him a vegan or vegetarian diet, other organizations, such as the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), state definitively that such a diet would be unhealthy. Even a well-supplemented vegetarian diet for a cat, according to the ASPCA and many other organizations, would almost certainly contribute to a variety of nutritional deficiencies, many of which may cause permanent damage. While a meat-free diet for your cat might do a favor for the ecosystem, it likely does a disservice to your pet.
An alternative to conventional food that may be healthier than going vegan is preparing your own cat food at home. Many recipes are available throughout the Internet, and it eliminates the over-packaging, high-energy-demand processing, and potential for toxicity involved in commercial cat foods. If you make your own cat food at home, be sure to include many supplements. Thoroughly research feline nutrition and recipes before making the switch, and take your cat to the vet frequently to be certain that his health is maintained. While many proponents of homemade cat food believe that it is healthier, it remains unstudied by unbiased organizations, so it is an endeavor that should be handled carefully to insure your cat's health and safety.
Organic cat foods are also an option, but they tend to be very expensive, averaging about three times the price of conventional cat foods. If you can not afford this expense, it is not unreasonable to supplement your cat's diet using organically sourced products.
Catnip is, fortunately, one feline commodity that is easy to find in organic form. Because catnip grows so eagerly, even in poor conditions, it is indeed considered to be a weed by many Midwestern gardeners. Try growing catnip yourself at home to eliminate the ecological impact of transportation fuels and packaging. If home-grown catnip doesn't work for you, organic commercial catnip is easy to find and inexpensive.
Your cat's waste is another source of ecological concern. Cat feces can contain a number of environmental hazards. One of the most serious is that it often carries the parasite toxoplasma gondii, which, according to a study by the University of Glamorgan, survives standard sewage treatment, and is dumped into the ocean, where it proceeds to kill whales, dolphins, otters, and porpoises. Cat waste also has a high concentration of ammonia and nitrates, which pollute water streams and carry all the risks associated with human sewage. That's why one of the greenest ways to raise a cat is to safely compost his poop.
Even if that's not an option for you, you can green your cat's litterbox by by selecting a cat litter that is biodegradable and comes from a renewable resource. The many options for earth-friendly litter, which include litters made from sawdust, wheat, pine, cedar, and recycled newspaper. Clay-based litters should be avoided, since they are not biodegradable and often contain petroleum by-products and synthetic fragrances.
Considering your cat's ecological impact during day-to-day decisions you make will also be helpful. Consider buying a hemp collar instead of a polyester one, or buying an ID tag made from recycled metals. Choose a used grooming brush instead of a new one. Buy him toys made from cloth instead of plastic.
With a little bit of thoughtfulness and a little bit more work, you can easily adjust your cat's lifestyle to reduce, or even eliminate, the havoc that he is naturally capable of releasing on the ecosystem. With enough pet owners working hand-in-hand, the damage caused by cats throughout the world might be one day be reversed.
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