Lifestyle Review: An Eco-Friendly Cat with Natusan

Over the last few years, I've tried really hard to use eco-friendly, cruelty-free and ethical products - including those for my cat, Ripley. Since bringing her home earlier this year, I have been researching environmentally pet products and cat litter but it didn't seem easy to come by. That's why I'm pleased to have found Natusan*.

Did you know that cat litter generates 2% of the UK's domestic waste? It's pretty shocking to think that our beautiful little fur balls contribute to the masses of waste each year. I'm always on the look out for environmentally cat products and so when Natusan got in touch about trying a eco-friendly solution to cat litter, I was really pleased to give it a go. 

Natusan are an easy-to-use monthly subscription service for London postcodes who have created a new kind of natural cat litter. They deliver it right to your door and, once your month is up, Natusan will collect the used litter to be composted and, later, turned in to fertiliser. That fertiliser then goes on to help grow trees around London with Trees for Cities. 

So how does it work? It's pretty simple but all you need to do is sign up via their website and wait for your first natural cat litter kit to arrive. It's really straight-forward to put your kit together. In fact, I didn't even need the leaflet provided and it only took me a few minutes. One month's kit includes a helpful guide to assembly and the following:

x1 guidance leaflet for assembling your litter kit, x1 waterproof delivery bag - this comes in handy when Natusan, allowing you to leave it outside for their collection. x1 leak-proof, recyclable cardboard litter tray, x2 bags of biodegradable, natural cat litter (a 10L bag and a 7L bag), x1 cardboard scooper and x1 swap tray.

To assemble your kit, simply unfold the cardboard litter tray, open the 10L bag and fill the box up to the line inside. Use the scooper to keep the tray fresh and add new litter when needed and maintain around 2 inches of litter. After one month, fold the tray and scooper into your waterproof bag and place the lid on top. Leave it outside (before 9am) and use the swap tray and 7L whilst waiting for your new box to arrive.

Of course, a big pro of using Natusan is that they offer a convenient service that means fresh litter can be delivered straight to your door; all whilst helping the planet and reducing domestic waste. Being a cardboard box also, Ripley wasted very little time inspecting it and was quick to get inside. But if you're nervous about easing your cat in to using a new type of litter, I actually used the recyclable litter in her current hooded tray. This has a door and keeps all mess inside and it allowed her to get used to the new texture and smells. I then transferred the litter back in to the cardboard.

One thing to note about the wooden fibre litter and the cardboard tray, though, is that it can make quite a mess and I found myself hoovering a lot. Also, with Ripley being so fluffy, it did stick to her fur and it would appear around the house. So I do wonder if a thicker litter would be better, or even pallets. With the service still being relatively new, I've been assured that this is something they're looking in to and the designers are working on in terms of a door for the tray. Thankfully, also, we keep Ripley's litter tray in the bathroom so this helps with the clean up.

I'm really pleased to have had the chance to try a natural, bio-degradable cat litter in a bid to make little changes in the home to help the environment. Huge thanks to Natusan for allowing me to try out their service. If you're a London cat parent and would like to find out more about Natusan, you can visit their website or their FAQ page for more.

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Well, that's it for another lifestyle review. I appreciate it might seem odd reviewing cat litter but  I think it's important to make these changes in the home which make such a difference to the environment. As I wrote this, also, I couldn't get Smelly Cat out of my head either. None-the-less, I hope this is helpful and some food for thought. But tell me, what changes have you made to be more environmentally friendly? I'm keen to find out more about eco-friendly pet products so please do leave your recommendations in the comment section below.

Until next time fellow cat lovers,

*Disclaimer - This is a paid collaboration with Natusan. As always, all opinions are my own and are not enforced by the brand.