Corn Kitty Litter and Pesticides
Companies offering corn-based litters grind up dried corn kernels and cobs to create the litter. Opponents to many of the corn-based kitty litters suggest that the corn is grown using pesticides and fertilizers, making the litter equally dangerous to the clay litters. Companies like World's Best Cat Litter say their corn is all-natural, though there is no definitive proof that pesticides are not used.
Even if they are used, the question remains of how much pesticide remains after processing, including drying and grinding. The biggest clue might be from pet owners using the corn kitty litter products that rave about how well the litter works, but how much pantry pests love it, too.
Benefits to Corn Based Litter
Corn based litters tend to work extremely well. They clump hard and control odors. Most products give clear instructions on how to use the litter. Place only a couple inches in the cat litter tray, because that's really all you'll need. The weight of corn based litter is minimal. It's very lightweight and easily transported. Plus, you'll end up using less because it's so absorbent.
Downfalls to Corn Based Cat Litter
Generally, most pet owners feel the positives outweigh the negatives, but there are negatives to consider. One of the biggest involves the weight of corn cat litter. It's very lightweight. This is great for getting the product from a store into your home. However, if your cat is prone to stepping on the side of the litter box to get in and out of it, the litter box is bound to tip over and spill the contents all over your floor.
Pantry pests love corn based litter. It's not surprising to find insect pests like larder beetles and meal worms crawling around in the cat's litter box after a day or two.
Corn based litter is flushable and biodegradable. However, this also leads to a problem. Cat feces contains toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that survives water treatment. If the parasite makes it to the ocean or sea, sea otters can die. As a result, many Californian towns ban the flushing of cat litter.
Brands of Corn Based Kitty Litter
World's Best Cat Litter is the most marketable corn litter product and is sold in pet stores and grocery stores. It's amazingly effective. The litter clumps rock hard for easy scooping, odors are minimal and a little of the product goes a long way. A 7-pound bag lasts a multiple cat household a few weeks.
Naturals Miracle Cat Litter is well received by pet owners. It clumps well and controls odors. You'll find this litter at major pet stores.
Arm and Hammer makes the corn-based Essentials litter. It doesn't perform as well as the competition at either odor control or clumping.