No, cat litter is not the same as Perlite. Perlite is lightweight compared to cat litter hence cat litter made of Perlite will weigh less weight up to fifty percent of the standard cat litter.
However, Perlite can extremely be absorbent and is also used to complement other ingredients to make cat litter.
Below are some explanations about cat litter and Perlite so that you can understand more about each one of them.
Cat litter
Cat litter is used to absorb moisture and the smell in the litter box. It is always good to change cat litter often.
Cat litters were initially made of dirt, sand, or old newspapers that would be put and filled into the cats’ litter boxes.
But in recent days, the most common cat litter is often made of clay and other ingredients occurring naturally like wheat, pine, corn, or even synthetic crystallized silica.
The types of cat litter that can be made from clay can either be clumpy or non-clumpy. The most common type of clay used in cat litter is bentonites. This type of clay gives a clumping cat litter that is convenient for your cats.
Bentonite has a unique property that can easily absorb moisture and liquid, which is urine from cats. It tends to increase in volume when it comes into contact with a liquid substance.
This is what causes clumps that you can easily scoop up. Bentonite can be used alone without other chemical additives.
Examples of this bentonite are calcium bentonite or sodium bentonite.
Calcium bentonite
This type of bentonite can swell up to about fifteen times their original size; thus, they make a good type of cat litter. It helps detoxify your cat of chemicals and heavy metals, reducing stress on the liver, pancreas, kidneys, and gallbladder.
Sodium bentonite
Sodium bentonite acts as a clumping agent to cat litters. This helps to make clumps that can easily be scooped. It acts as an expandable cement, and this is why these types of litter should not be flushed.
When they contact a liquid, they can swell up to fifteen times their actual size.
You can use cat litter with other added ingredients to make it more convenient for your cats. These ingredients can include;
- Baking soda- It can be added to clay litter or any other cat litter to neutralize or absorb the smell.
- Fragrances- not very strong fragrances may be added to cat litter to prevent bad odors.
- Mineral oil is an ingredient added to cat litter to aid in controlling dust to avoid cats from inhaling which can put them into a serious health problems. Mineral oil is also put at the bottom of the box containing litter to prevent the litter from sticking and hence easy cleaning of the litter box.
Perlite
Earlier, cat owners were faced with the problem of having cat litter that weighed too much. At the same time, these cat litters were very expensive to buy, use, and replace, but they found a solution to using Perlite
.
Perlite is a very lightweight granular material, and it is white. Cat litter made with Perlite can weigh up to fifty percent less standard.
The expanded form of Perlite is a good absorbent, and therefore, it acts as an optimal complement that can be used with other ingredients to make the best cat litter.
These ingredients include odor-controlling elements and clay. Perlite is highly adsorbent and preferable for use in cat litters (ever wondered if hamster litter is also the same as cat litter?).
When you use Perlite for cat litter, it easily absorbs the urine of the cats making the cats stay comfortable even before the litter box is cleaned up.
The good thing with Perlite is that it is more readily available, and it is cheaper, and therefore you can access Perlite anytime you need it for your cat litter.
However, Perlite contains dust that can be harmful to your cat if they inhale for a long time. But there is an option of washing the Perlite to minimize the dust.
Conclusion
Is cat litter the same as Perlite? The answer is no. This is because, Perlite is lightweight compared to cat litter, and for Perlite to be used efficiently as cat litter, it has to be in its expanded form.
Cat litter
Cat litter may occur in different forms. The main common type of cat litter is that made from clay which can either be clumpy or non-clumpy. The type of clay mainly used is bentonite.
Examples of bentonite are;
- Sodium bentonite acts as a clumping agent and makes clumps that can easily be scooped.
- Calcium bentonite can swell up to fifteen times its original size, providing a good cat litter.
Ingredients that can be added to cat litter are;
- Baking soda is added to cat litter to neutralize or absorb the smell.
- Fragrances that prevent odors.
- Mineral oil helps in controlling dust.
Perlite
- The expanded form of Perlite is a good absorbent.
- It can be used with other ingredients to make a good cat litter.
- It’s readily available.