Can You Use Dirt For Cat Litter? (Pros, Cons, Warnings & Risks)

Can you use dirt for cat litter? Yes, you can use dirt or soil as cat litter. It is simple and cheap compared to most cat litters, although it comes with other downsides.

Fecal matter from any animal can be hazardous to your health and your cat. This is why it is essential to consider your cat’s hygiene and how it dumps its poop.

One way to maintain your cat’s hygiene is by using cat litter. There are several cat litters, but we are looking into the use of dirt in this article. Below are the whys and why not of using dirt as cat litter.

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Can you use dirt for cat litter?

You can use dirt for cat litter but it comes with various pros and cons including the following…

Pros to using dirt as cat litter

It’s cheap

It may only cost you a shovel from your garage to fetch the dirt from your backyard or garden, and therefore it may be free. Especially if you are in a financial problem, dirt could be a lifesaver for cat litter solutions.

If you go for the option of buying the dirt may not be as cheap as expected. You may want to consider other options like recycled papers before using or buying dirt since they may be more affordable.

It’s readily available

You can find dirt almost everywhere. You can collect it from your backyard, garden, or shop, packed in large bags. Therefore it is readily available in large quantities, and you may not spend much money on it.

Since the cat litter tray needs emptying and refilling regularly, it is an excellent job to get a large amount of dirt at a low cost.

It’s natural

Animals to humans love anything natural, and digging for litter is an instinct for cats. Especially cats that spend most of their time outdoors love pooping in the gardens. That’s why dirt may be the best cat litter for such cats, to ensure consistency between their indoor and outdoor lifestyle.

Cons to using dirt as cat litter

It’s Very Messy

Using dirt can be very messy and unclean. They can easily get trapped on the cat’s paws and fur. As the cat moves around the house, this dirt can be deposited on the carpet, couch, table or bed. This could be hard to clean and time-consuming since cats could regularly visit the litter box.

Additionally, dirt is dirty. It may contain all sorts of organic matter, undesirable and desirable. This may have risks that can bring some problems like health issues in the household.

It Is Not Easy to Maintain Consistency

Consistency for cats is paramount since they are sensitive to slight changes. It is easier to keep consistency when you buy the dirt from a shop due to its uniformity than digging it from the garden.

If your cat finds something different from the last time when they walk to the litter box, they may start misbehaving. These misbehaviors (like urinating outside the litter box) may take time, but eventually, they will begin to manifest.

There Is No Odor Control

Dirt has no odor control properties. If you are a parent of several cats, the litter box could quickly get stinky. As a result, you may need to change the dirt more frequently than when using other cat litters with odor control properties.

As much as dirt is cheap to acquire, there is much work involved in it. You may consider adding baking soda to control the odor, but it may not be that effective.

It Could Bring Health Issues to You and Your Cat

Your garden is home to many creatures that fly or creeps into the soil. Most of these creatures are carriers of diseases and parasites that are transmissible. It is perilous, especially if you are digging up the dirt from your garden.

When your cat visits the litter box, they may pick up these creatures on their paws and fur, tracking them around the house. This may lead to you and your family being exposed to the risk of contracting diseases and parasites.

Are There Any Other Alternatives To Cat Litter Other Than Dirt or Soil?

Any parent with a sand pit in their garden will tell you that cats love using sand for their toilet!

So in your hour of need for something to fill the litter tray, if you have some sand this could work well! 

The negatives are predictable: no odor absorption so you will need to clean the tray as soon as you get in and your cat will have tracked the sand around the room.

Sawdust is another popular alternative to use and  works best with a folded newspaper underneath to absorb any urine.

Such things as chicken pellets and lucerne are also good if you happen to keep chickens or horses too!

These both smell really nice to begin with, but the odors of cat pee and pooh will greet you when you return home!

If you have had to use an alternative to cat litter in the box, the problem you will have to tackle afterwards, is the odor that has been left behind.

The most successful way to do this is to use one of the bio- enzymatic cleaners as they really do quickly, effectively and permanently, eliminate all odors from the cat litter tray

Cheap Cat Litter Alternatives

No products found.

Is Home Made Cat Litter Better Than Buying Cat Litter?

Having had to use a home made alternative for cat litter in the case of emergency, you will have discovered that cat litter is a far better option because it absorbs both the moisture and all the odor.

All the home made alternatives need to be changed very frequently to keep them passably pleasant and even regular cat litter needs to be ‘de-pooed’ daily and changed every couple of days.

Can You Use Dirt or Soil For Cat Litter?

Yes, it is possible and affordable when you run out of cat litter or are in financial trouble to use dirt and soil for cat litter.

However, using dirt involves a lot of risks and may not seems to be a good idea due to reasons like:

• Dirt is easily tracked around the house by cats and is hard to clean
• Dirt could transmit diseases to you and your cats, especially those who spend more time indoors
• Dirt can bring lousy odor to the house, more so if you have many cats
• It is not easy to achieve consistency for your cat when using dirt from your garden

However, if you decide to use dirt, you should calculate if the cost savings outweigh the risks of using dirt instead of other cat litters.

Last update on 2023-07-20 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API