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Sliced Bread

Cat Litter

5/21/202625 min

What kind of cat litter is best for cats, owners and the environment?

After we looked at dog poo bags for an episode, it's only right that we answer some questions for the cat lovers, around cat litter. 

Listener Ella got in touch to ask about it, after adopting her Sphynx indoor cat, Mr. Big (short for Mr. Bigglesworth). She wanted to know: what is the most absorbent cat litter that doesn't smell, doesn't cause problems for her floors when kicked out of the litter tray and might be better for the environment?

Greg Foot is joined by veterinary surgeon and author of the book What's My Cat Thinking? Dr. Jo Lewis – as well as engineer and former managing director of pet care company Bob Martin, Savi Madden – to get the inside scoop. 

All of our episodes start with your suggestions. If you’ve seen an ad, trend or wonder product promising to make you happier, healthier or greener, email us at sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or send a voice note to our WhatsApp number, 07543 306807.

Researcher: Phil Sansom Producers: Kate Holdsworth and Greg Foot

Clips

Clumping Litter Gut Danger
Dust, Carcinogens, Cat Lungs
Don’t Flush That Litter
Composting Parasite Hazard
No Cat GPT Joke
Mr. Bigglesworth Reveal

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Greg Foot· Host0:01

    [gentle music] Hello, I'm Greg Foot, and welcome to Sliced Bread, the show that investigates the wonder products promising to make you happier, healthier, or greener. Each episode, we follow the crumbs of evidence to find out if one of your suggested wonder products is indeed the best thing since sliced bread or marketing BS. And today's suggestion comes from Ella Woolsworth-Bell, who is in Falmouth. Welcome, Ella.

  2. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest0:23

    Hi there.

  3. Greg Foot· Host0:24

    Who's this with you?

  4. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest0:25

    This is Mr. Big, our new Sphinx cat. [laughs] His full name is Mr. Bigglesworth.

  5. Greg Foot· Host0:32

    Now, hang on. That is the same breed of cat and name of cat as Dr. Evil has in Austin Powers.

  6. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest0:37

    [laughs] That's absolutely right. [laughs] Yes. Yep.

  7. Greg Foot· Host0:41

    And what wonder product would you and Mr. Big like us to investigate today?

  8. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest0:45

    Well, we have never had an indoor cat before, so that has opened up a whole new world of cat litter.

  9. Greg Foot· Host0:52

    Right.

  10. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest0:53

    I'd like to know a bit more about cat litter, the different types, what are the benefits of each, both environmental and which is gonna be the easiest to use. The clay stuff, the stuff that looks like little rocks, is definitely one of the cheaper options, but I've heard that it's not so great for the planet.

  11. Greg Foot· Host1:11

    Right.

  12. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest1:12

    What I want and what Mr. Big wants may be something slightly different. [laughs] I would like less smelly cat litter, and I don't really like the way it tracks across my really nice wooden floors. I'd rather it stayed in the litter tray. Some of the cat litter claims to be gentler on the paws.

  13. Greg Foot· Host1:28

    Mm-hmm.

  14. Ella Woolsworth-Bell· Guest1:28

    I'm not really sure what all

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