Pet-Friendly, Planet-Friendly: Sustainable Choices for Pet Owners
Being a pet owner is all about love, but what if that love could extend to the planet, too? From squeaky toys to poop bags, our furry friends can unintentionally leave a big pawprint on the environment. The good news? A few simple swaps can make your pet care routine more sustainable without sacrificing fun, comfort, or belly rubs. Let’s dig into how you can be a greener, cleaner pet parent—one wag or purr at a time.
Respect the outdoors:
When walking your dog
Follow any local guidance or on-site signage to ensure that your pet does not disturb wildlife or stress the grazing animals that create and maintain their habitat.
Around water
Keep your dog out of the water if they have recently been treated with a topical flea treatment. These are pesticides that can leach into the water and cause harm to aquatic wildlife, like dragonfly, beetle, and mayfly larvae. If your dog must go in the water, encourage your dog to stay in the water rather than climb in and out repeatedly, especially if there are bankside plants at risk of being trampled.
Planet-friendly pet food:
For plant-based diets
(these diets are only for herbivores)
Focus on packaging and look for food with recycled packaging. If you can buy food loose, carry it using your own reusable containers.
Buy in bulk as long as you can be sure that the food will be used before the expiration date.
Meat-based diets
Resource-intensive to produce, it can be a source of pollution and carries a significant environmental footprint.
Choose food with lower-impact meats, such as chicken, and avoid beef, whose carbon footprint far exceeds that of any other meat.
Human-grade meats seem like a good idea, but they put additional pressure on our food production systems.
Look for products made from byproducts of the meat industry, such as bonemeal or organ meat.
Sustainable cat food brands:
-Humanely raised free-range chicken
-Marine Stewardship Council-certified fish
-Organic grains
-Non GMO produce
-No 4-D meats (dead, dying, diseased, or disabled)
-Human grade ingredients
-Made in the USA
-Satisfy AAFCO and NRC guidelines
-Only complete line of USDA organic certified cat and dog food
-Nutrient packed and USDA certified organic superfoods
-Free of bone meal, meat meal, and rendered meat
-Recyclable packaging
-Designed for unique dietary needs
-USDA organic ingredients
-No artificial ingredients, GMOs, animal byproducts, or any wheat, corn, or soy in ingredients list
-Certified humane and locally sourced chicken and turkey
-Natural ingredients, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins
-No corn, wheat, or soy
-USA made recipes
-Natural, science based nutrition, partnered with vet and nutrition experts for recipe development
-Whole meat proteins
-Options with or without grains
Make your own treats:
There is plenty of inspiration and recipes online.
Making your own and storing them in a reusable, resealable container can be a great way to skip the wasteful packaging that comes with most commercially available pet treats.
Leaves out environmentally damaging ingredients, such as unsustainable palm oil.
Recipes:
Chicken and sweet potato meatballs
Eco-friendly toys:
Get creative with your junk.
A ball of foil can entertain cats for hours.
A knotted old t-shirt can be a great doggy pull toy
For smaller animals, old toilet paper roll tubes can be made into balls and used to hide bits of food inside.
When buying new toys, look for ones made from sustainable or recycled materials that are preferably recyclable or biodegradable at the end of their lives.
Dispose of used toys properly, avoiding landfill waste if possible.
Contact your local animal shelters if you have any lightly used or unwanted toys. They’ll likely be glad to take them off your hands and appreciate the support.
Pet toy brands:
Be careful with waste:
Cleaning up after your pet is essential, whether it poops in the park or uses a litter box.
For dogs:
You pick up after your dog three times a day using plastic disposable bags. Over a year, that’s over a thousand plastic bags going to a landfill.
Bury it-
If you live in the countryside with plenty of open green space, you can dig a hole at least 6 inches deep to bury it, ensuring it is covered tightly and adequately.
Composting-
Compostable bags will not decompose in landfills, but they can be composted at home.
Do not use dog waste compost on anything you intend to eat or consume. It’s fine to use for decorative plants, but it's best kept in a separate pile.
Ways to compost waste at home:
-Open-air composting
-Tumbler composting
-Worm composting
-EMO composting
-Direct composting
-Combined composting
Recycled bags
Using plastic bags made from recycled plastic or plastic that would otherwise be discarded is better than using freshly manufactured plastic.
Recycled plastic doggy bags:
-Who Gives a Crap Pet Poo Bags
-Only Natural Pet Recycled Poop Bags
For cats:
Don’t flush-
Sewage treatment systems are not equipped to treat the parasites found in cat waste, so flushing it down the toilet is not an option.
Litter
Check what your cat litter is made of. Many cat litter formulations contain sodium bentonite clay, a clay sourced using the destructive strip mining method.
You should use materials that you would compost in your garden, such as sawdust, shredded paper, or leaves.
There are eco-brands available if you don’t want to go the DIY route.
Eco-friendly cat litter:
-Tuft and Paw cat litter (best overall)
-Purina unscented cat litter (best natural clay)
-Frisco Grass cat litter (best grass litter)
-ExquisiCat paper pellet cat litter (best pellets)
-Naturally Fresh cat litter (best clay alternative)
Being an eco-friendly pet owner doesn’t mean turning your routine upside down—it just means making mindful choices that benefit both your furry friend and the Earth. Whether it’s choosing sustainable toys, reducing waste, or buying in bulk, every small change adds up. So, next time you’re stocking up on supplies or heading out for a walk, think green. After all, a happy planet makes for even happier pets!
