Can You Flush Litter?

When you are so in love with your feline friends, it can be pretty easy to overlook some of the more unpleasant parts of having a cat. Unexpected hairballs, random puke, and making messes all just feel par for the course. An everyday reality with living with a cat, however, is making sure they have a clean litter box, ready for them to use when they need to use the bathroom. All cats have specifics in terms of what they like for their box, and some are certainly pickier than others. 

Making sure that your cat’s litter box is clean and fresh for them every day might have a cat parent thinking about alternative ways to dispose of your cat’s litter. What might seem easiest is flushing your cat’s waste and litter. You use the bathroom to get rid of your own you know, so why can’t you do the same for your cat? While it might seem like a convenient method to disposal method, there’s many consequences for plumbing, the environment, and other mammals.  
While flushing cat litter might seem convenient and easy, there’s still the potential for it to cause major issues when it comes to plumbing. Flushing any cat litter can cause plumping and clogging issues, but especially any litter that contains clay. Clay litter absorbs liquid (see the clumps in your cat’s box), so when it gets wet, it expands. Flushing it could cause major blockages when it expands and gets heavy. Many states have “cat litter” on their do-not flush lists. 

Aside from just blocking an individual’s pipes, flushing cat litter can cause problems for your street or even your whole neighborhood’s sewage line. Aside from just blocking pipes, some litters also contain silica and other eco-unfriendly ingredients that shouldn’t end up in water sources.

Even your cat’s waste shouldn’t be something that goes into human water sources — it can introduce harmful pathogens and parasites into the water which can infect other humans and animals through the water supply. One of those includes Toxoplasma gondii, which is found in cat feces. It can cause serious illness in people with weakened immune systems and cause pregnant women to miscarry or serious fetal issues.