Are you looking for ways to make your home and lifestyle more eco-friendly for you and your pets? Eco-friendly products for pets are on the rise and pet owners can now find a wide variety.
It is estimated that $55.5 billion will be spent on pets in the U.S. this year, that’a a $2.2 billion increase from last year. With this ever-growing industry, tons of businesses have come up with eco-friendly pet products for conscious pet owners. With so many options you’ll be able to find all kinds of goods at your local store that are good for both the environment and your budget.
6 Tips for Becoming an Eco-Friendly Pet Owner
- Organic food options. Our pets are more than just animals we care for; they’re our family and we should feed them as such. There are dog food brands like Karma (made of organic ingredients), dog treat brands like Fruitables, and the Blue Buffalo Company offers organic, natural cat food. Looking for sustainable pet bowls? There is a variety made from bamboo and plant fibers.
- Eco-grooming habits. There are natural shampoos that you can use on your pets that don’t have harsh chemicals and are free of animal testing. For instance, Dogpoo has eucalyptus to ward off fleas and ticks. There’s also Shea butter shampoo which is complete with oatmeal. You can keep their coats healthy with bamboo combs and bamboo brushes.
- Environmental waste methods. Cleaning up after our pets can be messy and bad for the environment, but it doesn’t have to be. The U.S. consumes about 380 billion plastic bags, sacks, and wraps a year. Fortunately using biodegradable bags to pick up dog waste can help reduce this number. For cat owners, there are biodegradable cat litter liners and biodegradable cat litter that controls odor and reduces dust.
- Natural cleaning solutions. No pets are perfect so accidents will happen. Using cleaning products that contain bleach around pets can upset their stomachs. Fortunately, there are natural cleaning products to help with these messes. Simple Solution has an Eco-Care cleaning solution that removes stains and odor.
- Green bedding. Make sure your pets sleep on comfortable green bedding. PetPlay and West Paw Design make pet beds and duvets from 100 percent natural cotton and a stuffing material made from recycled plastics.
- Sustainable accessories. There are tons of green accessories to consider. Harry Barker makes dog collars from recycled plastics. And Olive Green makes cat collars from dyed hemp and organic cotton muslin. In terms of toys for you cat consider Critterkind, which is made from organic fibers and stuffed with catnip and newspaper. For your dog consider fair-trade balls made of wool.