Owning rabbits as an indoor pet is fun no doubt. They are jolly, bubbly, and harmless to have inside the house. But their cool nature doesn’t indicate you don’t have to put effort into their living.
To make sure your white little friends are happily organized and trained, you must ensure a few facilities such as a litter. Many rabbits or bunny owners assume they can get this job done using their cat’s litter. But should rabbits use cat litter? Is it safe for those little bunnies?
We’ll discuss this topic here.
Can you use cat litter for bunnies or rabbits?
You should not use cat litter for bunnies or rabbits as they are made for cats only. Most cat litters such as clay, clumping, crystal, zinc, etc., are harmful to rabbits and bunnies. If ingested, these can cause digestive, and intestinal problems in this animal and may even take a rabbit’s life.
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Using cat litters for your rabbits or bunnies seems harmless but it’s not safe. Not all but most of the cat litter compositions are of crystal, clay, clumping, zinc, etc. Some even include pine and cedar wood shading. These are not rabbit-friendly if you want to use them as litters.
Rabbits have a habit of chewing or tasting everything they find around. If a rabbit is given a cat litter that includes the mentioned items, it will by nature try to eat and chew those.
If consumed these will get stuck on the rabbit’s throat or stomach and make the animal uncomfortable.
Cat litter can when ingested can lead rabbits or bunnies to many severe health problems. Crystal, pine wood, and clay are full of toxic particles and dust, which can cause respiratory trouble to the rabbits when inhaled.
Clumping is the most harmful item in a cat litter. When consumed by the rabbits or bunnies it enlarges inside the stomach and messes up with their digestive system. In the worst case clumping can cause blockage in the intestinal area and thus may take away your pets’ life.
Rabbits have a sensitive respiratory system. The dust of clay and wood shading when goes into their lungs creates breathing issues. Moreover, zinc, ingredients used in the crystal are too poisonous for rabbits and are responsible for many complicated health problems of rabbits.
For rabbits or bunnies, safe litter materials are paper, hay, or aspen wood-based ones instead of harmful cat litter.
Is cat litter safe for bunnies or rabbits?
Cat litter isn’t a safe option for your bunnies or rabbits. Because most cat litter is made of uncomfortable materials.
While owning indoor rabbits or bunnies, owners often don’t like their little friends spreading their droppings here and there. So looking for a clean solution, a lot of people come up with the idea of using cat litter. But that’s not a good idea if you don’t want to hurt your tiny white pets.
Cats’ litters are mostly clay, clumping, cedar, crystal, or pine. Some of them also include zinc. None of these are rabbit-friendly materials since rabbits have a habit of chewing everything. And these materials can get stuck in their stomachs and throats.
That means cat litter is unsafe for rabbits or bunnies. But some cat litters use paper that is rabbit-friendly and safe for them to use.
Can rabbits go on cat litter?
It might look harmless but rabbits should not go on cat litters as those are not rabbit-friendly.
Often finding no other suitable and clean way, rabbit owners think of letting their rabbits use a cat litter. Now, many may think cats and rabbits both can use cat litter but because of the materials used in a cat litter rabbits should not go for it.
Cat litter most of the time includes crystal, clay, and clumping as litter. These are suitable and safe for cats to use. But if a rabbit uses this type of cat litter, it will chew the items habitually.
Thus the items might get trapped in their throat or stomach, causing a poisonous reaction and disturbance.
So rabbits cannot go on cat litter. However, some of the cat litter are of paper and wood fibers, rabbits can use them in need as they’re safe.
What happens when rabbits use cat litter that is not safe?
Many times pet rabbits are given cat litter as they are an easy option. Most people don’t know that cat litter that includes zinc, clumping, clay or crystal isn’t safe for rabbits. So most cat liters are unsafe for rabbits.
If you still use an unsafe cat litter for rabbits, your pets may face issues similar to the mentioned ones:
Intestinal Blockages:
Intestinal blockage can be created in rabbits if the used cat litter has clumping and clay. Clumping, one of the most harmful items for rabbits, can grow up bigger when consumed. Thus it can cause blockage in rabbits’ intestinal areas.
Clay, largely used in cat litter too, is responsible for clogging rabbits’ abdominal areas. All these items can affect the rabbits’ degustation and if worsened can even take their lives.
Breathing problem:
Most cat liters are made of clay, clumping, crystal, cedar, or pine which are toxic to rabbits. Among these crystal and clay particles are poisonous enough to create respiratory problems in rabbits’ sensitive breathing system.
Using cedar or pine shaving too is responsible for rabbits’ respiratory issues. These woods’ scented fumes are dangerous for rabbits to inhale and make them fall sick.
Digestive issue:
This is the most common health problem rabbits had to face as rabbits have a habit of eating whatever they find around. Cat liters having zinc, and crystal are highly poisonous and can trigger digestive problems in rabbits.
What cat litter is safe for bunnies or rabbits?
Most cat litters are harmful and poisonous for your sensitive pet. But if you have no other way than using cat litter for bunnies or rabbits, there are a few cat litters that don’t include toxic and harmful materials.
Cat litters that don’t have the items mentioned below are considered safe for rabbits:
Clumping:
Clumping is known as the most harmful cat litter ingredient for rabbits. Clumping is not suitable for rabbits’ digestive systems so can make the animals uncomfortable.
Top of that, clumping when consumed increases in size in the stomach thus can create an intestinal blockage. So you should give your bunny a cat litter that is free of clumping.
Zinc:
Zinc cat litters are poisonous to rabbits. The cat might tolerate them but for rabbits it’s toxic and too much of it can cause problems like bloody stool, and bad digestion in rabbits. Cat liters without zinc are safe for rabbits.
Crystal:
Crystal includes some ingredients that are not suitable for rabbits. Consuming crystal particles can cause an allergic reaction in rabbits. It’s harmful to rabbits’ lives. So if you are using a cat litter for your rabbit, make sure it’s crystal-free.
Clay:
Clay cat litters too can cause various problems for the rabbits as the dust can get into the lung and rabbits may face trouble breathing. If consumed clay from a cat litter, digestive issues may appear. So keeping it aside, cat litter can be used by rabbits.
What can I substitute for rabbit litter?
Let’s know what you can substitute for rabbit litter:
Paper:
Litter with Paper is the safest to use for rabbits. Paper as bedding is comfortable as it’s highly absorbent. Moreover, it is non-toxic so when consumed will not harm rabbits or bunnies. Paper can be recycled thus safe for nature too.
So paper-based or Paper-based pellet litter can be given to rabbits.
Wood Fibers:
Rabbit litters of natural wood fiber composition are another comfortable and harmless option to use for your rabbits or bunnies. Wood fibers are free of any toxins and biodegradable. It has strong absorbent power and many wood fibers contain a light smell too.
Liters that have natural wood fibers can be used for rabbits as if consumed it will not poison those little animals.
Hay:
Hay as bedding in cat litter is a good choice. Hay is soft and safe if it’s consumed by an animal. Rabbits are familiar with hay and even if they eat some, it will cause no harm to their health.
Besides, hay is absorbent, natural, and non-allergic to rabbits. So litter with hay is a safe option for rabbits or bunnies.
Final Thoughts
Most cat litters contain toxic items for rabbits such as clumping, crystal, clay, zinc, cedar, or pine. These materials can make the rabbits face various problems such as digestive issues, respiratory problems, intestinal blockage, etc. So you should not use cat litter for rabbits.