Can cat litter cause lung problems?

[ashekitty]

I was thinking today that inhaling that dust when dumping or scooping the cat litter probably isn’t very good for you. It probably doesn’t do much on an individual basis, but after years of having cats are there any health/lung issues associated with cat litter? Are cat owners more likely to get lung cancer? I might be paranoid but I think I’m going to start wearing a mask when dealing with the cat litter.

 

[She's a witch]

I don't know about people to be honest, but it can certainly cause problems in cats' respiratory system. True dust free litter doesn't exist imo (I have an asthmatic kitty so I've tried many to find the one with the lowest level of dust) but some have significantly more dust than the others; I can't recommend enough finding least dusty option for the sake of - at least - cats. They're the one dealing with this dust way more than their humans.

 

[debbila]

For a long time I used Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal. When they came out with Clump and Seal Slide ( easier to remove to clean the litter box ) I tried it. It had a horrible smell and I got an upper respiratory infection. For the past two years I've been using Tidy Cats Breeze litter pan. There's no dust or tracking litter everywhere because it uses little pellets. It has a tray at the bottom with an absorbent pad for the urine. I love it - no heavy bags of litter, no odor either!

 

[tabbytom]

I might be paranoid but I think I’m going to start wearing a mask when dealing with the cat litter.

Please wear a mask if you can or need to especially for those who are asthmatic or have respiratory systems. Any dust is both bad for yourself and for the cat in the long run and cat litter dust is very fine.
As cats nose are wet, litter dust can be transferred to their nostrils when they dig as their nose is very close to the litter.
Sometimes I find litter dust stuck to my boy’s nostrils and I have to take a damp tissue and gently wipe it off for him

I wear a mask every time I scoop or clean the litterbox at the end of the day as I scoop everyday to clear my boy's pee clump and every time my boy poops. It depends on how many times you clear the litterbox. You can get those cheaper disposable mask and throw away after each use or get the cloth type and wash it and hang to dry for use the next day after you finish the job like I do at the end of the day and this way you save some money and your lungs.

The other thing is scoop gently and not like frying a dish so as to control the fine dust from getting way up into the air. And after that, wash your eyes. Daily litterbox routines are very important, both for cats and hoomans.

 

[blueyedgirl5946]

I got concerned about the dust in cat litter too. I switched from clumping clay litter to recycled newspaper. I have peace of mind not and my cat uses it without a problem.