Question: What is the most responsible way to manage cat litter? Because of wildlife disease impacts from cat feces, biodegradable forms of cat litter disposal may be a bad idea if they are composted on site. Yet, loads of litter in plastic bags in our overburdened landfills is not a good thing either. We know that keeping cats indoors is the best thing to do for wildlife (the number of birds and lizards killed by house cats each year is staggering AND outdoor cats defecate where feces can enter the ecosystem), but it's hard to know how best to deal with litter. Any advice? I'm stumped... and I have an indoor cat I want to be responsible about caring for it!

Answer: The following information is provided by Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Veterinarian Melissa Miller from the Marine Wildlife Veterinary Care and Research Center in Santa Cruz:

"Thank you for being such a responsible pet owner. I do agree that cats make wonderful pets, but their natural predatory behavior can significantly impact native wildlife. Animal feces, including cat feces, can also spread parasites, bacteria and other pathogens to sea otters, wildlife and humans. So what can you do to prevent this?

"First, like you, I keep my cats indoors all of the time and provide sunny spots for them to hang out and watch the birds outside-they really enjoy that! It's good to know that indoor cats commonly live longer and are healthier overall, so this is a win-win!

"Second, cats have very unique nutritional requirements, so I feed them a high quality commercial cat food and make sure that any special treats I give them are fully cooked, because raw meat can cause bacterial and parasite infection for your cats, and indirectly, you.

"Third, I prevent access to rodents, wild birds and their fleas, which could also be a source of infection. As for the cat box issue: I agree that there is no "perfect" solution. However, based on what we know at present, our recommendation is to clean the cat box(es) every day, place the soiled litter in a plastic bag, seal it and place it in your regular trash where it will be disposed of in an approved landfill. We do not recommend composting of feline waste because of the potential human and wildlife health risks. Some of the pathogens that can be present in feline feces are extremely hardy and can survive for months to years in contaminated soil, and the infectious dose is very low."

For more information on this topic and to learn more about how improper disposal of kitty litter can be dangerous for sea otters , please see: http://seaotterresearch.org/resources.shtml