Reduce your Pet’s Pawprint

Noah’s Ark Feed and Supply looks at the environmental impact of cats and dogs

Including pets in our lives has many well-documented benefits related to both mental and physical health. However, as we expand our furry families, we may be increasing our carbon footprint in ways that we might not have considered.

Cats are obligate carnivores and dogs thrive on a meat-based diet. As meat production is costly for the environment, due to the heavy land, water, and energy use, it is one of the most significant parts of our pets’ carbon footprint. The resource use and greenhouse gas emissions are not equal across all types of meat production. In fact, quality insect protein is now being incorporated into foods for both people and animals because of its dramatically reduced impact on resources and greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions for production of beef:chicken:insect is 25:10:1. You do not need to compromise the quality of your pet’s diet but there are some slight changes you can make.

What you can do:

• If you are feeding a primarily beef diet, try adding in chicken or other poultry rotationally.

• Try out some insect-based treats.

• Keep sustainability in mind when choosing a food. Look for those certified to be sustainably harvested, fished, or farmed and organically grown.

• Adopt the nose-to-tail eating philosophy for food and treats. Bull sticks, fish skins, lamb horns are examples of healthy treats/chews that otherwise might enter the food waste stream. Consider foods that include more than just muscle meat. (https://nosetotail.org/whyeat-nose-to-tail)

• Look for treats that upcycle foods like imperfect produce that would not make it to the grocer’s shelf or are a surplus of food production such as fruit pulp after juice extraction. Research shows that up to 8% of the greenhouse gases produced annually can be attributed to food waste.

• Use the 9-Point Body Condition Score as a starting point to see if your pet is an ideal weight. Review your pet’s diet and consult your vet. If your vet says overfeeding is the cause of excess weight, then reducing the amount you feed is a win for your pet and the environment. (https://www.aaha. org/globalassets/02-guidelines/ weight-management/weightmgmt_ bodyconditionscoring.pdf)

• Incorporate meat free days into your own meal planning.

Other things you can do:

• Clay cat litter (strip mined, nonrenewable, heavy to transport, hard to dispose of) is one of the most significant parts of your kitty’s environmental paw print. Try alternate cat litter made from recycled paper, corn cobs or kernels, cassava, natural woods like Pine.

• Use compostable dog waste pick up bags.

• Install a pet waste composter in your yard.

• Buy sustainable, durable, natural, and organic pet products when you can.

• Reduce plastic dependence. e.g., pet bar shampoo/reusable shampoo bottle; metal or ceramic pet dishes.

• Never release unwanted pets into the environment. This is inhumane and can be damaging to the environment. We have a local problem with unwanted turtles (Red-eared sliders), rabbits, guinea pigs and fish being released into the environment. Reach out to animal organisations and your pet store for help in re-homing. Changing our individual consumption choices may seem like a small thing when compared to corporate or government action but it is still important, especially on our island home.