Go Green: Eco-Friendly Pet Options

Now the idea of going green has gone to the dogs. Pets can minimize negative impacts on the environment. Check out these Earth-friendly pet products.

To find out about Simon the cat, who is available for adoption from Animal Care and Control of New York City, visit www.nycacc.org.

Eco-Friendly Dog Beds

Worldwise's PoochPlanet and SmartyKat pet beds are made principally from recycled materials. The material that gives many PoochPlanet and SmartyKat beds their incredibly resilient and fluffy loft is EcoRest, a special fiberfill blend spun from post-consumer plastic beverage bottles. Many of the beds are filled with the equivalent of more than 50 recycled plastic bottles. Cover fabrics for many styles are also made with a blend of recycled materials. Worldwise, whose mission is to change the way America feels about the look, feel, price and performance of Earth-friendly products, has joined forces with national retailers to make the purchase of environmentally-friendly products a natural choice for the average American consumer.

Cat Toilet

The world's only self-flushing, self-washing cat box. The Cat Genie doesn't use traditional cat litter, which is strip mined, and doesn't leave you with litter to dispose of. Cat feces go in septic tank or sewage system, just like human waste. The product won best new cat product at the 2007 Global Pet Expo.

Doggie Septic Tank

Rather than disposing of pet waste in garbage, this picks up where your pet left off. You use a pet septic tank of sorts. The original in-ground pet waste disposal system keeps lawns and play areas clean and sanitary with the Doggie Dooley Toilet. Simply install in the ground; drop in dog waste; and occasionally add Digester Powder and water for continuous break down of waste. The environmentally-friendly Doggie Dooley Toilet is harmless to lawns, pets and shrubs, and has the capacity to handle the waste of one large or two small dogs. It works like a home septic system by using enzyme and bacteria action to turn waste into a ground absorbed liquid. It's ideal for most soil conditions except hard clay (works well in sandy soil too). It is molded of durable plastic, the Doggie Dooley Toilet features an open-bottom to create a waste leach field. Improperly disposed pet waste can wash into storm sewers by rain, thus carrying pollutants directly into our lakes and streams. Doggie Dooley offers an easy, sanitary method for yard cleanup.