You’ve just scooped the cat poop out of the litter box and dropped it into the toilet, right?
Wrong!
Flushing cat feces down your toilet can lead to expensive plumbing problems in your home and this blog will explain why you should never flush cat feces down your toilet.
What Is Clumping Kitty Litter?
Most popular brands of cat litter are made with a substance called bentonite, which helps kitty excrement clump together so it can be scooped out of its box. When flushed down toilets, however, bentonite can cause big problems—like blocking your pipes and damaging your septic system.
Maintenance And Safety Concerns
First and foremost, you should never flush cat feces down your toilet. Aside from being unsanitary, there are a couple of very serious safety concerns you should be aware of:
- One concern is that animal waste is rich in nitrogen and phosphorous—nutrients that plants crave. If too much cat waste ends up in your septic tank or city sewer, it could damage treatment systems and lead to sewage backups into your home.
- Another issue is that cat feces has been linked to parasites and disease. Roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, and salmonella are all transmitted via cat feces.
Is it safe to flush biodegradable cat litter down your toilet?
Technically speaking, yes.
Biodegradable cat litter is made from materials that quickly break down after entering your plumbing system. However, improper use of biodegradable cat litter might lead to expensive repairs and replacements for your plumbing services.
Here’s why you should think twice before flushing cat feces down your toilet. Some liquid waste also becomes trapped by clumps of bacteria or solid material, causing it to create a biofilm on pipe walls.
With time and many layers of film, solids will become cemented together into large masses called sludge balls. These sludge balls can eventually grow so big that they make toilets or drains inoperable until they are removed by a plumber at great expense.
Choose Water Heater Express and Conserve Your Toilet’s 9 Lives
Water Heater Express is the leading provider of plumbing services in the greater Lafayette Indiana area. We specialize in installing water heaters and offer an array of plumbing services, so call us today at (765-447-1965) or send us a message if you need help adding nine lives to the plumbing in your home.
