Cat Litter: Is It 'Green' If You Flush It?

Flushable cat litter is sometimes marketed as green, but here's the rest of the story: It's not if you flush it down the toilet.

That's right. Don't flush "flushable" cat litter, scientists say. Double bag it and send it to a sanitary landfill.

By flushing cat poop, pet owners unwittingly may contribute to the deaths of Hawaiian monk seals and California sea otters and otherwise spread a hardy parasite linked to cats. As a result, a California law actually requires kitty litter to bear warnings such as this excerpt: "Please do not flush cat litter in toilets or dispose of it outdoors in gutters or storm drains."