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Is cat litter, used for traction in an ice-slick driveway, a hazard to birds or wildlife?

Asked by Yellowdog (12216points) February 20th, 2021

I know it’s non-toxic and safe for cats if used as intended. But I feed a lot of birds, squirrels, and raccoons and the end of the driveway is where I feed a lot of them. The concrete slab makes the food much easier to find and partake,

I have especially been feeding them a lot since we’ve had ten inches of snow, and temperatures around zero, or at least well below freezing, for the past ten days.

That ice and snow is starting to melt and it’s time for me to need to get out again, but it re-freezes at night, making it slick until nearly lunch hour and starts to re-freeze around seven in the evening.

Kitty litter is the only product I have available to aid in traction, but I am concerned that some of the critters, especially birds, might mistake it for food, since that’s what they’re used to finding. I know this stuff has some chemicals in it and clumping qualities that might not be good for the stomachs or gizzards of birds

No, I don’t have any salt, rock salt, or other abrasives or de-icers. Kitty litter and oil-dry compounds are about all I have on hand.

Any recommendations?

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