No cat litter! Ever! Yuck! Sealing in plastic and freezing is a way to preserve it until you decide what to do, especially if there is moisture.

You can cut off the binding and put in a spiral or other binder if the paper isn't too brittle. You can have a case made for the book to keep inside (a fancy library box of archival materials) and when you read it, use a book cradle to protect it.

Personally, I'd scan the pages and print a working copy from those images, then store the original someplace in the archival box.