Odors will be reduced and cleanup will be easier with these options.
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Any cat parent is aware that using the wrong litter can be a significant problem. First of all, cats are fussy when it comes to using the bathroom, which makes sense considering that using the wrong kind of litter can lead to accidents and rambunctious behavior in the box. You also need a solution that is easy for you to scoop, won’t track through your home, and reduces smells. It’s also a good idea to consider the kind of litter (there are a surprising number of options!) and whether or not it clumps.
To keep your home tidy and your cat happy, check out our top picks for cat feces.
Best Overall: Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
This litter has a fairly strong clumping ability, which makes emptying the box very straightforward. Be mindful that clumping could potentially become too strong if you wait too long; it can be challenging to remove solid clumps that have settled to the bottom of the litter box.
The lower dust content of this litter will be appreciated by you (dust could be irritating for both cats and their owners, especially when filling and cleaning the box). This inexpensive litter can also mask undesirable litter box odors despite being unscented.
Best Clumping: World’s Best Unscented Clumping Corn Cat Litter
Even though this option is more expensive, daily cleanups and top-offs from the litter bag will help the litter last longer. You'll need to completely clean your litter box less regularly if you do it this way.
Best Biodegradable: Naturally Fresh Cat Litter
When moving to a new litter, especially one that changes in aroma or substance, veterinarians often advise placing some of the old litter on top of the new. This may not be necessary, though, given that the walnut shells in Naturally Fresh's cat litter are regular size and the texture feels similar to sand, to which cats can naturally acclimatize.
What Testers Say
“The litter clumped around both urine and feces with no problem and made scooping very easy. The clumps stayed together as we were shaking the scooper to strain and didn’t fall apart. This part of the process was virtually no different than standard clay clumping litter.”
-Julie Hershman, Product Tester
Best Lightweight: Tidy Cats Free & Clean Lightweight Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
There are no scents or colors in the litter, and the container is recyclable. Activated charcoal and ammonia blockers are used to repel and regulate the smell. This clumping litter creates very little dust and does a fantastic job of neutralizing odors. You could find, nevertheless, that this garbage tracks, requiring more frequent daily cleanup.
What Testers Say
“The Purina Tidy Cats litter clumped together nicely and made scooping easy. We’ve found that some litters tend to clump cat urine together in one large clump-especially since our cat prefers one corner of her box. But with the Purina litter, clumps were small, solid, and didn’t fall apart when we scooped them.”
-Joline Buscemi, Product Tester
RELATED: The 7 Best Automatic Litter Boxes of 2022
Best for Multiple Cats: Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter
You'll particularly like how simple it is to remove this litter without generating a lot of dust, which can be unpleasant, unclean, and leave messes on neighboring surfaces.
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Best Unscented: Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
The maker of Scoop Away litter asserts that it provides seven days of odor prevention, and that antibacterial chemicals work in conjunction with ultra-strong clumping clay to control odors. Your visitors might be surprised you have a cat even if they are in the same room as the litter box due to how well this litter blocks odors.
RELATED: The 9 Best Cat Litter Boxes of 2022
Best Scented: Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
This Fresh Step clay litter clumps to make cleaning the litter box straightforward. Remember that you should throw away your trash every day (not flushed down the toilet bowl).
Final Verdict
If you’re searching for a powerful clumping litter that keeps odors at their source and makes cleanup simple, this is our top recommendation. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is what you should use. If you have numerous cats, the Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Cat Litter is a fantastic choice because it is created with baking soda and offers a 7-day odor-free guarantee to keep your home feeling fresh and cat-free.
How to Choose Cat Litter Ingredients
Today, the most common ingredient used to produce cat litter is bentonite clay, a clumping substance that resembles little rocks. However, you can also find conventional Fuller’s earth, also referred to as non-clumping litter, silica gel, and natural litters. Bentonite clay litters are popular because they are easy to scoop and have odor-fighting qualities, but they frequently have some negative environmental effects because they don’t biodegrade. Although certain natural litters might not be as effective at masking smells, they are less damaging to the environment.
Clumping
Because wet patches adhere to one another and are simple to scoop up, bentonite clay is known as “clumping” litter. You might need to replace the litter more regularly if you use Fuller’s earth or natural litters because they don’t clump. Because they absorb moisture into their granules, certain silica gel litters only need that you collect solid waste.
Odor-fighting
If your litter box is in a location where there is minimal foot traffic, you might not mind if it has a faint odor. If your cat uses the potty in a public area of your home, you might use a litter formula with odor-fighting ingredients to mask or neutralize the smell.
FAQ
How often ought new cat litter to be used?
This will occur, depending on the kind of litter you use. When using the majority of non-clumping litters, urine can more easily collect at the bottom of the package, therefore the litter needs to be replaced and the box cleaned at least once a week. As long as you are regularly scooping, you can cut back on the frequency of deep cleaning the litter box if you use clumping cat litter. You can hold off for up to four or five weeks before thoroughly cleaning and replacing the litter container with clumping litter.
Regardless of the type of litter you choose, your cat will be happy if you scoop the box at least once every day.
What ingredients are included in cat litter?
On the market, there are many different kinds of litter. There are substitutes for bentonite clay, a typical component of clumping litter, composed of materials like silica gel. Silica is both absorbent and odor-controlling. For people who would like a more environmentally friendly approach, natural litter is produced from products like recycled paper goods or plant-derived materials like wood shavings or corn.
How do you clean a litter box?
The first step in good litter box care is choosing the right box and tools for your cat’s needs and habits. Clumping litter is preferred by the majority of cat owners because it expedites cleanup and makes waste easier to spot. The cat litter box should be thoroughly cleaned once a week or every four to five weeks, depending on the type of litter you use. Trash should be collected every day if you use clumping litter.
Always place used litter in an airtight rubbish bag. You can flush part of the litter there in smaller clumps, but you should never flush the entire contents of the box. You’ll eventually need to empty the box and give it a thorough cleaning with paper towels and unscented dish soap. Non-clumping litter will need to be cleaned more frequently than clumping litter, which can be removed in little amounts each day and replaced less frequently due to the accumulation it can cause in the bottom of the box.
How is teaching a cat to go potty done?
After bringing a new kitten home, one of the first things you should do is teach it how to use the litter box. It is suggested that you create a “transition room” in your home that is safe, comfortable, and apart from other areas before bringing your new cat inside. Place the cat’s food, water, and litter box on different sides of the room. After it consumes food or liquids, immediately take it to the cat litter box to establish good behaviors.
Giving your cat a toy or treat as a reward for appropriately using the litter box will help it get used to its new habit. Give them free rein, don’t take out the garbage right immediately, and give them time to remember where to use the restroom correctly.
How is cat litter supposed to be disposed of?
The majority of trash should therefore be simply disposed of in the trash. Some varieties, like Garfield Cat Litter, can be flushed directly down the toilet in small amounts because to its biodegradability. But bear in mind that a lot of septic and municipal waste systems weren’t made to manage cat poo. Never dispose of nonbiodegradable waste in the toilet.
Scoop the waste from the boxes and place the clumps in a rubbish bag at least once a day. To avoid odors, you might choose to invest in a Litter Genie, which seals trash in the bottom and keeps any fragrance isolated for the duration of the week. On trash day, just take out your lockable plastic bag of garbage and litter and dispose of it in the trash.
Why Do You Think The Cat Product Is True?
When determining which products to add, we looked at dozens of product reviews from merchant websites and the reviewers who participated in the Cat Product. We also assess luxury goods.
This article was first authored by Madeleine Burry, who has more than ten years of experience writing about how to care for pets. Lily Sperry, a lifestyle writer and commerce editor, contributed more research and editing.
