Having a cat fills your life with a number of love—and litter field scooping. There are a lot of sorts of cat litter on the market, and this information will aid you discover the correct for you and your cat.

What to Look For in a Litter

Whereas many cat litters boast about being the most effective litter round, the reality is that there’s no one-size suits all cat litter. Each family and distinctive cat is totally different, so it’s important to search for a litter that can fit your way of life and your cat’s preferences! Cats are notoriously choosy about what kind of litter they’ll use, and so they may snub a litter that appears good on paper.

It could take some trial and error to seek out your good match, however understanding what you’re on the lookout for in a litter will aid you slender down the record. Right here’s what we think about when choosing cat litter:

Clumping

Conventional cat litters clump once they come into contact with moisture, permitting you to scoop urine out of the litter in agency clumps. This could be a handy method to be sure you’re eradicating as a lot urine as attainable out of your cat’s litter field, but it surely’s not your best option for all cats!

Clumping cat litter can keep on with and irritate any surgical incisions or wounds your cat may need. Clumping makes it troublesome to see how a lot urine your cat is producing, which will be vital for cats with medical circumstances like diabetes. Clumping litters additionally are likely to have elements that can irritate delicate stomachs if eaten, which makes them a nasty selection for kittens and grownup cats who prefer to taste-test issues they in all probability shouldn’t.

Texture

The feel of a cat litter can vary from a sandy texture to bigger pellets. The consistency of a litter will affect your scooping expertise and the way a lot litter is prone to keep on with your cat’s ft and get tracked round your own home—bigger items will usually be extra prone to keep put in your litter field.

It’s additionally vital to think about litter texture for any cats with paw sensitivity, which is extra frequent amongst senior cats. They may doubtless want a litter with a comfortable, clean texture that’s light on the paws.

Odor Management

The straightforward reality about litter bins is that they will get pungent—anybody in a multiple-cat family is aware of what we’re speaking about. Many litters attempt to cowl up the scent of poop and ammonia with added perfumes, however they are often irritating to each cats and people with allergy symptoms and scent sensitivity. As well as, they don’t really cease odor on the supply—they simply add extra smells on high of that stink!

The sensible transfer is to get a kind of litter that can assist to really neutralize and take away odors as a substitute of simply protecting them up. Whereas no litter will be capable to remove 100% of disagreeable scents, many formulation could make a dent within the scent! And naturally, the most effective resolution for conserving odor at bay is frequent scooping (we salute you, devoted poop scoopers).

Mud Ranges

Some cat litters can get dusty once you scoop or when your cat begins digging within the litter field! It’s not nice for anybody to inhale cat litter mud, however it may be an enormous downside for anybody with bronchial asthma or mud sensitivity—together with your cat. In case your cat repeatedly begins sniffling or sneezing after a visit to the litter field, it’s an excellent signal to strive a dust-free litter.

Sustainability

Do you know that conventional clay cat litter is constructed from bentonite—a non-renewable useful resource that requires dangerous mining and results in a landfill? Eco-conscious cat folks noticed an issue and created options, resulting in a wave of latest sorts of extra sustainable cat litter that are constructed from renewable and recycled supplies and can decompose rapidly and naturally.

In case your cat will solely use the clay litter they grew up utilizing, don’t really feel dangerous! A very powerful factor is discovering a litter your cat is pleased to make use of. But when your cat will make the change to a extra eco-friendly cat litter, you’ll be serving to to scale back your ecological affect and go away the world a greater place for future generations of pets (and other people too).

Forms of Cat Litter

There are many manufacturers of litter so that you can think about, however most cat litters will be grouped into some frequent classes. These are the most well-liked sorts of cat litter and their execs and cons:

Bentonite Litter

Clumping: Sure

Texture: Small, sandy grains

Odor management: Good, particularly with the various odor-control formulation out there on this fashionable litter

Mud ranges: Normally excessive except you get a particular low-dust system

Sustainability: Poor—requires dangerous mining, is non-renewable, and doesn’t decompose

Bentonite has been the go-to cat litter selection since Ed Lowe found its highly effective clumping capabilities and began advertising and marketing the stuff again within the Forties! It’s the litter most cats have grown up utilizing, making it a feline favourite. Bentonite cat litter’s widespread availability and low value level make it the most well-liked kind of cat litter.

Silica Litter (or Crystal Litter)

Clumping: No

Texture: Small, sandy grains

Odor management: Excellent

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Low—requires dangerous mining, is non-renewable, and doesn’t decompose, however is lengthy lasting

Silica or crystal cat litter is constructed from small, clear items of silica which make an efficient cat litter because of their unimaginable absorbency! In contrast to clumping clay litters, silica litter absorbs urine into its crystals and even pulls moisture out of feces, serving to to lure odors. This litter can also be very long-lasting, permitting for as much as a month of use earlier than it’s important to discard the litter, making it much less wasteful than bentonite cat litter.

Diatomaceous Earth Litter

Clumping: No

Texture: Chunky pebbles

Odor management: Excellent

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Good—it’s lengthy lasting and renewable however does require mining

Diatomaceous earth is made from fossilized algae which kinds naturally on the backside of our bodies of water. Very like silica, it’s extremely absorbent and has glorious odor management as a cat litter because of its potential to comprise the moisture from urine and feces. The bigger chunks of diatomaceous earth are much less prone to hitch a trip out of the litter field in your cat’s paws, however they could be tough on the toe beans.

Wooden Litter

Clumping: Obtainable in clumping and non-clumping choices

Texture: Pellets

Odor management: Good

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Glorious—renewable, biodegradable, and constructed from industrial byproducts

Wooden cat litters are constructed from scraps and wooden mud left over from lumber processing which are condensed into small wooden pellets. Because the pellets soak up moisture, they break down into sawdust. Scooping a non-clumping wooden litter is totally different from scooping typical clumping litters, as you scoop up soiled litter and shake the free mud into the trash (and even the bathroom with some manufacturers) whereas returning the entire pellets to the litter field.

Pine is the most typical wooden used, and the scent of this pure cat litter could also be a professional or a con relying on how a lot you just like the scent of Christmas bushes! Sadly, many cats are unused to the feel of pellets and could also be reluctant to make use of this litter.

Paper Litter

Clumping: No

Texture: Pellets

Odor management: Low

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Glorious—renewable, recycled, and biodegradable

Very like wooden litter, paper litter is constructed from recycled paper condensed into pellets. Simply as with wooden litter, cats could also be choosy concerning the pellet texture, however it is extremely sustainable.

Paper absorbs moisture from urine, however sadly does little to comprise odor. Paper litter doesn’t clump, so you’ll have to eyeball poop and urine-stained paper pellets to scoop. It requires frequent scooping to keep away from soggy litter, significantly in multi-cat properties.

Grain Litter

Clumping: Sure

Texture: Small grains or pellets

Odor management: Good

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Good—renewable and biodegradable

Grain litters are constructed from corn, wheat, and different grains compressed into small, absorbent pellets that usually have a texture extra like a traditional litter than the bigger pellets of a wooden or paper litter, making them extra interesting to most cats. They clump naturally because of the starches within the grains and most grain litters embody pure odor management because of naturally-occuring enzymes and added elements like wooden and even inexperienced tea. Most varieties are secure to flush.

Grain litters aren’t dangerous if consumed, making them supreme for any cats who’ve an unlucky tendency to eat their litter! Nonetheless, they shouldn’t be utilized by any cats with grain sensitivities.

Soybean Litter (or Tofu Litter)

Clumping: Sure

Texture: Delicate, small grains or pellets

Odor management: Good

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Glorious—renewable, biodegradable, and constructed from meals byproducts

These litters are constructed from the pulp of soybeans, similar to tofu! When these bean solids are dried out and condensed into pellets, they create a flushable, biodegradable, and really absorbent cat litter. The comfortable, soy-based litter is low in mud, supreme for cats with delicate paws, and never dangerous if eaten.

Grass Seed Litter

Clumping: Sure

Texture: Small grains

Odor management: Good

Mud ranges: low

Sustainability: Good—renewable and biodegradable

Created from grass seeds, this litter is notable for its potential to out-compete even bentonite cat litter at clumping! It clumps extraordinarily rapidly and firmly, trapping urine odors and making moist spots simple to scoop. It’s biodegradable and even compostable, and the comfortable grains are a well-known texture for cats which are accustomed to clay litter, making the transition simple.

Walnut Litter

Clumping: Obtainable in clumping and non-clumping choices

Texture: Small grains

Odor management: Good

Mud ranges: Low

Sustainability: Glorious—renewable, biodegradable, and constructed from meals byproducts

This litter is constructed from discarded walnut shells floor right into a comfortable, grainy litter that makes a straightforward dupe for clay litter for choosy cats. Clumping varieties carry out very similar to typical cat litter, however the darkish shade of the walnut shell could make it more durable to see clumps and feces when scooping. As you may anticipate, this litter has an earthy, walnut aroma. Be sure to skip walnut litter if in case you have nut allergy symptoms!

It’d take just a few tries to discover a cat litter that can meet the excessive requirements of each you and your cat, however your persistence will repay! Extra nice poop scooping is in your future, cat house owners.

P.S. Need assistance coaching your cat to make use of a litter field? Or possibly you’re on the lookout for cat meals that may support digestion and assist make your BFF’s litter field look (and scent) like much less of against the law scene? We’ve obtained you.