At the end of both trials, I emptied each bowl to look for moisture that had escaped the clumps and adhered to the bottom of the bowl. I added 1/4 cup of water to each bowl in two separate trials to gauge how quickly and easily it was absorbed, as well as how solidly it clumped and stuck together upon scooping. Catherine Tannert, co-medical director of VCA Old Marple Animal Hospital, in Springfield, Pennsylvania, who said, "Cats prefer unscented litter to the cloying smell of kitty litters that are developed for the owner's perception of cleanliness." I did a sniff test of each litter in both phases of testing, including the thankless job of lifting clumps of litter to my nose to gauge how much of an ammonia scent they emitted.Ĭlumping ability and ease of cleaning: In phase one testing, I compared a small amount of each litter in plastic bowls with slick interiors similar to a litter pan.
I noted the amount of dust emitted when pouring and scooping the litter, as well as how much peppered the sides of the bowl or I measured 1/4 cup of each on a kitchen scale to compare their weights side by side.ĭust and scent: Cats are sensitive to both dust and scent, so I measured the relative intensity of each.
Litter weight, shape, and softness: Because cats typically prefer a soft, grainy substrate that is easy to dig, I evaluated the shape, texture, softness, and density of each litter. For each litter, I assessed the following qualities: Litters that were tested for two weeks or less were those that my cats refused to use, or those we tested prior to receiving the bulk of the litters for this guide. The litter was poured into a litter pan for the cats to use for anywhere from one to four weeks to test for odor control and tracking. The top two litters in each heat went on to the next phase. In the first phase, I compared litters belonging to the same category in heats of four at a time, assessing them for a variety of factors, including clumping ability, dustiness, scent, and texture. Testing cat litters for this guide was done in two phases: a pre-cat phase and a cat phase. Ökocat's Non-Clumping Paper Pellet Litter is the most absorbent of all paper litters we tested and produces virtually no dust.īest multi-cat litter: World's Best Multiple Cat Litter, $14.99 at Chewyįor a natural litter that is eco-friendly, easy to clean, and odor-absorbing, World's Best Multiple Cat Litter is an excellent option.įour of the clumping clay litters we tested undergoing our dust test Pretty Litter's color-changing silica gel formula is an early warning system for detecting feline urinary health problems.īest paper cat litter: Ökocat's Non-Clumping Paper Pellet Litter, $13.99 at Chewy Elsey's Ultra Multi-Cat Strength Litter is a fragrance-free clay litter with good odor control and very little dust and tracking.īest non-clumping litter: Pretty Litter, $22 at Pretty Litter Elsey's Ultra Multi-Cat Strength Litter, $19.99 at Chewy Tidy Cats Naturally Strong Litter is a super absorbent clay-based clumping litter that does a superior job containing odors, produces very little dust, and is easy to clean.īest budget cat litter: Dr. Here is the best cat litter you can buy:īest cat litter overall: Tidy Cats Naturally Strong Litter, $25.98 at Chewy Scroll to the end of this guide to learn more about what to consider when shopping for cat litter, types of litter, and find answers to common questions about cat toileting. You can read more about our testing process in the next slide.
We tested each litter for one to four weeks to evaluate its weight, shape, softness, dust, scent, clumping ability, ease of cleaning, odor control, tracking, and cost. Editorial review samples were provided by their manufacturers, with the exception of Dr. Guided by their advice, we selected and tested 28 different litters, including clay, paper, silica gel, wood, grass, and corn substrates. To help us identify the best litters to please both cat and guardian, we consulted four veterinarians to learn more about the litter preferences of cats and their toileting needs. If the texture is wrong or the litter is perfumed, a cat may even choose to do their business outside of the box. What makes a person happy, however, can be the exact opposite of what a cat prefers. Cleaning the litter box is the most dreaded job of any cat guardian, and without a high-qualityĬat litter, it's made all the worse.