Cat Litter

Biodegradable cat litter

Feline Pine gets the best reviews among biodegradable cat litters. Another biodegradable litter that receives mostly positive reviews is World's Best Cat Litter (*est. $40 for 34-pound bag) . In a way, this litter provides the best of both worlds. Unlike Feline Pine, it clumps on contact with cat urine, so the litter box is easier to clean. Plus, World's Best is made out of corn kernels rather than clay. Many owners and experts swear by this cat litter, but there are also some complaints about its price and some users say it's dustier than the manufacturer claims. As with Feline Pine, however, the fact remains that many cats that are set in their ways will refuse to switch. Because of the large grains, World's Best is safe for small kittens that should not use fine-grained clay kitty litter yet.

Although cat owners and experts recommend Feline Pine and World's Best Cat Litter most often as the best biodegradable cat litter, they do not nearly exhaust the long list of organic kitty litters. As Cats International laments, "The multimillion-dollar cat litter industry has produced an astounding array of litter substrates … made of a variety of unlitter-like compounds such as paper, corncob, orange peel, wheat, wood, grass, silica, and peanut shell."

Purina Yesterday's News (*est. $9 for a 13.2-pound bag) receives some favorable reviews. As its name hints, this cat litter is made out of recycled newspapers, which are condensed into super-absorbent, pellet-sized pieces (the weird 13.2-pound bag is explained by the fact that this size corresponds, in volume, to 20 pounds of clay litter). We do find the most favorable comments for this cat litter among mouse and ferret owners, implying that its largish pellets may not be a favorite of cats. One owner posting on Petco.com says, "the only way [my cat] will use it is when confined to a room, and then I had to add a small amount of her regular litter."

Swheat Scoop (*est. $23 for a 25-pound bag) also scores some recommendations as the best biodegradable cat litter. This clumping litter is made out of wheat kernels and, like other organic cat litters, it can be flushed down the toilet or recycled in yard mulch. The reason we have not included Swheat Scoop in the ConsumerSearch Fast Answers is that it does not attract the uniformly high ratings of Feline Pine or World's Best and, as with Yesterday's News, some owners seem to admire this cat litter more as a matter of principle than because of its actual effectiveness.

In this regard, it is instructive to visit the cat litter message board at the environmental site Treehugger.com. Here, you can feel the tension among consumers who are eager to find an alternative to clay, but even more eager to do good by their cats. As one owner laments about her experiences with organic kitty litter, "My cat is 14 and I feel it's not fair to keep switching litter on him at this point in his life. So I've gone back to the clay." This pet owner balances her kitty litter decision by finding other ways to help the environment and reduce waste.

Clumping clay cat litters

Although the trend over the last few years has been toward biodegradable cat litter, the fact remains that the vast majority of cats (and cat owners) are content with clumping clay litters. As mentioned above, the clumping agent in most of these kitty litters is a chemical called sodium bentonite, whose suspected ill health effects on cats is (according to experts) largely imaginary. However, there are some genuine downsides to clumping clay litters. First, fine-grained clay litters are dusty and cats can track them across the floor (because the particles adhere to the undersides of their paws). Second, clumping clay litters should not be flushed down the toilet since their clumping properties can cause serious clogs (these non-biodegradable litters can also persist in landfills for decades.) Third, fine-grained clay cat litters are inappropriate for kittens younger than three months that can accidentally ingest the particles and become ill.

In the eyes of many cat owners and experts, though, these drawbacks are outweighed by two significant advantages. First, clumping clay cat litters tend to be vastly less expensive than organic kitty litters, which can add up to big savings over the course of a year. In addition, as mentioned above, studies show that cats naturally prefer the feel and texture of fine-grained clay litters and may not take to the larger pellet size of organic cat litters like Feline Pine, Yesterday's News or World's Best.

Because all fine-grained clumping clay litters are more or less identical, there's not as much difference of opinion about competing brands as, say, about organic litters made of corn kernels versus recycled newspapers. Still, we find that experts and owners recommend Tidy Cats Scoop (*est. $12 for a 27-pound container) more often than any other brand. We were especially impressed by Darlene Cheek, a cat breeder posting on Suite101.com, that calls Tidy Cat, "the most reliable litter for the value."

Although we choose to include Tidy Cats Scoop in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers, other clay litters are also worthy of consideration. In one well-done test at Slate magazine, Scoop Away Fresh Scent (*est. $16 for a 28-pound container) is recommended as best. Echoing Cheek's comment about Tidy Cats, writer Kelly Alexander says Scoop Away offers "the overall best combination of price and convenience." Another clumping clay litter that earns praise is Fresh Step Scoopable (*est. $14 for a 28-pound container) , which is a special favorite of owners posting to Petco.com. Although Tidy Cats Scoop is slightly better reviewed (and slightly cheaper), any of these three cat litters should do a good job.

One company that has been making a big push in the clumping cat litter category is Arm & Hammer. Arm & Hammer cat litter isn't made out of clay, but (as you might have guessed from the brand name) instead uses baking soda crystals with a "clumping" component. Available in various formulations, Arm & Hammer litter appears to be aimed at cat owners who are weary of dusty, smelly clay litters. While many users posting on user-review sites are enthusiastic about Arm & Hammer, we have yet to see any evidence that it's better than clay litter (and there are still numerous complaints about dust). For this reason, we've chosen not to include Arm & Hammer in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers, though that decision may change as additional reviews become available.

As stated above, fine-grained clumping clay cat litter isn't appropriate for small kittens, since they can be sickened by ingested particles. If you're litter training a new kitten, experts are particularly fond of Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Attract Cat Litter (*est. $13 for 20-pound bag) . Small kittens won't ingest this medium-grained clay litter and its herb scent is good at attracting kittens to the litter box and keeping them there while they train. Some veterinarians and cat breeders also recommend Dr. Elsey's litter for grown-up "problem" cats that may tend to urinate outside the litter box.

Crystal cat litter

In general, cat experts are not fond of crystal cat litters that are made out of dried silica gel. However, these kitty litters are popular with some cat owners for a very understandable reason: a single serving of crystals can last in a litter box for an entire month, thanks to the super-absorbency of sodium silicate, the same material that is packed into pill bottles to keep their contents dry. (Of course, this only applies to cat urine; you still have to scoop out your cat's solid waste every day.) Because they don't have to be changed as often as clay or biodegradable litters, crystal cat litters come in more manageable bag sizes (as small as four pounds), a big plus for folks who are unable to do heavy lifting.

However, as convenient as crystal litters can be for people, cats are likely to see things from a different perspective. The tiny, jagged crystalline particles can be very hard on a cat's sensitive paws and, even if your cat consents to using a crystal litter, he may not be very happy about it. There's also a downside from the human perspective: once a portion of crystal litter has reached its absorbency limit, you'll end up with a pool of urine in the box.

That said, the same rule applies to crystal cat litters as to fine-grained clumping clay litters: since they're all made from pretty much the same ingredients, there's not much difference among individual brands. Although no crystal litter receives more than one pick in our Consensus Chart, we have included Pet Gold Crystals Premium Litter (*est. $12 for 4-pound bag) , a popular national brand, in ConsumerSearch Fast Answers.

Although we haven't included any of these formulations in Fast Answers because there aren't a sufficient number of reviews, you should bear in mind that some manufacturers (such as the makers of Tidy Cats and Ever Clean) offer clumpable clay/crystal blends that combine the clumping action of fine-grained clay with the super-absorbency of crystals. If you're searching for the perfect litter for your cat, it may be worth buying a small bag to see how well they work for you.

Important Features: Cat litter

Cat experts say the following about shopping for cat litter:

• Don't switch brands unless it's for a good reason. Cats are creatures of habit and if they've been happily using a brand of kitty litter that you find messy or hard to clean, they may not want to make the switch.

• Decide how important clumping is to you. Clumping cat litters, whether clay-based or biodegradable, react with urine to form hard lumps that can be scooped out and either flushed down the toilet (if the litter is organic) or put in the garbage (if it's made of clay or crystals). Most commercial clay cat litters clump, but most biodegradable litters do not.

• Don't judge by price alone. Fine-grained clay clumping litters are relatively cheap, but they can be tracked across the house by your cat's paws and some brands are better at controlling odors than others. Resist the impulse to buy the cheapest litter available, at least until you've hit on the right combination of features for you and your cat.

• Put your cat's comfort first. Feline paws are very sensitive, so a given cat may or may not react well to the large pellets of biodegradable cat litters, the tacky texture of crystal litters or even a fine-grained clay litter. If you sense your cat is using the litter box under protest (lots of meowing and fussing around), switch to a brand that's easier on his feet.

Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
All The Reviews Reviewed chart.

# of picks	Model (with retailer links)	Details from Amazon.com
8	Nature's Choice Feline Pine (*est. $12 for 20-pound bag)	details
5	World's Best Cat Litter (*est. $40 for 34-pound bag)	details
3	Tidy Cats (*est. $12 for a 27-pound container)	details
4	Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat (*est. $13 for 20-pound bag)	details
4	Yesterday's News (*est. $9 for a 13.2-pound bag)	details
3	Scoop Away (*est. $16 for a 28-pound container)	details
2	Swheat (*est. $23 for a 25-pound bag)	details
2	Arm & Hammer (*est. $12 for a 20-pound box)	details
2	Fresh Step (*est. $14 for a 28-pound container)	details
1 each	LitterMaid , Booda , Litter Crystals , Ever Clean , Pet Gold

In the biodegradable category, cat experts and owners posting to user review sites on the web praise both Nature's Choice Feline Pine and World's Best Cat Litter. There are fewer top picks for clumping clay litter and crystal cat litter, probably because most of these kitty litters are made of the same ingredients and vary only by price and brand name.

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