As a cat owner, you know how important it is to find the perfect cat litter and how it can be quite the journey to find one that works for you and your cat! With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to make the right choice. Sometimes cat litter reviews or best cat litter lists can be very helpful, but sometimes they can seem a bit overwhelming. Fear not, we’ve put together the top 6 things to consider when you’re comparing cat litters. If you focus on these 6 points, you’ll find the right litter for you.
Importance of choosing the right cat litter
Choosing the right cat litter is crucial for both you and your cat. The type of litter you select can greatly impact your cat's comfort and wellbeing, as well as the cleanliness of your home. Cats are known for their cleanliness, and providing them with a suitable litter ensures that they have a hygienic place to go to the loo.
Of course, it’s also about keeping your cat smelling fresh clean! The right cat litter can help control odours, minimise tracking, and make cleaning the litter tray much easier for you. It will also last a long time and therefore produce minimal waste, so it’s better for the environment.
Top 6 considerations when reading cat litter reviews
1.What the cat litter is made from
Cat litters can be made from many materials including wood, corn, silica, clay and other plant fibres. It’s important you choose the right material for you, your cat and the environment. We would always recommend a wood or plant based cat litter that is biodegradable, as it will likely be soft enough on your cat's paws as well as better for the environment. Natural litters such as wood or plant based litters also clump extremely well so are great for odour control.
2. Clumping or non-clumping
As the name suggests, clumping cat litter forms clumps when it comes into contact with urine or faeces, making it easy to scoop out and dispose of. When your cat urinates in the litter tray, the liquid is absorbed by the litter and forms clumps that are easy to scoop out. This makes it easy to keep the litter tray clean and fresh, as you can remove the clumps soon after they form.
Non-clumping litter is typically made from clay or other absorbent materials but doesn't form clumps. Instead, it absorbs the moisture from urine and faeces, making it more difficult to clean and maintain.
We would always recommend clumping cat litter. It performs far better than non-clumping litter in terms of odour control and requires far fewer tray changes so is better for the environment.
3. Any health issues your cat has
Some cat litters have high dust levels and so are bad for cats with dust allergies. We would always recommend a low-dust or dust-free cat litter even if your cat doesn’t have allergies, as it can prevent any respiratory issues developing as they get older.
4. The price of cat litter
Some cat litters may seem expensive at face-value but there are two considerations:
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Generally premium cat litters are made from higher quality ingredients and also have superior odour control, so it really is a case of you are getting what you pay for. If you hate changing your cat’s litter tray regularly or you hate the smell of cat pee, it’s better to invest in an excellent quality litter.
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Very cheap litters generally don’t last as long and so may work out more expensive in the long run as you’ll need to use a lot more over a month.
5. How much a cat litter tracks
Generally, most cat litters will track to some extent. This is because they are usually very lightweight so may leave the tray on your cat's paws or get kicked out the litter tray when your cat is burying their wee and poo. As a rule of thumb, the finer the litter the more it will track. That’s why you’ll find cat litter that is almost like sawdust tracks a lot.
If your preference is a natural litter but you are concerned about tracking, natural cat litters that are more granular in texture, like Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter, track a lot less. You can mitigate tracking by having a tracking mat and litter tray setup designed to reduce the likelihood of your cat walking cat litter through your house.
6. Odour control
This is an absolute must - it's the main reason you’ll be looking to buy a cat litter! We all know cat pee smells after a couple of days, so you want to look for cat litter reviews that show which cat litters have the best odour control. Clumping cat litters will always be better at odour control than non-clumping cat litters so consider this when you are looking at reviews.
Natural cat litters are some of the best at controlling odour. Litters like Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter are made from highly absorbent ingredients and have a natural added clumping agent which makes the urine soaked pieces of litter clump tightly together. The result is the best odour control for your cat litter tray and a fresh smelling home!
Conclusion
Choosing the best cat litter for your cat is an important decision and cat litter review lists can be overwhelming. By focusing on factors such as odour control, your cat’s health requirements, clumping vs. non-clumping, tracking, how much cat litter costs and the materials it’s made from, you’ll be able to cut through the noise and find the best litter for you, your cat and the planet.
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