I’ve been a cat owner for over 30 years, and during that time have tried every cat litter on the market. I don’t tell my kitties what to use, they tell me. I use a variety of closed, open, low walled and high walled litter boxes, and only use one litter now as a result of trial and error. Here’s my (and my kitties’) take on the best and the worst that are out there.
Hartz: Made in only non-clumping clay. This was the first litter that I ever used. For a while there were only two brands of litter available: Hartz and Johnny Cat. Hartz comes unscented, in an easy-to-identify orange and white sack. The pros: It’s the cheapest on the market. The cons: It doesn’t cover up urine or feces odors. Since it’s non-clumping, you’ll be scooping out whole patches of urine-soaked clay. If your cat is not particularly smelly, uses the cat box twice a day, and is fastidious about his or her litter box trips, this could be a good match for you. I stopped using it when clumping litter came along.
Johnny Cat: Non-clumping only. Comes unscented or lightly scented. Pros: This is a great alternative to Hartz because it does come slightly scented, has a tendency to clump better especially around urine patches. It’s also just as cheap as Hartz. Cons: The unscented doesn’t cover urine or feces odors.
Fresh Step: Clumping clay in several scents. This was the first clumping cat litter that I tried, and boy, was I hooked. I did have to buy a fine-sifting cat scoop, but the difference between clumping and non-clumping was well worth it. My cats adjusted immediately, as pleased as I was that the litter actually remained pretty clean even after two cats hit it hard. The Pros: Clumps well! Comes in several pleasing scents. The Cons: Three times or more as expensive as non-clumping clay. The scents are sometimes overwhelming, often filling a room with it’s special scent. Seems to be attempting to cover the scent rather than dissolve it.
Yesterday’s News: Pelleted, Non-clumping Recycled Newspaper. I was worried when my cats started sniffing the box and ignoring it. My vet said that the smell of the scented cat litter was putting them off. He suggested that I go to a non-scented cat litter, so I tried Yesterday’s news. I figured that I might as well go green while trying something new. Unfortunately, my cats and I didn’t like it. Pros: It’s good for the environment. Cons: My cats turned it into a hopeless mess of soggy newspaper that I had to hand-scrape off the bottom of that cat box. Horrific. If your cats are indoors and pee a lot, this is not the litter for you. It also failed to cover feces odor. The cats isn’t like the way it stuck to their paws, either. Expensive.
Feline Pine: Pelleted, non-clumping Pine sawdust. I struggled to find a brand quickly that didn’t have a strange odor to it. Viola! Pine pellets! I also loved the fact that the bag didn’t weigh a ton. I took it home happily thinking that I’d finally gotten something my cats would love. It didn’t turn out that way. They peed on it once, and proceeded to kick it and track it all over the house. Pros: It’s green and smells like pine trees. Cons: When it is urinated upon, the pellets fall apart. You have to scoop out the floppy stuff, while trying to leave the pellets in the box. Also becomes like tiny pieces of confetti, which that cats can easily track all over the house. Expensive.
Arm & Hammer: Comes in both Clumping and Non-Clumping Clay. Several varieties depending on how many cats you have. I bought this thinking, ahah! A litter that won’t stink, with baking soda already added. Can’t fail! For a while it was perfect. I loved the scent, that cats liked it well enough, and the clumps were easy to remove. Then my supermarket sold out of it. This happened again and again until finally I was obliged to try a new litter because I couldn’t wait to fill the cat boxes. Pros: Smells good, has lots of baking soda, plus tiny crystals that change color when the litter needs to be scooped. Cons: Eventually my cats developed a distaste for the smell. I also found the the litter tended to be a little on the light side, allowing some kicking and tracking. Expensive, but often have coupons or rebates.
Tidy Cats: Comes in both Clumping and Non-Clumping Clay. Several varieties depending on how many cats you have, and what kind of cat elimination problems you have. This was the brand that I was forced to buy when the Arm & Hammer was sold out. Originally they had only one type: The orange brand, for regular use. Then they came out with Multiple Cats, and Small Spaces: Immediate Odor Control. Now they’ve even got an Anti-microbial/anti-bacteria version. I liked the original scent, but switched to the multiple cats when I found that I needed extra odor control. Finally, when I can afford it, I like the “Small Spaces” version, because it smells a little like “Tiny Tarts” candy. With more than ten cats coming in and out, I usually have to clean the boxes three times a day. With the small spaces version, I can get away with doing it once in the morning and once at night. The litter is rarely tracked beyond the cat box, and my cats love it. Pros: Lots of variety, different scents that are very light and don’t bother the nose, doesn’t track, better on the pocketbook if bought in large quantity. Cons: Buying in bulk can hurt your back.
So of all the litters, Tidy Cats wins the day. My cats love it, and they get finicky when they don’t get it.
