Cat Litter

Cats can unsurprisingly have pretty strong opinions about what litter you put in their litter box, and different individuals prefer different types, textures and scents. This means you might have to try a few litters before you find the one that is perfect for you and your cat. There are however a few things to consider before you choose which one you think is the best.

Clumping vs. non-clumping

Cat litter is often divided into clumping and non-clumping. Clumping means that the litter, once in contact with liquid, creates small clumps that are easy to remove from the litter box without having to empty the whole tray.

In general this spot cleaning means that you use less litter, and it’s easier to keep the box fresh for your cats, minimising the risk of them choosing a less desirable place to do their business. Trays using clumping litter should still be completely emptied and cleaned at least once per month.

The most common clumping litters are made from clay, but you can also get silica or tofu litters that react in a similar way.

Some cats will however not take to these litters and will prefer a non-clumping variant. It’s also best to not use a clumping litter while your cat is still a kitten.

Three orange scoops with different clumping litters

Clumping litters are a handy solution if you want to clean your litter tray on a daily basis

Sustainability

While silica and clay based litters have many great features, there are other alternatives that are potentially more environmentally friendly. Most paper, wood or plant based litters are 100% biodegradable and in some cases even compostable.

A Bengal cat sits by a green bag of cat litter

Omlet's No. 3 Pine is a biodegradable litter that has a great, fresh scent

Odour control

Cats will not like a smelly litter tray, so it’s important to make sure the litter you choose can deal with bad odours. Most litter have some sort of odour controlling feature, be it active carbon particles or high absorbency.

Changing litters

The best way to change cat litters without any incidents is to do a slow transition. Most cats will not accept a sudden change, and will reject the litter tray completely, so the safest way is to mix in the new litter into your old one and gradually increase the amount over 7-10 days.

Finding one your cat will like

As we mentioned, you might have to try a few different types of litter before you find one that works for both you and your cat. If you have several litter boxes, you can fill them with different litters to see which one your cat seems to prefer.