Choosing The Best Kitty Litter Is Not All That Easy.

Running a pet rescue organization means we have lots of kitties. So it also means we go through LOTS of kitty litter. I was frustrated with kitty litters for decades. Dealing with litterboxes on a daily basis is unfortunate enough, to put it nicely. But putting up with the many downsides of kitty litter makes it just that much worse.

So I made it my mission to try as many kitty litters as possible and make comparisons so I could narrow it down to the very best one. Every time I tried new litters and compared their pros and cons against other litters, one in particular consistently rose to the top of the list. I believe I’ve chosen the very best one, and I’m more than happy to share my thoughts with you here.

I’ve tested many brands and many types (clay, corn, wheat, pine, silica beads,…), but I’ll offer just my three most recent comparisons for you here so that it doesn’t seem overwhelming. By comparing just these three, I can still describe the factors that helped me rule out some and give a thumbs-up to others, and ultimately brought me to my final choice. In the end, it comes down to your personal preference, but I think my rationale can at least show you what to look for and help you choose the best litter for yourself.

Arm & Hammer Naturals.

When I opened my first bag of this litter, I was excited that it may be “the one.” At first blush, it’s promising. It has a lovely fragrance and gives the impression it would be stellar at odor control. The litter was clean and dust-free as I poured it into the litterbox. So far very promising. But it didn’t take long to pick up on some issues.

After a short time in the litterbox, the fragrance filled my whole house and felt a bit overwhelming. Not entirely unpleasant, but definitely too much, like when a woman wears too much of a beautiful perfume. I admit this may not be an issue for everyone, but worth noting.

Secondly, this litter doesn’t clump as well as others I’ve compared. It does clump, but the clumps tend to break apart when you scoop, and this contaminates the rest of the box. So the whole box has to be replaced more often, which is wasteful and leads to a higher cost factor.

This next issue is the biggie. Arm & Hammer Naturals is super lightweight and totally flyaway. Although it is ideal for scooping and cleaning in the litterbox, it clung all over the fur on the cats’ toes, tails, and tummies, and traveled with them all through the house. Especially with our medium-to-longhair cats. Within minutes, I was vacuuming – my furniture, carpet, bedspreads, throw pillows, throw rugs, pet beds – everything. I even had to clean it off my countertops. Everywhere the cats went, the litter tracked with them. They cuddle with me in bed at night, so I even had litter on my pillow and in my sheets! Omigosh! And then trying to comb it out of their fur was also a constant and unfortunate challenge. Overall, it was a nightmare, and I was anxious to be finished with it.

For these reasons, and although it does have other good qualities, the Arm & Hammer Naturals falls short of the winners list.  🙁

Arm & Hammer Slide.

This is standard clay litter that claims to be a dust-free, supreme clumping product. First thing I noticed on opening the box was that the fragrance is ideal. Not too much, and it did a good job eliminating ammonia odor. It claims to be dust-free, and I agree with that feature as well. There was no noticeable dust in the air. Very promising so far.

It also claims to be easy clean, stating that the litter slides right out of the box at cleaning time. That was not my experience with this litter. It stuck to the litterbox surface like other clay litters. I would not hold this against the manufacturer had it not been their biggest selling feature right on the front of the box.

Arm & Hammer Slide is a very very heavy litter. My cats, young and old both, struggled with digging in it to cover their waste. And, I would safely guess that, if your cat is declawed, even more doubtful she’d have any luck using it.

But here is my biggest issue with Arm & Hammer Slide. It claims to make “rock-hard” clumps. This is true. Unfortunately, it also sticks rock-hard to my cats’ feet and genitals. Milagro (my rescue organization) rescues senior animals. Many of them are blind, many of them have arthritis and are weak in their legs as a result. These health issues cause the cats to squat lower and to step unknowingly into wet spots in the litterbox.

This litter cemented itself in big rock-hard chunks between their toes and over their genitals. It made walking painful for them, and also dangerously blocked their genitals which would have prevented them pooping and peeing and maybe even caused urinary tract infections, had I not bathed them every day to get the cement-like litter off their genitals and feet. And it didn’t just rinse out – I had to soak them in the bath for a good while before it would start to soften. And even then it just became gooey and thick so that I had to massage it away like peanut butter. The last thing my cats need is a run to the veterinarian to treat a blocked, infected urinary tract.

I acknowledge that others may have better experiences with this product. However, for this very significant fail, I cannot recommend Arm & Hammer Slide.

!! THE WINNER !! WORLD’S BEST CAT LITTER!!

“World’s Best Cat Litter” Original Unscented is an absolute joy, if that can be said about a litter. This one checks all the right boxes. I’ve used it for years. And, after every test run of other products, I’ve always come back to “World’s Best Cat Litter” Original Unscented, even though it’s pricey compared to others. Truth is, tho, it’s worth it. After making all my comparisons over the years, I stopped complaining about the cost and decided to just be grateful for its benefits. Besides, I do manage to find frequent, good sales on “World’s Best Cat Litter“ at pet stores and grocery stores, so cost becomes more of a non-issue, and I can feel totally right about this choice. It comes in several varieties, and I have tried them all.  But I always come back to the Original (green bag).

Here’s why “World’s Best Cat Litter” Original Unscented is my number one choice:

• It is a natural, compressed, earth-friendly corn product, much much cleaner than standard clay litters.
• It is sublime for odor control, as long as you scoop often (1-2 times every day), which you always should do anyway to keep a healthy cat box. Fresh, not perfumed. [If you find that you’re noticing an ammonia smell, it will not be this litter’s fault. You’re simply not cleaning the box often enough. Maintain your litterbox as recommended, and it will always be a healthy and non-offensive environment for your cats and your home.]
• There is literally no dust to contaminate your lungs and your cat’s lungs.
• It makes very solid clumps that are easy to scoop without falling apart. This helps prevent contamination of the whole box, and thus keeps replacement costs down.
• It doesn’t stick to cats’ feet, genitals, or fur, but shakes off easily without having to bathe them, and so minimizes health risks to cats.
• It isn’t too heavy for cats to dig in. I watched them actually enjoy digging in this litter, like it’s playtime.
• Very little tracking beyond the box. Doesn’t carry throughout the house, so your time spent vacuuming is greatly minimized.

I find very little, if anything, negative about this product. For the reasons above, I’m very happy to score “World’s Best Cat Litter” Original Unscented as, in fact, the world’s best cat litter!

A Moving Target.

New kitty litters pop up on the market almost every day, so the “best” litter may continue to be a moving target as products are improved.  For now, however, I wholeheartedly recommend “World’s Best Cat Litter” Original Unscented.

Happy Scooping!

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God Bless and Happy Pet Parenting!

With love and good wishes,
jeannie.   ?

About jeannie:  I’ve been pro-actively involved in pet rescue all of my life. I founded Milagro Senior Pet Refuge(TM) (Phoenix) in 1998, and BareFootPets (TM) in 2008. Animal welfare has always been and will always be my heart’s work. If my only legacy is that I save a handful of precious souls that would not survive otherwise, I’m good with that.