Author Archives: Pete

About Kitty Litter

Los Osos Pets Posted on by

I scoop a lot of kitty litter for a lot of folks and there are a growing number of brands available. Unfortunately, many folks seem to choose a brand based on bulk/cost/convenience or brand name recognition. It has become pretty obvious to me that the inexpensive brands can have … issues.

The traditional types of litter are clay-based. It is heavier in texture and generally clumps well. Clumping is important in order to encapsulate the urine for removal, mitigate ammonia buildup, and to extend the life of the entire litter before complete replacement is required. For the health of your kitties you should never smell ammonia in your litter; if so, it all needs to be replaced as soon as possible. It is impossible to mitigate urine/ammonia with non-clumping litter. I am strongly in favor of clumping litter. A fragrance/deodorizer is often added and the fragrance is extremely strong in many brands–so much so that it can be smelled throughout the entire house.

Newer types of litter may be clay mixed with other materials, or entirely made from corn, pine, plastic (!), or other combinations. Some of these newer types clump as well as clay, but some don’t clump at all. I like many of these newer ‘natural’ types. The material is often a lighter weight–but can also more easily be tracked away from the litter box on the kitty’s footies. I strongly encourage folks to try some of the newer types.

So here are my reviews, not in any particular order. These are my own personal opinions and I am not reimbursed by any company for positive reviews. If possible in the future, I will try to obtain discount coupons for our clients. I have highlighted the better performers BELOW.

Spoiler alert: My absolute favorite is Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Unscented.
Revised 06/29/24, in no particular order:

  • ARM & HAMMER MULTI-CAT UNSCENTED – Hard clumps, low dust, low tracking. Excellent.
  • ARM & HAMMER FOREVER FRESH – As above, but scented. I noticed that the fragrance remained on my clothes all day.
  • TIDY CATS 4-in-1 – Non clumping. Minor scent. Must be replaced weekly.
  • TIDY CATS INSTANT ACTION – Good clumps, but heavy scent throughout the house. Ugh.
  • SIMPLY PURRFECT NATURAL – Good clumping, but high dust and fairly strong fragrance.
  • WORLDS BEST – Lightweight, good clumping, fair ammonia control. Tracks. Good.
  • LUVSOME – Heavy, clay-based but makes mud balls. Light scent. Ugh.
  • sWheat Scoop Multi-cat. Awful, negligible clumping. Tracks. Made mud on the bottom of the litter box. Avoid.
  • FRESH STEP CRYSTALS – Non-clumping, turns yellow with use. Tracks under foot and is ‘crunchy.’ Ugh.
  • FRESH STEP TOTAL CONTROL – Good clumping but heavy scent and high dust leaves leaves fragrance on clothes.
  • FRESH STEP PREMIUM EXTREME – Meh. Larger clay-based chunks don’t clump as well. Typical fragrance.
  • DR. ELSEY’S – Excellent clay-based litter. Hard clumps, no fragrance or dust! Low tracking. Highly Recommended!
  • OKOCAT PREMIUM WOOD CLUMPING – Excellent! Hard to find a wood-based product which clumps well. Recommended.
  • ABOUND NATURAL – Good clumping, no fragrance, lightweight. Recommended!
  • SPECIAL KITTY ODOR CONTROL FRAGRANCE FREE – Tight clumps, recommended!

More later. -pete

Pete Says

Los Osos Pets Posted on by

As profession, I get to clean a lot of kitty litter. Over the years I believe I have become a keen observer of litter boxes, various brands of litter, litter box content, and their feline users. This is my latest thinking, subject to change of course.

Litter Boxes

Folks have come up with quite a number of ways to manage their litter boxes; some effective, many not so much.

In most cases a simple plastic tub with a hole on the end works great. The bottom of the opening needs to be high enough so that kitty scuffles don’t eject contents out the opening. This appears to be World’s Best litter.
This works great. Tall plastic bins with lids designed for kitties to enter and exit. In this case there are two bins for three kitties. The Scoop Away litter is some of the most highly perfumed; the dust gets on my clothes and I can smell it all day after cleaning the litter boxes. Ugh.
Here are three litter boxes for two cats. I don’t know that the lids are strictly necessary and the latches tend to get … sticky. The owners are using better litter now, but the previous litter was highly scented and could be smelled throughout the house.
There are very creative ways to hide the litter box. This table has a nice door on one side. Love it.
Here is another creative way to hide the litter box: into an end table.
This is one of the worst ideas I’ve seen! It is supposed to be self-cleaning (Ha) but appears to just dump the litter and poop onto the floor from the access door when it rotates. Ugh. Fortunately I didn’t have to touch it.
A number of folks use these dogloo-style (catloo?) litter ‘boxes.’ There is a little ramp up into the litter. In this case the owner lines the container with plastic bags to make complete litter replacement somewhat easier. The Arm & Hammer litter is highly scented and gets tracked everywhere. More about that below.