How to Pick a Cat Litter

A favorite among many cat lovers, clumping cat litter is designed to make it easy to scoop both urine and feces from the litter box.

• Clumping litter often contains a material called bentonite, which absorbs urine and coats feces to form scoopable clumps.
• There are also natural clumping litters that use plant-derived fibers and clumping agents.
• Clumping makes it easy to scoop out urine-soiled litter and clumps of feces and to keep a cleaner, fresher litter box for longer.
• After you remove those clumps, refill the box with fresh litter to maintain the 3-4 inches that will satisfy your cat’s primal need to dig and cover his waste — and to control odor.
• Scoop the clumps from the litter box every day, and empty, clean and refill the litter box at least once a month, depending on your cat’s litter habits. For easy clean-up, try Clump & Seal™ AbsorbX Clumping Litter, Multi-Cat, which absorbs and clumps in seconds to say goodbye to lingering wetness and urine smell.

Non-clumping litter is an oldie but a goodie. This type of litter absorbs relatively large volumes of urine, but does not form scoopable clumps.

• Non-clumping litters are most often made of clay, but there are also plant-based natural alternatives like wheat, wood, or pine, such as in ARM & HAMMER™ Feline Pine™ Litter.
• They often have larger granules, which can help reduce tracking.
• Non-clumping litters can be less expensive than clumping litter, making them a go-to option for many cat owners.
• As your cat continues to use his box, urine can pool at the bottom with non-clumping litter. To help manage odor, change the entire litter box as part of a weekly routine.
• Some cats prefer non-clumping litter so be sure to pay attention to the signals your kitty is giving you.

Higher traffic patterns call for stronger odor control — and when you have more than one cat in your family, you have busier litter boxes in your home.

• Multi-cat litters tend to have more odor neutralizers in them to help eliminate the toughest odors on contact.
• More cats mean more litter boxes — one box for each cat, plus (according to experts) one additional litter box.
• Most multi-cat litters are clumping litters, which can be helpful for the daily cleaning. ARM & HAMMER™ Multi-Cat Strength Clumping Litter, for example, traps odor by creating hard clumps and uses the power of baking soda to neutralize lingering ammonia odor from cat urine.

For heavyweight odor control without being heavy, lightweight litters deliver.

• Lightweight litters weigh up to 50% less than regular clumping litter.
• Since they weigh less, they’re easier to pick up and pour, as well as to carry.
• ARM & HAMMER™ AbsorbX Litter traps, seals, and controls odors fast with unique Desert Dry Minerals.
• Available in scented and unscented versions, depending on what you and your cat prefer.

If you’re one with nature, or one-ish, a litter made with plant-based ingredients may be the best choice for you and your cat.

• They’re available in clumping and non-clumping options, for when nature calls.
• Natural litters are made with ingredients such as corn, sawdust, wheat, pine and recycled paper.

The best type of litter is the one that your cat uses properly and regularly and that meets your and kitty’s preferences on weight, scoopability, and scent. No matter which kind of litter you choose, know this: cats aren’t big on change.