[Tried and True] 12 Best Cat Litters in 2023

Arm & Hammer's cat litter is scented, eliminates odors, and has a unique blend that reduces smells. When we poured imitation urine on the litter, the odor was immediately suppressed, and it was undetectable after 90 minutes. There was a slight smell of urine after eight hours, but it wasn’t noticeable unless you tried to smell it, so it shouldn’t be a problem in everyday life.

The litter has small granules, but doesn’t generate much dust when poured from a significant height, and the small amount of dust produced was only visible for about three seconds. This litter is great for closed litter boxes and cats with asthma. This is a clumping litter, so it has to be disposed of regularly, and it’s made of clay, so it has to be thrown in the garbage. Still, it clumps well and doesn’t break up easily. This litter is easy to use for the owner and is our top choice.

Tidy Cats is a brand of Purina, and is unique for its use of Glade air freshener fragrance. While there was a slight scent of ammonia immediately after pouring imitation urine on the litter, it was mostly replaced with the Glade fragrance after 90 minutes. While the odor comes back somewhat after eight hours, your face has to be really close to smell it, so it shouldn’t be a problem most of the time.

It doesn’t produce much dust when poured from a height and it’s not noticeable unless you’re really looking for it, so this is a good choice for cats who kick litter aggressively. Because there’s not much dust, it doesn’t linger long and settles quickly. This litter clumps and needs to be disposed of regularly, but you can’t flush it down the toilet. However, it clumps well and doesn’t crumble when scooped.

“Oko” means “eco” in German, which is the origin of the name Okocat. This litter is designed to be environmentally friendly and doesn’t use synthetic chemicals. While it didn’t cover the odor of the artificial urine immediately, the odor was almost completely replaced with the natural scent of the wood it’s made from after 90 minutes, and this continued after eight hours. While it’s unscented, the natural scent of the wood covers the odor of the urine, so it has adequate deodorizing power.

However, it’s made of small wood granules, so it produces a fair amount of dust which takes a long time to settle. You might want to avoid this product if you have a cat that’s old, kicks litter aggressively, or has asthma. It’s a clumping litter, so you have to dispose of it regularly, but it absorbs liquid well and doesn’t break apart easily when scooped out. In addition, you can flush it down the toilet if you break it down to small enough pieces, so this is a good option if you want to reduce how much trash you produce.

Cat's Pride is a family business passed down for three generations. The litter is lighter than traditional products, making it easier to store and carry. We could somewhat smell the urine immediately after pouring it on the litter, but the odor was mostly eliminated after 90 minutes. It's unscented, so there is essentially nothing to smell. The scent returned after eight hours, but it's hardly noticable.

Despite being made up of tiny granules, it doesn't generate much dust, and the small amount it does produce settles quickly, so it shouldn't linger much, even in a closed litter box. It has to be disposed of often because it forms clumps and can't be flushed down the toilet, so it has to be thrown in the trash. However, it absorbs liquid well and forms strong clumps that stay intact when scooped out.

This eco-friendly cat litter by Naturally Fresh is made from walnut shells, which are usually thrown away. The urine odor was unnoticeable without sniffing immediately after application, and this held up after 90 minutes and even after eight hours. While it’s an unscented litter, odors don’t come back, so this is a good option for people who aren’t home for long periods of time. Because it’s unscented, there is basically no smell at all.

It produces some dust, but it settles quickly. You need to be careful if you have a cat that kicks litter around violently, but if your cat doesn’t do that, this litter can be used in a closed litter box without worrying about lingering dust. While the litter absorbs liquid and clumps around it, it doesn’t hold up well when scooped, making it a bit of a hassle to dispose of. Unfortunately, it has to be disposed of often and also has to be thrown in the garbage.

Fresh Step donates both money and litter to cat shelters. The litter is designed to lock up odors and uses Febreze fragrance to protect from foul smells. This litter eliminates odors immediately and they can’t be detected even with your face up close. The odor doesn’t return even after 90 minutes and eight hours, leaving only the pleasant smell of Febreze.

However, it creates a fine dust that lingers for an extended period of time, and it looked like it would travel outside the litter box when your cats kicks litter around or goes in and out of the box. This may not be the best choice for violent kickers, seniors, or cats with asthma. It needs to be disposed of often because it clumps, and your only choice is to throw it away. However, it absorbs liquid and forms clumps that don’t break apart when scooped out.

Boxiecat was founded in 2009 and works with a number of shelters across the United States. The BoxiePro litter is made in the USA and won’t cling to your cat’s paws. This litter has great deodorizing power, as we couldn’t smell the urine immediately after pouring it on the litter, and the odor didn’t return after 90 minutes, or eight hours. It's unscented, so we couldn’t smell much of anything. This litter is a good fit for owners who spend a lot of time away from home.

We found that it produced a fine dust when poured, which lingered in the air. Since this dust is created every time you pour or scoop it, there’s a good chance of dust accumulating inside a closed litter box when your cat kicks it around. As with other clumping litters, you have to clean it out frequently and throw it in the trash. On the plus side, it absorbs liquid effectively and forms solid clumps that don’t crumble.

This is corn litter by World’s Best Cat Litter that is unique for being made from natural plant materials. It’s unscented, and while there wasn’t a noticeable odor immediately after pouring urine on the litter, it intensified a good amount after 90 minutes. The smell subsided to some extent after eight hours, but it was still noticeable even from a distance, so this might not be the best fit if you spend a lot of time away from home.

A relatively large sawdust-like cloud was produced when pouring the litter. It settled quickly, which may be due to the large granules, but it could cause a closed litter box to fill with dust quickly and lead to coughing or sneezing. This litter needs to be disposed of frequently, as with other clumping products. However, it forms sturdy clumps and can be flushed down the toilet.

This litter by Sustainably Yours is made from an original mix of corn and cassava. It’s unique for its completely white coloration, which allows you to check your cat’s health based on its urine. It’s unscented, and hardly covered the smell of the urine immediately after we poured it. It could be smelled even from a distance. This didn’t change much after 90 minutes or eight hours, so this litter doesn’t have much deodorizing power.

On the plus side, it had low dustiness despite its small granules, so it’s good for older cats and those with asthma. It most likely won’t cause your cat to cough or sneeze if used in a closed litter box. While the manufacturer recommends throwing it in the garbage, they also say it can be flushed down the toilet if you dissolve it in water first, so this might be a good fit if you don’t want to dispose of waste in your trash can. As with other clumping litters, you need to clean the cat box often, but it forms sturdy clumps that hold up well when scooped.

Dr. Elsey’s is a company that produces cat food and litter. This one is unique for its natural odor control. Immediately after applying the imitation urine to the litter, the odor was mostly unnoticeable, but the odor gradually got stronger over time. As an unscented litter that doesn’t mask odors well, it has to be disposed of quickly and isn’t ideal for people who are away from home a lot.

This litter generates a lot of dust that takes about 10 seconds to settle. Even small movements kick up a lot of dust, which tends to linger. You need to clear the clumps from the litter box on a frequent basis, and your only option is to throw it in the trash. However, it absorbs liquid effectively, and the clumps don’t crumble when scooped.

PetSafe produces a variety of products, including automatic food and water dispensers. This litter has a unique clear appearance and odor control built right into the grains. While this unscented litter struggled to cover urine odors right away, it gradually reduced them over time, eventually rendering them nearly unnoticeable. Because it takes time to subdue odors, it’s not the best choice for open litter boxes, but it could work well if you spend a lot of time away from home.

It’s made of silica gel, and we were concerned about the splinter-like dust that was produced when we poured it. It didn’t take long for the dust to settle, but this may not be a good option for seniors or asthmatic cats. This litter absorbs liquids and dries quickly without clumping, so you only need to clean out urinary waste about once a month. However, it will slip through the gaps if you try to use a traditional scoop, and it has to be disposed of in the trash.

This wheat cat litter by sWheat Scoop is made exclusively from renewable resources. It’s made of wheat and contains natural starches. While this litter is unscented, the natural smells of the grains immediately mix with odors from urine to create a very unpleasant smell. This doesn’t improve with time, and in fact gets worse as the smell of the grains dissipates and is overpowered by the odor.

While it didn’t form a large dust cloud, we did notice some dust that took around 10 seconds to settle. This can cause problems if your cat is older or has asthma, but if this doesn’t apply to your cat and you decide to use this litter, we recommend an open box so it can’t linger. Despite being described as clumping litter, it breaks apart when you try to scoop it after it gets wet. It has to be cleaned immediately after use, which can be a hassle for the owner. However, it’s made from natural materials and can be flushed down the toilet, so that’s a plus.