Cat Litter in 2023 – Top Products Rated

Cat Litter

Know what cat litter is

A lot of owners are now turning to litter trays which can be kept inside the house and cats can use that if they need to relieve themselves. These trays come in the shapes of boxes which can then be filled with cat litter. This appeals more to the instincts of cats who are creatures of the wild. Cats, when they defecate in the open, do so in soil that is soft or sandy so that the feces can be buried easily.

Cat litter mimics such soil which is granular in form and gives your cat the proper environment to quickly relieve itself. Cat litter absorbs feces and urine easily and is very easy to be discarded or changed.

How did cat litter originate?

Soaking up urine and feces of pets with the help of various materials is not novel at all. Since a very long time, people have been using sand, ash, and what not to solve this issue. But most of them have not been very effective ways to deal with the problem. Be it sand or ash, they can stick to the body of your cat and your cat might take an instant dislike towards these substances.

In the year 1940, a person named Edward Lowe found out that clay granules can soak up moisture and keep the bad odor inside. Also, he found that cats did not usually track the clay all around the house. He was the first person to come up with the idea of cat litter as a product.

Cat litter varieties

There are multiple varieties which exist in cat litter. It differs in the form because of the different kinds of materials it is made with. Here is an insider’s view of cat litter that are mostly used:

Clay cat litter

The first type of cat litter was of the clay variety and they have stood the test of time. The clay makes absorption very quick. The odor can be controlled naturally with the clay properties. But it has been seen that the odor might still persist. Using a bit of charcoal or baking soda with clay cat litter might help to alleviate odor.

You have to make sure that you change clay cat litter quite often. If not, it will start to smell inside the house. A changing routine of once every week should work fine.

Bentonite cat litter

Bentonite is a modern take on the traditional cat litter. A person named Thomas Nelson found out that Bentonite is a type of clay that can form clumps. This led to the development of cat litter that clumps. This kind of litter is more economical because you can throw away the dried, clumped parts instead of emptying out the entire litter tray. Later, silica was also introduced to cat litter which helps in clumping and is inert in nature. It absorbs moisture very fast and is light in weight too.

Biodegradable cat litter

With people getting more conscious about saving the environment and using environment-safe products, biodegradable cat litter came into use. This is made from newspaper that is recycled or wood and comes in the form of tiny pellets. Liquids can be absorbed instantly by this type of cat litter.

You can scoop the feces up from the litter box along with the litter that has dried and gone crumbly. The rest of the litter can be left as it is. This is free of dust as compared to a lot of other varieties and can be disposed  of easily too.

Eco-friendly cat litter

This is quite similar to biodegradable cat litter but Eco-friendly cat litter has more varieties. Environmental concerns are the priorities of Eco-friendly cat litter which uses material like corncobs, peanut shells, and sawdust to create the products. The absorbent quality or the clumping quality that clay has, is mimicked with the use of starch and other materials.

Since clay mining has a huge carbon emission problem, Eco-friendly cat litter can be a healthy alternative to your cat and you as well.

Does cat litter prevent the odor?

Since the odor is a persistent problem with cats and their feces, companies that manufacture cat litter are trying to come up with solutions. You will find cat litter these days that are getting better at absorbing the bad odor and keeping your home fresh. A lot of baking soda and carbon are used in cat litter because they can trap bad odor before it gets mixed up in the air. And a lot of brands are using these materials.

Can I be sure of the safety of clumping cat litter?

Some people have raised questions about the safety of clumping cat litter. They think that it might be toxic to cats if ingested. However, ASPCA has stated that there are no major safety concerns of clumping cat litter. Some minor issues with digestion and the like might show but nothing that can be life-threatening. But with this kind of litter, you should be careful so that your cat does not consume huge amounts of the litter. Cats might take a fancy to litter and you should try to find out ways to stop that.

With so many benefits that cat litter has, it is hard to resist buying a bagful for your cat. And with the host of options that you can choose from, we can guarantee that your cat feces problem will be solved in no time. So do not wait anymore and get the best cat litter for your cat now!