The 11 Best Cat Litters of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best Overall

Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter

4.2

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Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter efficiently binds together upon contact with moisture and remains intact while scooping. The small granules have a texture similar to coarse sand and produces little to no dust. It doesn't track as much as many other brands we tested either, so you won't see little paw prints of dust, or too many pieces of litter on your floor.

Clump & Seal Multi-Cat is technically scented, but it's very faint—the Arm & Hammer litter smells mildly like baking soda, with a floral, fresh laundry overtone that's hardly noticeable unless your nose is right on top of it. Still, while it's not noticeably or heavily scented, it is effective at covering up odors, even when we left the box un-scooped for a few days (sorry Wally!).

True to its name our multi-cat households loved the Clump & Seal Multi-Cat formula, but it can get a little confusing when you see the Clump & Seal label on store shelves, since there's a dizzying variety of similar sounding products, including Clump & Seal Slide, Clump & Seal Slide Multi-Cat, Clump & Seal MicroGuard, Clump & Seal with Odor Blasters, and Platinum Clump & Seal. We've tested six different Arm & Hammer formulas, and so far the Clump & Seal Multi-Cat is our favorite.

For proper disposal, this litter should be placed in the trash and never flushed. The litter comes in a recyclable cardboard box with a handle for easy pouring and storage. It's moderately priced and readily available at a variety of retailers. It's also available in 14, 19, 28, and 38-pound boxes.

Price at time of publication: $24 (28 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Sizes: 14, 19, 28, 38 pounds}

Best Natural

Purina Tidy Cats Naturally Strong Unscented Cat Litter

4.5

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The non-toxic power of activated charcoal in Purina Tidy Cats Naturally Strong Unscented Cat Litter absorbs the odor-causing bacteria found in a litter box.

The formula is made with natural clay that lumps together when it comes in contact with moisture. For bullseye poop and pee in the middle of the litter box, we had no problem scooping, but for organic mess towards the edges of the box, two scooping sessions were required. Despite the extra dips, there was absolutely no detectable stench and the litter is both dust and fragrance-free.

If you have more than one cat, this natural litter will help you keep their shared bathroom ready and suitable for use. It does leave slight tracking, particularly if your cat is a post-poop kicker, but nothing of note or extending beyond the bounds of the litter box area.

Price at time of publish: $24 (35 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Sizes: 20, 35 pounds}

Best Premium

Tuft & Paw Really Great Cat Litter

4.4

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This fragrance-free litter effectively masks odors, produces no dust, and does not stick to paws so tracking is minimal. Tuft and Paw Really Great Cat Litter is made from a soybean byproduct that comes in the form of tiny pellets.

It is currently only available with a monthly subscription through the Tuft and Paw website, but it's easy to cancel after a month. Depending on the number of cats in your home, a monthly supply will consist of one to three resealable bags. The pellets clump together with urine but dissolve in water. You should always refer to your local ordinance when it comes to flushing pet waste, but the pee clumps made with this litter can be broken into smaller pieces and flushed.

Unlike clay litter with sand-like consistency, this litter doesn't cover solid waste. Our younger felines were more accepting of the change in their box than our more seasoned cats, with one silently protesting the switch by reliving themself outside of the litter box for the first time since kittenhood.

Price at the time of publish: $29 (9.5 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Soybean byproduct pellets | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Resealable bag | Size: 9.5 pounds}

Best Budget

Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

4.3

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Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is a fragrance-free, reasonably-priced product that successfully minimizes odors, and is suitable for a home with multiple cats.

The clay formula joins together in easy-to-scoop clumps and helps control the growth of bacteria from your cat's organic matter with an effective ammonia-blocking additive that is safe for use in a home. The litter is only available in a 25-pound package which was a sufficient monthly supply throughout our testing. The cardboard box has a handle for pouring with low dust emission. The spout is sealed tight so getting started with a new box requires a pair of scissors to puncture for most. The litter does cause minimal tracking but it's primarily around the litter box.

Price at time of publication: $15 (25 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Size: 25 pounds}

Best Dustless

Arm & Hammer Cloud Control Platinum Clumping Cat Litter

4.2

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Arm & Hammer Cloud Control Platinum Clumping Cat Litter produces absolutely no dust and fully masks odors. If respiratory issues are aggravated by cat litter, you may find this lightly scented, hypoallergenic cat litter to be more manageable.

The clay cat litter contains baking soda which helps to neutralize odors without impacting a cat's experience. And after several weeks of use, odors continued to be under control with this litter. Even if you don't smell anything foul, we still recommend cleaning out the litter box once a month at a minimum. Upon contact with urine, the litter clumps together, but the lumps of litter fused with cat pee are slightly more fragile when handling so most bundles of kitty waste require two rounds of scooping with this litter.

Price at time of publish: $35 (37 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Sizes: 18, 27.5, 37 pounds}

Best Crystals

PrettyLitter Cat Litter

4.6

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Fresh from the resealable bag, PrettyLitter Cat Litter resembles sand on a pristine beach. The lightweight litter is made from absorbent silica gel which works differently than traditional clay-based litter. The crystals absorb liquids and odors, so regular scooping of pee clumps isn't required, but daily stirring is recommended. Once you notice that the litter isn't as efficient with absorbing liquid, it's time to fully change the box (every two to four weeks for most). For poop, the crystals clump around, covering the odor and making it easy to scoop out for disposal in the trash.

The litter also tracks urinary health by changing colors with cat urine when it detects abnormalities within the acidity and alkalinity. Any color that falls between yellow to olive green is healthy, but anything outside of that spectrum should be discussed with a veterinarian. The health aspect is difficult to distinguish between cats if you have more than one, but the litter is suitable for multi-cat homes.

The litter is non-toxic, unscented, and didn't produce dust or lead to tracking in your real-world testing with real cats. If you have a cat with established bathroom habits, the texture of this litter might take time for them to get used to, and it also requires humans to change their litter routine.

Price at the time of publish: $28 (8 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Silica gel crystals | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Reseable bag | Sizes: 8 pounds}

Best Budget Crystals

Fresh Step Crystals Premium Scented Cat Litter

4.2

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Fresh Step Crystals Premium Scented Cat Litter is made with silica gel which fully absorbs cat pee and the associated odor. Like our favorite crystal litter, PrettyLitter Cat Litter, this litter doesn't clump around pee or produce dust clouds when pouring. This crystal litter has a more approachable price for an eight-pound bag, but the resealable feature isn't as reliable as PrettyLitter's and it also doesn't provide colored indicators tracking urinary health.

The fine sand-like crystals don't easily adhere to paws, and we experienced absolutely no tracking throughout our real-world testing. It was also introduced to a kitten who will grow up using crystal litter. Daily maintenance of scooping out poop and stirring litter is recommended, and every three to four weeks, the box of litter should be fully refreshed. On average, crystal litter, like this one from Fresh Step, tend to last longer than clay-based litter.

Price at the time of publish: $23 (8 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Silica gel crystals | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Resealable bag | Sizes: 8 pounds}

Best Attracting

Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter

4.2

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A natural herbal attractant in Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract Litter brings cats to their litter box and helps prevent accidents when cats are in a new home or have a new litter box.

The clay-based clumping litter is suitable for use in an automatic litter box and a standard litter box and provides effective odor control from plant-derived chlorophyll. The sand-like texture of this litter is also appealing to most cats, giving them the material needed to cover their poop while keeping dust and tracking to a minimum.

We also recommend Dr. Elsey's Ultra Litter as a budget-friendly, hypo-allergenic option providing a cat-pleasing texture from 100 percent natural clay that creates scoopable clumps. Dr. Elsey's was our former Best Budget cat litter pick, but we think most people would prefer not to deal with its heavy, floppy bag, and found a better option during our testing.

Price at the time of publish: $20 (20 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Resealable bag | Sizes: 20, 40 pounds}

Best Pellets

Ökocat Dust Free Non-Clumping Paper Pellet Cat Litter

4.3

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The dust from cat litter can aggravate respiratory conditions and allergies. For a completely dust-free experience, Ökocat Dust Free Non-Clumping Paper Pellet Cat Litter is a solid choice. The pellets are made from clean paper free of inks, dyes, and scents and it is fully biodegradable.

In our real-world testing, it took our cat two days to get used to the texture of the pellets. Similar to crystal litter, the non-clumping pellets fully absorb liquids and odors from the waste a cat produces. The poop should be scooped daily with routine overhauls of the litter box every three weeks or so as needed. The pellets are larger than conventional litter, so some tracking around the litter box area is likely but easy to clean.

Price at the time of publish: $22 (8.2 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Paper pellet | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Sizes: 8.2, 12.3 pounds}

Best Scented

Fresh Step Advanced Cat Litter with Gain Scent

4.2

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Fresh Step Advanced Cat Litter with Gain uses activated charcoal paired with the proprietary ammonia-blocking ingredients from Febreeze to banish odors. The litter also has the added fragrance of Gain Original, a laundry detergent that many find pleasing.

The sodium bentonite clay-based litter resembles the texture of tiny pebbles and emits very little dust. The clumps form quickly and hold together firmly so scooping is simple. We experience minimal tracking, primarily in the area surrounding the litter box. The litter comes in a cardboard box that is available in a few sizes. All of which come with a handle for easy pouring and storage.

Price at time of publish: $15 (22.5 pounds)

_{Litter Type: Clay | Multi-Cat: Yes | Container: Box with handle | Sizes: 22.5, 37 pounds}