Cat litter trays are an integral part of a cat’s life. Even if your feline friend prefers the outdoor life over the indoor life, having a litter tray – or perhaps two (or even three) – is essential as it helps to prevent accidents, can help to reduce your cat’s stress levels, and reduce the risk of bowel and bladder problems.
The question is, what is the best cat litter tray for indoor cats?
Well, before we get onto that, let’s briefly discuss keeping your cat’s litter tray clean as if you don’t do this, it’s unlikely they use it, and you’ll start to find their toilet mess in places not designated for toilet use!
Given that cats are rather meticulous when it comes to cleaning themselves, it’s vital to keep their litter tray as clean and fresh as possible. This, as you obviously know, will require the use of a high-quality cat litter that not only encourages your cat to go to the toilet in their litter tray but also reduces the chances of odours and smells in and around the area of your cat’s toilet.
Our advice here is simple: old litter should be entirely replaced at least once per week, followed by thoroughly washing the litter tray with mild soap and warm water. Anything with too strong a smell may put your cat off from using their tray, so avoid things like bleach, strong-smelling cleaners and the like.
Now we’ve discussed cleaning your cat’s litter tray, let’s focus on what we’re here for – finding out which is the best cat litter for indoor cats. Rather than you spending hours researching and reading reviews, we’ve done all of the hard work for you and used our expert knowledge to compile a list of the best cat litter for your indoor feline friend!
To make this as simple and straightforward, we’ve split this into four categories:
- The best overall cat litter.
- The best eco-friendly/sustainable cat litter.
- The best non-clumping cat litter.
- The best budget option cat litter.
Plus, we’ve added in a few honourable mentions for good measure.
So, without further ado, let’s find out…
The Best Cat Litter for Indoor Cats: Our Top Picks
#1 – Best Overall: World’s Best Cat Litter
Sizes: 3.18kg, 6.35kg & 12.7kg
Yes, that is the product’s actual name! Bold, we’ll give them that – but does it live up to its name?
According to the manufacturer, the World’s Best Cat Litter is quick clumping, easy scooping, outstanding odour control, flushable and septic safe, lightweight, 99% dust free and pet, people, and planet friendly, and is made from natural, whole-kernel corn…which is some list! And, if it ticks all of these boxes, then the product name is an apt one, that’s for sure.
The question is, does it?
Well, upon opening the bag, we were instantly treated to a waft of a rather pleasant smell. Now, we’re not for one minute saying it smells as good as the latest expensive perfume, but where cat litter is concerned, the smell really is pretty good.
Does the smell mask the smell of cat ‘toilet mess’?
From our experience, yes, it does. In fact, for the month that we used the World’s Best Cat Litter, I don’t recall ever smelling anything towards, which is first! If your cat’s waste is particularly pungent or your sense of smell is very sensitive, this would certainly be an excellent choice.
Is it quick clumping?
Given that most cat litters available on the market today are described as ‘quick clumping’, yet many often fail to live up to their billing, we were keen to test this out. Luckily, it didn’t take long, and our kitty obliged within the first five minutes. The result? A small neat clump formed, which meant not only was it easy to remove, but it meant the mess was confined to the clump and not the surrounding litter. Less mess and less litter wasted. Result!
Is it 99% dust free?
During the month we used it, the World’s Best Cat Litter produced little to no dust, so saying it is ‘99% dust free’ is a fair statement to make, we feel. Given that no form of cat litter will ever be 100% dust free, we reckon this is as good as you’ll get.
How long does it last, and is it cost-effective?
That depends on what size bag you buy and how many cats you have, but according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, a 12.7kg bag should last:
One cat: Four months.
Two cats: Two months.
Three cats: One and a half months.
Based on Amazon’s current price of around £40 for a 12.7kg sack:
One cat: £2.50 per week / £10.00 per month.
Two cats: £5.00 per week / £20.00 per month
Three cats: £6.66 per week / £26.67 per month
Our verdict: The World’s Best Cat Litter sits atop our list for a reason – because it’s the best we’ve tested and reviewed. While we can’t conclusively say that it is the world’s best cat litter (because we’ve not tested every single product out there!), we can say for sure that it does exactly what it says on the packaging. It’s quick clumping, almost dust-free, 100% natural, is good for the planet, is value for money given the quality and smells pretty good – everything you want and need in an indoor cat litter product.
#2 – Best Eco-friendly: CJ’s Premium Cat Litter – Ultra Absorbent Wood Pellets
Size: 15 litre & 30 litre
Next on our list is CJ’s Premium Cat Litter, which, as you can probably figure out from the title, consists of absorbent wood pellets rather than the typical materials you’d expect to find in a cat litter product.
Being fans of environmentally-friendly products here at Barf Pet Foods, as soon as we saw this product, we knew we had to cast our expert eye over to see whether or not its performance was as impressive as its sustainability.
Before we furnish you with our findings, let’s take a look at the product ‘highlights’ and then see whether or not PJ’s premium cat litter lives up to its hype.
According to the marketing blurb, PJ’s premium cat litter contains 100% virgin wood, meaning it requires no chemicals to bind the wood; is soft on paws and won’t stick to them either; it super-absorbent and anti-microbial, meaning bacteria and germs are eradicated quickly; is environmentally friendly, meaning it can be composted, and it has a fresh scent of ‘Scandinavian timber’.
Impressive, huh?
Let’s find out if it cuts the mustard.
Upon opening the bag, we were met with a pleasant scent that we would describe as fresh. It’s not often that a cat litter smells good, but this was actually fairly pleasant. Being made from wood, it has a mild, natural scent, which is unlikely to offend anyone’s nostrils! We certainly didn’t catch a whiff of anything chemical-smelling, which indicates it truly is a natural product.
But was it enough to mask the odour of cat waste?
Yes, it did a great job, although it’s likely the super absorbent nature of the wood pellets play a large part in this (as well as removing waste as soon as you can), but we were impressed by how well the odour was neutralised.
One issue we have had in the past with other cat litter products is it sticking to our cat’s paws as they exit the tray (which is part of the reason we set out to find a new cat litter product and write this guide based on our findings); however, the wood pellets were not sticky at all, and during a month we only found a few pellets outside and around the litter tray.
Is it easy to remove?
While it doesn’t ‘clump’, it is a lot easier to remove than other types of cat litter as it turns into a sawdust-like consistency when soiled on, which makes it easy to spot and scoop out. However, if left too long, it can harden and stick to the tray, so we recommend cleaning any mess as soon as you’re able to.
Is there any dust?
Very little. As this is a wood pellet type of cat litter, the natural dust you’d expect from cat litter doesn’t exist; however, due to it’s natural state, the wood pellets can sometimes break down in the back and cause a little bit of dust, but nothing that you need be concerned about. At the end of the day, no cat litter will be 100% dust-free, so I think we say that CJ’s cat litter is 99% dust free.
How long does it last, and is it cost-effective?
That depends on what size bag you buy, how many cats you have, how often you remove all the litter from the tray, and the size of your tray, but from our experience, a 15-litre bag will last between four and six weeks, and a 30-litre bag will last between eight and 12 weeks. Given that a 15-litre bag costs £8.99 and a 30-litre bag costs £12.99, we’d say this is very good value indeed.
Our verdict: Whilst we no doubt have a preference for environmentally friendly products, we have more of a preference for products that are effective, do as they are advertised, and are well priced – and CJ’s premium wood filler ticks all three of these boxes.
#3 Best Non-Clumping: – Catsan Hygiene Plus – Non-Clumping
Size: 28 litres (2 x 14 litre bags)
If you’re a cat parent, you’ve probably heard of Catsan, given that they’re one of the most ‘mainstream’ brands of cat litter. Although we here at Barf Pet Foods are champions are smaller brands, if a big brand steps up to the plate, we’re more than happy to give them their dues and recommend their products. So let’s take a look at Catsan’s Hygiene Plus and see how it stacks up.
The litter used in Catsan’s Hygiene Plus cat litter consists of a combination of chalk and natural quartz (both of which are 100% natural), which is the reason for its very distinctive white colour.
Why this combination of materials?
Well, according to Catsan, these materials have thousands of tiny micropores on their surface, which vastly increases absorption. The question is, is it as absorbent as Catsan say it is, or does it fall short in this respect?
Is it absorbent? Does it mask the smell of cat waste?
We used Catsan Hygiene Plus for a month, and in that time, we found that while cat waste was easy to collect and remove without removing too much litter with it, the small stone-like nature of the litter meant that the cat poo wasn’t entirely ‘sealed’ by the litter. Although this didn’t make it difficult to remove, it did result in there being a tad more odour than we’d typically want. This wasn’t the case for cat urine; however, the smell of which was masked well.
Is it dust free?
Given the type and natural state of the materials used in Catsan’s Hygiene Plus, some dust is always going to be present both when filling and emptying the litter tray. While there isn’t too much dust, if you aren’t a fan of dust, then we’d probably suggest avoiding this product.
Does it clump?
Although Hygiene Plus is advertised as a non-clumping cat litter, you’d be surprised at how many supposed non-clumping cat litters clump – and to quite a degree, in some cases! Whether or not you prefer a clumping or non-clumping cat litter is entirely down to personal preference, but whichever you opt for, you want to be sure that it does as advertised. Luckily, Catsan’s Hygiene Plus does as it says on the label and doesn’t clump at all, so that’s a thumbs up from us in that respect.
Does it cause a mess?
Stone/gravel based often gets a bad rap for being messy due to the fact it’s quite easily kicked out of the litter tray, so if your cat does like a little kick now and again (mine certainly does!) and you don’t want to find little stones around your house, it might be wise to opt for a non-stone/gravel based litter substrate.
How long does it last, and is it cost-effective?
That depends on what size bag you buy, how many cats you have, how often you remove all the litter from the tray, and the size of your tray, but from our experience, 28 litres should last anywhere up to 12 weeks. Given that 28 litres currently costs £18.99 on Amazon, this really is exceptional value for money.
Our verdict: If you prefer stone/gravel based cat litter, don’t mind a bit of dust and aren’t averse to finding the odd small white pebble around the litter tray (and perhaps your house!), then Catsan’s Hygiene Plus is a good choice given its price and value.
#4 – Best Budget Option: Pettex Pampuss Cat Litter – Wood Pellets
Size: 30 litres
Even though most cat litter is affordable, we wanted to include the best budget option in this list to cater for those who are looking to get as much for their money as possible.
At present, there are several lower-priced cat litter products available on the market that offer similar value, which left us thinking, are any of these products actually better than the others? Well, yes, there is one product that is just that little better than the others, and that product is Pettex Pampuss Wood Pellets cat litter; let us explain why.
Not only does it offer exceptional value for money – 30 litres for just over a tenner – it’s also made from wood pellets, which are environmentally friendly, smells really fresh (if you love the smell of wood then you’ll love the smell of these!), and make cleaning out the litter tray a relatively simple task.
Is it absorbent? Does it mask the smell of cat waste?
From our experience, Pettex wood pellets are very absorbent, which is obviously a good thing. The fresh wood smell does a superb job of masking the smell of urine, although it’s not so good at masking the smell of poo. That’s not to say it doesn’t mask it at all; it just doesn’t get rid of the smell 100%.
Is it dust free?
Given it’s a natural wood product, the amount of dust is minimal. Sure, there will be a tiny amount of dust if some of the wood pellets break up, but on the whole – based on our experience – the amount of dust is minimal.
Does it clump?
When soiled on, the wood pellets don’t clump; instead, they turn kind of mushy, which does make it relatively easy to identify and remove. However, if you’re a fan of clumping cat litter, then we wouldn’t advise Pettex wood pellets.
Does it cause a mess?
Wood pellets are synonymous with not being a ‘messy’ cat litter, and this is undoubtedly true about Pettex Pampuss wood pellets. We used this product for around six months, and I can count on one hand the amount of times I found pellets outside of the tray, and given that our cat is very messy, this is some feat! We were actually quite surprised by this given the fact that it doesn’t clump particularly well (or at all), but who are we to complain?!
How long does it last, and is it cost-effective?
Given that this is our number choice in the ‘Best Budget Option’ category, you’d expect it to be cost-effective – and it certainly is. Of course, how long it lasts will depend on how many cats you have, how often you remove all the litter from the tray, and the size of your tray, but a 30-litre sack could last for 12 weeks or even more if you’re conservative with your litter replacement schedule.
Our verdict: While certainly not perfect, Pettex Pampuss wood pellets cat litter is definitely the most cost-effective. If you’re on a strict budget or simply don’t want to spend more than you need to on cat litter, this is, in our opinion, the best choice. It’s not going to win awards, but it will do a solid job at an excellent price.
Honourable Mentions
Here at Barf Pet Foods, we do like to give credit to those products that were good but not quite enough to sit proudly on top of the pile (I’m sure there’s a cat litter pun or joke to be made there?!), so here are a few cat litter products that didn’t quite make it into the above list, but are still solid products and well worth your money:
The Best Cat Litter for Indoor Cats: To Wrap Up
When we set out to write this article, our aim was to cater to the different preferences and budgets that people have – and we feel that we have covered all bases in the above four cat litter products.
We spent a long time testing a wide variety of cat litters in each category, and the ones above are what we feel are the best options. However, reviews are subjective by their very nature, so if you’ve used any of the above before or do so after reading this article, please let us know your thoughts and how you’d get on.
Oh, and we’re always open to writing new content on any form of pet product, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’ve got a suggestion!
