Cat Litter: How To Choose The Best, Types (clumping, Absorbent), Ever Clean, "Golden Cat", "Barsik" And Others, Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Choosing litter for a cat litter box

The modern pet industry offers a huge selection of litter for cat litter. How to navigate this variety and choose the right product for your pet? Indeed, in this case, it is not only the price-quality ratio that is important, but also many other factors, for example, safety, efficiency and ease of use.

Content

• 1 Using cat litter

• 2 What are the types of fillers

  • 2.1 By operating principle

    • 2.1.1 Clumping
    • 2.1.2 Absorbent

  • 2.2 By composition

    2.2.1 Table: Pros and Cons of Different Cat Litter Formulations

• 3 Selection criteria

  • 3.1 Video: tips for choosing a filler
  • 3.2 Granule sizes
  • 3.3 Ability to absorb moisture
  • 3.4 Absorption and retention of odor
  • 3.5 Ability to flush down the toilet
  • 3.6 Presence of flavoring

  • 3.7 Hypoallergenic

    3.7.1 Video: How to choose a safe and practical cat litter

  • 3.8 What to choose for kittens

    3.8.1 Video: Which litter should not be used for kittens

• 4 Review of popular brands of fillers

  4.1 Table: comparing famous brands of tray fillers

• 5 How to apply correctly

  5.1 Video: how to use the filler correctly

• 6 Reviews

Using cat litter

It seems that until recently we poured either ordinary sand or an old newspaper torn into small pieces into a box adapted for a cat litter box. Such forced creativity, fortunately, is a thing of the past. Now in any pet store there is a large assortment of a wide variety of fillers, differing both in their properties and in price. Which one should you give preference to?

Modern litters for the tray are very diverse.

What are the types of fillers

When choosing a litter for your cat, do not immediately purchase large-volume packages - it may happen that your pet does not like this product for some reason. Buy the smallest sachet to get you started and test it out in practice.

Don't buy a slice of a large bag of filler

By the principle of action

All litters for trays are divided into two large groups: clumping and absorbent. Each of these types has both advantages and disadvantages.

Clumping

Upon contact with a liquid of this type of filler, moisture penetrates into the porous granules and sticks them together. This creates small, hard lumps that can be removed very easily from the tray. Thanks to this, the filler does not require complete replacement, but only partial cleaning, which ensures the economy of this product. Low-quality cheap fillers clump much worse, and also poorly retain odors.

Dense lumps of litter can be easily removed from the tray

Absorbent

Wood absorbent fillers are very popular - primarily due to their low cost and natural composition. Mineral fillers “work” more efficiently than wood fillers - they absorb moisture and specific odors better, keep them longer, and are not much more expensive. It is worth paying attention to the quality of mineral fillers - the simplest and cheapest of them, when wet, turn into an unpleasant-looking slurry that contaminates your pet's paws and spreads throughout the house.

Cats generally like wood litter

Most absorbent litters have a common disadvantage - they generate dust when poured into the tray. Small particles from the air enter the cat's lungs and can cause an allergic reaction. This phenomenon occurs because during storage and transportation, soft granules rub against each other and are partially destroyed, turning into fine and light dust.

By composition

All litters are different in their composition, as are the preferences of cats in this delicate matter. And as a result, your pet will make the final decision on the choice of such an important product. And your task is to tactfully push him to the right decision, for which you have to study what types of fillers are in their composition, what are their advantages and disadvantages.

Fillers of different composition "work" differently in the tray

Table: Pros and Cons of Various Cat Litter Formulations

Filler type	Structure	pros	Minuses
Mineral	crushed minerals of volcanic origin	the porous material quickly absorbs liquids and odors; very convenient and economical.	can not be flushed down the toilet; not recommended for kittens.
Clay	granules from European and Asian bentonite clays	natural, environmentally friendly product; instantly absorbs moisture and crumples well; usually very fond of cats; economically beneficial.	weakly retains odors; cannot be thrown into the toilet.
Woody	flakes or granules from plant fibers - wood of various species	natural safe composition; suitable even for the most sensitive and allergic cats; absorbs moisture and unpleasant odors well; has a low cost.	when soaked, it often sticks to cat's paws; sometimes there are sharp fractions that can injure the animal; requires frequent replacement; it is undesirable to flush into the toilet in large quantities.
Silica gel	crystalline granules of dried silica gel - silicon oxide	highly porous granules perfectly absorb odors and liquids; has a pleasant aroma; economical and convenient to use; has a long shelf life.	not recommended for kittens; harmful if swallowed; may stick to the cat's paws; not all animals like the crunchy sound when used; has a high cost.
Corn	corn cob granules	absolutely natural product; safe for sensitive cats and small kittens; perfectly retains moisture and unpleasant odors; can be flushed down the toilet.	new, not yet very common product; the cat may not immediately like the unusual smell of the litter; the pellets are very light and can be scattered far outside the litter box by cats.
Herbal	dried and pressed into granules meadow grasses	does not have chemical additives; hypoallergenic; easy to use; disposal through the toilet is allowed.	rarely on sale; has a high cost.

Criterias of choice

The main criterion for choosing litter for a cat litter box is how much it suits your particular pet. Some cats react negatively to the change of the usual litter and even go on strikes, refusing to use the litter box. You should also pay attention to the following factors:

• environmental friendliness and safety of the composition for people and animals;
• convenience and efficiency of use;
• profitability.

Buy only high-quality litters that are safe for your pet

Video: tips for choosing a filler

Granule sizes

Fillers of various types are available in large, medium or small granules. The smaller the granule size, the higher the efficiency of the filler, especially the clumping one. In addition, the small size of the granules is most often liked by cats - when raking them, the animals experience pleasant tactile sensations and do not injure their paws. For kittens it is recommended to use only small or medium sized pellets.

Kittens prefer fillers with fine granules

Granule size does not really matter

In general, the size of the granules does not matter much, only some cats have their own preferences in this regard. Large-sized granules are more suitable for long-haired breeds, which do not get tangled in the wool, do not stick to the paws and do not spread around the apartment.

Large pellets of litter are suitable for cats with long hair

Ability to absorb moisture

The absorbency of various fillers depends primarily on the material from which they are made. Modern silica gel fillers are the record holders in their ability to absorb and retain liquids - they are capable of absorbing an amount of liquid equal to their own volume.

Silica gel fillers are gaining popularity

Odor absorption and retention

The absence of unpleasant odors in the house is one of the main requirements for any type of filler. Affordable wood fillers, when soaked, retain not only moisture, but also odors. If such fillers are made from coniferous wood, then in the process of use they flavor the air of the room in which the tray is located.

Mineral fillers are excellent at retaining odors

They well lock odors and clumping fillers, made from clays and minerals. Zeolite filler also quickly solves the problem with specific odors, but not for long - it has to be completely replaced quite often in the tray. Synthetic silica gel filler works great at stopping odors - despite its high price, this modern product is consumed economically.

Flush down the toilet

Even if the instructions for the filler say that after use it can be flushed down the toilet, try to dispose of this product in some other way. After all, there remains the risk of clogging the sewer pipes, which can be a very serious problem for both you and your neighbors.

Try to flush used fillers down the toilet

However, the manufacturers themselves do not recommend pouring most types of fillers down the drain, in particular:

• all clumping;
• mineral;
• silica gel.

The presence of a flavoring agent

Cats don't always like the scents that we like. Animals are acutely aware of smells and may refuse to use filler, the manufacturers of which have overdone its aromatization. Citrus aromas, especially orange, are absolutely not suitable for most cats. But the delicate scent of lavender, on the contrary, usually attracts them.

Many cats are picky about the smell of litter

Hypoallergenic

For the most sensitive cats with a tendency to allergies, there are litters on sale, on the packaging of which there is a special mark: "Hypoallergenic product". These are products from various manufacturers, but they always have a 100% natural, environmentally friendly composition. Such fillers are not only completely safe for your pet's health, but also do not pollute the environment.

For sensitive cats, only hypoallergenic litter is suitable.

Look for hypoallergenic products from the most reputable brands; such fillers can be of different composition:

• woody;
• clay;
• mineral;
• corn;
• herbal.

Video: how to choose a safe and practical cat litter

What to choose for kittens

When choosing a litter for kittens, you need to take into account that many species do not suit them for safety reasons. Cat children, like all sorts of babies, are ready to play with everything that only falls into their paws, and at the same time try unfamiliar objects with their teeth. Filler granules are no exception, but having "feasted" on them, the baby can create quite serious problems for himself: at least clog the stomach, or even provoke a dangerous disease. In this sense, you should be especially careful with clumping fillers.

Choose litter for small kittens with care

Video: which filler for kittens can not be used

Review of popular brands of fillers

There is high competition in the pet products market today, which has not bypassed the production of litters for cat litters. The choice of quality and relatively inexpensive products is very large. We offer to compare the properties of goods from the most popular brands.

Your cat is the ultimate litter box expert

Table: comparing famous brands of tray fillers

Name	What does it consist of	Basic properties	The cost
Ever clean	high-quality clay base with vegetable extracts and activated carbon	instantly stops odors; lumps into small fractions that can be conveniently removed from the tray; very economical, lasts for a long time; you cannot pour into the toilet.	6-liter pack - 860 rubles.
"Golden cat"	shredded corn cobs	absolutely natural and harmless product; perfectly absorbs liquid and strong odors; hypoallergenic, not dusty; can be used for kittens; is economically consumed, has a low price.	6-liter pack - 150 rubles.
"Barsik"	wood pellets	natural absorbent filler; retains liquid and odors well; does not get dirty; has a low price and unlimited shelf life; requires frequent replacement.	packaging with a volume of 4.54 liters - 96 rubles.
Cat's Best Eko Plus	wood fiber flakes	environmentally friendly, safe product; guarantees high absorbency, crumples well; reliably binds odors; does not get dusty; can be flushed down the toilet in small quantities; very convenient and economical.	5-liter package - 355 rubles; 10-liter packaging - 644 rubles; 20-liter pack - 1016 rubles.
Zoonik	bentonite clay pellets	natural, environmentally friendly product; possesses sorbing and antibacterial properties; clumps well and absorbs odors; forms small lumps that do not stick to the tray and can be easily removed; does not get dusty and does not stain paws.	packaging with a volume of 5 liters - 134 rubles.
"Clean paws"	environmentally friendly clay	perfectly absorbs moisture; forms dense lumps that are easy to clean; economical; has antibacterial properties; quickly removes unpleasant odors; may dust when poured into the tray.	5-kg package - 403 rubles; 10-kg package - 683 rubles.
SuperCat	pressed softwood fibers	environmentally friendly, safe for cats; quickly absorbs unpleasant odors and absorbs liquid; creates a pleasant aroma in the room; very economical; easily disposed of.	a package weighing 10 kilograms - 683 rubles.
"Kuzya"	fine granules of organic sedimentary minerals	absolutely natural composition, high-quality components; suitable for all breeds of cats, for adults and kittens; does not form dust, does not cause allergies; quickly binds moisture and unpleasant odors; convenient and economical to use.	packaging with a volume of 4.5 liters - 335 rubles.

How to apply correctly

It is very easy to follow the culture of using the filler. For lumpy fillers, it is sufficient to regularly remove the formed lumps from the tray and add fresh granules to the optimal volume. It is recommended to keep the litter level in the tray at the 5 cm mark. For absorbent litters, the frequency of replacement depends both on the quality of the product and on your cat's requirements.

Replace the litter in the tray promptly

Video: how to use the filler correctly

Reviews

The best litter box is the one your pet likes. Most owners try different types and brands before choosing exactly what they want. Note also that many cats are capricious and conservative in this regard - count on the fact that the chosen filler will need to be used constantly.