Having worked in shelters, been a petsitter for at least 100 cats, and most importantly, been a cat owner my entire life, I've had a lot of experience with kitty litter! Here's where all the unsavory time I've spent cleaning out cat boxes is well worth it. I have a lot of experience and recommendations for the best cat litter on the market today. Naturally, I'm the official “scooper” here in my house, only gained a brief sabbatical from that duty while I was pregnant due to the risk of Toxoplasmosis.

Fortunately, kitty litter has come a long way over recent years with the introduction of scoopable cat litter. There are many kinds to choose from, the decision isn't easy anymore. There are, however, a number of factors to consider when making the choice. To some extent, you and your cat will make the decision together. Kitty litter certainly isn't one size fits all.

The type of cat litter you choose will, in part, be dictated by the type of litterbox you have. Obviously, the most common automatic litter boxes require scoopable cat litter. A problem I've run into with the rake-type automatic litter boxes is they often cannot handle much kitty litter at once. The rakes get stuck and end up missing a lot of the urine clumps. The absolute best cat litter for these is called: World's Best Cat Litter. It's made from whole-kernel corn and is very light, so the rakes have an easy time pushing the clumps.

Obviously, cat litter prices vary according to type, brand, and where it's purchased. You will need to comparison shop here.

• Is it biodegradable? Clay-based kitty litter is not biodegradable and has a huge impact upon the environment. Sadly, more than 2 million tons of cat litter is dumped into our landfills yearly. Most of the litter isn't biodegradable.
• Is it flushable? Some of the new plant-based litters can be flushed right down your toilet. Not only convenient, but also environmentally-friendly.
• How well does it control odor? Not all litters are equally as efficient at controlling odor. Clumping litters have become the most popular since actually removing the offending smell is one of the best odor control methods. However, there are alternatives as I will discuss below.
• Is it relatively dust free? Many commercial brand cat litters are quite dusty, posing health issues for both owners and cats alike. Look for ones that say dust free cat litter.
• Is it full of chemicals and perfumes? Many kitty litters have unhealthy amounts of additives in them. In addition to the health concerns, a lot of cats simply do not like the strong smell emanating from their litterboxes. They might choose another, quite unpleasant place to defecate.
• Is the texture one that's pleasant for your cat? Cats are funny about their paws. Many don't like the new crystal cat litters. They find them irritating on their sensitive paws. One of my cats would have nothing to do with the crystal litter, she looked like she was walking on hot coals in the pan.

In the cat shelter where I volunteer, they use only pine litter. Not only is it economical, but it's better for your cat's health. Many of the clay litters are quite dusty, and pose breathing problems for both owners and cats with asthma and allergies.

Many shelters purchase the bulk pine pellets from a feed store or grain/co-op stores in rural areas. These pellets are made primarily from compressed pine sawdust. Feline Pine is the same product as these wood stove pellets, just more expensive because the company has to market it as feline kitty litter. You can buy the exact same product for a fraction of the cost at large hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. Look for the pellets made primarily from Pine (a very soft wood) and not other hard woods. Pine is highly absorbent and has odor fighting qualities other woods don't have.

Feline Pine has now manufactured a scoopable pine litter. It's, of course free of the silica, organic and flushable. It doesn't seem to clump quite as well as other clumping litters, however.

Can it be flushed? You can scoop and flush the solid waste only.

It is biodegradable.

f you prefer clay litter, make sure you buy one that states it's as dust-free as possible. I've yet to find one that's truly dust-free, however. I still see that dreaded cloud when pouring them into the litterbox no matter how dust-free they claim to be. The dust in these clay litters contains particles known as crystalline silica or silica quartz which have been implicated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a known human carcinogen. It's also been associated with asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and lung cancer. Take note: ALL clay cat litter contains crystalline silica.

http://www.agiweb.org/geotimes/nov01/feature_earthsubst.html

http://www.vetinfo.com/silica-cat-litter-toxic.html                                                                                                                                 

The question remains, how much is safe to inhale of this dust? Some argue there's not enough in the cat litter to pose a problem... This reminds me of the debate about whether or not it's safe for a pregnant woman to drink alcohol. The truth is, there's no accepted amount that's considered “safe”, so many women and doctors recommend she stays away from it altogether.

The evidence does support, however, that when a cat repeatedly inhales the silica dust it can cause respiratory infections. A recent study has confirmed the presence of this dust in the lungs of cats, it does make it way to their lungs. The study also demonstrated that cats with respiratory disease had up to six times the amount of silica dust in their lungs as compared to cats without respiratory disease. http://www.stuffweuse.com/Lungwash.html

This type of litter cannot be flushed.

Most clay clumping cat litters utilize a type of clay called sodium bentonite, which acts as an expandable cement. Since they swell 15 to 18 times their dry size, they are absolutely not to be flushed. No doubt, you will have some clogged pipes on your hands.

Sodium bentonite has been implicated in some possible cat health problems. Just as it expands in your pipes, it will expand in your cat's digestive track wreaking havoc. Cats naturally lick their paws and inadvertently ingest some of the sodium bentotite. There is concern among owners and pet health specialists this can cause blockage, malabsorption, dehydration, and even death in cats. This is even more of a problem with kittens, as many of them are curious and naturally tempted to sample their litter. An aging cat is prone to a condition called Pica, a condition that makes them crave inedible substances. More studies need to be performed, but there's some growing evidence of the dangers of sodium bentonite:

This type of litter cannot be flushed.

This has the highest moisture absorbency, capable of absorbing up to 40 times its weight in moisture. It's supposed to be regularly stirred and purports to last one month for one cat. People do have the fear that its silica base might not be good for cats, however no studies have either confirmed or denied that concern.

It really does a great job absorbing the urine, consequently it assists with odor control. However, odor control is variable with the crystal litter. As it is with any kind of cat litter, there's variation in quality from brand to brand. Do, however stay away from the highly perfumed versions as they contain unnecessary chemicals, and quite frankly smell much too flowery and offensive.

One definite advantage is the weight. These weigh a fraction of what the clay litters do, making them a good choice for those with physical limitations.

You can scoop and flush the solid waste only. It's not biodegradable.

It doesn't track as much as clay litter. The bigger crystals simply don't stick to the cat's paws as well, and don't get stuck in between their toes.

I recommend Pestell's Clear Choice for the best crystal cat litter. It is priced well (as crystal cat litters go), is great for odor control, doesn't track, and really does last the month for one cat.

These are the new generation of clumping cat litters, and certainly the least environmentally offensive of all. These litters are made from: corn, corncob, cornhusks, wheat by-products, wheat grass, beet pulp, oat hulls, and kenaf. I would stay away from wheat-grass and beet pulp litters as they don't control over very well. Kenaf is what's used to make tree-free paper and is related to cotton. I've had the privilege of using many of these and have been quite pleased with their clumping ability. Like the crystal litters, these don't weigh very much, a definite advantage for some. I've found the corn cat litters do a great job of deodorizing.

The negative part of their light weight comes if you have a cat who likes to perch on the edge of the litterbox while doing her duty. I've discovered many cat boxes overturned as a result, with a disastrous aftermath.

If you care about the environment, like I do, this is the best cat litter choice. They are flushable, biogegradable, and organic. Some they can be quite spendy, however.

Like the clay clumping litters, the plant-based litter clumps will dry out and crumble if you don't scoop them out within a reasonable amount of time. Both should be scooped out twice per day, morning and evening.

I recommend you get an excellent, wide, sturdy cat litter scoop. You don't want one with gaps too wide or too close together. After some experimentation, I've found a cat litter scoop that properly scoops up the clumps and allows the clean litter to escape back into the pan. I recommend the Litter Lifter cat litter scoop. It's very durable, slides under the clumps and gets even the smallest little ones to leave nothing behind. Many of the other scoopers I've had have broken off at the handle, this one is made to last.

If you decide to switch to a crystal kitty litter, do it gradually. Begin to slowly add the crystals to your existing cat litter so they can get used to the texture.

Purina has finally made a cat litter for the environmentally conscious consumer:  Yesterday's News.  It's made from recycled paper, is quite absorbent, and of course, environmentally friendly.  It's about three times more absorbent than clay.  It's fairly similar in quality to pine litter, but unfortunately doesn't seem to work as well with blocking odors.  One advantage is its smaller than the pine pellets and feels more like clay litter, which cats seem to prefer.

I used to be a die-hard fan of Tidy Cat litter for multiple cats. I thought it was the best clumping and deodorizing litter on the market. Perhaps it was for a number of years. I certainly had more luck with Tidy Cat than I did Fresh Step Cat Litter. When I was desperate, I used Fresh Step. It's too perfumed, doesn't clump well, and my cats don't like all the fragrance emanating from it. I next began to use Arm and Hammer cat litter, found it clumped well and like the use of baking soda rather than the perfumes. Of all the cat litters you can buy in the grocery stores, I'd still pick Arm & Hammer over all the others for the price, quality, and its fewer additives.

The ultimate clumping cat litter is called Integrity. It is bar none, the best clumping litter out there. I will say it's expensive to purchase, but saves money in the long run. There is very litter that's actually wasted since it doesn't crumble. I rarely have to put a fresh layer of Integrity cat litter over the existing litter because what remains is still so clean. Integrity can be found in many local pet stores, generally not in the big chain stores like PetCo and PetSmart. It can also be purchased online.

My top choice for plant-based litters: World's Best Cat Litter. It is made from made corn, clumps better than any of the plant-based litter, deodorizes well, is non-toxic and good for the environment. It's costly at purchase, but lasts a long time, so it's quite economical in the end.

My next choice is: Swheat Scoop Natural Wheat Litter. It's organic, flushable, biodegradable, and worth the cost as a little goes a long way. Some recommend spraying a little vegetable or cooking oil (I use organic olive oil) onto the bottom and sides of the pan to disallow the litter from adhering to the sides and bottom. It doesn't do as good of a job clumping the litter as World's Best Cat Litter, however. So, it doesn't provide the same level of odor control, in my opinion. It's still an excellent litter, and better at clumping than most clay-based scoopable cat litter.

For Pine litter, my choice is: Firemaster Stove Pellets. This pine litter is used in many shelters as well. It's marketed as stove pellets and cat litter and is the same product as Feline Pine. But, again, much cheaper. It's sold in clear bags, look for the pellets that are lighter in color as they seem to smell more like pine than the darker pellets. Look for them at warehouse stores or visit:  http://www.firemasterproducts.com/