We Tested the Best Cat Litters to Make Cleanups Easy

Here are our picks for the best cat litters to keep your home clean and your cat happy.

Any cat parent knows that the wrong litter can be a big problem. For one thing, cats are particular about their bathrooms, reasonably enough—litter that doesn’t suit your furry friend can lead to accidents and bad litter box behavior . You also want an option that is easy for you to scoop, doesn’t track everywhere in your home, and helps tamp down odors. It’s also good to consider litter material (there are a surprising number of options!) and whether or not it clumps.

Best Overall

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

4.2

Amazon

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Clumping Cat Litter Review

What We Like

• Controls odors

• Low dust

• Clumps easily

What We Don’t Like

• Clumps can get stuck at the bottom

This clumping litter, which is made of medium-grain clay, is almost entirely dust-free, and does a great job at controlling odors. It’s suitable for sifting and mechanical litter boxes. 

The clumping power is super strong with this litter, which makes scooping out the box incredibly easy. Take note, however, that the clumping may be almost too powerful if you leave it for too long; if the solid clumps make their way to the bottom of the litter box, removing them can be challenging. 

You’ll appreciate that this litter is low dust (dust can be irritating for both cats and their owners, especially when filling and cleaning the box). Plus, despite being unscented, this relatively affordable litter has the ability to mask unpleasant litter box odors.

Price at time of publication: $21

Weight: 40 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping clay | Life Stage: Adult

What Testers Say

“Dr. Elsey’s litter seemed to suck up bad scents as soon as they appeared, as our home was left odor free. Even after a week, a sniff of the room our litter box is in smelled like nothing—no fragrance, no cat urine, nothing—which is exactly how we like it.”—Joline Buscemi, Product Tester

Best Clumping

World’s Best Unscented Clumping Corn Cat Litter

Chewy

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

What We Like

• Eco-friendly

• Controls odors

• Flushable

What We Don’t Like

• Expensive

There’s a lot to admire about this cat litter: Since it’s made from corn, it’s an environmentally-friendly option and biodegrades. It’s scent-free, which is appealing to some cats. It does an excellent job keeping odors under control, while also being lightweight and easy to scoop.

While this pick is on the pricier side, you can make the litter last longer with daily cleanups and top offs from the bag of litter. That way, you have to completely clean out your litter box less often.

Price at time of publication: $40

Weight: 28 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping corn | Life Stage: Adult

Best Biodegradable

Naturally Fresh Cat Litter

4.6

Amazon

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

Naturally Fresh Walnut-Based Quick-Clumping Cat Litter Review

What We Like

• Eco-friendly

• Clumps easily

• Chemical-free

What We Don’t Like

• Can be messy and tracks easily

Naturally Fresh’s Cat Litter is a highly effective cat litter, as well as being environmentally-friendly. This chemical-free litter is made up of ground walnut shells, which are surprisingly absorbent and clump similar to your standard clumping litter. It also comes in both scented and unscented options, so you have different options depending on your preference.

When transitioning over to a new litter (particularly one that’s different in smell or composition), vets generally recommend putting some of the old litter on top of the new. With Naturally Fresh’s Cat Litter, however, this might not be necessary; the size of the walnut shells is standard, and the litter has a sand-like feel, which cats can instinctively get used to.

Price at time of publication: $19

Weight: 14 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping Walnut | Life Stage: Adult

 The Spruce / Julie Hershman

What Testers Say

“The litter clumped around both urine and feces with no problem and made scooping very easy. The clumps stayed together as we were shaking the scooper to strain and didn’t fall apart. This part of the process was virtually no different than standard clay clumping litter.”—Julie Hershman, Product Tester

Best Lightweight

Tidy Cats Free & Clean Lightweight Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

4.2

Amazon

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

Purina Tidy Cats Lightweight Clumping Cat Litter Review

What We Like

• Lightweight

• Fragrance and dye-free

• Low dust

• Controls odors

What We Don’t Like

• Can be messy and tracks easily

If you live on the fifth floor of a walkup, the weight of the products you purchase matters—toting purchases and deliveries up the stairs is a workout. If you’re looking for a lightweight option, this Tidy Cats formulation is a good one to consider: One 8.5 pound jug of this natural clay litter is the equivalent to a 20-pound bag of other litter. It’s also available in 17 pound and 6 pound containers. 

The jug itself is recyclable, and the litter is free from fragrance and dyes. Activated charcoal and ammonia blockers help to ward off and control the odor. This clumping litter does not result in a lot of dust, and it does a good job at neutralizing odors. However, you may find that this litter tracks, which means more daily cleanup.

Price at time of publication: $26

Weight: 8.5 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping clay | Life Stage: Adult

What Testers Say

“The Purina Tidy Cats litter clumped together nicely and made scooping easy. We’ve found that some litters tend to clump cat urine together in one large clump—especially since our cat prefers one corner of her box. But with the Purina litter, clumps were small, solid, and didn’t fall apart when we scooped them.”—Joline Buscemi, Product Tester

The 5 Best Automatic Litter Boxes of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Best for Multiple Cats

Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter

4.2

Arm & Hammer

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Cat Litter Really Stops Odors

What We Like

• Controls odor

• Clumps easily

• Low dust

What We Don’t Like

• Scented

If you have two or more cats in your home, it’s easy for the odor from the litter box to quickly get out of control. This Arm & Hammer dust-free option is made of moisture-activated micro-granules that clump well, which makes it easy to clean out the box. The odor control is long-lasting, which is important when you have multiple cats sharing one litter box.

You’ll particularly appreciate that this litter can be scooped and cleaned without much of dust, which can be unpleasant and messy—and can cause dust left on surrounding surfaces.

Price at time of publication: $24

Weight: 19 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping granules | Life Stage: Adult

The Spruce Pets / Joline Buscemi

What Testers Say

“The granules are smaller than other litters we’ve used, more like a coarse sand. We think this may have contributed to making it less prone to tracking. We’ve become used to sweeping up cat litter every few days, and we were happy that this wasn’t the case with this brand.”—Joline Buscemi, Product Tester

The Best Cat Litter Subscriptions of 2023

Best Unscented

Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

Walmart

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

View On PETCO

What We Like

• Fragrance-free

• Controls odors

• Low dust

What We Don’t Like

• Not flushable

Like humans, cats can be particular about odors. For some, a perfumed litter box may be just as off-putting as one that smells like an outhouse. It’s also the case that for some humans, coverup scents can be cloying. Unscented litter is the solution. 

With ultra-strong clumping clay Scoop Away litter, antimicrobial agents help keep odors under control, according to the manufacturer, which says the litter provides seven days of odor protection. The odor-stopping ability of this litter is so effective that your guests might even be surprised you have a cat—even if they’re in the same room as the litter box.

Price at time of publication: $15

Weight: 25 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping clay | Life Stage: Adult

The 9 Best Cat Litter Boxes of 2023

Best Scented

Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

Amazon

View On Amazon

View On Chewy

View On Walmart

What We Like

• Controls odors

• Clumps easily

• Low dust

What We Don’t Like

• Not flushable

• Not all cats tolerate scented litter

There’s no denying it: Your cat’s litter box isn’t a source of good smells. Instead of sprinkling in baking soda or spraying air freshener around the cat’s box, you may prefer a scented litter to keep odors under control. This litter comes with a 10-day odor control guarantee—the scent comes from Febreze, and activated charcoal helps keep the cat urine odor under control.

This Fresh Step clay litter is clumping to make scooping out the litter box easy. Note that litter should be disposed of daily in the garbage (not flushed down the toilet bowl).

Price at time of publication: $12

Weight: 25 pounds | Litter Type: Clumping clay | Life Stage: Adult