The major "downside" of owning a pet is dealing with their poop. Purrsonally I don't mind scooping the poop. One of the reasons I'm not really a dog purrson is having to pick up poop **without a scoop** and then carrying it around until a garbage bin can be found; but I digress.

As a Cat-Sitter I have been able to experience all of the litter options out there and I'm here to tell you there are a myriad of litters! The question I get asked the most is which litter is the best litter? The answer to that question isn't as easy, as I believe that the best cat litter solution varies from home to home. Ultimately you don't want it to be too stinky and you don't want it tracked all over the place but most importantly your kitty needs to like using it. There's no point having a litter that everyone says is great but your cat ignores. Once the pooping or peeing outside the litterbox habit forms it is a bugger to break. Kitties are intelligent creatures and purrfur fastidiously clean places to toilet. When they decide they don't like the toilet you have provided for them and poop or pee outside the box they then watch with amazement as their hoomans go to great lengths to clean it up.
Aha they think, that's what I'll do in future....problem solved (for kitty - not for the hoomans). Eeck.

Not all litters are created equal. Gone are the days when there were no real choices other than, "do I want purrfume in my clay litter?". The answer to that easy question is NEVER - I'll explain why as we go through the list. 

Following is a list of the different options out there now and my rundown of the Pros and Cons. I will give them a rating of 1-10 1 being bad,bad,bad and 10 being the premium option. Now remember this is only my opinion.....kitty may disagree.
To research this blog post I looked at other sites that rate litters and it was pretty obvious to me that most people rated litters based on how much of a kickback they get from affiliate links.
Why you ask? Because most of them list Clay based litters as the best litters out there and that is just patently untrue.

Let's start there -
Clumping Clay Litters  Rating 1 (Bad, Bad, Bad)

I lost a kitty once, 20+ years ago when the only litters out there were clay based litters. She developed a mass in her abdomen that was basically the consistency of concrete. Nothing could get past and nothing could really be done by the time we realized what was going on.
Clumping Clay litters are designed to absorb fluids and form hard concrete-like clumps that are easy to scoop out of the litterbox by using a specific kind of clay called Sodium Bentonite.
Now think about how your cats clean themselves. They lick themselves clean.
So, inevitably the clay gets onto their paws as they dig around in the box and then as they clean themselves they ingest this concrete like substance. Over time this builds up in their colons and causes blockages or at the very least, Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Which makes all the litter box "stuff" so much worse. Diarrhea, stinky poops, the list goes on. And..... kitty feels miserable.
Then there is the environmental travesty that comes along with strip mining all this clay. According to a Stanford Study 75% of all clumping clay litters have Sodium Bentonite in them to create the clumps. This stuff is "harvested" by strip mining. Ugh.

But that's not all.....The industrial footprint involved in the physical process of all this mining includes enormous energy costs. First mining the clay, then baking it dry, then crushing and rolling it to achieve the desired litter texture. And finally this stuff is heavy! So..... shipping it around the world has a huge carbon footprint in itself. Then there’s the matter of what happens after kitty has pooped and we have scooped. Clay (and silica-based) litters are not biodegradable. It doesn't break down because it is already in it's final form. Instead, it sits in our landfills, piling up and creating mountains of poop that doesn't decompose. According to the Washington Post, in the United States, there are 5 billion pounds of clay mined each year to be used for kitty litter.

And, the real kicker, as soon as there is any humidity in the environment - weather is changeable y'all -  the clumps don't "clump" but create sticky gross smelling sludge that sticks to the bottom of the litter box and to kitty's paws. I've found this sludge in all sorts of places, including on pillows on the bed. Yuck! It also makes litterbox clean up sooooooo much more complicated than it needs to be.

The non-clumping clay litters also get a 1 - because they are always wet so therefore stink, kitty can still ingest them and cause havoc and all the environmental travesties remain.

So purrleaze, consider moving away from Clay based litters. For everyone's sakes.
And perfume, Just NO! All is does is add extra chemicals for Kitty to ingest and they don't make anything smell better. In fact, in my opinion, perfumes do little to mask the smells but they do make it smell worse. Cloying sweetness with Poop just doesn't go together.

Silica Based Litter - Rating 2 (Bad)
The biggest drawback for Silica Based litters for me is that it doesn't clump, which means the pee just sits around getting stinkier and stinkier until you completely change it out. And I don't know about you, but can you imagine what fastidious kitty must think about walking around on it's on own pee. The silica gel is sodium silicate sand that is processed with oxygen and water and turned into "beads" with tiny pores in it. Apparently it can absorb about 40 times its weight in liquid. It's similar to desiccant “do not eat” packets you find in all manner of things that need to stay dry - mainly medications and leather products. The "good news" is that silica crystal litters are specifically formulated to be safe for cats and do not contain crystalline silicate, which can be harmful to cats if ingested. However I find the silica litters to be really dusty - they get my sinuses running more than any other litter. I always silently think of them as being akin to asbestos - little shards of glass that can only do harm...no matter what the marketing tells me. And speaking of marketing. The oh-so trendy Pretty Litter that is out there now - the one that turns different colors depending on the pH of your kitties pee is an example of very clever marketing, preying on cat owners insecurities and "promising" to keep kitty safe. Frankly if you're scooping the tray daily you'll soon know if there is anything up without the need for fancy litter that changes color. Blood in urine for example shows in every litter if you actually look at it.
Finally the environmental cost of mining the silica is just as bad as for clay litters.
My opinion - move onto another option. There are plenty! 

Paper Based Litters - Rating 4 (Getting There)
I remember being so excited when these first hit the market. I was living in Europe at the time and there were no options other than Clay based litters. After our experience I rushed in head first. I liked the idea of using recycled paper;
Environmentally friendlier - check.
No concrete clumps - check
It is supposedly three times more absorbent than clay litter with “effective” odor control and is 99.7% dust-free. It comes in both pellet form and clumping form. 
It has big draw backs though, the major one is that it gets wet and stays wet. Once again kitty is walking around on her own pee. And in my experience it STINKS. Hard Pass for me nowadays but I did use it for years. We put the litter boxes in a room we didn't hang out in too often and changed it out completely every 5-7 days.

Grass Based Litters - Rating 6 (OK)
No, it's not actual grass like you would use for your bunny. It's grass that's been made into little pellets. The major drawback for me is the price, I would say it's the priciest option out there as it does need to be changed out a lot. Once the pellets start to dissolve it doesn't really do it's job any more and can get stinky really quickly. When it is fresh it smells a lot like hay. I grew up on Dairy farms so quite like that smell but I can imagine that some people (and kitties) might not like the barn-yard aspect of it. One way to combat the barn-yard smell would be to mix it with another litter with Pro-Biotics in it. I do this at home with my corn based litter which can also smell a little bit like the hummus you find on the ground of a forest. A natural smell but not so "fresh".
Now we're getting into the territory of biodegradable litters that manufacturers often market as being "flushable". While they can be flushed. please don't do it. I'll explain why later.
It's sustainable - Check
It's Biodegradable - Check
It's natural (no added chemicals, dyes or perfumes) - Check
It's lightweight - Check
It's affordable - Check
My opinion - give it a try and see what kitty thinks.

Wheat and Barley Based Litters - Rating 7 (Good)
Wheat and Barley based litters are very similar in almost every way to corn litter. It looks pretty much the same and clumps the same. It’s a little cheaper than the major corn brand but not by much. For me I rate it lower because it is very dusty, which means it tracks like crazy, and the hummus like smell is stronger than most of the corn based litters. 
It's sustainable - Check
It's Biodegradable - Check
​It's natural (no added chemicals, dyes or perfumes) - Check
My opinion - give it a try and see what kitty thinks. 

Walnut Shell Litters - Rating 7 (Good)
The furrst time I saw this litter I must say I had a bit of an eeck moment. It's dark brown as it is made from the shells of walnuts so it kind of looks like dirt. That does make seeing the poop a bit harder, but not impossible. But once I got over my initial reservations I actually grew to like this litter. It clumps tightly, hardly tracks at all and has awesome odor control. Like really amazing.
It does get dusty though, the longer it is in use. The grains break down and become finer and finer, hence the dustiness. To be honest most of the sustainable, biodegradable litter solutions do get dusty the longer they're in use. You will find yourself having to completely change out the litter box more often than you would with clay litters, but the actual job of doing this is so much easier because you don't have the concrete sludge to contend with.
It's sustainable - Check
It's Biodegradable - Check
​It's natural (no added chemicals, dyes or perfumes) - Check
It's affordable - Check
My opinion - give it a try and see what kitty thinks.

Pine Based Litters - Rating 8 (Great)
Pine litter is trendy at the moment and with good reason. It comes in two forms. Pellets and Clumping. Both products are made of recycled materials. 
This litter is incredibly absorbent and virtually odor free. The only problem I see with pellets is that the pellets are quite large and hard so some kitties won't like how it feels on their delicate lil toes. The pellets are made by collecting sawdust and pressing it into pellets and when peed on, the pellets disintegrate back into sawdust. Pine pellets also don’t clump, so you scoop the poop like normal and then just let the pee break down the pellets into sawdust. I have never noticed this sawdust to be wet like with other non-clumping options and the pine fresh smell overrides any pee odors wonderfully. As with a lot of the sustainable litters this sawdust is dusty (I mean it says it in the name). At home I use a Pine based pellet litter with Pro-Biotics in it in the form of Green Tea that I mix in with my corn-based litter. The odor control is second to none and because the pellets are mixed in with regular textured litter the cats are fine with it. I have to admit that I like the smell of it. I know - I'm weird. 
The clumping pine litter has the consistency of normal litter and clumps together when peed on. It’s a little more expensive than the pellets, but if you’re wanting to switch to pine and are worried about the pellets, the refined, clumping pine may be the way to go.

Corn Based Litters - Rating 9-10 (Excellent)
For me the best litter products on the market have corn as the main ingredient.
The one "*everyone* is using is World's Best (Cat Folx rating 9). Another example of clever marketing, this time pretty close to the truth. The litter is sustainable, biodegradable, free of chemicals (although they do have a perfumed one that I suggest you steer clear of, why ruin a good thing by adding perfumes that kitty can ingest). It clumps fantastically, tracks just a little and has good odor control. I've read lots of reviews and the main thing people complain about is the dustiness. What I would like to reiterate is that you should change out any litter *completely* every 2 weeks or so depending on how many cats are using it. Think about it, any natural particle that is dug about multiple times a day will start to break down to something finer and dustier. Stay on top of it and the dust problem will be non-existent. I haven't noticed much of a difference between the original World's Best and the newer to market Dust Control Formula except the size of the granules. My cats prefer the smaller granules of the original formula but maybe your kitty would purrfer the larger granules. Try it and see....

Now for me, World's Best is excellent but Sustainably Yours is a streets ahead so gets a 10 rating. The formula includes Cassava root and something about that addition to just the corn means the odor control is now unbeatable and it doesn't break down to dust the way most other natural litters do. The major drawback for me is the price. It is definitely the most expensive option per pound. The good news is that you don't have to change it out as regularly as the others so I suppose it all evens out that way. At home I have 3 cats so I have two trays with the World's best mixed with the Green Tea Pine based litter and one with Sustainably Yours.

Please Don't Flush Your Litter
Cat feces contains Toxoplasma gondii—a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis. Any warm-blooded animal can get toxoplasmosis, but only cats can spread it. Cats are also the only animals known to carry the infectious form of the parasite. A kitty with Toxo can poop out billions of parasitic eggs, or oocysts, over the course of its life. So even if your cat doesn't show outward signs of Toxo it might still be pooping it out.  Toxoplasmosis has been taking it's toll on wildlife such as River Otters and Seals. Flushing cat poop can kill other wildlife so please don't do it! Here in California, while not a "law" there are guidelines suggesting that flushing cat poop is not allowed.

No-one likes going to the dentist and our kitties often dislike going to the vet...but believe me it's important to keep on top of your kitties dental health. It can get very costly and painful very quickly if left unchecked. During check-ups at the vet, they will look for signs of gingivitis, periodontal disease and even stomatitis. But as with our own health, please don't leave it until the doctor's visit to check your purry friend's teeth.

The accepted wisdom is that cat guardians should check their cat's teeth monthly, looking for signs of redness at the gumline, bad breath, bleeding, missing teeth and plaque and tartar.
I say .....do it daily!
"Yikes - I have to stick my fingers in my cat's mouth.. are you joking?"
Sorry I'm not.

Start slowly - ideally when your cat is still a kitten. Every day touch them gently around their lips. Every cat loves their "glips" rubbed - make it part of your love action. As they get used to it you can slowly move into the mouth and rub their gums. With older cats this may take a while... but persist, it's so worth it. Have a good look at their mouths so you can keep a track of how healthy they are. 
In addition to checking their teeth regularly and making sure to keep up with their regular vet check-ups there are 5 more things that can really help with dental health.

1.   A Balanced Diet
I'm a huge fan of Raw diets for kitty. This is how they would eat in the wild and the incidence of tooth decay is low in wild populations. I realize this is not everyone's cup of tea so make sure the food you are feeding them is high in protein and low in sugars and other carbohydrates. There are squillions of great options out there these days. Also cut right back on the dry food. All the marketing messages about dry food being good for kitty's teeth are poppycock. Think about it... if you ate cakes every day your teeth would suffer. Dry food is like cake. Moderation is key. None is even better. It's also HARD.... have your listened to kitty crunching on the stuff?
Which leads me to the next step.

2.   Avoid Crunchy Treats
Hard crunchy treats (and yes here I go again....kibble) can crack teeth leading to all sorts of problems. I had a kitty that cracked his teeth on his dry food and had excruciating pain to contend with. The vets bills for the teeth extractions were no fun either.

3.  Provide Plenty of Fresh Water
You know that feeling in your mouth when you first wake up in the morning. Dry and foul. The reason for this is dehydration while sleeping. Dry mouths also harbor more bacteria than moist ones. If kitty doesn't drink they have morning mouth all the time....gross! Hydration is also just good for them in general terms.
I know a lot of cat guardians struggle to get kitty to drink. Did you know that cats have a natural instinct to avoid water that is near their food? This is because in the wild, rotting food can taint water supplies. Where do most of us put kitty's water bowl? Right next to their food. Doh!
Move it away and provide lots of options. Make sure it's not in a high traffic area. Cats like to take their time with drinking and don't want to feel rushed. Go crazy - provide different sized bowls, different textures, even a fountain or 2. Something will stick.... I promise.

4. Brushing Kitty's teeth
Seriously!
As you're already sticking your fingers in their mouth every day to check on things work on making them comfortable enough to introduce a soft toothbrush and/or feline toothpaste. *Don't use human toothpaste as it's toxic for kitties. You can buy all sorts of flavors of feline toothpaste these days. Yay!
Look if this is all too much.... don't stress about it. If you're doing some or all the stuff I mentioned above you're already ahead of the game. And there is still one more thing you can do.....

5. Introduce Dental Chew Toys 
Not Treats.... Toys. Again, so many options are out there. Look for toys that are designed for dental health. These toys will massage their gums and should be non-toxic.

Remember that with everything feline related it's all about energy. Give dental health good energy, don't stress or kitty will pick up on it. Make it part and parcel of showing your love for them and you'll be golden.

If you have any questions I'm happy to help. Contact me here