Best Budget Cat Litter

Updated by Brandon F. on May 7, 2020

There are a lot of factors that come into consideration when shopping for cat litter.  One of the most significant of these being the price.  Because let’s face it: cat ownership can be quite expensive!  According to one report, a cat can cost easily into the 5 figures over its lifetime.  And a big part of this cost comes from cat litter.

 Finding the best budget cat litter can be quite tricky.  This can be even more-so for multi-cat households, where a box or bag of cat litter may be used up much quicker.

There is a huge range of prices for cat litters, with some being in the tens of cents per pound while others easily reaching 2 or 3 dollars or more per pound!  While some certain benefits and materials come along with higher prices, that isn’t to say that there are not plenty of great-functioning cat litters that can be had on the lower end of the price spectrum.

But if you do want to stay on the lower end of pricing, you will have to be more open to potential issues that may exist in the more affordable cat litters out there.

Common Characteristics of Budget Cat Litters

A majority of the budget options are going to be clay-based.  Also, most of your non-clumping choices are going to fall into the budget price category.  Clay litters (even non-clumping) without all of the special bells and whistles can still be fantastic performers and can even handle busy multi-cat boxes.   Minor issues such as clay smell, dust issues, and tracking might be noticed but for the price, many of these can be overlooked.

You won’t find a lot of crystal-based or eco-friendly cat litters in the budget tier.  Eco-friendly examples would include those made of wood, corn, plants, or other natural materials.  The reason for this is simply that they cost more to process and produce and it is hard for them to price themselves into the most affordable price tier.  There are still deals to be had for those types of litters, though, so it is important to always shop around.

Below are a few of our top picks for those looking for budget options.  “Budget” can be a bit subjective but we feel that all of these have strong selling prices when considering the performance they give.  For your convenience, we have provided direct links to all 4 on Amazon so you can check them out there, or jump below that and read our more elaborate custom reviews on each product!

Best Budget Cat Litters

	Our Rating	Price Per Pound (Amazon)	Material	Our Full Review
Precious Cat Ultra		$ Buy on Amazon $11.68	Clay	Link
Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Fresh Scent		$ Buy on Amazon $22.46	Clay and baking soda	Link
Ever Clean Extra Strength Unscented		$ Buy on Amazon $34.76	Clay and natural minerals	Link
Nature’s Miracle Intense Defense Clumping		$ Buy on Amazon $19.04	Clay	Link