Best Kitty Litter
Last Updated by Brandon F. on May 8, 2020
When introducing your kitten to their first litter boxes (or to a new home or environment in general), it is important to find a product that is optimized for dealing with the unique challenges that exist with kittens. While it is tough to easily come up with the best kitty litter, some approaches might cause some issues.
Simply going with your conventional cat litter and hoping for the best can often time be a questionable move, and can significantly prolong how long it takes your new kitten to get used to using a litter box. For convenience, we have listed our top picks for the best kitten litter in the table below. If you wish to read into more detail about these kitty litters and also what to look for in a kitten litter in general scroll below!
Our Best Kitten Litters
Precious Cat Kitten Attract | UltraPet Better Way Original | Healthy Pet ökocat Soft Step Clumping | |
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Our Rating | ![]() | ![]() | ![]() |
Price per Pound (Amazon) | $$$ | $ | $$$$$ |
Our Full Review | Link | Link | Link |
What To Consider When Shopping for Kitty Litter
Getting your new cat on the right track in learning how to use a litter box is very important. If kittens have negative experiences with their litter box or a particular litter from the beginning it makes it that much more difficult to instill a proper litter box routine. This can result in your kitty going to places outside of the box or causing a huge mess in the box due to not being comfortable with it.
Kittens have Underdeveloped Paws
Multiple hurdles need to be considered when looking for kitty litter. First, kittens can have sensitive and underdeveloped paws which can make walking on harder litter materials very uncomfortable. You will find these hard materials in many clay litter varieties and even in some of the natural products that are made of hardwood or corn. It is important to make sure that the litter you choose is relatively soft to the touch, even if it comes at the cost of less optimal odor control.
Large Litter Granules can be Tough for Kittens to Move
Also, large and heavy litter granules can be difficult for your kitten to be able to adequately move around, which not only makes it more challenging to them but also affects the performance ability of your litter in regards to clumping and ultimately odor absorption. These heavier granules will be most common in clay cat litters.
Remember, the litter has to be able to surround the waste for it to work to its fullest effect. One of the primary ways that that cat waste is surrounded by the granules is through your cat instinctively covering up the waste with the kitty litter. If your kitten is unable to do this it is a lose/lose for both the owner as well as the kitten.
Kittens are Sensitive to Harsh Smells
Furthermore, many litters can have off-putting scents that to an unfamiliar cat will not be very welcoming. Many of the litters on the market come with “perfume” smells that end up smelling more like harsh chemicals than anything. Have you ever stuck your face into a bag of this scented litter and it took your breath away from how strong it is?
Keep in mind that a cat’s sense of smell is 14 times as strong as a human’s, so imagine how bad it must be for them! If you introduce your kitten to one of these harsh litters starting you are only fighting an uphill battle for getting them acclimated to using a litter box. There are a variety of products on the market that can make excellent kitty litters due to their subtle scents that take advantage of naturally occurring perfumes in the litter materials or in some cases no scents at all.
Kittens Might Eat Anything!
Finally, kittens are notorious for eating the kitten litter. They are still learning what is edible and is not edible so having a litter that isn’t overly harsh on their digestive tract if they eat some needs to be considered. We have found that the products which utilize a lot of the strong chemical scents mentioned above tend to be the roughest on their stomachs.
We would encourage trying to go with an all-natural litter if you happen to have a kitten that is having problems with eating things that it isn’t supposed to. In other words, a good kitten litter needs to be made of gentler and oftentimes softer materials that also have smaller granules while also having effective but not overly pungent attractants that will make your kitten interested in exploring it. This litter also needs to be less harsh on the digestive system if some granules are consumed.
This is a lot to consider but we have done the dirty work for you and come up with some picks that we think will work for you and your kitten. We have put together a few of our favorite recommendations for our best kitty litters and have included direct links to more thorough reviews of each. These litters have proven track records specifically for kittens and going with any of them should help get your newest family member on the right track.
Precious Cat Kitten Attract
Above average in all areas, although a bit expensive. However, it is optimized for kittens and comes with very effective embedded attractants that your kittens should love. It is available in 10-pound cartons, is comprised of clay, and is available in the mid-price tier.
Pros: Product lasts for a while, locks away odor for several days, easy clump removal, optimized exclusively for kittens
Cons: Minor dust issue
Read Review of Precious Cat Kitten Attract
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UltraPet Better Way Original
Our Rating:
A good budget offering kitty litter. While it isn’t meant exclusively for kittens (and in fact is only average overall) it is actually a quite good training litter and when considering specifically kittens it reviews much higher. Most kittens seem to be attracted to it so there shouldn’t be major issues introducing them to the litter box. It is available in 14 pound bags, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget-price tier.
Pros: Clumps quite well, good price, excellent training litter
Cons: Clumps can be a bit sensitive, struggles with locking in odor, quite dusty and messy
Read Review of UltraPet Better Way Original
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Healthy Pet ökocat Soft Step Clumping
Our Rating:
A good natural litter that is kitten-friendly. While being expensive, it is extremely soft and should work well with your new cat’s sensitive paws. The litter smell is also subtle and should not scare off any hesitant kittens. It is available in 7, 11.2, and 16.7-pound boxes, is comprised of wood granules, and is available in the premium-price tier.
Pros: Soaks up moisture and forms hard clumps, easily hides cat odors, gentle on cat paws
Cons: Product is easily wasted, pretty expensive
Read Review of Healthy Pet ökocat Soft Step Clumping
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