3 Best Clumping Cat Litters Reviews

What is a Clumping Litter?

Clumping cat litters are generally non flush-able, such as the clay type. The main characteristic of clumping cat litter is the fact that they form firm clumps when in contact with urine or feces, keeping the surrounded litter clean. However, the litter box needs to be emptied and refill with new litter every 15 days or so to prevent bacteria formation.

Most clumping litters are made from granulated bentonite clay which gives them the fast clumping characteristic. Clumping litters help saving on litter since only the clumps in the litter box need to be scooped, leaving the rest of the clean litter in the cat box.

If you want to choose cat litter to use with your automatic litter box you may want to choose premium clay clumping litter for best performance of these machines. Here you’ll find a comparison between the 3 best:

 

#1 Ever Clean Extra Strength

Ever Clean Premium Cat Litter is a balanced combination of pure natural clay and minerals creating a 99% dust free cat litter. This cat litter is made from selected natural components in the formula, including carbon/charcoal. Ever Clean unscented comes in sizes 14 lbs, 25 lbs and 42 lbs.

FEATURES

• With carbon/charcoal that absorbs and retains odor
• 99% dust free
• Unscented, without perfumes or fragrances
• Fast and powerful clumping action
• Blend of high-quality ingredients
• With antimicrobial agent added

How Ever Clean works

Ever Clean’s granules contain bentonite clay, activated carbon/charcoal and borates. The activated carbon goes through a manufacturing process which puts the carbon inside the clay granules. This process is called “agglomeration” and gives Ever Clean’s litter the capacity to absorb and hold odors. Additionally, the formula contains an odorless antimicrobial agent to prevent bacteria formation.

The consistency of this litter is a sand type that clumps effectively, and due to the carbon filter inside the clay granules, all the moisture gets held, creating clumps that won’t break apart when scooping.

VIDEO HOW IT WORKS

PROS

√ Fast clumping action
√ Clumps won’t break apart when scooping
√ The litter contains carbon that absorbs and holds moisture, eliminating odors
√ It doesn’t stick to the bottom when using the right amount
√ Unscented, ideal for people who don’t like fragrances.
√ It keeps litter tracking to a minimum

CONS

X Pricey

BOTTOM LINE

Ever Clean Extra Strength is a very good clumping litter that will absorb and hold odors creating firm clumps that are easy to scoop.
This litter box is a little pricey but it works as advertised in absorbing odors and keeps the litter box fresh.

√ Suitable for:

• One or several cats
• If you want your litter box with minimum odor
• If you want an easy to scoop litter box

x This litter may not be suitable:

• If you want a dust free litter (all clay litters have some dust)
• If you like the scented cat litters
• If you want to flush the litter in the toilette

#2 Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Premium 

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat is a premium clumping clay litter with a balanced formula created to minimize tracking litter, combining heavy granules and medium grain. This special formula keeps the clumps from sticking on the bottom of the litter box and at the same time, it forms clumps that don’t break apart while scooping.

This Ultra version clumping litter handles lots of urine and feces so it’s suitable for use with several cats and also performances well when used with automatic litter boxes.

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat litter helps you to keep your cat litter box remain odor free, without creating intrusive perfume smells in the environment. It comes in sizes 18 lbs and 40 lbs.

FEATURES

• Free of perfumes or deodorants
• Allergen-free for cats, no plant proteins used in the formula
• 100% natural clay clumping litter
• Balanced formula keeps clumps from getting stuck on the bottom of the litter box
• 99.9% dust-free
• Formula contains heavy granules to reduce litter tracking
• Suitable to use with automatic litter boxes with sifting mechanisms
• Made in the USA

How Dr. Elsey’s Precious works

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Premium cat litter is made from 100% natural bentonite clay which gives it the clumping characteristics. The formula has been created to keep a balance between the absorbing and clumping properties and the litter’s heaviness to keep the litter tracking reduced to the litter area.

The litter when in contact with liquids or wetness forms hard clumps that contain and seal the humidity, keeping this humidity mostly on the surface, not reaching the lower layers of the litter.

PROS

√ Low dust
√ Creates minimum litter tracking
√ It doesn’t cause obtrusive perfume smells to invade the house
√ The formula is hypo-allergenic for cats
√ Clumps make it easy to clean the litter box
√ Fast clumping
√ Cats don’t need to shake their paws as much after using the litter box
√ Suitable for multi-cat households
√ Reasonable price

CONS

X Some sizes come in a box that is hard to handle and open
X If not using the right amount (3-4 inches deep) the clumps stick to the bottom of the litter box.
X This litter doesn’t contain perfume or deodorants (a “Con” only if you like scented cat litters)

BOTTOM LINE

Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter is an excellent formula that works as advertised. This brand is the best sellers of its type.

√ This clumping clay litter is suitable:

• If you want to reduce the chance of allergy for your cat
• If you don’t like too much litter dust in the air
• If you hate scented laundry type smells in the house, coming from the litter box
• If your cat is picky when it comes to litters
• To use with automatic litter boxes

x This litter may not be suitable:

• If you like cat litters with fragrance
• If you want to flush the litter
• If you give priority to odor control

#3 Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal  

Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal clumping litter is well known for excellent odor control and strength to clump urine and feces.

The Clump & Seal version covers effectively ammonia and feces odors due to the sealing and odor destroying the power of the formula. Also, the litter creates firm clumps that allow you to scoop them easily, without the clumps breaking apart and spilling from the scoop, so common in other litters.

This formula is ideal for multi-cat households due to its clumping fast action.

This litter is lightly scented with a fresh floral aroma that doesn’t invade the room or litter box area. It comes in sizes 14 lbs, 19 lbs, 28 lbs and 38 lbs.

FEATURES

• Guaranteed to control odors for up to 7 days
• Arm & Hammer formula that seals and destroys odor
• Very low dust
• Firm clumps that don’t break down
• Perfect for multi-cat households

How Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Works

The formula of Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal is clay based with a blend of moisture-activated micro granules that seal and contain urine and feces with firm clumps.

Also, the formula has a heavy-duty odor eliminator and Arm & Hammer baking soda that destroys odors on contact.

The consistency of the litter is gravel to sandy, with a soft feel on your cat’s paws. This fine texture of the litter sifts easily through the scooper, leaving only the firm clumps. With this special formula, the urine clumps take the form of small balls (as seen in the picture), allowing to clean the litter box easily.

PROS

√ Excellent for multicat households
√ 7 days guarantee odor free home, keeps litter box fresh for a long time
√ Fast clumping power
√ Creates firm clumps that don’t break down when scooping
√ Cats seem to like the consistency of this litter
√ Slight fresh floral fragrance that is not invasive (you can’t smell it unless you squat down close to it)
√ Easy to carry, it comes in a box with handle
√ Low litter tracking

CONS

X Some people don’t like scented litters
X Low dust, but not dust free

BOTTOM LINE

Arm & Hammer Clum & Seal clumping litter it’s an excellent cat litter that will provide you the best odor control and will keep the litter area fresh for a week with a daily cleaning of the litter box. This litter works as advertised regarding clumping and odor control. As long as your cat covers its urine and feces, this litter will keep the litter box odor free.

√ Suitable for:

• People that want the best odor control
• Cats with sensitive paws
• Multi-cat households
• If you want a very easy scooping
• A self-cleaning litter box

x This litter may not be suitable:

• If you want a dust free litter (or close to that)
• If you don’t like scented litters

Boxiecat Premium Clay Clumping Litter 

This clay-clumping cat litter is soft and easy on your cat’s paws, especially suitable for declawed cats. One of its main characteristics is that cats take easily to this litter, keeping a low amount of dust and helping to reduce the litter tracking due to its heavyweight.

Boxiecat is a healthier option for cat owners that prefer a clay cat litter with hypo-allergenic natural ingredients that don’t have harmful chemicals or additives.

This cat litter comes in sizes 16 lbs and 28 lbs. The varieties are unscented, gently scented, and extra strength odor control. This review is for the unscented.

FEATURES

• Strong clumping capacity
• 99.9% dust-free, with a new formula
• Formula hypo-allergenic, made with natural free of chemical ingredients
• Unscented
• It helps to reduce litter tracking
• 28 lbs bag with a corner opening for easy pouring
• Easy to manage 16 lbs bag with zipping to reseal.
• Duration 28 lbs bag + 2 cat = 1 month approx.
• Duration 16 lbs bag + 1 cat = 1 month approx.
• Suitable for all stages of life
• Veterinarian Recommended
• Made in the U.S.A.
• 100% money-back guarantee

How Boxiecat works

The special formula creates a hard flat surface that doesn’t allow liquids to leak onto the bottom. The litter creates firm clumps that don’t break down while scooping, avoiding the mix of a dirty litter with clean litter. Boxiecat litter has been developed with dust suppression technology to reduce dust when pouring and when your cat digs in it.

PROS

• Clumps are formed on surface and not to the bottom, it leaves no residues on the clean litter
• Fast clumping
• Practically zero dust when pouring into the litter box
• Firm clumps that don’t break down when scooping
• Soft sand type litter it’s easy on cat’s paws
• The 16-lbs bag features a zip sealing
• 28-lbs with a corner opening for easy pouring and handling
• Reduced litter tracking
• No fragrance, excellent for people who don’t handle fragrances well.

CONS

• Price isn’t low
• Litter is quite heavy
• When cats urinate on the wall, it’s hard to remove the clump.
• One bag is needed to fill a large litter box (with 3” deep of litter)

BOTTOM LINE

Boxiecat works as advertised regarding hard clumping on the surface of the litter. As you can see on my video review, this cat litter has zero dust when pouring into the litter box, which is great for people or cats with allergies.

This clay clumping litter forms big hard clumps to isn’t recommended to use with a rake type automatic litter box due to the effort the machine’s motor would need to do, but it may work better with an automatic rotating litter box system. However, as this litter is heavier than others and consequently you will need to put less in a rotating mechanism. As a note, to fill one large regular litter box you need one 16 lbs bag so you may want to consider buying the bigger size of 28 lbs not to run out of it. Boxiecat is a good clumping litter for cats that need a softly sanded litter and for cats that don’t take easily to any type of litter. To get it on Chewy with fast shipping, visit here.

Clay Clumping Cat Litters vs Other Types

Clay Clumping

These litters are made from bentonite and are not flushable. These litters create solid clumps that absorb and retain humidity making it easy to scoop and clean the litter box.

Some claim that clumping litter could pose a health risk to pets when inhaled or ingested in small amounts, but there is no scientific evidence that can support this claim, even the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) using clumping litters for years hasn’t had or presented any case of health issues with clumping cat litter.

If you want to use an automatic self-cleaning litter box, clay clumping litters are the most suitable for this purpose.

Pine and Cedar based litters

These litters are environmentally friendly and smell very nice. Cats love the wood smell which attracts them, but this nice smell disappears when in contact with urine or feces which creates a stinky litter box.

Another problem with this type of litter is that they are sticky and create tracking not only on the cat’s paws but around the house and they are hard to scoop because the clumps break apart almost completely.

Corn-based litter

This litter has an unusual smell of litter that isn’t a fragrance or anything like that. Corn-based litter does very little to cover cat’s waste so extra odor destroyers are needed to keep the litter box’s odors under control.

Corn litter is very lightweight and creates corn dust that can elevate up to the door if your cat digs enough, covering also the cat itself. The worst part is that corn-based litters help in developing feline acne.

Crystals

This litter has a good capacity to absorb liquids but its consistency isn’t soft on the cat’s paws and some cats hate using this litter. If your cat has sensitive paws it could even develop behavioral problems and refuse using the litter box.

Pellets

Either silica, newspaper, etc, pellet shaped litters made from any kind of material pose the risk of the cat chewing on them and eat them, plus cats don’t like using the pellets that much, especially when time to dig and cover their feces or urine.