If you’re looking for the best eco-friendly cat litter in the market for your kitty, you’re in the right place! We’ve tested tons of different brands in our quest for the perfect cat litter, and we’re excited to share our top picks with you. You’ll also find a guide to choosing eco-friendly cat litter below!
Click each product name to jump to the detailed review:
1. ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter
Okocat Natural Wood is our favorite cat litter for many reasons. First, it’s hands down the best at odor control. Not only does it minimize the smell of cat waste, but its natural mild scent (made from a mix of spruce, fir, and pine) is safe for cats. If you live in an apartment or if your cat’s litter box is in a small space like a bathroom, the difference is night and day!
Okocat Natural Wood litter is environmentally friendly as it only has a clumping agent added. This allows for easy scoop-and-clean if you don’t have a sifting litterbox.
In fact, if you prefer a non-clumping litter, here’s why Feline Pine (the most popular brand of wood cat litter) isn’t on this list: There’s a much cheaper alternative! It’s pine pellets for pellet stoves. For instance, this one from Granules LG is only C$7 for a 40lb bag, has no added ingredients so it’s safe for kitty, and works exactly the same.
Finally, one downside of Okocat Natural Wood litter is the tracking. The soft, paw-friendly granules inevitably track more, but we find the it manageable with a litter mat. The litter is also low-dust so cleaning out the litterbox is much more pleasant.
Pros
- Excellent odor control
- Made from pine shavings, a byproduct in lumber production
Cons
- Slight tracking due to soft form
2. Fresh News Natural Paper Cat Litter
Fresh News is a highly-raved cat litter, and we’re joining in. This paper cat litter is made from 100% post-consumer recycled paper mixed with baking soda, and we’ve found it to be the most absorbent compared to other eco-friendly materials. The odor control is also pretty good.
Fresh News claims to be 99.9% dust-free, and true enough, there’s very little dust except when the bag is nearing empty. It is a non-clumping litter though, so it can be a little challenging to scoop – and if you use a sifting litterbox, it doesn’t break down as readily as pine (it tends to swell and soften first).
With its lightweight nature and thin pellet structure, tracking is minimal – but be prepared for it to roll off into unexpected places!
Pros
- Highly absorbent
- Minimal dust
Cons
- Harder to clean from the litterbox
3. World’s Best Cat Litter
With a name like World’s Best Cat Litter comes high expectations – and while it’s not the winner for us, it’s certainly the best clumping cat litter. In our month or so of testing, we found that it had the best balance of absorbency and firm clumping, without too much unsoiled litter in each clump.
World’s Best Cat Litter is made from whole-kernel corn, and like others on this list, it contains no toxic additives, preservatives, chemicals or artificial perfumes. However, despite its claims, we found World’s Best to be awfully dusty – dust clouds would rise from the litterbox whenever we poured it in. It’s less than what you’d get from clay cat litter, but still more than the other options above.
Pros
- Free of additives or perfumes
Cons
- Relatively dusty
- Average odor control
4. Pidan Tofu Cat Litter
Made from food-grade soy pulp and starch, tofu litter has for years been the eco-friendly cat litter of choice in Asia. Out of dozens of brands we’ve tried, Pidan tofu litter has produced the least tracking with its fine pellets. It’s also very low on dust!
We found that Pidan cat litter clumps quite well, but the litter’s scent – like powdered soy milk – can be strong if you’re not used to it. It also masks odor rather than neutralizing it, so regular litterbox cleaning is still a must.
Pros
- Minimal dust and tracking
- Fairly good clumping
Cons
- Soy scent may be weird to some
5. sWheat Scoop 100% Wheat Cat Litter
As its name suggests, sWheat Scoop is made with 100% wheat (except for the Easy Maintenance formula, which is a wheat-corn blend). We’ve only tried the Original Formula as we discourage the use of scented cat litter, and its odor control was decent enough that we would be “reminded” to clean the litterbox if we skipped a day.
However, it’s not great at clumping: We definitely experienced more of the dreaded “pancake-stuck-on-the-pan” situation, as well as clumps that broke apart while scooping. If your cat prefers a soft and lightweight litter, this is a good choice.
Pros
- Highly absorbent
- Minimal dust
Cons
- Mediocre clumping properties
A guide to eco-friendly cat litter
As cat parents, we want to do everything we can to take care of our feline friends – and that includes being conscious of the products we use.
The most common (and usually the cheapest) cat litter is clay cat litter, typically made from bentonite clay. While clay absorbs urine well, it’s not great to use: not only is it messy when it tracks and poor at odor control, bentonite is obtained via environmentally damaging strip mining. And after you’ve used it, clay cat litter takes decades to biodegrade. Imagine every bag of clay cat litter you see in a pet store taking up space in a landfill!
Another popular option is crystal cat litter, which is made from silica gel crystals – basically what you find in tiny desiccant sachets. These are highly absorbent, but silica is derived from quartz…which is mined. Furthermore, the silica sand requires high heat and pressure processing to create silica gel.
Worse still, mass-market clay and crystal cat litters contain silica dust, which can lead to lung tissue inflammation and scarring when inhaled. This condition is known as silicosis.
Benefits of eco-friendly cat litter
Here’s where eco-friendly cat litter comes in. Eco-friendly cat litter is made from industrial/consumer byproducts and/or renewable materials. They’re usually biodegradable and are often (but not always) compostable or flushable, since they’re made without harsh chemicals and dyes.
Natural cat litter also emits less dust than clay litter, which makes a huge difference if you have asthma or simply like a clean home. And while there will inevitably be dust in cat litter, you can rest assured that these sawdust or flour-like particles are far less damaging to your family’s health.
Eco-friendly cat litter is also safe when ingested in small amounts, since most cat litter is made from plant material without chemical additives or fragrances. The exception to this is clumping cat litter. However, if your cat is eating litter, it’s time to take it to the vet as this may hint at underlying medical issues like kidney problems, anemia, or a nutritional deficiency.
Finally, the natural odor control provided by eco-friendly cat litter is friendly to sensitive noses – including your cat’s! You may even find that without the strong perfume, your cat is happier to adjust to the new litter.
Eco-friendly cat litter materials
As shown in our comparison, eco-friendly cat litter is commonly sourced from wood shavings (typically softwood like pine wood), recycled paper, corn kernels, soy pulp, and wheat.
Other less common materials include grass seed, pea husk, walnut shells, peanut shells, bamboo, sugar cane, and even cassava! These all vary in performance, but the eco-friendly cat litter scene is ripe for innovation.
It is important to note that flushing cat litter is prohibited in California. It is because the marine wildlife along the California coast is rather fragile. Instead, they encourage people to get rid of cat feces in the trash. Depending on where you are from, there are laws for the proper disposal of cat litter. As per the Environment Agency in the UK, cat owners are supposed to scoop the litter, empty it into a bag that is biodegradable and put it in the waste bin.
FAQs about eco-friendly cat litter
Is eco-friendly cat litter flushable?
While eco-friendly litter can dissolve in water, not all municipal sewage systems can treat it properly. Most eco-friendly cat litter brands claim to be flushable as a big selling point, but will instruct you to flush only 1-2 small clumps at a time or allow the clumps to soak and disintegrate first.
Most importantly, you should not flush cat poop down the toilet! Most wastewater treatment facilities are unable to filter out the parasite toxoplasma gondii, for which cats are a host animal.
Is eco-friendly cat litter compostable?
Yes, most eco-friendly cat litter is compostable in household compost. Note that used cat litter is a “green” and should be layered as such with your “browns”. The compost can be used for non-edible plants in your garden. However, do not compost cat feces! As above, cat feces may contain toxoplasma gondii which will contaminate your compost.
Should I get scented or unscented cat litter?
Cats have a powerful sense of smell and added scents can be off-putting to them. If you are unsure of which one to opt for, it is better to go with unscented cat litter. If you have scented cat litter and your cat sneezes around it or avoids it like the plague, it’s a sign to switch to an unscented litter.
How do I switch my cat to eco-friendly cat litter?
As with all changes to your cat’s routine, make adjustments gradually. Instead of changing the litter immediately, add around 20% of new litter to your cat’s litterbox while keeping the old litter as the top layer. Increase the amount of new litter every few days until your cat is used to the new litter.
What if my cat stops using the litterbox?
If your cat starts relieving itself outside the litterbox, you may have switched to the new litter too quickly. Try adding more of the old litter. If your cat simply will not use the new litter you’ve chosen, don’t force it – simply try another brand!