i've tried 11 different types of clumping and non-clumping cat litters.
and honestly i'm not pleased with any of them.
and you thought cat food was bad!
hey friends it's jess and jericho.
and first we need to talk about what type of cat litter cats actually prefer.
so there are four different criterias.
first one is clumping versus non-clumping.
so cats prefer naturally clumping litter because it allows you to remove waste
from the litter box on a regular basis.
cats don't want to walk around on pee pee and poopy litter.
but non-clumping litter basically breaks down into a sawdust like material
and then you're required to mix the dirty litter with clean litter.
the next criteria for cat litter is unscented versus scented.
now the cat's nose is approximately 40 times stronger than our nose.
so if you think that it smells strong imagine smelling it 40 times that amount.
so cats prefer unscented cat litter.
the only reason that scented cat litter exists is to please your nose.
the best way to get rid of odor is to get rid of it in the first place.
and that's where clumping litter comes in.
so you remove the waste then you don't have to deal with smell.
the next criteria is is it safe to breathe in.
we all know how dusty every single cat litter is
so we need to make sure that it's safe for cats to breathe in that dust.
cats are very close to the litter box when they're sniffing around and digging and burying
after they do their business.
so again we want to make sure that the litter is safe to breathe in.
and the last criteria for cat litter is is it safe to ingest.
inevitably your cat's going to ingest some cat litter after he grooms after he uses the box.
and since your cat grooms himself every single
time he uses the bathroom could be two to three times a day.
and you want to make sure that it's safe to ingest.
so the first and probably the most popular cat food
so the first and probably most popular cat litter on the market is clay based cat litters.
now clay comes in clumping and non-clumping and it's made from bentonite clay.
there are a few different studies on breathing in
clay dust and it really depends on which type of clay it is.
and some cat litters will just say clay clumping agent.
so there's really no way to know exactly
which type of clay is used if there's anything extra in it
unless you contact the company.
the other issue with bentonite clay is that it has to be mined.
so this isn't great on the environment
and it's also not biodegradable.
now clay actually expands when it absorbs liquid.
so if your cat's ingesting a lot of clay this can be dangerous
because it's going to expand and that can cause a blockage.
other reasons that i don't like clay based litters
is that they're really heavy and the clumps turn to sludge.
it's really messy and like i said even if it's unscented there's still a powerful smell.
i don't think that it controls odors very well.
some of you may know this i worked as a cat sitter for three years
before i started my youtube channel.
so i've scooped hundreds of boxes and i've tested
multiple brands within each of these cat litter categories.
in my experience no i do not recommend clay cat litter of any kind.
the next type of cat litter we'll talk about is crystal litter.
and this is typically made out of silica gel.
those little beads that are derived from sand.
now you may notice some of those silica gel beads
inside of backpacks or clothing or shoes that you buy
that help absorb moisture and help prevent odor.
you know those packages that say harmful if ingested?
crystal litter is non-clumping and clumping although
same with clay litter when it clumps it turns really sludgy.
and the clumps do fall apart very easily.
so far the crystal litters that i've seen are all unscented.
however breathing in silica dust is linked to respiratory issues in humans.
and it may also cause silicosis, lung cancer, and kidney disease.
most of these health issues develop in humans around 15 to 20 years of constant exposure.
but cats are way smaller than us
so i would think that those healthy issues would be expedited with long-term inhalation.
again cats are in the litter box multiple times a day
sniffing the entire time they're in the litter box.
there's a popular crystal cat litter that changes color when your cat urinates and
it'll tell you you know certain health markers.
this is a good idea in theory but it's definitely not the most accurate way of measuring.
do a urinalysis with your cat's doctor once or
twice a year depending on what he or she recommends.
and then you can also use urine test strips.
the next cat litter we'll talk about is wood-based litter and this includes those pine pellets
which could be clumping or non-clumping.
typically the pellets do not clump and then the granules do clump.
some of them have scents but unfortunately all wood based products are not safe to breathe in.
because wood dust is known to the state of california to cause cancer.
and if you look on the back of the box of wood-based
litters all the way at the bottom in tiny tiny print
you'll find this california 65 proposition warning that breathing in wood dust could cause cancer.
the next cat litter we'll talk about is recycled paper cat litter.
now this cat litter sounds nice in theory because we're using recycled paper.
but we have no idea how they're stripping the dies from that paper.
we have no idea how they're sanitizing or cleaning it.
and paper gets super sludgy and yucky and gross when it's wet.
a lot of the paper litters are non-clumping so right there alone
no i don't recommend it because cats prefer clumping litters.
the next cat litter we'll talk about is corn based litter.
and you may think that corn is natural so it must be good.
but unfortunately over 90% of us corn crops are actually genetically modified.
so technically it's not really that natural.
and you also have to worry about the risk of aflatoxin mold which grows
on starchy foods just like corn.
there are actually a lot of pet food recalls due to aflatoxin mold for this exact reason.
the next cat litter we'll talk about is grass seed litter.
i actually used to use this personally with jericho.
and i wanted to love this litter so much.
but unfortunately i tried
three different brands and all three of them were infested with dead bugs.
now the reason that there are dead bugs in there is because
they don't use pesticides which is a good thing.
but dead bugs in the litter is not a good thing.
the grass seed litter also had a very sweet almost cereal like smell to it.
so that makes me worry you know will it grow mold?
because it kind of smells like they mix a little something in there.
but that's just my personal opinion.
now another litter that's similar to corn is wheat litter.
it looks very very much the same.
but again wheat and just grains in general are starchy and
that runs the risk of growing aflatoxin mold as well.
which is deadly.
wheat litter in my experience also gets very stinky.
i mean like i mentioned before
ideally you would clean up the clumps after your cat uses the bathroom.
but if you're somebody that doesn't do that then
you're going to deal with a very stinky litter box.
and cats aren't designed to digest wheat or corn so both of these litters are not safe to ingest.
the next category we'll talk about is coconut cat litter.
this is another one that i really wanted to love.
i tried one brand and it was so incredibly dusty.
jericho's paws were covered in dust every time he used the box.
that caused you know eye irritation and sneezing.
so unfortunately i couldn't continue using this litter.
i contacted the company about it and they said they were working on improving it.
that was in 2020 when we were dealing with you know what crisis.
so if you actually use this brand
please let me know in the comments below if the formula has changed and it's less dusty.
because i would love to use coconut cat litter again.
a different brand of coconut cat litter has clumping and non-clumping.
and i tried their clumping litter. and i asked them how does it clump?
if if it's only coconut how does one clump and one doesn't clump?
and they said our clumping litter contains bentonite clay.
but if you go on their website it says contains no harsh chemicals or clay.
i contacted them about this in 2020 and they still haven't updated their website.
i just checked august 2021 and and their clumping page still says contains no clay.
so that's extremely misleading especially considering that
cat parents would like to use coconut litter because it doesn't contain clay.
like they want a more natural environmentally friendly
cat litter but their clumping cat litter contains clay.
the other issue is i wrote a review and i also asked on their website the q and a.
and neither of them were published on the website.
so that's really not okay.
you know i i believe that they should be transparent with their customers
as all companies should.
so i would not recommend that brand of coconut cat litter.
another cat litter that i tried and wanted to love is hemp cat litter.
i tried a granule type form of hemp and i also tried a pellet form of hemp.
now the granule hemp litter did say non-clumping.
but they said that it absorbs odors very well.
i didn't find that to be true.
the pellet hemp litter said that it clumps but it doesn't.
so again going back to the beginning cats prefer naturally clumping litter.
so unfortunately i don't recommend hemp litter either.
the next cat litter that i have experienced with is tofu based cat litter.
same thing with corn ninety percent of soy in the us is genetically engineered.
so again not safe for your cat and ingesting soy not ideal for your cat either.
a lot of these will say not dusty but they are.
and the next cat litter that i have experienced with is
walnut litter this is the one that i personally use.
this video is not sponsored.
like i said in the beginning i'm not 100% pleased with any cat litter and neither is jericho.
but this i think this is the best option that we have available.
considering that the brand that i use uses the walnut shells instead of the walnuts themselves.
now food is susceptible to growing mold.
but apparently the shells are less likely to grow these mycotoxins than the actual walnut.
so i still think that it's a step up from using corn and wheat.
additionally they use a food grade clumping agent that's derived from a bean.
technically walnuts and beans yes they're they're not ideal for cuts to ingest.
but unfortunately every other type of cat litter is not safe to ingest.
so again i think that this is the best option that we have that's available.
i'm not saying that it's the absolute best but
compared to the other ones it's the best that we can do for now.
now there are a couple other different types of litters that i've come across in my research.
one being cassava and yucca but both of these are
very starchy so again we're going to have to worry about aflatoxin mold.
the next one is green tea but often these
are mixed with wood-based litters and breathing in with dust can cause cancer.
the next one is bamboo.
i've seen a few of them and i think there's clumping and non-clumping.
but i haven't been able to find too many details on how well it clumps
or how well it works with cats.
so if you're using bamboo cat litter please let me know in the comments below
what it's like and link me to the products that you're using please.
and then the last litter that i've come across is millet.
but this specific brand was mixed with cornstarch so again aflatoxin mold is a concern.
now jackson galaxy actually endorses the sustainably yours corn and cassava mixed litter.
but my concern is aflatoxin mold.
i mean even if you're scooping after your cat goes
there's a small chance that the clump might break apart
little particles might get into the litter box.
and mold is microscopic when it first starts growing.
so i don't know it's like how do you really know if it's good or not. i don't know.
check out that video right over meow for my five minute a week litter box cleaning routine..
thanks for watching!