Clumping vs Non-Clumping Cat Litter: What’s Better?
Cat litter should be comfortable and safe for your cat to use, easily cover up their poop and pee, and do a good job of masking unpleasant aromas. When choosing a litter, one of the basic choices you have is whether to opt for clumping or non-clumping cat litter.
On the one hand, clumping litter should be easier to clear up and the litter should last longer without needing to be replaced. However, it is not considered as good at collecting cat urine as non-clumping litter. That being said, the latter also has its issues; it leads to a pooling of urine once the litter becomes saturated.
Both types of litter have their proponents and opponents, as well as their own benefits and pitfalls. Below, we have outlined the primary differences between these two categories of cat litter so that you can choose the right one for your litter trays.
Overview of Clumping Cat Litter:
Clumping cat litter is usually made using a material called bentonite, although some litters use other materials and may use all-natural clumping material. The clumping material forms into a solid clump as the litter takes on liquid, usually in the form of cat urine. This prevents urine from reaching the bottom of the tray, and the clumps can retain odor as well as liquid, which can help reduce the smell of cat urine and cat poop in the cat litter room.
Clumps can be removed, negating the need to empty and clean out the litter tray as frequently. The litter boxes do still need to be emptied, but this can usually be done once a week to once a month, depending on urine production level and the quality of the litter used, rather than every couple of days.
Ease of Use
Clumping cat litter is relatively easy to use. It requires less frequent changing than the non-clumping variety, and it allows you to skim off the clumps that have been formed when your cat pees and poops in their litter. However, some of the clay-based clumping cat litter has a reputation for forming an almost cement-like bond at the bottom of a litter tray, and this can make it difficult to get the litter box completely spotless. Good quality clumping litter is easier to clean, however, because urine is not allowed to pool at the bottom of the tray.
Cleanliness
Clumping cat litter is considered cleaner. Urine does not pool at the bottom of the tray, and cat poop picks up the clumping cat litter more easily than it does non-clumping. However, some clumping litter emits dust when pouring, and this can also be tracked through the house by your cats as they stand in it and transfer it onto the floor.
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