4 New Cat Litters To Try

Cats can be super finicky about the type of litter you use to fill their litter box (oh, really, ya think?)

While some kitties don’t care what litter you put in the box, other cats will show their displeasure at your choice by taking their biz elsewhere.

So determining the right kind of litter is an important process. You need to first find a litter that will please your kitty and second, find one that you will be happy about, too.

Repeat after me: Kitty preferences first. Your preferences second. Hopefully, you can reach cat owner-cat nirvana and find one brand that meets both feline and human needs.

There are a few new products that have hit the market this past year that strive to be convenient for cat owners but offer something special for the cats, too. Here are some options we’ve tested recently.

But first, remember that every cat is different. What my guys like, your cats may not. So, here I’ll just speak to the features of the litter to give you a better idea of what they’re like. By the way, I never, ever review crappy litter. What I talk about on this site is always deemed worthy of at least a test run if you think it will work for you.

Dr. Elsey’s Touch of Outdoors ™

Oh, wonderful, cat-loving Dr. Elsey. Dr. Elsey has built a reputation for his cat litter that’s designed for getting “problem” cats back into the litter box. He does this by infusing his litter with a proprietary herb attractant that many cats seem to like.

The latest in Dr. Esley’s line is Touch of Outdoors, specially formulated for cats who want to go outdoors or have been formerly outdoor cats and are showing signs that being inside isn’t their cup of tea. They may show this displeasure and even stress by pacing, scratching, inter-cat aggression, increased vocalization, urine marking and more.

Aligning with another popular trend – enriching indoor cats’ lives – Touch of Outdoors is made from natural, chemical-free prairie grasses grown by Dr. Elsey’s team, with a scent designed to make cats feel less anxious, bored or depressed while living indoors. This might be a great choice for winter time, especially!

The low dust, highly clumping litter also contains natural Chlorophyll that bonds to odors and eliminates them.

My guys are indoors-only and have never lived outdoors so that aspect wasn’t a factor for us. I can speak to the low dust and good clumping of this one. Odor control was good as well.

You can purchase Touch of Outdoors here.

Simple Solution 30-Day Super Absorbent Cat Litter

Here’s a whole new breed of clay litter in pretty much every way. Traditional clay litters are made from bentonite but Simple Solution 30-Day Cat Litter here. is made from a lightweight mineral called attapulgite clay.

Super absorbent, attapugite is 300% more absorbent than traditional litters, the company claims.

Because the attapugite is so absorbent and the mineral in the clay traps moisture and odor, you don’t need to scoop the urine clumps. You do, however, have to scoop the poop. Sorry.

The attapulgite is soft and Simple Solution has infused it with aloe to make it even easier on your cat’s paws.

And, with a light flowery fragrance and pink color (yes, pink! Love it!) it also makes a complete departure from many of the litters on the market today.

The stuff works. It was just about 30 days before I had to replace it. The flowery smell is pleasant but it’s still scented so if you or your cat are not a fan of fragrances, you may not like this.

Buy Simple Solution 30-Day Cat Litter here.

Pioneer Pet’s SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter

Another new litter made with natural, USA-grown grasses, SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter has superfine granules that make it soft on kitty’s paws.

The plant-based litter is also lightweight (1/3 the weight of clay litters says Pioneer Pet) and dust-free, making it good for cats and humans who are bothered by airborne cat litter particles.

For those of you whose lives are made miserable by wet cat litter sticking to the side of the box, Pioneer Pet says you won’t have that problem with SmartCat because it’s designed to “peel” itself away from the sides, making scooping easier. This is totally true. I don’t know why or how but it does not cement itself to the box so it’s freakishly easy to scoop.

All natural, fragrance and chemical free, SmartCat will also biodegrade after disposal as a renewable resource. I had no issues with odor control. It was totally fine.

I would have switched to this litter for life (and still might) except for the tracking issue. It’s lightweight and fine so it does track and I was constantly sweeping. If I had the boxes in a different location (they’re in my office right now) and if I could use a litter mat (I can’t because Romeo pees on them) I might try again because other than the tracking, this stuff is awesome.

You can purchase SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter here.

Healthy Pet ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Litter

ökocat Natural Wood Cat Litter isn’t new to the cat litter market. In fact, they’ve been selling their proprietary wood cat litters in Europe for over a decade.

This soft, crushed wood clumping litter is made from naturally fallen timber or unused scrap lumber materials. The wood is chipped and combined with proprietary plant-based binders that help inhibit the growth of bacteria, support the product’s “7-day odor control” claim, and provide massive absorption (the company says the litter is able to hold 500% its weight in liquid).

The lightweight litter is free of chemicals, any additives or fragrances and doesn’t produce dust or particles that are easily tracked through the house.

It was totally nice and I liked the crunchy texture of it but I found it wasn’t super scoopable. However, if you are a pine fan (and it definitely does a good job with odor) you should check it out.

You can purchase ökocat Natural Wood Cat Litter here.

So, check them out and let me know if you like (or dislike) any of these! Also, none of these were paid reviews but I did receive product for free to test out. My opinions are mine, all mine.

And, BTW, the links to Amazon are affiliate links which just means if you do purchase, I get a small percentage, at no extra cost to you.  Mwah!