How To Choose The Best Tidy Cat Litter For Your Cat – CatTime
Tidy Cats is a range of cat litter created by Purina. Cat litter is designed to absorb urine and fecal matter from cats. Animal litter trays located inside a home can cause a foul smell, so the key is to find a cat litter that neutralizes odors. As cats like to bury their waste, there should also be enough cat litter provide, so that your cat can mimic the waste burial process within their litter tray. If you are in the market for some new cat litter, here are our top five picks from Tidy Cats by Purina.
Best Choice
Formulated For Multi-Cat Households
Pros:
The clumping formula helps keep the waste matter in easy to remove pieces, without having to empty the entire tray. When used as directed, it will protect your home against odors for up to two weeks. The lightweight formula means the container is easier to carry, making it ideal for those who lack upper body strength. It has a light and pleasant fragrance which also helps protect against odors.
Cons:
A disadvantage of having a lightweight formula is that the product is more likely to get stuck to your cat’s feet, which may trail it through your home. Some users have found the clumps break up easily, meaning a clean up is required after use.
Best instant odor control
Trap Odors From The Start
Pros:
If you own multiple cats that all use the same litter tray, then the Purina instant action cat litter is ideal. The product reacts fast to odors and is 99.9% dust-free. At 40lbs, the product will last a very long time, and compared to similar brands, it is great value. The clumping formula also ensures an easy clean up for owners, which is even more important if you have multiple cats in the home.
Cons:
The product is quite heavy at 40lbs, meaning it’s not suitable for elderly cat owners who cannot lift heavy weights. Also, some cats are very territorial and do not like to share a litter box. Therefore, it could cause friction between your cats so a shared litter box isn’t always advised.
Best Clumping Ability
Lightweight cat litter easy to clean
Pros:
The powerful formula offers a 4-in-1 multifunction cat litter. This helps to protect against the smell of urine, fecal matter, and ammonia that may be present in the cat’s litter box. The product is available in five different size options, allowing the customer to choose an option that suits their need and budget. Sizes vary from a six-pound jug up to a 17-pound pail or box. The clumping features of the cat litter makes cleaning up exceptionally easy. The cat litter was also developed to help reduce the collection of dust.
Cons:
This specific cat litter from Purina is only available on the internet and cannot be found in local stores. This means the customer will have to wait a while for delivery. The product can also get quite expensive compared to other options, especially if the customer prefers not to buy cat litter in bulk.
Best Pleasing Fragrance
Light weight clumping cat litter
Pros:
This is a clumping cat litter product, which makes it significantly easier to keep a cat’s litter box clean. The product also features a lighter weight than the majority of other clumping cat litter products that are available on the market. The product is 50% lighter than the average clumping litters that the customer can choose from. A fragrance by the Glade brand is added to help eliminate unpleasant odors caused by cat urine and feces.
Cons:
The product does come with quite a high price tag, especially when compared to a number of alternative options. Many people will find that this product does not fit into their budget. A lot of cat owners also do not prefer the use of a clumping litter product. In such a case, this product would not be the ideal option.
Best Light Cat Litter
All the Strength, Half the Weight
Pros:
It has a lightweight formula, which means you need less of the product to do the job, and claims to deliver the same amount of litter as a competitor brand, which weighs twice as much. The container is just 17lb, making it easy to carry and transport. It has an instant action smell neutralizer, which is very effective against ammonia, and works for up to 14 days.
Cons:
While the 17lb container does make it easier to carry, it also means you get less product for your money. However, Purina claims it is more concentrated so you need less product. The formula doesn’t dry very fast, which is a problem if you have a multi-cat household.
What Really Matters
Effective clumping
One of the realities of owning a pet is that you will need to clear up its bodily waste. If you own a cat that excretes its waste in the house, you will need an effective litter tray. The litter you use makes all the difference as to how convenient, not to mention hygienic this process is. Cat litters that have a great clumping action are the ones to look out for, as they effectively gather the waste into a small bundle for easy removal. The trick is to avoid weak clumping cat litters, which will not bind the waste together very well. In addition, some cat litters clump to the point where the waste matter sticks to the tray, making removal very difficult, not to mention messy. Therefore, you should look for a cat litter that clumps easily for swift removal.
Odor neutralizing
The biggest issue with cats who urinate/defecate in the home is the smell. If you have multiple cats, that also means multiple smells. That’s why it’s really important to prioritize cat litters that have odor neutralizing technology. Some cat litters are even formulated with fragrance which will mask the smell even more. Look out for cat litters that are made from clay, as it’s a material that soaks up ammonia smells very effectively. Without odor neutralizing technology, it can leave a pungent aroma through your home so is very important to get right before you purchase.
A lightweight formula
Cat litter is expensive, not least because it is a constant need for your cat, plus it has to be frequently changed. Cat litters are not created equal, as some will fill the tray faster, but be of poor quality. Cat litters with a lightweight formula, however, will fill the litter tray but are more effective at absorbing waste. Lightweight formulas are more porous and will soak up much more waste compared to heavier formulas.
Multiple use litter trays
Multiple cats sharing one litter tray can be quite problematic, due to cats being territorial. However, if your cats are fine to share a litter tray then you will need to select a cat litter that is suitable for more than one cat. Multi-cat litter formulas, take into account that more waste will be added to the material, so tend to be better quality. Plus, they should also have extreme odor-neutralizing technology to handle the demand of several cats leaving their waste in the same spot.
Prices
Cheap
If you are unsure what cat litter to go for, it’s possible to pick a small bottle up for being $10-$15. The great news is you can even find leading brands in this range (such as Purina), but you’ll end up paying more than if you had bought a larger bottle.
Mid-range
The average price of cat litter is between $15-$25. At this price, you will be able to buy 17lb-30lb bottles, depending on the brand and formula. You may notice that you can also buy a twin pack of premium cat litter at this price, making it easier to carry.
Expensive
Premium cat litter, or cat litter than is sold in large quantities averages at $35 and above. While it’s good to stock up, a disadvantage is that bigger containers tend to be very heavy, which is problematic if you live in an apartment, or aren’t physically strong to carry the bottles, plus pour them into the trays.
FAQ’s
My cat stays mostly outdoors, do I still need a litter tray?
It’s always advisable to keep a litter tray for your cats, even if they don’t use it frequently. All cats need to excrete waste, and if you don’t live in an area with lots of your own private land for them to do so, they will take it in a neighbor’s yard. You may also not want them to leave their waste in your land also. Another reason to keep a litter tray for your cats is in case of bad weather or illness, whereby they cannot leave the house as they normally would.
How often do cat litter trays need to be changed?
As stated on all Purina packaging, you should clear solid matter out of your litter tray on a daily basis. Although many cat litter formulas offer 14-day odor protection, the litter should ideally be changed at least once a week.
I have more than one cat. Should I buy each cat its own litter tray?
Ideally, yes. However, it depends on your individual cats and if they mind sharing a litter tray. You may also have limited space if living in a small apartment with multiple cats, so the issue can be quite problematic. As a general rule, cats are territorial and prefer having their own litter trays.
At what age should my cat start using a litter box?
Kittens naturally gravitate toward burying their waste matter, so getting them used to a litter tray as early as possible is advisable. In fact, most kittens have sussed the litter tray out by 4 weeks.
Keep in mind that due to the risk of ingesting the litter or sensitivity to fragrance, the litter mix used for kittens is different from cats. Always make sure you buy the right litter depending on the age of your cat.
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