Best cat litter

The best cat litter can be challenging to find, not only because you need to navigate clumping vs non-clumping types and weigh up how wood pellets fare, but also because your cat has the power of veto.

While there isn't much we can do about a fussy cat, we could put bestselling cat litter from Catsan, Tesco, Aldi, Asda and more to the test to discover the best cat litter for odour control, absorbency and which makes the most mess.

Discover our two Best Buy recommendations and a Great Value cat litter choice which make handling your cat's business less of a chore.

The best cat litter

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The cat litter we've tested

All the cat litter we've tested is listed in alphabetical order below. 

Only logged-in Which? members can view the best cat litter from our tests. 

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Aldi Vitacat Cat Litter 10L

Available from Aldi (£2.19)

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Type Clay

Clumping No

Need to know Not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height 5cm, recommends removing solid waste daily and whole litter tray contents at least once a week

Asda Tiger Non-Clumping Lightweight Cat Litter 10L

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Type Clay

Clumping No

Need to know Not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height 5cm, recommends removing solids as necessary and emptying and cleaning the entire tray at regular intervals

Breeder Celect Recycled Paper Pellet Non Clumping Cat Litter 30L

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Type Recycled paper

Clumping No

Need to know Also available in 10L and 20L pack sizes, not flushable, is biodegradable, recommended fill height and replacement rate not stated

Cat's Best Original Cat Litter 30L

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Type Wood fibres

Clumping Yes

Need to know Also available in 5L, 10L, 20L and 40L pack sizes, flushable and biodegradable, recommended fill height 5-7cm, recommends removing clumps whenever they appear and whole litter contents up to every 36 days

Catsan Hygiene Non-Clumping Odour Control Cat Litter 20L

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Type Clay

Clumping No

Need to know Also available in 5l and 10L pack sizes, not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height 5cm, recommends removing solid waste every day and replacing the litter completely on a regular basis

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Catsan Natural Biodegradable Clumping Cat Litter 20L

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Type Plant fibres

Clumping Yes

Need to know Also available in 8L pack sizes, not flushable, is biodegradable, recommended fill height 6cm, recommends removing clumps daily and replace the litter completely after approximately two weeks

Ever Clean Unscented Extra Strong Clumping Cat Litter 10L

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Type Clay

Clumping Yes

Need to know 6L Not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height 7cm, recommends removing clumps regularly but doesn't state how often to replace the litter completely

Sanicat Diamonds Lavender Scent Silica Gel Granule Non Clumping Cat Litter 15L

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Type Silica gel

Clumping No

Need to know Also available in 5L pack sizes, not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height and replacement rate not stated

Tesco Hygiene Cat Litter 10L

Available from Tesco (£4.95)

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Type Clay

Clumping No

Need to know Not flushable or biodegradable, recommended fill height 5cm, recommends removing solids as necessary and emptying and cleaning the entire tray at least once a week

World's Best Cat Litter Multiple Cat 12.7kg

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Type Corn

Clumping Yes

Need to know Flushable and biodegradable, recommended fill height 5-7cm, recommends removing clumps daily and whole litter contents up to every 67 days if you own two cats

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How we test cat litter

We select cat litter from the most searched-for brands and the most popular UK retailers.

We pay for every pack of cat litter we test.

We regularly revisit the cat litter on sale to see if there are any more popular models that need testing and when we find them we do.

Find out more about how Which? is not influenced by product manufacturers or retailers and how your support helps us to stay editorially independent.

Filling efficiency, dustiness and tracking

• We fill sealed containers with as much cat litter as we can and weigh them to see how much you'd need to use to fill up the same size space. The more you need to use, the more frequently you'll need to buy more.
• We check for dust clouds while pouring out the cat litter, and scrutinise to see how dusty fur gets when a cat might push the litter around the tray.
• After digging around the litter tray, we checke to see how much cat litter gets caught up in the fur to see how much might then get scattered on the floor around the litter tray.

Absorption and odour control

• We saturate a set amount of cat litter with water, and then drain it through a sieve and re-weigh the water to see how much has been absorbed by the cat litter.
• We place feline urine on each cat litter and stand at set distances from it to see if we can detect any unpleasant smells.

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How often should I change cat litter?

This depends on which cat litter you buy, which is usually a choice between clumping or non-clumping cat litter.

Clumping cat litter vs non-clumping

The choice between clumping cat litter and non-clumping is mostly down to how often you want to replace the soiled litter in the tray, or clean out the whole thing.

• Clumping cat litter works to absorb as much liquid as possible in as small area as possible, sticking any saturated bits together into a larger clump that should be easy to scoop out of the litter tray. This is for people who want to remove any waste or soiled litter from their tray daily, but don't want to clear out and clean the whole litter tray as often.
• Non-clumping cat litter doesn't separate out the soiled litter, so it's not for those who want waste removed from the litter tray daily. However, you will need to empty out and clean the tray entirely at least once a week. You're essentially swapping out a smaller daily task for a larger weekly one.

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What type of cat litter is best for cats?

Cat's can be fussy, so unfortunately buying the best cat litter for them won't guarantee that they'll like using it.

Our tests sought out the cat litter that is objectively more likely to give you less fuss - the cat litter that needs the least amount to fill the litter tray, doesn't release lots of dust or smells, doesn't get stuck in fur, and easily absorbs liquids.

We're afraid it's up to you to tempt/bribe your cat into liking the one that best fits your time, needs and budget. 

What is cat litter made of?

Production processes vary from brand to brand, but these are the typical compositions of cat litter that you're likely to come across:

• Wood pellet cat litter - more sustainable than most types, made up of compressed and dehydrated wood or sawdust, often made up of byproducts from wood production used to make something else, such as furniture.
• Silica cat litter - silicon dioxide minerals which are often mined from quartz sand and heated until they crystalise into gel granules.
• Clay cat litter - different clay types, usually bentonites (which are highly absorbent), which are dug out of the ground, compressed and dehydrated into granules.
• Plant fibre cat litter - arguably the most sustainable option, made from a wide variety of natural waste products, from corn or wheat fibres to peanut shells. All are dried out, combined and compressed into granules or pellets.
• Paper cat litter - usually recycled paper, old newspapers and byproducts from wood production, which are compressed into pellets.

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