Best Cat Litter for Kittens in 2024 | Top 5 Reviewed

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Are you getting a cat litter for your kitten for the first time? If you are, we understand that it can be hard finding the right one with so many options to choose from. In this article, we’ll be reviewing our top five selections of the best cat litter for your fur baby.

With so many cat litters in pet stores offline and online, picking great ones can take a lot of work without following a criteria. There are certain things to look out for when selecting the right litter, so even if you don’t pick any on our list, you can always go by these criteria to help you choose a different one.

We’ll begin with our selection of the best cat litters for kittens, and after it, we’ll outline and explain the primary things to look for when picking a product.

The Best Cat Litter That Is Ideal for Kittens

Our Top Rated Products

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1. Feline Pine Cat Litter

This eco-friendly cat litter has pine wood granules as the litter base. This means you'll have no hygiene or tracking issues common with clay-based litter. The highly-absorbent pine fibers effectively suck up liquid and trap in the ammonia smell quickly. The pine fibers are made super-soft and comfortable for the tender kitten's paws.

With this cat litter, there are no irritants left when poured as it is completely neutral, non-clumping, and free of clay – all of which will ensure that your environment smells fresh and clean all the time.

Unlike many litters in pet stores (usually the clumping type), this litter breaks down into sawdust after use. The litter is also safe for your kitten to play and dig in.

While the Feline Pine Original Cat Litter isn't near being the most expensive on the market, it may seem a little pricey if you've had to use traditional clay until now. But then, the price is worth it, as you'll find out when you make your purchase.

2. Purina Yesterday's News Unscented Paper Cat Litter

Another non-clumping litter on our list, Yesterday’s News Unscented Cat Litter, is eco-friendly. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that we often recommend it for kittens, recuperating cats, and other cats requiring delicate care. This litter is soft, making it perfect for felines that need to be looked after a little more than usual.

The litter is also highly absorbent and stays dry for a long time. It is non-clumping, and while that can be a good thing depending on your cat’s litter needs, it can also limit the amount of time you can leave it in the box. However, this also makes it the ideal litter for very young kittens, especially during their first few months of life.

3. ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter

Made from 100% natural reclaimed wood, the Okocat Natural Wood Clumping Litter is one of the top environmental-friendly litters for kittens you can find on the market. The natural wood fibers are biodegradable and free of artificial fragrance, harsh chemicals, and other additives while effectively absorbing with excellent odor control.

Unlike clay litter clumps, the clumps formed by this natural lightweight wood litter aren’t very hard, even though it absorbs liquid quickly. Plus, the litter, as observed by many cat owners, has a more natural and fresher scent than clay litters.

While it may take your young kitten a while to fully adjust to the texture, they’ll come to enjoy potty time once they grow used to the texture.

4. Sanicat Evolution Kitten Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

The Sanicat Evolution Kitten litter is one you should consider if you have a new kitten or simply looking to get an even better litter for your feline. The litter is made with natural valerian root intended to help your young kitty easily recognize its litter box early and prevent accidents.

Also, valerian root has been used in wellness formulations for humans for its calming and stress-reducing effects. Here, it is paired with the talcum powder-scented bentonite clay. Aside from its affordability, the litter is also made virtually dust-free. This helps to prevent and minimize allergies in felines and their owners.

Pet owners may also like that the litter only requires toping every two to three days when the formed clumps are removed, unlike many other litters needing frequent toping to keep them dry.

5. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Kitten Attract Scoopable Cat Litter

This clumping clay litter is perfect for kittens, cats with behavioral issues, or the cats just not motivated enough to use a box. With its blend of natural herbs, cats are lured in to use their litter boxes.

How does it work?

The clumping clay product has herbal attractants infused in it, and this attracts felines, both old and young, to use their boxes. Many customers attest to the success of this feature in their review of the product.

Apart from attracting the cats to use their litter boxes, the litter does an excellent job of neutralizing odors, clumping while having a great texture.

How To Select A Good Cat Litter/Factors To Consider When Choosing A Cat Litter for a Kitten

With cat litters, selecting the right one for your kitten is essential in ensuring that your cat uses it and indeed makes good use of it when he does. Selecting a suitable one is also important with the wide range of cat litter types to choose from. In this section, we’ll discuss the different cat litter types, their features, and which may be more suited to your cat.

But before that, we’ll look at some things about your cat that you should take into consideration before settling for a cat litter for a kitten.

Your Cat’s Litter Preference 

Was your cat already using a particular litter type at the breeder or the shelter? You should ask this question as knowing what kind they’ve been using is often a great place to begin. If they have one he has been using with no issues, there’s no point changing the litter type when you bring him home. Transitioning later can be an option if you feel he could better use a different litter type. This brings us to the common litter types; clumping or non-clumping litter?

Picking a Litter Type: Clumping or Non-Clumping? 

You’ll find several types of cat litters in pet stores, but even with the wide range of options, we can simply categorize them into clumping litter, e.g., clay and natural grain, and non-clumping litter; paper, crystal, and pine.

We’ll discuss the clumping and non-clumping litter before the sub-categories.

Clumping Litter 

Litters in this category absorb water easily. To clean your feline’s litter box, you only have to scoop out the waste clumps. The leftover litter remains dry and clean. However, with this litter type, a thorough clean of the entire box or tray is still required, though (to get the clumps out effectively) not as often as it would need you to do with a non-clumping litter.

We must add that clumping litters may not be the best with very young cats. At this stage, they’re still very curious and may try to eat up the clumps of waste, which can be detrimental to their health. However, for older kittens, a clumping litter is a fantastic option as they can already differentiate between the litter and their food.

Non-Clumping Litter

The non-clumping litter, as the name implies, does not form clumps. Unlike the clumping litter, this litter type absorbs moisture slowly and usually has some ingredients added to neutralize the smell.

You must scoop out the entire litter from the box and replace it with fresh litter during cleaning. Because the urine and other waste are intended to soak into this litter type, a weekly (or less) change will be required to prevent odor that could arise from prolonged use.

You can see a full breakdown of Non-Clumping Litter vs. Clumping litter in our guide.

Subcategories In The Cat Litter Types 

These are the more specific versions of the two main litter types. Some varieties include;

Clay Litter 

You’ll find the non-clumping and clumping varieties if you opt for the clay litter. The clumping clay variant is also highly absorbent, making it one of the fastest to absorb moisture and also the most economical.

Clay litters are also completely biodegradable and so can be buried in the garden or anywhere you want. The non-clumping variant is effective at controlling tracking and is also highly absorbent and economical.

Natural Litter 

This litter type is usually made of wheat, pine, or corn. As grain-based litters, they are completely biodegradable and usually efficient at odor control. The pine litters are made entirely from pinewood which is collected from wood shavings and compressed into pellets.

This litter type is also highly-absorbent, with some options even being flushable, thus, making it an excellent choice for apartment dwellers. 

Crystal Litters

Not as common as the clay and natural litters, but it still does a great job.  The litter is made entirely from silica crystal and is non-clumping. It is also long-lasting, non-toxic, lightweight and highly absorbent. 

Paper Litter 

They make this litter type with recycled waste paper, which is then made into granules or pellets. It is usually chemical-free, super-absorbent, and biodegradable (great for composting).

So, What Is the Best Kind of Litter for My Kitten?

Just like every other cat should, your young kitten should only use a high-quality litter. The only thing you may want to be super-picky with is the texture. Younger kittens have very delicate paws; therefore, any cat litter you settle for should be soft and comfortable enough for a kitten.

Another thing you want to consider is the fact that young kittens are more likely to splash around in the litter box and are also prone to mistaking their litter for food.

With clumping litters, these innocent mistakes can be damaging health-wise to your young cat. A suitable cat litter for a kitten might be a non-clumping litter. If you must use a clumping litter, it may be best to wait until your cat is around three to four months old.

Biodegradable or Not? 

Another factor to consider when picking a cat litter, whether non-clumping or clumping, is its biodegradability. It’s not just about our pets right now but also about the environment.

However, when picking a biodegradable cat litter, make sure you only choose a litter that will naturally pass through your pet’s system. If ingested without causing blockages or any other problem, e.g., the grain litters, an accident may never occur, but you still have to be cautious.

Conclusion

There you go; our review of the best cat litter for kittens. We covered some factors to consider before you pick a cat litter so hopefully, you are now better placed to make a decision. Whichever litter you settle for and regardless of your feline’s age, make sure you only pick a litter free of additives, fragrance, and other harsh chemicals as these can easily irritate your cat’s skin and affect his senses.

If you have a cat that has trouble using a cat litter, we strongly recommend getting a cat litter with a herbal attractant. This cuts down your potty training significantly and also reduces the amount of time and energy you’d have spent cleaning up after your cat every time.

Thoughts/questions? Share in the comment section below.