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Top 12 Best Cat Litters for Kittens

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kitten cat litter

Ma’ayan Gutbezahl / Cats.com

While kittens can benefit from the same kind of cat litter as larger cats, their habits with that litter can be very different. They may play in it or even ingest it, and that can be dangerous if the litter contains harmful chemicals, as many types of cat litter do. That’s why it is important to choose the right kind of litter for your kitten.

At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Cat Litters for Kittens

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Want a quick look at the products reviewed in this article? In the comparison table below, we’ve highlighted some of the most important features of each product. You’ll find more detailed information about each product later in the article.

Overall Best
10.0
Picked by 31 people today!

SmartCat All-Natural Clumping Litter

  • Environmentally safe
  • Great at clumping
  • Safe for your kittens
$29.99 At Chewy
RUNNER UP
9.8
Picked by 31 people today!

World’s Best Cat Litter

  • Biodegradable and safe for flushing
  • Easy to clean up and get rid of
  • Safe for cats of all sizes and ages
Best Health Monitoring
9.5
Picked by 25 people today!

Pretty Litter

  • Infused with pH-detecting particles
  • Lightweight, soft and sandy texture
  • Ultra-absorbent, dehydrates solid waste
BEST ALL-NATURAL CAT LITTER
9.5
Picked by 25 people today!

Okocat Super Soft Clumping Wood Cat Litter

  • Easy to clean up
  • Gets rid of odors fast
  • Made to be safe for cats
Best Eco-Friendly
9.5
Picked by 21 people today!

Catalyst Pet Multi-Cat Formula Cat Litter

  • Made from renewable resources
  • Fine-grained texture is gentle on your cat’s paws
  • Doesn’t contain crystalline silica dust
BUDGET PICK
9.4
Picked by 21 people today!

Dr. Elsey’s Cat Ultra-Premium Clumping Cat Litter

  • Very affordably priced
  • Hypoallergenic formula
  • Almost no dust tracking to worry about
BEST MULTI-CAT LITTER
9.3
Picked by 18 people today!

Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Clump

  • Super odor protection
  • Competitively priced
  • Effective clumping action

How We Tested:

  • We purchased the best cat litters for kittens on the market today
  • We spent a few weeks testing the cat litters on several cats
  • We did not receive these product in exchange for a favorable review, they were purchased with our own money

Why Should You Trust Our Recommendations?

You care about your kitten as if he were your own child, so we understand that you want what’s best for him. We’re cat owners and pet lovers ourselves, so we know that picking the right products for your cat can be stressful. We also know that there are an unbelievable number of cat litter reviews out there, making it difficult to know who to trust.

After testing dozens of cat litter brands, we know what to look for and what features or drawbacks could affect your decision.

All of the brands recommended here have been tried and tested personally, though we’ve also read other user reviews and have evaluated any information provided by the manufacturer. Not every cat litter on this list will be the perfect fit for your kitten, but hopefully the insight we’ve provided will help you make the right choice.

So if you  want something that will effectively get rid of smells, be easy to clean up and yet be safe for your kitten. We are going to show you 11 different cat litter products that we believe are the best on the market.

Best Rated Cat Litters for Kittens Reviewed

It’s time to have a closer look at our picks for the best cat litter for kittens. There are other options out there, but we chose these because of their high quality and suitability for kittens.

#1 SmartCat All-Natural Clumping Litter

This litter is good for little cats because it contains no fragrances, dyes or other harmful chemicals. Yes, those things are useful for keeping smells away and allowing the litter to be easy to clean up, but they are bad for your cat, and you may need to make some sacrifices until your kitten becomes more mature.

It’s still a decent litter, and it clumps very well and does a decent job of eliminating odors. It’s also a pretty much dust free litter, and it is made from natural substances that are designed to be safe for your cat and for the environment.

Pros:

  • Environmentally safe
  • Great at clumping
  • Safe for your kittens

Cons:

  • Very pricy litter
  • Not the best at getting rid of odors

#2 World’s Best Cat Litter

This is one of the most well-known and well-regarded cat litter products available. It is superb at clumping and it does a great job of getting rid of odors. It’s practically dust free, and it is made to be safe for your cat. The manufacturers only use natural components when making this litter, and that makes it a good choice for kittens.

However, it can be one of the pricier options, and in this case, you are definitely getting what you pay for. This flushable, environmentally safe cat litter can be used for cats of all ages. Just be aware that if your cat plays with the litter, it can stick to their fur and be tracked through the house.

Pros:

  • Biodegradable and safe for flushing
  • Easy to clean up and get rid of
  • Safe for cats of all sizes and ages

Cons:

  • Kind of pricey, comparatively speaking
  • Cats really like to eat this litter

#3 Best Health Monitoring: Pretty Litter

Pretty Litter is a lightweight, fine-grained silica cat litter. Its soft and sandy texture makes it cat-friendly choice for your kitten’s delicate paws.

Crystal cat litter is ultra-absorbent – just one bag can last a single-cat household for up to a month. While Pretty Litter is not a clumping cat litter, the silica crystals dehydrate solid waste, making it easy to scoop. To maintain freshness, simply stir the litter once or twice a day to redistribute the saturated crystals and help control odor.

What makes Pretty Litter truly unique is its health monitoring benefits. It contains color-changing particles which respond to changes in the pH of your kitten’s urine. Dark yellow or olive green indicates normal pH while blue or orange litter may indicate urinary tract issues, bladder stones, or liver or kidney problems. Pretty Litter isn’t intended to diagnose these health problems but can help alert you to a developing issue so you can bring your kitten to the vet.

Pretty Litter is available by subscription only. It is fairly expensive compared to the average clay litter, but the health monitoring benefits may be worth the additional cost for some cat owners.

Pros:

  • Highly absorbent and dehydrates solid waste
  • Color-changing crystals indicate changes in urine pH
  • Lightweight and soft, gentle on kitten paws

Cons:

  • Fairly pricey
  • Odor may be a problem when it becomes saturated

#4 Okocat Super Soft Clumping Wood Cat Litter

This Ökocat Super Soft Clumping Wood Cat Litter absorbs up to 5 times its weight in liquid, forming clumps around both liquid and solid waste for easy scooping. The fine granules worked just fine in a regular litter scoop, though the clumps did tend to fall apart a bit more than with clay litter. The idea, again, is that the litter breaks up in the toilet or compose heap, so we weren’t too bothered by this fact. Plus, we were happy to find a natural cat litter that really works.

In addition to being highly absorbent, this Ökocat Super Soft Clumping Wood Cat Litter does a good job of controlling odors. Like the previous formula, it is designed for single-cat households, but it may work if you scoop the box regularly and provide an extra.

Pros:

  • Made from all-natural, sustainable, and biodegradable materials
  • Absorbs liquid quickly and forms clumps for easy disposal
  • Controls odors for 7 days without artificial fragrance or chemicals

Cons:

  • Lightweight granules track quite a bit
  • Clumps may break up more easily than with clay litter

#5 Best Sustainable: Catalyst Pet Multi-Cat Formula Cat Litter

Catalyst Pet makes litter engineered from upcycled softwood fiber that would normally go to waste. They currently offer three kinds of litter: Healthy Cat, Unscented, and Multi-cat which are 99% dust-free. The sustainable formula is lightweight, soft on paws, and offers sturdy clumping with powerful odor control. One pound of Catalyst litter can do the work of three pounds of clumping clay.

Pros

  • Made from renewable resources
  • Fine-grained texture is gentle on your cat’s paws
  • Doesn’t contain crystalline silica dust

Cons

  • Tends to Track
  • May be dusty when first poured

#6 Dr. Elsey’s Cat Ultra-Premium Clumping Cat Litter

This is an incredibly safe litter to use for kittens. The hypoallergenic formula means that it won’t trigger any allergies, and the natural ingredients ensure that it is as safe as can be for cats that try to eat it.

However, the new formulation used for this product makes it a bit of mess sometimes. While you won’t have to be concerned about your cat tracking dust all through your house, you do need to watch for when the litter becomes sticky and muddy and starts to cling to your cat’s fur. This can happen pretty quickly, and you need to be aware of it.

Pros:

  • Very affordably priced
  • Hypoallergenic formula
  • Almost no dust tracking to worry about
  • Natural components

Cons:

  • Newest formula becomes sticky fairly fast

#7 Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Clump & Seal Clumping Litter

There are few products on the market today that can get rid of litter box odors as fast and as effectively as Arm & Hammer’s clumping litter. It uses a patented technology that seals in odors as they manifest and eliminates the bacteria that causes odor, creating a protective shield from bad smells in your home.

This is also a litter that clumps very well, forming very hard clumps that are so easy to remove. On top of all that, it is priced affordably, so you can handle multiple cats at a low price and not have to worry about dust tracking or bad odors. The only negative we can put onto this review is that the odor eliminating fragrance has a strong lemon smell to it that may be unpleasant for either you or your cat.

Pros:

  • Super odor protection
  • Competitively priced
  • Effective clumping action

Cons:

  • Fragrance can be overpowering and unpleasant

#8 Feline Pine Original Cat Litter

This litter is made from pine, which makes it pretty safe for cats and ensures that they are unlikely to try to eat much of it. It’s also designed to be great at absorbing cat urine and blocking odors. However, the fragrance used to stop cat odors has a strong scent of its own. If your cat has a sensitive nose, then it may not use the litter box.

Pros:

  • Great at getting rid of cat odors
  • Very absorbent

Cons:

  • Slightly expensive
  • Can have an unpleasant odor

#9 Jonny Cat Complete Multi-Cat Clay Litter

If you are looking for something cheaper than what we have shown you already, then Jonny Cat litter could be right for you. It’s very inexpensive, but it still works fairly well. It’s not as consistent as some of the other products on our list, but it is still decent for its price.

If you are trying this with your cat after using a different kind of litter before, then Cat Health suggests introducing it in small portions to let your cat acclimate to it.

Pros:

  • Very cheap option
  • Kills odor fast
  • Odor control lasts for a while

Cons:

  • Lower quality than some of the other choices
  • May not always clump like it should

#10 sWheat Scoop Multi-Cat All-Natural Clumping Cat Litter

For those households where there are multiple cats running around, sWheat offers a great option. It’s a litter with powerful odor control, and it is made from natural components that include no dyes or fragrances.

So, it’s safe for your cat to use and even play around with. However, there is still the risk that excessive ingestion will cause stomach issues. The natural components mean that it is biodegradable, and it should be easy to get rid of. However, you do not want to flush it down the toilet.

Pros:

  • Works well in multiple-cat homes
  • Contains no harmful chemicals
  • Made to be all natural

Cons:

  • Biodegradable litter than cannot be flushed

#11 Fresh Step Scented Clay, Non-Clumping Cat Litter

What makes Fresh Step’s litter so unique and such a good option is that it is excellent at neutralizing odors on the spot, but it doesn’t leave a lasting fragrance. The odor eliminating scents only activate when the litter is moved around and the litter box is in use. So, you and your cat don’t have to smell the powerful fragrance all day long.

This is also a litter that doesn’t clump, so your cat is less likely to play with it. However, that also means that there will be some dust tracking in your home, and it means that it will be harder to clean up the litter when your cat is done using it.

Pros:

  • Fragrance only activates when litter is in use
  • Powerful odor killer

Cons:

  • Harder to clean up due to non-clumping attributes
  • Fragrance can be a bit much

#12 PetSafe ScoopFree Premium Crystal Non-Clumping Cat Litter

This is another non-clumping option, and it does a very good job of killing odors on contact. Of course, that comes with a price, and the scent it releases can be kind of strong and not very pleasant for animals with sensitive noses.

Your cat may or may not take to this litter, and you want to introduce it a little bit at a time. PetSafe has released this as a dual-package product, which means that you only need to open one bag at a time and you get to keep the other bag fresh and safe.

Pros:

  • Safe for your kittens
  • Kills odors quickly and effusively
  • Two bags for added freshness

Cons:

  • Scent may be too strong for some cats and their owners

What You Should Consider Before You Buy?

Before you purchase one of the suggestions from our list or another kind of cat litter for your kitten, there are a few things that would be wise to keep in mind:

  • Clumping litter isn’t always the best option- Cat litter that clumps together is something that kittens love to play with it, and if they start to play with it, then they will likely try to eat it, according to Petful.com. While clumping litter may be convenient for you and make for easy cleanup, it poses the highest risk of ingestion for your cat.
  • Some types of litter are safer than others- There are a few different kinds of litter, and certain natural litter materials are much safer than other kinds. You can buy litter that is made from clay, paper, wood, wheat and other substances, and knowing your cat’s allergies and what they are sensitive to will help you make the right choice.
  • Silica litter is best for older cats- While silica litter is very popular, if your cat is less than four months old, then ingesting a lot of this can be really bad for their digestive system, says TheNest.com. Wait until your kitten is a bit older to allow them to use silica-based cat litter.
  • Talk to your vet- If you have concerns about allergies or about your cat’s litter habits and you are not sure what to do and what litter to buy, then you probably want to to talk to your veterinarian. Find out what their recommendation is to ensure you make the right decision.

Now that you have seen our choices for the best kitten litter, we hope that you can find something that works well for you and for your cat with in your budget. Please let us know if we can provide you with any more information to help you make the right choice for cat litter.

About Mallory Crusta

Mallory is an NAVC-certified Pet Nutrition Coach. Having produced and managed multimedia content across several pet-related domains, Mallory is dedicated to ensuring that the information on Cats.com is accurate, clear, and engaging. When she’s not reviewing pet products or editing content, Mallory enjoys skiing, hiking, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen. She has two cats, Wessie and Forest.