Tidy Max Cat Litter Review

Tidy Cat was created over 50 years ago and was one of the first cat litter brands on the market. Before Tidy Cat, people kept their cats outside, or used ashes, dirt or sand as cat litter when it was necessary to keep them inside.

Tidy Cat litters are mostly limited to clay litters, they do offer many variations of types of clay and features depending on you and your cats preferences. If clay litter is not your thing, they do offer litters made with recycled paper, cedar, corn, and pine.

Now Tidy Cats offers Tidy Max formulas which they call the “latest online-only cat litter innovation”. This new litter has ammonia blockers and absorbent power pieces to provide maximum odor and moisture control. They come in regular and light weight formulas.

How We Tested the Litter:

• We were sent 4 of the new Tidy Max cat litters for testing
• We spent a few weeks testing the cat litters on several cats
• We did not receive these products in exchange for a favorable review

Brand Overview

In January 1947, Edward Lowe’s neighbor asked him for some sand to use as cat litter because her sand pile was frozen. Instead of sand, Lowe gave her some clay called Fuller’s Earth, a set of clay minerals capable of absorbing their weight in water. It worked far better than sand or ashes.

The highly-absorbent clay was a far more adequate solution over sand, sawdust, ashes, and soil. Edward Lowe packaged the clay into 5 pound bags marked “Kitty Litter” and began marketing the product to stores and cat shows.

By 1964, Edward Lowe Industries introduced the first nationally produced and marketed cat litter known today as Tidy Cat.

Today Tidy Cat is owned by Purina, one of the largest and most reputable pet supply brands in the world. Not only do they manufacture cat litter, but dog food, cat food, and pet treats as well. Purina’s Tidy Cats line offers over a dozen different cat litters and litter products.

What Kinds of Litter Does the Brand Offer?

Tidy Cats litter offers a wide range of products, most of which are clumping clay litter, including the Tidy Max formula. For those who prefer non-clumping litter, Tidy Cats has five different non-clumping clay litter products.

Tidy Cats also has a small selection of alternative biodegradable litter. Purina has more than a dozen litters on the market, but in this review we will cover the new Tidy Max cat litter products.

The four formulas we will cover are Tidy Max lightweight formulas, and clumping formulas.

#1 Tidy Max 24/7 Performance Cat Litter

Amy Brown-Towry / Cats.com

$29.98 At Chewy $28.48 At Amazon

This Tidy Max 24/7 performance litter clumps very hard and controls odor well. The moisture activated power pieces are designed to absorb liquids and smells from both feces and urine. This means your litter can go longer and is easy to clean up.

The litter granule size is average, so most cats should be fine with it. It’s also an unscented litter, and that will help cut down on over powering smells to hide ammonia odors.

We found this litter to control odor very well, in a multi cat litter box. While it claims to be 99% dust free it did still produce a small amount of dust as well as some tracking around the litter box.

The clumping was firm and easy to clean up and the litter held up for almost 2 weeks before a full change was needed.

Pros:

• Great clumping action
• Unscented and controlled odor well
• Absorbs well

Cons:

• There is still a small amount of dust
• Some tracking around litter box

#2 Tidy Max LightWeight 24/7 Performance Cat Litter

Amy Brown-Towry / Cats.com

$29.98 At Chewy

This Tidy Max 24/7 Lightweight litter has all the benefits mentioned above in the Tidy Max 24/7, except this formula is lightweight. This box weighs 17 pounds but covers the same amount of space as the 35 pound box.

Again the litter granule size is average, and its also an unscented litter. It clumps very well and controls ammonia odors. This formula is also 99% dust free

We found this litter to control odor as well as the regular formula did, when used on multiple cats. While it claims to be 99% dust free it did still produce a small amount of dust as well as some tracking around the litter box.

The clumping was firm and easy to clean up. The really nice thing about this formula is how light the box is and easy it is to refill the bucket of litter. The price is a bit higher on this one compared to the regular Tidy Max 24/7 formula.

Pros:

• Tight clumping
• Controls odor well
• Long lasting

Cons:

• Small amount of dust is produced when using this litter
• Litter does track a bit around the litter box
• Costs more than original formula

#3 Tidy Max Instant Action Cat Litter

Amy Brown-Towry / Cats.com

$29.98 At Chewy $28.48 At Amazon

Tidy Max Instant Action litter is a natural clay formula and is advertised as 99.9% dust free. It features moisture-activated power pieces for maximum odor and moisture control and is formulated to help stop ammonia odor right away and last for up to two weeks.

This is a clumping formula with medium size granules and made for multiple cat homes.

We found this litter to clump well and absorb urine. There is no off putting fragrance but there was a slight odor after a week of use.

It wasn’t horrible but it didn’t keep the box as fresh as the aforementioned formulas. This formula did clump well and hold up when cleaning. Again, there was slight dust and tracking around the litter box.

Pros:

• Clumps well
• Absorbs well
• 99% dust free

Cons:

• Some tracking around litter box
• Did not control odors for 2 weeks

#4 Tidy Max Lightweight Instant Action Cat Litter

Amy Brown-Towry / Cats.com

$29.98 At Chewy $28.48 At Amazon

Tidy Max Lightweight Instant Action litter is the light weight version of the Tidy Max Instant Action litter mentioned above. It also features moisture-activated power pieces for maximum odor and moisture control, and is formulated to help stop ammonia odor right away.

This is a clumping formula with medium size granules and made for multiple cat homes. It is also 99% dust free and controls odor up to two weeks.

We found this litter clumps well and did okay with controlling odor. We did notice urine pooling in the box, but maybe it was moved around by the cats.

This litter did need to be changed after a little over a week because there was a slight ammonia odor. It was very easy to pour being light weight, but there was a little dust and tracking.

Pros:

• Clumps well
• 99% dust free
• Light weight

Cons:

• There was tracking around the litter box
• Odor control did not last for 2 weeks
• Pricier compared to the regular formula

What Do Customers Think of Tidy Cat Litter?

Tidy Cats is one of the most reputable and well known brands in cat litter. But like everything, it has had its share of controversy, with cat owners claiming it causes respiratory issues.

Because every customer’s experience is different, here are some positive and negative reviews for the cat litter formulas featured in this review.

Positive Reviews

I have three cats and that means more to worry about when it comes to keeping my home clean and smelling fresh. Tidy Cats 24/7 Tidy Max Performance Clumping Cat Litter does an excellent job at keeping odors at bay while also keeping the litter confined to the litter box. The result is a cleaner, fresher smelling home and happier felines! -Glorum69, reviewing Tidy Max 24/7 Performance Continuous Odor Control

I recently received this as a free sample & love it! Love that there is not a ton of dust! Love that it clumps so well! So easy to use. I can honestly say I will be buying this for sure because it works so much better than the cheap stuff I have been buying. So glad I actually was able to try this before buying because I would have never spent money on something not knowing if it actually worked. I was shocked how well it hides odors too! 2 cats and no smell! -Annissa, reviewing Tidy Max Instant Action Clumping Cat Litter

This litter is an amazing find! My cat tends to be quite smelly and this has contained that nicely. The fresh scent helps cover over the less than stellar scent cats leave behind, and the light weight formula makes it easy for even someone like me to carry from my car to the cat box without needing help from my husband. Definitely recommend. -Gollumina, reviewing Tidy Max’s LightWeight 24/7 Performance Clumping Cat Litter

Negative Reviews

It’s an okay litter if your primary concern is clumping into tight, hard clumps. Personally, I don’t love the idea of using clay litter—so I doubt I would repurchase it in the future, but I can see why some people might like it. Since it’s a dense clay, the granules don’t scatter as much as wheat and walnut-based litters, but don’t be fooled, because it DOES track out of the box, and there IS still some dust, albeit less than something like the dreadful Tidy Cats Naturals, which blows around n the slightest breeze and leaves a thick coating of pale dust on every surface. -Replicant, reviewing Tidy Max’s Instant Action Clumping Cat Litter

Tidy cat lightweight instant action clumping cat litter delivered a less than average ability to block odor and has horrible ability to keep the tracking down. I received a free sample of this product to try and I would not buy this product. However I am not a fan of the lightweight litters I also found the products ability to block odor below par. -Chricket, reviewing Tidy Max’s Instant Action Light Weight Cat Litter

My only complaint is the old version had a handle so it was easy to carry. This version has no handle and makes it very awkward and hard to carry. I hope they add the handle back to the package design. -Kimg, reviewing Tidy Max’s 24/7 Performance Clumping Cat Litter

How Much Does Tidy Max Cat Litter Cost?

Tidy Cats litters offer an excellent value for your money, including Tidy Max. The large, 38 pound box of Tidy Max Cats is around $24. The lightweight Max formulas will cost you around $25 for a 17 pound box.

Overall, Is Tidy Max Cat Litter a Good Choice?

If you want a tried and true cat litter brand that will not drain your bank account, Tidy Cats is a great choice. The Tidy Max formulas are quality litters for an affordable price, and the various products all offer superior odor control.

Tidy Max Cat litter not only provides strong clumping action, making clean up easier, it is also great for multiple cat homes.

The light weight formulas are convenient and work just as well as the regular formulas, but will cost a bit more.

Overall this is a convenient way to get your litter since these large sizes are only available online and shipped directly to you.

Where Is Tidy Max Cat Litter Sold?

Tidy Max Cat litter is sold online only and designed to ship. It’s made to refill an old pail or Tidy Max package. You can find it at online retailers like Chewy and Amazon.