Tip disclaimer: the goal of this product tip is to share my own experience with the product. Purrmore and myself are not affiliated with any manufacturer or retailer, and we are not paid for any content.

Selecting the right cat litter is a decision made with multiple goals in mind. Often, many of these goals are oriented towards making life with a cat more pleasant for humans, rather than cats. However, using a good quality litter can be beneficial for both.

From the cat's perspective, there’s a lot that goes into appreciation of the litter box. Much of it is consideration of the type of box or its location. The basics are covered in this helpful infographic from Pam Johnson-Bennett. Cats have different preferences for the litter itself, and if your cat doesn’t like the litter provided, it may be one possible reason for avoiding the box. If this is the case, finding the right litter for your cat may require some experimentation.

For the humans, often the preference is to find litter that would be the least noticeable possible, easiest to clean, and least harmful for the environment. Luckily, good quality litter can answer some or all of these requirements, and often be nice for your cat too.

As a cat sitter, I run into multiple brands of litter. My preference is usually for litter that is fine grained, clumping, and fast drying. Such litter is nicer for the cat’s paws, which helps reduce the amount of litter that is tracked across the floor. Fast drying means that it’s easier to scoop with no need to scrape big lumps that stick to the bottom of the litter box. Easy scooping that gets everything out also means that the litter may last longer. There are both clay and natural litters that are easy to use. I can recommend a few brands based on litters that are used by my clients, but the list is definitely not exhaustive. Here are some you can try out:

• Arm & Hammer - unscented Clump & Seal multicat - fast-drying clay litter that works a little longer in single cat households as well.

• Ever Clean Lightweight Unscented Extra Strength - clumping clay litter. I only ran into this litter once, but had a good experience.

• Up & Up - lightweight clumping cat litter - fast-drying clay litter - I was pleasantly surprised by this Target brand litter.

• World’s Best unscented cat litter is natural litter made of corn and does a good clumping job.

• SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter - made of grass, doesn’t raise dust, doesn’t smell bad, but does leave tracks, so probably good in combination with a mat.