In a hurry and no time to read? Our top choice for best non tracking cat litter is Purina Yesterday’s News.
Are you tired of finding cat litter on your floor, on your sofa and in your bed? Learn what you can do about it and what is the best non-tracking cat litter.
Today we are reviewing the following 5 products to find the best non tracking cat litter.
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A Quick Look At Our Favorites
Product | Rating | Why We Like It | |||||||||
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1 | Purina Yesterday's News | 100% Biodegradable | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
2 | Fresh News Cat Litter | With Baking Soda | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
3 | Fresh Step Clean Paws Advanced Multi-Cat | Great Odor Control | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
4 | Ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter | Flushable | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
5 | SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter | Light-Weight | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
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1 | Purina Yesterday's News 100% Biodegradable | Buy on Amazon | |||
2 | Fresh News Cat Litter With Baking Soda | Buy on Amazon | |||
3 | Fresh Step Clean Paws Advanced Multi-Cat Great Odor Control | Buy on Amazon | |||
4 | Ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter Flushable | Buy on Amazon | |||
5 | SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter Light-Weight | Buy on Amazon |
The Top 5 Best Non Tracking Cat Litter
We have selected the top 5 best non tracking cat litters. We have made special care to choose only cat litters without added fragrances.
Cats don’t generally like perfumes and it also reduces chances of allergies. Plus, if you live in a small apartment, those scented litters can really stink up the place without any help from your cat.
Purina Yesterday’s News
If you are looking for a litter that is truly dust-free, paper is the material you want. Purina Yesterday’s News is made from recycled paper, so it’s 100% biodegradable. It absorbs really well and leaves no odor, if handled properly.
Purina Yesterday’s News is a non clumping litter, which is not everyone’s favorite. However, if you use just a thin layer of litter in the box, it is easy to dump it out daily and replace it with fresh litter. No scooping required! You can use litter box liners for extra hygiene and convenience.
The pellets in this litter are larger in size, so be sure to test if your kitty likes them. The benefit of these large pellets is that they definitely won’t stick to your cat’s paws or fur. And if a few fall outside the litter box, you can easily sweep them up.
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Fresh News Cat Litter
Fresh News Cat Litter is very similar to Purina Yesterday’s News. Both are made from recycled paper and, as such, have many of the same benefits. The most notable differences between these two products are the pellet size and color, and the addition of baking soda in Fresh News Cat Litter.
Baking soda is a natural deodorizer and perfectly safe for cats. However, not all cat owners agree that Fresh News Cat Litter is better at odor control than Purina Yesterday’s News. This mostly seems to come down to how often you clean the litter box. I recommend daily cleanings, especially with paper litter. Because the longer it sits, the more it will start to smell and spread bacteria, no matter what brand you use.
That said, the baking soda does help to keep things fresh slightly longer. So if you are really averse to dumping out the litter on a daily basis, or you just don’t have the time, Fresh News Cat Litter might be the better choice for you. The pellets, though larger in size, are lighter in color, so it is easier to scoop out the soiled bits.
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Fresh Step Clean Paws Advanced Multi-Cat
Fresh Step Clean Paws Advanced Multi-Cat is the only clumping clay litter on our list. This material is naturally dusty, though cat owners report this is much less the case for this brand and type. Make sure to get the Advanced Multi-Cat though. Other types of this brand are more dusty and track significantly more.
The reason that Fresh Step Clean Paws Advanced Multi-Cat doesn’t track as much as similar cat litters probably has something to do with its superior clumping ability. Everything nicely sticks together and not so much on your cat’s paws. It’s also really easy to scoop out the soiled parts.
The clumping might actually be a downside if you have a long-haired cat or a cat that likes to squat. The clay can get stuck to her fur and get tracked that way.
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Ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter
Ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter is made from wood fiber that is meant to soak up your cat’s urine. Whether it actually does this is up for debate. This litter has many fans who say it leaves no odor, but also some fierce denouncers.
Either way, it is completely biodegradable and can even be flushed down the toilet! The clumps are solid enough to easily be scooped up, but not so massive that they will clog up your plumbing.
Ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Cat Litter definitely produces less dust and tracking than a classic, clay litter. However, there seems to have been a change in formula not too long ago. The new version is a bit finer in texture and does tend to spread around more. Also, there have been reports of cats sticking their nose up at the new formula, so buyer beware.
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SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter
SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter is a medium-sized litter made entirely from grass. Many cat owners swear by it, as it is one of only a few natural cat litters that forms decent clumps and tracks very little. It is very light-weight, so easy to handle.
Its natural origins are not for every cat guardian, though. The combination of grass and cat pee is too pungent for some customers. Occasionally, you might have a bag where a bug got in and made a family. Nothing too harmful, that’s what you can expect from a natural product. Still… Bugs. To minimize the chance of bugs, pesticides are used. These end up in the litter, on your cat’s paws, everywhere she steps and in her mouth. There are no studies on the long term effects of pesticides on cats, but I don’t expect them to be good.
On top of that, a BIG WARNING is needed for this product: some cats, and dogs, like to eat SmartCat All Natural Clumping Litter. Probably because it is made of grass. When the litter comes in contact with their saliva, it swells and starts to clump, forming a real choking hazard. And if ingested, it can make your pet really sick. Smells, bugs and pesticides aside, that is a deal-breaker for me.
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Our Top Choice: Purina Yesterday’s News
It’s a close call, but I have to give it to Purina Yesterday’s News. Fresh News Cat Litter comes in as a close second, so it definitely deserves a mention as well. Both are made from paper, 100% recycled and biodegradable. They hardly leave any odor, if cleaned out daily, and come as close to non tracking as you will get with a cat litter. Also, they are completely hypoallergenic.
What makes the difference for me is the pellet size. Purina Yesterday’s News is fairly larger than your average cat litter, but smaller still than its competitor. This means they are more comfortable for your cat and easier to spread evenly across the litter box. That is why it is our top choice for best non tracking cat litter.
There Is No Such Thing
The first thing to realize on your quest for the best non tracking cat litter is that there is no such thing. Sorry to break it to you, but all cat litters track at least a bit. It’s just the nature of the game.
Cat litter in general is designed to cling to things and absorb moisture. These two properties are essential to proper litter box hygiene, but also conducive to sticking to your cat’s paws.
On top of that, cats like to bury their poops. This is an instinctual behavior inherited from their feral ancestors who would bury their feces to avoid detection by both prey and predators. If your kitty likes to dig around in her litter like this, some of it is bound to end up on the floor and track through your house.
So adjust your expectations and look for the next best thing: a cat litter that doesn’t track too much. That is what I will mean when I use the word “non tracking” from now on.
Properties Of A Non Tracking Cat Litter
There are a few things to look out for if you want to minimize the chance of your cat’s litter spreading everywhere. Let’s go through the main characteristics of non tracking cat litter.
Dust-free Material
The number one tip for finding a non tracking cat litter is to look for dust-free materials. Wood, paper and grass are probably not the first materials you think of when you think of cat litter. But they are great, dust-free alternatives to the more commonly used clay. And all eco-friendly too!
Larger Pellets
Larger pellets are less likely to stick to your cat’s paws. They are also easier to clean up if they land on the floor. Just beware that they aren’t too big. Your kitty’s feet are sensitive and she probably won’t like stepping on large, pointy chunks.
Test out how she feels about her new litter by mixing some with her old litter. Gradually increase the amount of new litter until all of the old litter is gone. If your cat is still going on her box, than you have successfully accustomed her to the new litter. If she stops using it at any point, switch back to the old litter. She obviously doesn’t care for the new one.
Hypoallergenic Litter
In general, hypoallergenic cat litters tend to meet all of the criteria for a non tracking cat litter. They are especially designed to limit the spread of litter and bacteria, so that allergic cats and humans don’t come into contact with it.
How To Minimize Tracking Of Cat Litter
Besides choosing the right cat litter, there are other things you can do to prevent cat litter being tracked all over your floors and furniture.
Regularly clean the litter box
Some cat owners clean their litter boxes only every few days or even just once a week. Sure, it’s a dirty job and no one likes doing it. Especially if you’re cleaning up a week’s worth of cat pee and doo doo.
Now imagine being your cat. Your sense of smell has suddenly increased by a factor of 14. And you have to do your business multiple times a day surrounded by your own or, worse, other cats’ excrements. This isn’t just unpleasant, it’s unhealthy. The longer you let the soiled litter sit, the more bacteria will build up in it. Your cat will also do more digging, and causing more tracking, because she will obsessively try to cover the stink.
To avoid all this messiness and actually make your job much easier, I recommend placing more litter boxes and cleaning them at least once a day. If you use a clumping clay litter, check it both in the morning and at night. If you scoop out the pee as you see it, there is less change of it seeping all the way to the bottom and getting stuck. The dry, unsoiled litter is also less likely to stick to your cat’s paws.
Organic cat litter tends to disintegrate faster when left out, especially in the odor control department. The best approach is to use only a little at a time, just enough to cover the bottom of the litter box. Then dump it out and refill once a day. This ensures that you are getting the most out of your litter, without having to do any scooping or rigorous cleaning.
Use anti-tracking mats
To prevent spreading any granules or pellets that fall out of the litter box through your house, you can use anti-tracking litter box mats. These mats are especially designed to remove litter from your cat’s paws when she walks on it and capture it inside. They are great at reducing litter tracking, even in small spaces.
Anti-tracking mats come in different variations. Some have a slightly sticky surface and can be washed clean. These are best used in combination with a larger sized litter.
For medium sized cat litters I would recommend a litter box mat with rubber loops. These look and feel more like a regular carpet, though rubbery, and capture the granules between their fibers. You can clean it with the vacuum, though smaller fragments may get permanently stuck.
For smaller litters, like clay, there are anti-tracking mats with a sort of rubber netting on the top. The litter falls through and is collected in a pouch that you can just shake out above the bin.
Use a litter box cover
If your kitty is a particularly ferocious digger it could be a sign of some litter box anxiety. To help her you can try covering up the litter box. Not only will it avoid her dumping the contents on your floor, it will also make her feel more secure. A less threatening environment will likely reduce her need to cover her tracks.
There are plenty of litter boxes available that come complete with cover. But you can likely also find a generic cover that fits your existing box, unless it has a very odd shape. There are covers that open at the front or at the top. These last ones might be harder to get in and out of for older cats, so take your cat’s age into consideration.
Get a robot vacuum
This one might sound silly and definitely isn’t for everyone. But if you can afford it, a robot vacuum can be a real help to clean cat litter and hairs off the floor. You won’t have to lift a finger and your cat might enjoy it too! Some like to chase it or simply cruise around the living room on top of it. Cuteness guaranteed!