In the world of Persian cats, keeping them healthy with the right cat litter can be a daunting task. You must make sure it is the right style to accommodate their long hair, and you want to make sure it does not spread around your home.
So, here is everything you need to know about choosing the right cat litter for your Persian. Also, we will show you 5 of our top recommended cat litters!
This article will analyze several different cat litters such as Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract, Nature’s Miracle, ökocat Litter, and others. We will not only look at the pros and cons of these litters but also summarize the reviews from actual owners.
Ultimately, as a long-haired species of cat, the Persian needs a litter that will not stick to their hair. This means looking for a litter that is either engineered differently for long-haired cats, or one with larger granules and greater clumping ability.
Choosing the Right Litter: Why Does It Matter?
There are many types of cat litter to choose, and each cat is a little different in what they end up liking. Cat litter can be made of clay, corn, coconut husks, wheat, wood, walnuts, recycled newspaper or silica gel crystals.
You will find different benefits depending on what you choose. A cat, however, may not like the type you buy and will start to exhibit bad habits if the litter is not changed. These bad habits include not using their litter box.
Cat Litter Options: Components and Materials to Consider
Choosing the right litter for your Persian is relatively the same as any other cat, with one big caveat. You want to make sure that the litter you choose clumps well or does not stick to your cat’s fur.
Other factors to consider are the texture, absorbency and odor control of the litter. After all, you want your Persian to be happy and your home to remain hygienic.
With that in mind, let us look at some of the main types of litter, that are good for Persians, and components in more detail.
Cat Litter Components
There are important qualities to consider when choosing the right cat litter. The most important features include:
Odor Control
According to the ASPCA, cats can refuse to use their litter boxes if the odor is not controlled. It is also a top priority of any cat owner to control the smell of cat waste in their home.
ASPCA also points out, however, that using a scented solution does not necessarily guarantee odor control and some cats may not like the strong scent of the litter.
Clumping Ability
This is most important for your Persian cat, but also very important for other cat owners as well. A good clumping cat litter helps make cleaning the litter box easy.
The clumping relates to how well the litter will combine cat urine into hard lumps that can be scooped out. Generally, clumping litters will help to control odor better than non-clumping ones. The stronger the litter can clump, the better it is at controlling odor.
Low Dust for Low Tracking
This is also very important for your Persian cat, as you do not want litter sticking to your cat’s paws and then “tracking” it around. The less dust there is to deal with, the less likely it is to be spread around your house by the cat.
This, unfortunately, is a disadvantage to clay based clumping cat litter as it can produce copious amounts of dust. Dust not only causes a mess, as cat paws track it around the house, but can also be an irritant for cats and humans scooping the litter box.
Clay based litters are not the only dust heavy options, as some natural litters are also dust heavy.
Size of the Granules
This is one component that is very important for Persian cats, if the litter isn’t good at clumping, because the larger the granule, the less likely it is to stick to your cat.
This is also dependent on the material of the litter (covered later). This can be a tricky component to make your cat happy though as some cats prefer the fine-textured litter, but coarse litter is less likely to be tracked around your house.
Larger, coarser, granules are also safer for kittens that are less than three months old. Kittens in that age range have a higher chance of inhaling or swallowing fine-grained litters.
Cost
The price of the litter can be a big factor in determining what you buy. A clay based clumping litter, usually much cheaper than others, may be very appealing to new and old cat owners alike.
The cost of cat litter, however, goes beyond what you pay at the store. The idea that “you get what you pay for” can be very true with cat litter.
If you must change cheap litter more often than other brands, you may end up spending more over a month or year.
Therefore, it may be a good idea to try different brands in the beginning, to see if you can find a nice balance between what your cat likes and what you like to spend.
What Is It Made Of?
Now we may investigate the materials used for different types of litters, all of which have different varieties used to help keep from being too messy with long-haired cats.
Corn
Corn-based cat litter is considered an option for Persians because of its absorbency and clumping abilities. It is also less likely to stick to your cat’s fur. It is biodegradable and provides odor control. Corn based litters come in scented and unscented formats.
Wood
These are usually made with recycled pine scraps that are heat-treated to remove oils, allergens, and toxins from the wood. Pine litter comes in different varieties such as granules, pellets, or roughly crushed pine.
The granule and crushed varieties have clumping ability, but the pellet form will turn to sawdust and must be replaced regularly.
Silica Gel Crystals
These crystals are made of tiny silica gel beads. They are very similar to the tiny pouches of desiccant used to help preserve any product (such as food or medication) that can be damaged by excessive moisture.
This type of litter controls odor well, is considered low dust, and is highly absorbent.
The cost of crystal litters is usually more expensive, but also tend to last longer than other types. Some known issues, however, are that some cats do not like getting the crystals on their paws.
Clay
Clay is the most typical, cheapest, type of cat litter you will find on the market. You can get clay-based cat litter in both clumping and non-clumping varieties.
As the owner of a Persian, you are going to want the clumping version of any clay-based cat litter. Typical drawbacks are that clay can be heavy, dusty, and is not biodegradable.
Recycled Paper
Based on our research, when choosing cat litter of this variety, you will need to know if it is granule or pellet based. Granules can clump your cat’s waste, helping with it not clinging to your cat’s hair.
Pellets will not clump, but if they are large enough, or have other engineering applied, they may not stick either.
Other Natural Types
Other natural types of cat litter are made from grass, walnut shells, and wheat.
- Wheat cat litter is made from ground wheat. It provides odor control and can clump. It is biodegradable, low on dust and tracking.
- Walnut shell cat litter is highly absorbent, biodegradable, has excellent odor control and can clump.
- Grass cat litters are relatively new. Some brands are fine-grained and help with not sticking to cat fur. It has good clumping ability which helps to control odor, and it is also biodegradable.
What Are My Choices Then?
Now that we have looked at different factors, such as what types of cat litter will be better for a Persian. The important question comes down to what are the best options out there?
We have looked over several products to view their overall ratings and have found 6 products worth looking at.
1. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat: Cat Attract Scoopable Cat litter
Click/ Tap Here For More Images!
This cat litter is unique in the list because it was originally designed to help train or re-train cats to their litter box. It does this using a natural herb attractant.
It also features optimized texture a particle size to appeal to picky cats. It is an all-natural (clay), 99% dust free, hard clumping cat litter that comes in 20 and 40-pound bag varieties.
Dr. Elsey’s cat litter does an excellent job of clumping, according to reviews. The clumps are considered hard and stay hard if you get them between 3 and 4 days of appearance.
After the 4 day mark some deterioration can occur. It is known to control cat feces and urine well and keeps both toward the top of the box. This makes identification and disposal easy.
This brand of cat litter is said to be cost efficient as the clumps use a usual amount of litter so the bag can last for some time.
The smell of this litter is considered very subtle, which is nice for a clay-based litter. Many clay litters can smell putrid even before they are exposed to cat waste, making this brand a nice alternative.
Dr. Elsey’s cat litter will also mask the smell for several days after a cat uses the litter box. This is also true for multi-cat litter boxes, although it is recommended that you cut down on how long you wait to maintain the box if you have more than one cat.
As this is a heavy litter, it does not track much outside of the litter box because it is hard to kick around or stick to the cat when they leave the box.
Clumps usually stay hard and are easy to remove so the messiness of this litter is very low. There is a little dust but not enough where it is seen as a problem based on most customer reviews.
Essentially, this can be a very low requirement litter if you have a timely waste cleaning system as appropriate for how many cats you own.
Pros:
- Great, hard clumps
- Hides cat waste odors for several days
- Low maintenance and cleanup
- Great overall price
Cons:
- Clumps can be a bit heavy
- Does have some dust
You can get Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat: Cat Attract Scoopable Cat litter here!
2. Nature’s Miracle Intense Defense Clumping Litter
Click/ Tap Here For More Images!
This product advertises that it combines powerful odor control technology with the intense performance of bentonite to help maximize odor protection.
The product is listed as being very aggressive at odor control. It also has a target audience of budget buyers looking for affordable litter that will meet their needs.
According to reviews, the litter is very good at clumping. The clumps encase all the waste and are hard. The clumps stay hard for several days.
One downside, however, is that the clumps can be larger than other cat litter brands produce. This means that you may use more of the box quicker than you were hoping.
So, you may need to judge how much you are using/paying over a month if you are truly concerned with cost.
Despite being listed as “fragrant free,” users noticed there is a typical clay-like smell associated with the litter. Though many said the intensity of the smell was not to the point where it becomes any sort of problem.
In terms of overall odor control, something the product is meant for, it does a great job of locking away the smell for several days. This is true even for litter boxes used by more than one cat.
The odor control is likely due to the use of bentonite and the great clumping ability of the litter. Many were impressed with the lack of ammonia odor with the use of this litter
In terms of messiness, cleanup is considered by easy. The hard clumps are easy to identify and remove from the box and the cat waste is absorbed into the granules without issues.
There is little tracking around the house to be worried about as the dust is mostly in check.
Pros:
- Great clumping
- Good odor control
- Easy cleanup
Cons:
- Does have a clay-like smell
- Can be used quicker than intended
You can get Nature’s Miracle Intense Defense Clumping Litter here!
3. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat – Long Haired Cat Litter
Click/ Tap Here For More Images!
Another entry from the Dr. Elsey’s brand, this one was formulated specifically for long haired cats like your Persian.
Geared toward both single-cat and multi-cat households that have long haired cats and struggle using other types of litter. It uses liter granules that are optimized to minimize tracking mess from long-haired cats.
These granules are also designed to be hypoallergenic, which is nice for the owners who must scoop out the waste.
It is also stated that this litter is useful to owners who do not wish to remove clumps or are open to trying out materials other than clay. This product, unfortunately, is also more expensive than other cat litters.
In terms of clumping ability, what we usually look for to reduce clinging to your Persian, this product is not intended to do it. Instead, the crystals absorb the moisture and then break down for removal.
The litter is scented with perfume but does not seem to be overpowering or problematic for cats or owners. It does an acceptable job of masking urine and feces odors for several days.
This is likely due to the herb and silica gel composition. Since the litter does not clump, it is not able to “lock” in odors like other litters are able to do. This makes timely removal more important with this litter.
Also due to the non-clumping nature of this cat litter, it can be messier to clean up. Using a scoop with clumps is easy to remove but removing areas of broken-down crystals and feces is more laborious.
If you are not careful, or used to clumps, you can accidentally spread the mess around. The messiness, however, is largely contained to owner clean-up which can be overcome.
The product itself does its job as intended and does not stick to your Persian or long-haired cat. There are some slight issues of dust getting outside the litter box that has been mentioned.
Pros:
- Will not stick to cat fur, even on long-haired cats
- Acceptable odor control
- Non-clay alternative
Cons:
- Can be messy to clean up
- Expensive
- Cat waste smells can be kicked back up
You can get Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat – Long Haired Cat Litter here!
4. Healthy Pet ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Litter – Long Hair
Click/ Tap Here For More Images!
Another product intended specifically for long-haired cat breeds like your Persian. This offers a wood-based litter for cats that have had problems with clay litters or crystal-based litters.
As this is wood-based, it also appeals to any owners who consider themselves eco-friendlier with their product choices. The wood has natural scents to it, making it ideal for those who are sensitive to artificial perfumes.
Unlike some of the other brands listed, this product is considered best for single-cat households or litter boxes that have low traffic. It is also considered to be one of the more expensive cat litters to buy over time.
This product is also unique, because it is specially made for long-haired cats by making the pellets large. This relates to granule size mentioned earlier in the article.
The larger size of the pellets makes them harder to latch on to the cat’s hair. Wood-based litters are also uncommon to use in the cat litter world.
While many people found that this litter does a good job at clumping, they noticed that it is better at clumping urine than it is feces.
The pellets expand and break down into semi-hard clumps that are easily noticeable when urine hits them. With feces, however, the pellets do not absorb and break down as well, which can create a “gooey” mess.
This is one reason people recommend using this product with single-cat households, or in situations where each cat is trained for a specific litter box, as the mess can become out of hand if not handled in a timely manner.
In terms of being beneficial for a Persian, the product does a good job of not being tracked outside the box because of its larger size. Since the litter is wood pellets, there is essentially no dust to deal with either.
Overall, this product seems to be a good choice for dealing with the mess outside the box (what your cat takes with him/her) at the slight cost of increased mess for the owner to clean up. Again, this is only a known issue with cat feces.
Pros:
- Handles urine well
- Very little tracking
- Natural wood scents
Cons:
- Can be expensive
- Inferior feces clumping
You can get the Healthy Pet ökocat Natural Wood Clumping Litter – Long Hair here!
5. Arm & Hammer Litter Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter
Click/ Tap Here For More Images!
Based on the reviews, this litter has excellent clumping ability, a decent price, and lasts for a good length of time. Many buyers have talked highly about its ability to clump, causing easy identification of waste for easy removal.
This is due to hard clumps being formed that do not quickly dissolve into a mess. This is due to a special blend of moisture-activated micro-granules that seal around the cat waste.
There is also a high degree of agreement on the litter’s low dust factor. Which means that your Persian cat will have less getting on their paws or fur. Which translates into less mess outside of the litter box, that is always a good thing.
The clumping ability also lends to good odor control. With many reports that the odor can be masked for 4 to 7 days. This is, of course, dependent on the traffic of your litter box. The fewer cats, the longer you will get control.
Pros:
- Hard clumps
- Easy cleanup
- Strong Odor control
- Decent pricing
Cons
- Not entirely dust-free
You can get the Arm & Hammer Litter Clump & Seal Multi-Cat Litter here!
Conclusion
Choosing the right cat litter comes down to two main factors, whether your Persian will track it outside of the litter box, and whether it will latch on to their hair.
As we have seen with the examples, you can find acceptable litters made with different materials.
So, the materials come down to personal preference and the way the materials are used determine if it will be good for your home.
Products that have low dust, odor control, and good clumping are some of the top products in sales when owners are worried about not having a mess outside the box.
No comments:
Post a Comment