Crystal Cat Litter or Clumping Litter: What Is a Better Choice?

Your adorable little munchkin is the lifeblood of your family, and, by all accounts, you are probably prepared to give her everything her little heart desires. Did she break your grandma’s favourite vase? Well, that thing was already hideous, and let’s be real, you can’t really stay too mad at her, as she is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life.

But does she start to exhibit signs of cognitive stress, and have you noticed some behavioural patterns that are not exactly encouraging? Then, you should probably start thinking about investing in some specific cat accessories, such as scratching posts or litter boxes.

Why is it important to purchase a litter box when your pup is more than happy to wait and do his business outside, a couple of times per day? Well, 1) I don’t know if you noticed, but your kitty doesn’t exactly resemble the basic specs of the canine species, and 2) cats are unique compared to other types of pets, as they have a natural tendency to bury their waste and conceal their scent from other predators or potential prey.

Whether you are a fan of crystal cat litter or you rely solely on good-old clumping cat litter, the important thing is to consider at least one option, as without a clean and properly ventilated litter box, your kitty is likely to become stressed and where stress and kitties meet, disaster soon follows.

Why Do You Need to Invest in Top-Quality Litter?

Cats are naturally clean animals, and without a clearly designated place in which they can carry out their business and bury their droppings, they can oftentimes get stressed, express behavioural tendencies that you want to avoid, and also have frequent accidents that will make your house smell like Joe Exotic’s former zoo. High-quality litter sand can:

• Make your kitty more likely to use her litter box, and thus avoid accidents outside of her designated potty zone
• Keep unpleasant smells under control, as premium cat litter can stick to cat droppings or partially mask its musk
• Make cleaning faster and more efficient, as you can simply scoop what there is to scoop
• Save you money in the long run as quality litter often lasts longer, has better absorption and requires less frequent replacements.

In the end, it’s a matter of quality. Going for low-quality litter is probably fine from time to time, but if you’re planning to do this for the long run, you need to consider the potential ramifications to your kitty’s health. Low-quality clumping cat litter often produces a lot of dust, which can impact your kitty’s upper respiratory tract, while cheap crystal cat litter can sometimes have poor absorbency properties. Speaking of:

Why Choose Clumping Cat Litter?

Most kittens learn to bury their waste by the time they’re 12 weeks old, but how fast the process takes can also depend on the type of litter you decide to use. Why should you choose clumping cat litter? Well, I say let’s break it down via pros and cons.

Pros:

It’s Easy to Clean

As the name suggests, clumping cat litter sticks to the surface of the kitty’s droppings as it reacts to humidity. It makes cleaning much easier, as the area affected by urine and faeces can simply be scooped away, in visible clumps, and instead of changing the entire litter box every couple of days, you can simply scoop the areas in which your kitty did her business.

It’s Great for Odour Control

As you can imagine, since the faeces and urine are trapped in compacted clumps, the moisture cannot spread as easily through the tray, which can reduce the impact of odour-producing bacteria. While not as efficient as trapping odours as high-quality crystal cat litter, clumping clay is still a good choice in this regard and does a fine job in most circumstances.

It’s Cheap and Familiar

Most cats are quite content with the overall texture of clumping clay-based litter, as it resembles the soft soils they would’ve encountered in their natural environment. Plus, clumping clay litter is cheap, widely available, and can make it easy to spot problems with your kitty’s bathroom habits.

Cons:

It’s Heavy

Clay is clay, and even though it’s quite useful for keeping your kitty’s droppings in place, there is no doubt that purchasing it in bulk can be quite problematic if you do your shopping in person. Bentonite is quite dense, and for this reason, clay-based litter bags can be quite hard to carry.

It Leaves Dust

Now, this is mostly a problem with low-quality clumping clay-based litter, but even premium options are not free from it. As it dries, clumping clay can produce dust, which can be carried in the rest of your house and, in some cases, even impact your kitty’s respiratory system.

Crystal Cat Litter

Pros:

Great Odour Control

Premium-quality crystal cat litter is even better at absorbing smells than bentonite, as silica gel is fantastic at capturing moisture, and thus starving odour-causing bacteria from a medium in which they can successfully reproduce.

It’s Long Lasting

Since they can absorb a surprising amount of moisture for their small weight, crystal litter needs to be replaced less frequently than you might expect, and thus, even though they are more expensive to purchase, they can be an economical option, depending on the offers you find

It Doesn’t Produce Dust

This is perhaps the biggest benefit. Crystal litter doesn’t produce the same level of dust as clay-based litter, and thus is perfect for kittens suffering from allergies or for owners who want to minimise residues around the litter box.

Cons

It Is More Expensive

Even though it doesn’t require frequent replacements, crystal litter is oftentimes more expensive to purchase. Plus, since the texture is different from what they’re used to, some cats could decide not to use it.

It Doesn’t Clump

This is the biggest disadvantage. Crystal litter doesn’t form solid lumps around the kitty’s droppings and urine, and thus, everything is left in the open, which can be quite a spectacle for sore eyes. Moreover, since nothing is clumped together, scooping this mess out can oftentimes be more challenging.