This is the article you need to read if you’re looking for the best litter for multiple cats in your household. Having more than one feline in your domicile means special considerations when it comes to choosing a good brand, how much to use, and what material to look for. And that’s just the starting point.
I know, it’s no fun to deal with problems like tracking litter around the house, foul odors, and whatever else.By nature, cats are relatively clean creatures. But when guests come over and they smell the litter box before they even see your cats, that’s kind of humiliating. Choosing the best brands that do what you need for however many cats you have is how you gain a foothold.
Unless you are one of the lucky few who has managed to toilet train a cat (strange, but true), you need litter…There’s a lot of brands out there, but they are not all created equal. Sometimes it’s through trial and error. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be.
A Spotlight on Some of the Best Cat Litter Multiple Cats 2022
For those of you in a hurry, or don’t enjoy reading, I have compiled my list here so you can see the top contenders up close in one place.
 | Clump and Seal Slide by Arm and Hammer | ||
 | TidyCats Lightweight Unscented | ||
 | TidyCats Multi Cats | ||
 | World's Best Litter-Multiple Cat Formula | ||
 | Arm & Hammer Double Duty |
How I Picked the Best Litter Multiple Cats
Well, three words…first hand experience. My long career as a cat lady has meant that trying out different litters is second only to trying new foods. When I have been shopping for cat litter, I look at three major things…the price, the components, and the value for both. I’ve used brands that were downright awful and those that were excellent, and a few were in-between.
Purina Tidy Cats Clumping Litter For Multiple Cat Households
I thought we’d start off by talking about my favorite brand – TidyCats. We spotted this on one shopping excursion
(Wal-mart) and it looked like a good deal. I couldn’t pass up the container that doubles as a storage bucket – the carrying handle is so much easier to handle than those bulky cardboard cartons. It’s a heavyweight at 35 pounds, but the ideal size for more than one cat.
It does have a fragrance added, but it’s mild and slowly dissipates over time and doesn’t overpower me with “perfumy”-ness. It clumps great and there isn’t much dust sifting through the air when being dispensed. If you just arrived at the door – you wouldn’t even know I had cats right away – odor control is super.
What I like best:
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- Produces tight clumps
- Produces very little residual dust
- The fragrance is subtle
- There’s little to no odor
- Handy storage bucket design (you can reuse it)
What I don’t like:
- It’s heavy, no big deal of course…
- Also special care needs to be taken when opening a new container.as some of the plastic edges are sharp.
Tidy Cats Lightweight UnscentedThis one has always been my go-to fav…if I can get it, these days, it’s kind of a crapshoot – sometimes I can’t find the unscented and will opt for the one with Glade in it. Thankfully, the Glade scent gradually evaporates but when I first open it up it’s very potent. I love how much lighter it is, as it comes in a large jug with carrying handle on the side, I’ll buy 2 at a time as it takes one to fill each box.
It dos clump well, no complaints there. When I first pour it in the box a little residual dust sifts around a little, one small caveat is that because it isn’t as dense, the cats track it out more easily, but since they “go” in a covered box most of it stays where it should and whatever gets out I sweep up easily. It really does live up to its name – it weighs half of what conventional litter does. Literally eight and a half pounds. Nice to not have to break a sweat lugging a heavy container to the car! The one downside of it, though, is it does seem to leave more dust. When I’m “scooping the poop” is when it’s more noticeable, but then again, if I don’t take the lid off, it’s not that bothersome.
What I like about it:
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- It’s less dense and easier to handle
- No strong perfume scent
- Does a good job of clumping
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What I don’t like as much:
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- It produces a little more residual dust than the standard weight litter
- Cats do track it a little
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Arm and Hammer Double Duty
You can’t go wrong with Arm and Hammer anything – it’s a trusted brand that’s been around for ages and never lets me down, so naturally I gravitate towards their brands of cat litters,. I bought the DD when I just had Buddy and Cosmo. it comes in a large cardboard carton with carrying handle.
It’s 14 lbs, but the carrying handle makes it easier. Although A&H also makes a “Multi-Cat” variety too, I find this one very satisfactory, in that the fragrance, if any is very subtle, the litter pellets are compact, clumping takes place well, and my guys don’t track it everywhere. Plus, the cardboard box is recyclable. The one 14-lb carton is usually enough to fill up one box.
With the addition of baking soda and charcoal, no one knows right away that I even have cats. I would definetely recommend it for those of you with more than one kitty.
What I like about it:
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- No overpowering fragrance
- Clumps firmly
- Cats don’t track it much
- Box is biodegradable
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What I don’t like as much: Nothing really to knock on – I’m very pleased.
Arm & Hammer SlideThis is another brand I got not too long ago that I’m pleased with so far. It’s a 14 pound box that is biodegradable afterward. It is formulated to not stick as much as conventional brands. Out of the box, the fragrance, if any (box didn’t say) was very subtle. It also didn’t kick up dust either, which is great if changing the cat box makes you sneeze from all those loose particles’ residue in the air floating around. It was about an hour before I found it had been “christened” by one of my cats. The lack of dust meant that when I scooped the poop, there were much less particles going out too. So that was good.
I think it is a little more dense than the Arm and Hammer DD described earlier. I tilted the litter box from side to side and it definitely had more of a turgid feel. Though I always use a scoop, I thought I’d do this to see if the waste matter really did “slide” out. I did see a “gift” in the corner I’d missed (these are the hardest to get.)
Also didn’t notice much, if any, that got tracked out. Another high point if you’ve ever stepped on scattered litter granules. Hasn’t been quite 14 days yet (as the box claims) but so far, so good.
My only (small) nitpick is it didn’t fill up the tote I had prepared (it probably was about 2″ in depth), so I gather the 14 pound size presented is made strictly for litter pans, so if you use those instead this may be a good option.What I liked about it:
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- Scent is pleasant
- Clumps are very firm and less particles go out with them
- Less litter gets tracked out
- Dust free
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What I didn’t like as much: The quantity-it’s better suited to flat pans.
World’s Best Cat LitterI know most of us are a little suspicious of anything that claims to be the best of something, as it doesn’t always live up to the hype. But I have to tell you you won’t be disappointed in this one if you’re looking for an alternative to clay. Instead of clay pellets, it’s made from dehydrated corncob fibers, and better yet – it’s flushable. Yes, you heard that right. On those messy rainy days when you don’t feel like dragging one more thing out to the trash, these biodegradable pellets will soon become your new best friend.
There are several different types, with different scents – lavender is one of them. Opinions from those did tend to vary. Although a majority of people had a good experience, there were a few exceptions – people who were using automatic cleaning litter boxes – sometimes the material in the litter did not work well.
So if you’re seeking a great litter for two cats or more that will not stink to high heaven and clumps well, look no further. Or at least give it a go.
What I like about it:
- Septic-safe-can be flushed
- Clumps well
- Eco-friendly
What I don’t like as much:
- Some people didn’t like the odor
- A few remarks that it wasn’t compatible with their device (e.g LitterRobot)
Runner-Up Arm & Hammer Multi Cat
I felt I’d be amiss if I didn’t mention this one I bought a few weeks ago. You know that obnoxious perfumy aroma some litters have, that singes your nostrils almost as bad as your cats’ deposits? Well take heart as this one actually smells FANTASTIC! You may even forget to do your daily scoop as it will be that unnoticeable.
Only thing is it may run a little thin amongst 3 cats, unless you plan to change it all out at least within a month. Or double up and buy 2 cartons, to support your cats’ love of digging.
Best Litter Multiple Cats Buyers Guide
Now that I’ve shared my favorite brands let’s go over the most important factors when choosing good litter for multiple cat residences.
Clumping vs. Non-Clumping
I have always despised “old school” clay litter, When I got my “debut” (first official) cat in 1991, I was introduced to clumping litter, which is what I got used to, and wouldn’t have it any other way. Clumping litter is exactly how it sounds, When your cat pees or poops the granules in the litter “stick” around it, making it easier to scoop. How did we ever live without it?
For the ease and increased convenience of being able to scoop out waste, many cat owners unanimously prefer clumping litter. I’m not alone there.
There’s a few instances in which non clumping cat litter would be preferable – such as post-op cats. The individual litter granules could be a little rough on the incision if they’ve recently had a surgical procedure. When my guys had been spayed and neutered, I was encouraged to use newspaper shredding (which they did NOT take to at all – had to find something else…) Also, with cats that are diabetic or have kidney issues, as well as young kittens. In these cases it’s a good idea to stay on top of the cats’ urinary status, which clumping type litter may make more difficult.
How Much Litter Will You Need?Experts always say you need one litter box per cat and then an extra. With that logic I’d need 4. A lot of this is because of the territorial nature of cats. When you have more than one cat it does mean having to be more on top of cleaning duties. Not to mention that it will be much more advantageous to buy in bulk. On average, for me, a 14-pound container of litter will fill one box adequately. I do like to top it off with more than that if I can.
You also have to fill up boxes with a certain depth, as cats love to dig, and they always, on instinct, bury their “business”. I have a covered litter box I made for my cats using one of those big 12-gallon totes that I cut a hole in the lid and they can come and go as they please instead of buying a conventional litter pan. It helps cut down on all that messy tracking, regardless of which brand of litter I use. They also have more privacy too.
The typical litter pan is about 4″ deep. I remember using these years ago, and used them when my cats were kittens and needed a shallower pan to be easier to climb in and out of. Ideally, at least 3″ of litter should be used. Depending on how many cats and litter pans are present. When I fill/refill my litter “totes” I try to get in the ballpark of 5″ so they have ample room to dig – no joke, some day s it sounds like they’re doing an excavation in there.
Maintenance and Changing
Also it’s important to do a periodic change-out of the litter. Depending on how many cats you have, this could be every month or every eight weeks. Ammonia, which is ever-present in cats’ urine, can build up quickly. Another thing I made use of was pan liners – It made doing full changes much easier.
I also start out, between changes, putting down a buffer – I do this by tracing a piece of cardboard around the bottom of the box and cutting it to size, to go in the bottom . One small problem with clay based litter is that some parts of it stick to the bottom. The cardboard buffer I make fits in the nooks and crannies of the tote box and catches all those wet clumps the “pooper scooper” may miss. Makes things easy. I’d encourage you to do this too.
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Making “Scents”
Some litters that you find are scented. Personally, I don’t like the scented type as much as it seems like the fragrance added makes it worse. It’s like perfume…it doesn’t negate the smell of cats’ poop, Instead its like covering it up, the best deodorizer is always baking soda. I sprinkle a little in after I do a few “dips” and it keeps odor under control way better than any of those fragrances.
Sometimes the unscented kind I prefer is sold out and I have to grab one of those fragrant ones anyway. However, the use of baking soda in the box tends to help keep that part from being bothersome. It’s not always that bad, though…when you are replacing litter and opening up a fresh container, the fragrance is at its highest peak, but it dos dissipate over time.
Non-scented litters are sometimes equipped with baking soda and charcoal, two of the best natural deodorizers – and no obnoxious perfume that will knock you over about as much as the smell of cat poop!
Which Material?The variety of materials used in cat litter is more varied now than it used to be. Clay is the most common litter component, mainly bentonite, kaolite, and sepiolite. Or a combination of these, regardless of whether they are formulated to clump or not. Some people are looking into natural ingredients like wheat, corn, pine, and sawdust. In some cases, cats too, like us, have allergies, and the less dust or fragrance present, the better.
A crystallized synthetic silica is one of the newest ingredients that’s come along. Some cats aren’t picky about what kind of substance they “go” in. Others are more finicky. A case in point. Like most kids, I enjoyed playing in the sandbox. Much to my chagrin, the neighbor’s cat had defiled it … Putting a cover on it put an end to the unwanted “night deposits”. Lol.
One time I was out at Ingles and a certain brand caught my eye because it was made with shredded corncob fibers. I think it did well in the deodorizing department, but I don’t think my cats took to it well. It didn’t clump well, either. At the end of the day the whole thing got damp. Some materials no matter how well are advertised, just don’t bode well. The presence of paper fibers, since paper is highly porous, could mean that dampness and moisture will set in easily, and require more frequent changing.
Conclusion
Well, I hope I have enlightened you well on the topic of litter – wow, didn’t realize how much goes into perfecting the ultimate kitty sandbox, am I right? When you think about how many trips your little guys will be visiting it, it makes sense. You should also be better equipped to make a smart decision on picking the best litter for your multiple cat household, and how to best use it. Good luck to you my fellow cat people ????.
My only (small) nitpick is it didn’t fill up the tote I had prepared (it probably was about 2″ in depth), so I gather the 14 pound size presented is made strictly for litter pans, so if you use those instead this may be a good option.What I liked about it:
How Much Litter Will You Need?
Making “Scents”
Which Material?
