We’re frequently asked: “what’s the best cat litter for indoor cats?”
As a result, we’ve written this article outlining our favorites based on personal experience, reviews, research and vet advice. Due to the availability of different cat litters, this article targets cat owners living in the USA and Canada. However, if you live in the UK or Europe, please read our UK version of best cat litters.
World’s Best Cat Litter is the best cat litter for indoor cats in 2023. It’s an unscented clumping cat litter with highly effective odor control. Some of its key advantages are infrequent changes, it’s biodegradable, 99% dust-free and safe for cats and kittens (including those with allergies).
Whether your feline friend is an indoor cat or an outdoor adventurer, you’ll know how important it is for your kitty to have access to a clean and fresh litter. When cats don’t have access to a clean litter, they may decide to do their business elsewhere – such as your vegetable patch or your next-door neighbors garden.
You may have even been tempted to toilet train your cat (please don’t!), but we’ve written an article here about why you shouldn’t.
Cats are perfectionist cleaners. Therefore, it’s important that you provide the best cat litter for your cat. Choosing the right product is not only a benefit to your cat by reducing stress to them, but will also result in less frequent changes and it can save you money.
With so many cat litter products out there, it can be difficult to choose the right one. Meow Guide has put in hours of research; we have tried and tested the products ourselves and filtered through hundreds of reviews, watched videos and spoke to vets in order to compile this list of best cat litter for indoor cats.
How to look after your cat’s litter box
Before we get into our favorite cat litter, here are a few tips on how to properly look after your indoor cat’s litter box and get the maximum usage out of the litter you buy.
How many litter boxes should I have?
One of the first things to note is that you should know how many litter boxes you need. Vets and experts in cat welfare generally recommend that you have more litter boxes than cats in your home. Therefore, if you have 2 indoor cats, then you should have at least 3 litter boxes.
Following this rule will mean that you will reduce stress for your cat or cats, and they will always have access to clean and fresh litter.
How often should I change the litter?
An indoor cat litter should be changed weekly, or more frequently if possible. Bag up and throw away all of the litter and then thoroughly clean the litter box with warm soapy water. It’s vital that you give the box a thorough wash, rinse and wipe-down to ensure that the litter won’t be harboring any bad bacteria or smells.
If your cat isn’t a fan of chemical cleaning product smells, try cat-safe cleaning wipes. (Do NOT clean the litter less frequently).
Meow Guide pro tip: If you have underfloor heating, place a heat-insulating mat (styrofoam or wood) under your cat’s litter box. This will prevent the urine that’s absorbed by litter from being heated up and evaporating into the air, which creates nasty smells.
Should I remove waste or top-up?
Just like humans, cats are picky about the hygiene levels of their toilets. To ensure that they’re happy, you should scoop out any clumps or waste daily, followed by topping up the litter to ensure that you maintain the same level of litter for your indoor cat.
Looking after your indoor litter boxes will ensure that your cat or cats aren’t put off using their litter boxes. However, another benefit of quickly dealing with any waste is that any fluids don’t spread as much into other litter particles – leading to you using less litter.
Best cat litter for indoor cats in 2023
Without further ado, here’s our lineup of best cat litter for indoor cats…
World’s Best Cat Litter Clumping Formula
We’re not sure if the product designers at World’s Best Cat Litter knew from the start that they had such an amazing product. However, we cannot recommend World’s Best Cat Litter enough for indoor cats. And we’re not alone! There are thousands of positive reviews to back us up.
World’s Best Cat Litter comes from the USA and is produced using 100% ecological and natural whole-corn kernel, and does a fantastic job at clumping and keeping nasty odors in.
It’s an ideal litter for indoor cats thanks to the natural odor absorbing additives, which are highly effective at odor control. As a plus, your litter box(es) will smell great, too!
When met with urine, World’s Best Cat Litter particles form small clumps that don’t stick to the litter box itself and are extremely easy to remove with a scoop.
If that’s not enough to convince you, this litter is water-soluble and can be flushed down the toilet thanks to its biodegradable formula. (No more single-use plastic bags!)
After using this litter on our own indoor cats, we noticed that this litter is a major improvement over other “quick clumping” litters out there. It’s simply easy to clean, lasts long and keeps smells in – all three are key differentiators when looking for the best litter for indoor cats.
World’s Best Cat Litter Clumping Formula
View photos, full description and pricing on Amazon
Purina Tidy Cats Free & Clean Clumping Cat Litter
Purina’s Tidy Cat’s “LightWeight” cat litter is another great choice for indoor cats.
As the name “LightWeight” suggests, the litter is very light and easy to carry around. In our opinion, this is a major pro when looking for the best litter for indoor cats, since it makes it easy to carry around your home.
In addition to this, Tidy Cats Free & Clean Clumping cat litter is unscented, making it free of fragrances and dyes. If that’s not enough, this product has activated charcoal and features “TidyLock technology”, which is highly effective at keeping odors in and making your indoor litter smell fresh and forms tight clumps that are easy to scoop
Lastly, Tidy Cats Free & Clean is 99.9% dust-free. Not only is that convenient for when you top-up or change the litter, but it also means that your indoor cat won’t be creating a dust cloud that covers all of your furniture every time they need the loo!
Purina Tidy Cats Free & Clean Clumping Cat Litter
View photos, full description and pricing on Amazon
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract Clumping Cat Litter
We were pleasantly surprised by Dr. Elsey’s Premium Clumping cat litter, due to the fact that it’s different from the others we’ve tried and tested. That’s because this litter is designed to attract cats to the litter box using a specific size of particles and a unique herbal blend (much like catnip).
The attraction part alone makes it one of the best cat litters for indoor cats out there. However, Dr. Elsey’s cat litter has superior odor control, is 99% dust-free, low tracking and has a strength suitable for multi-cat use.
The litter itself is made in the United States using clay. Still have doubts? Dr. Bruce Elsey has been a feline vet for over 35 years and his practice cares for over 8,000 cats. To date, Dr. Elsey’s has donated over $10 million to non-profit organizations, shelters, and rescues throughout the US. By buying this litter you will also be supporting the rehoming of abused and abandoned cats.
Overall, this litter checks all the boxes for the best cat litter for indoor cats, plus keeps the litter box a clean, fresh and attractive place for your cat to do their business!
Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract Clumping Cat Litter
View photos, full description and pricing on Amazon
Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Platinum Cat Litter (Multi-Cat)
You may have heard of, or are already using Arm & Hammer cat litter. However, this one is their premium, multi-cat version which eliminates 10% more odor than thair Clump & Seal Fresh litter. This, coupled with their 100% dust-free formula makes it one of the best cat litters for indoor cats. No mess and less bad smell!
Arm & Hammer promises 7-day odor-free locking, which fits perfectly in line with recommended litter changing frequency. Whereas, the multi-cat strength means that you can use this if you have more than one cat, or if you need something stronger.
When met with fluids, plant-derived litter particles form rock hard clumps which are super-easy to scoop out of your indoor cat’s litter box(es).
Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal Platinum Cat Litter (Multi-Cat)
View photos, full description and pricing on Amazon
Dr. Elsey’s Premium Clumping Cat Litter
Another Dr. Elsey’s product, and the final one in our list of best cat litter for indoor cats, is the Dr. Elsey’s Premium Clumping Cat Litter.
Similar to that of the Cat Attract version of Dr. Elsey’s cat litter, this litter has superior odor control, is 99% dust-free, low tracking and has a strength suitable for multi-cat use.
On top of this, this litter is made using natural ingredients, money goes towards a good cause and you are trusting a veterinarian with more than 35 years of experience.
Overall, this litter is great for indoor cats and has a low price tag attached!
Dr. Elsey’s Premium Clumping Cat Litter
View photos, full description and pricing on Amazon
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