5 Best Natural Cat Litters in 2022: Recommendations & Reviews

Natural cat litter is a healthier option for your cat because it doesn’t contain the artificial chemicals and fragrances that can cause allergic reactions in some cats. Natural cat litter is also better for the environment because it doesn’t leech chemicals into the soil, and its biodegradable. If you want to use natural litter for your cats but aren’t sure what you are looking for, keep reading while we review several types. We’ll give you the pros and cons of each kind and tell you if our cats like it to help you make an educated purchase.

A Quick Comparison of Our Winners (2022)

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		Naturally Fresh Cat Litter	Low dust Absorbent Lightweight	Check Latest Price
Best Value		Purina Tidy Cats Pure Nature	Clumping Biodegradable Good odor control	Check Latest Price
Premium Choice		Swheat Scoop Unscented Premium+ All-Nature’s Cat Litter	Flushable Wheat-based Natural odor control	Check Latest Price
		Nature’s Miracle Premium Clumping Corn Cob Litter	Soft Low dust Fast clumping	Check Latest Price
		K KAMY’S ZOO I AM TOFU	Flushable Absorbent Tofu based	Check Latest Price

The 5 Best Natural Cat Litters

1. Naturally Fresh Cat Litter – Best Overall

Naturally Fresh Cat Litter is our pick as the best overall. It’s a walnut-based litter that uses crushed walnut shells and is very soft on your cat’s feet. It has much less dust than clay litters, is more absorbent, and the clumps are tight and won’t fall apart as you are scooping. It’s lightweight, so it’s available in huge bags, and it’s 100% biodegradable. The walnuts are renewable each year, and the trees are also useful for wood.

The downside of using Naturally Fresh Cat Litter that we experienced was that it’s easy to kick out of the litter box since it’s so light. It’s a dark color, so it’s not always easy to see the little treasures your cat leaves you, and you might find yourself spending a little more time than usual cleaning it out. It also has an odd smell that some people might not like.

All in all, though, we think this is the best natural cat litter out there.

2. Purina Tidy Cats Pure Nature – Best Value

Purina Tidy Cats Pure Nature is our pick as the best natural cat litter for the money. It’s a great-smelling natural liter that uses cedar, pine, and corn as its main ingredients. This healthiest cat litter is super absorbent and will help you control odor for several days, and it’s lightweight, so you won’t be struggling to pour it into the litterbox. It’s soft on your cat’s paws, doesn’t track around your home, and is 100% biodegradable.

Our cats all like using Pure Nature, but we found it a little dusty, and it would leave a film of it on nearby surfaces. The clumps are fragile and break easily, so it can be challenging to remove all of the waste from the box, and even though it smelled nice and didn’t seem to bother our cats, we prefer litters without fragrance.

When it comes to budget picks, we think this is the

3. Swheat Scoop Unscented Premium+ All-Nature’s Cat Litter – Premium Choice

Swheat Scoop Unscented Premium+ All-Nature’s Cat Litter is our pick for premium natural cat litter. It uses wheat as its base and doesn’t have any artificial chemicals or fragrances. It’s 100% biodegradable, and you can even flush it if you want to for the ultimate inconvenience. The wheat is highly absorbent, and it clumps to lock odors in a tight ball that is easy to remove. It’s also soft on the cat’s feet and lightweight, but not so your cat will kick it out of the box too often, and there is no chemical fragrance.

The downside to Swheat is that it can be quite dusty, especially when you are pouring it into the box. This dust tends to get on the cat’s paws, and they often leave a trail of footprints leading away from the litterbox. These small problems would be easier to tolerate if it wasn’t one of the most expensive litters on this list.

4. Nature’s Miracle Premium Clumping Corn Cob Litter

Nature’s Miracle Premium Clumping Corn Cob Litter is a natural cat litter that uses crushed and ground cat litter as its base. It’s extremely low dust and clumps quickly to lock in moisture and odor. It’s 100% biodegradable and renewable, so it’s better for the environment, and it contains no fragrance. It’s also soft on the cat’s paws, and ours enjoyed digging in it.

The downside to Nature’s Miracle Premium is that it contains fragrances to help manage odors. However, perfumes can be too strong for your cat, especially if you use a covered litterbox. We also found that this litter can cling to your cat’s feet, and it will track into your house, and the clumps that formed were fragile and would break when trying to scoop them out.

5. K KAMY’S ZOO I AM TOFU

K KAMY’S ZOO I AM TOFU is the last type of litter on our list, but it’s still a great litter. It uses tofu which is only soybeans and corn starch. There are no artificial ingredients or colors, and it is non-toxic to cats. It creates very little dust and is extremely absorbent. You can even flush the waste for convenience, and it’s 100% biodegradable. We prefer the natural scent, but you can also get it with mild honey peach or green tea scents.

Our cats loved this litter, but it is extremely expensive and will cost you more than the others on this list. We also thought that the clumps fell apart too easily, so we couldn’t always remove all of the waste.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting the Best Natural Cat Litter

Choosing the right natural cat litter will largely depend on the type of litter that makes sense for you. Here, we break down the types of natural cat litter so you have an idea of what to expect.

Types of Natural Cat Litter

Walnut

Crushed walnut shells are a great natural litter that is soft and absorbent.  The clumps are tight and will not fall apart as you remove them from the litter box. The downside is that some brands can be quite dusty, especially if it gets old and dry. Walnut shells can also have sharp pieces.

Green Tea

Green tea litter is flushable and creates very little dust, even when you dump it into the pan. They press green tea into pellets that are highly absorbent and don’t track into the house. The downside is that it’s a non-clumping litter some people might not like.

Recycled Paper

Recycled paper is one of the most popular types of natural cat litter because it’s inexpensive, soft on your cat’s feet, and highly absorbent. It makes use of recycled paper and minimizes your cat’s carbon footprint. However, it’s a non-clumping litter that might allow urine to sit on the bottom of the pan.

Wood Fiber

Wood fiber is similar to paper and is sawdust formed into pellets. These pellets are absorbent and lightweight. Some woods like pine can be quite fragrant and will help mask litterbox odors. The downside is that, like paper, it’s non-clumping and can allow urine to sit on the bottom of the pan if you don’t stir it frequently, and sometimes the pellets can fall apart, getting sawdust on your cat’s paws that will track into the house.

Tofu

Tofu is inexpensive, extremely absorbent, and clumps into tight balls, which will help control odors. It’s also 100% biodegradable. Unfortunately, not all brands are the same, and some tofu litters can get mushy when your cat uses them.

Coconut Shell

Coconut shell litter is perfect for people that prefer litter with no odor. Since odors concentrate in enclosed spaces, this is a good choice for covered boxes, and some owners consider it the safest of all litters. The downside to coconut fiber is that it does not control odor too well, nor does it clump so you tend to use quite a bit of it.

Grass

Grass litter can clump well, and it’s usually free of additives. It’s usually not too expensive, is a renewable resource, and is 100% biodegradable. The downside to grass is that it can be quite powdery and may create a lot of dust. It can also stick to your cat’s feet and track into your home. Some brands also don’t clump as well as others, so you might need to do some experimentation.

Wheat

Wheat is a type of grass that is a fine powder litter that is soft on your pet’s feet. It’s less dusty than grass and doesn’t track as much. It clumps well and is biodegradable and renewable. The downside is that you can’t use it with cats that have a gluten allergy.

Corn

Corn is another entirely renewable grain that is also 100% biodegradable. It makes a great cat litter that’s absorbent and controls odors naturally. It’s also inexpensive and is one of the easier brands to find in the local store. However, you shouldn’t use it with cats with a gluten allergy because they might ingest it as they clean off their paws.

Summary

If you are looking for the best natural cat litter or fantastic organic cat litter to try in your home, we highly recommend our pick as the best overall. Naturally Fresh Cat Litter is a walnut litter that is highly absorbent and produces little dust. Most importantly, it quickly absorbs moisture and clumps into a tight ball that is easy to remove. It’s 100% biodegradable and safe for the environment.  Another great choice is Purina Tidy Cats Pure Nature, our pick as the best value. It’s lightweight, clumps well, has good odor control, and our cats enjoyed using it.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this guide and found it helpful and informative. If we have helped you choose a new litter for your cat that’s safe for the environment, please share this guide to the best natural cat litter on Facebook and Twitter.

Featured Image Credit: Yuliya Alekseeva, Shutterstock