The Best Dust Free Cat Litters: Review & Comparisons

Why Buy Dust-Free Cat Litter?

One of the first things I consider when deciding which litter I’m going to purchase is how easy it will be to clean. With a busy schedule, I think we can all agree that one of the last things you want to be doing is chasing your cats around the house, tidying dusty paw prints from counters and floors and sneezing through clouds of dust everytime you change the litter box.

Dust-free litter has become a must for me when it comes to avoiding messy litter box changes. Not only does dust-free litter offer a much cleaner approach, but its way healthier for you and your kitties too.

The dust clouds that form when using many common brands of cat litter can be dangerous to both you and your cat’s respiratory systems, especially if either of you are already predisposed to allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions.

Whether it’s for the health benefits or the mess reducing power of dust-free litter, this type of cat litter has become a non-negotiable aspect of my pet care routine.

Can Cat Litter Really Be Dust-Free?

This is a tricky question. While most dust-free cat litters on the market aren’t technically 100% dust-free (although some brands will tell you that they are), there are many brands that offer 99% dust-free options that help immensely in minimizing the dust created around the litter box area.

These no dust litter (or low dust cat litter) options can help to avoid coughing, sneezing and allergic irritations by reducing allergens and irritants for both you and your feline friend, all while keeping your home clean with less dust floating in the air and clinging to surfaces.

Clumping vs. Non-Clumping Litter

When it comes to dust-free litter, there are both clumping and non-clumping options available. For the most part, dust-free litter options are typically of the clumping variety as the agents found in this type of litter tend to reduce the amount of dusty ingredients found in the formula.

While I’ve tested both clumping and non-clumping types of dust-free litter myself, I’ve found my personal favorites to be the clumping variety. They make clean-up easier and clumping litter often lasts a lot longer as you’re usually able to go more time between having to change the litter box in its entirety.

However, I will say that while clumping litter definitely helps in increasing the lasting power of most dust-free litters, one thing that has become really important to me is ensuring that the litter has good odour control.

Because clumping litter clumps together when it has been moistened, deodorizing sprays which have been my go to in the past are sometimes impractical because the moisture can cause the litter to combine.

In order to avoid this unnecessary clumping, finding a cat litter that traps and eliminates odour without any third-party interceptions has become even more important to me in minimizing those unpleasant litter box smells.

The Pros and Cons of Dust-Free Cat Litter

In my opinion, the pros of dust-free cat litter far outweigh the cons that these products have but with that being said there are definitely a few things to consider when deciding whether or not dust-free cat litter is right for you and your pet.

Purchasing a low dust litter tends to be better for our health as well as the health of our feline friends. In addition as I’ve mentioned before, dust-free cat litter is frequently far less messy than some other dustier litter options.

We’ve all seen how much our cats love to dig and shuffle around in their litter boxes and opting for a dust-free litter can help to significantly decrease the dust and debris that gets stirred up whenever our pets use the washroom. 

One of the cons of dust-free litter may just be that your cat doesn’t like it. I think we can all agree that cats can be fussy and if they decide they don’t like something, there’s often no convincing them otherwise. So if your cat doesn’t like the dust-free option you’ve chosen, it might mean having to test a different brand or perhaps returning to your previous dustier cat litter.

In addition, some dust-free cat litters can present themselves as the more costly option when compared to litters that contain more dust. This can also contribute heavily as a deciding factor in choosing which litter is right for you and your cat.

Common Ingredients in Dust-Free Litter and What They Mean

Before getting into the breakdowns of my top five dust-free cat litters it’s important to understand the different types of litter that are available and how they differ from one another.

One of the most overwhelming parts about trying to find the right cat litter is deciphering what all the ingredients mean on the box. From silica gel crystals to more natural ingredients, clumping to non-clumping clay, determining how these ingredients change the composition of the litter you are buying can be confusing and difficult to understand.

I’ve broken down some of the most common types of dust-free litter and what exactly these categories of ingredients can mean for you and your cat in order to help give you a better understanding before making your next litter purchase.

Clumping Clay vs. Non-Clumping Clay – The main difference between clumping and non-clumping litters can be found in their ingredients. Most non-clumping litters are comprised of the ingredient calcium bentonite a type of absorbent clay that will absorb moisture until it reaches the point of saturation. In contrast, non-clumping litters are typically made up of the ingredient sodium bentonite, which varies from calcium bentonite in its ability to clump together when it becomes moist.

Silica Gel Crystals – Silica gel crystals are typically made from a “sodium silicate that is processed with oxygen and water.”This process creates a type of small bead that is typically capable of absorbing nearly 40 times its weight in moisture. While this more synthetic formula for cat litter may seem more risky for your cat’s health, the truth is the silica crystals are developed to be completely safe for you and your favorite feline friend!

Natural Materials – Finally, natural materials  make up the last major category of cat litter ingredients. Whether you’re looking at paper-based, wood-based or other plant-based litters like corn or wheat, there are tons of natural options on the market. Quite often these natural ingredients are made from recycled materials like newspapers, so looking into the treatment and whether or not the litter is free of dyes and ink is important to consider! One of the biggest pluses to this type of litter is that they are often biodegradable which makes them a more environmentally friendly option than some other varieties.

How to Choose the Best Dust-Free Cat Litter

When choosing the best litter for you and your cat, there’s lots of considerations that you need to take beyond whether or not the litter is dust-free or not.

For instance, odour control, clumping abilities and whether or not the formulas are hypoallergenic can play a large factor in deciding whether a litter brand is a good fit for your household or not.

I’ve tried my fair share of dust-free cat litters and after much trial and error, I’ve put together my top five picks here in this article alongside their features, pros and cons.

I hope this post helps you to decide which brand might be the best fit for you and your cat. Let me know in the comments which brands you’ve tried and if any of your favorites weren’t mentioned here!