If you’ve ever struggled to carry a giant bucket or bag of cat litter up multiple flights of stairs, you know exactly how heavy and unwieldy it can be. Fortunately, there are now several great lightweight options out there.
I love my two cats and want the absolute best for them, so I put together this list of my favorite products to help you choose the best lightweight cat litter for your kitties as well!
Our Top 4 Picks of the Best Lightweight Cat Litters
Glade Odor Protector
This lightweight cat litter is similar to the first one on our list, except that it does not include the Glade scent. The light weight makes it easier to move the pail around, which again results in a finer texture that is cat-approved but does mean that it can be tracked around your home more easily than traditional litter.
The clumping formula includes the same ammonia blocker that will keep your litter box smelling fresh for up to two weeks with proper use, and it’s designed to handle multiple cats’ litter box needs. The clumps form strongly and tightly to make cleaning a breeze and prevent wasting of litter material.
The dust free composition keeps the mess to a minimum, and allows you to breathe easy while cleaning or changing out the litter. As with the first litter on the list, use this one with a litter box that has top entry or a swinging door and place a litter catching mat in front of it to trap any small pieces that can stick to your cat’s paws.
This Purina litter is unscented, so you may notice more of an odor, but if you or your cat are sensitive to artificial scents, this could be a great option for you. Like the Glade option, this one is on the more expensive end of the cat litter spectrum.
Again, you get the same volume of litter in this 17-pound pail as you would in a 35-pound pail of traditional litter.
Pros.
- Lightweight for easy moving
- Clumping formula for easy cleaning
- Ammonia blocker keeps it smelling fresher longer
- Low dust
- Unscented
Cons.
- Lightweight granules can be tracked around your home
- Not biodegradable or flushable
- On the expensive end
Non Clay Litter
This is another lightweight option from Purina. This one is not clay based, and it forms clumps slightly differently than a clay litter does. Since it’s not clay, it is totally dust free, although the small lightweight granules are still likely to be tracked around your home when they stick to your cat’s paws. As with the previous two litters, use a top entry or swinging door litter box and a litter trapping mat to help mitigate this issue.
This litter has a strong scent that may be overwhelming for some cats and humans, but it does cover up waste odor. You can scoop this litter for a week or longer before having to change it out altogether.
Although the non-clay litter may stick to the box more than clay would, it also cleans off much easier. If you find that to be a recurring problem, try adding more litter to make a deeper layer. Scooping daily will of course extend the life of the litter and keep it fresher for longer.
As with the previous two litter options, 17 pounds of this litter gives you the same volume as 35 pounds of traditional litter.
Pros.
- Lightweight for easy moving
- Non-clay formula is totally dust free
- Ammonia blocker keeps it smelling fresher longer
Cons.
- Scent can be overwhelming
- Can stick to the bottom of the litter box
Activated Charcoal Odor Fighter
This lightweight litter uses activated charcoal to naturally fight odors for up to ten days. It’s unscented so it’s appropriate for cats and humans with delicate respiratory systems, and the low dust formula will keep pesky dust out of the air and off your cat.
Fresh Step’s ClumpLock technology quickly absorbs moisture and forms tight clumps so that you can easily clean the box without removing any more litter than necessary, which makes your litter last longer.
As with all lightweight litters, it is much easier to move around the package and change out the litter, but the lightweight granules are smaller and more likely to stick to your cat’s paws, which can lead to litter being tracked around your home. This litter specifically has slightly larger granules than other lightweight litters, so it tends to be tracked less. On the positive side, this 15.4 pound bag of lightweight litter packs the same amount of usage as a 22 pound bag of traditional litter, but it’s much easier to handle and lift.
Keep three to four inches of litter in the box and scoop daily for optimal freshness, and change the litter every ten days or as needed. As always, if you find litter tracked around your home, use a top entry or swinging door litter box and add a litter catcher mat in front.
Pros.
- Lightweight for easy moving
- Low dust formula
- Activated charcoal controls odors
- Larger granules helps prevent tracking
- Clumps tightly for easy cleaning
- Inexpensive
- Unscented
Cons.
- Dust can still be kicked up by cats who dig around a lot
- Not biodegradable or flushable
Hypoallergenic
This lightweight litter uses activated charcoal to naturally fight odors for up to ten days. It’s unscented so it’s appropriate for cats and humans with delicate respiratory systems, and the low dust formula will keep pesky dust out of the air and off your cat.
Fresh Step’s ClumpLock technology quickly absorbs moisture and forms tight clumps so that you can easily clean the box without removing any more litter than necessary, which makes your litter last longer.
As with all lightweight litters, it is much easier to move around the package and change out the litter, but the lightweight granules are smaller and more likely to stick to your cat’s paws, which can lead to litter being tracked around your home. This litter specifically has slightly larger granules than other lightweight litters, so it tends to be tracked less. On the positive side, this 15.4 pound bag of lightweight litter packs the same amount of usage as a 22 pound bag of traditional litter, but it’s much easier to handle and lift.
Keep three to four inches of litter in the box and scoop daily for optimal freshness, and change the litter every ten days or as needed. As always, if you find litter tracked around your home, use a top entry or swinging door litter box and add a litter catcher mat in front.
Pros.
- Lightweight for easy moving
- Two convenient resealable 10 pound jugs
- Unscented
- Odor control technology
- Hypoallergenic and low dust
- Forms tight clumps
- Formulated to prevent tracking
Cons.
- Not flushable or biodegradable
What Are The Advantages of Lightweight Cat Litter?
There are some clear advantages to using lightweight cat litter as opposed to traditional litter. Let’s take a look at some of them.
It Weighs Less
This one is obvious! Lightweight cat litters can weigh up to 50% less than traditional litters, which makes it much easier to transport litter when you are buying it, as well as when you are changing out the litter in your cat’s litter box. It won’t feel like the garbage bag is going to break when you dump used litter into it, and won’t be nearly as physically demanding.
More For Your Money
Since the litter weighs less, you get more volume per pound when you choose a lightweight option. For instance, if you use five pounds of litter to fill the box with a traditional option, you might only need to use three pounds of lightweight litter to fill the box to the same level.
Different Types of Lightweight Cat Litter
There are several different cat litter materials, and most of them have a lightweight counterpart. Let’s take a look at a few different options.
Clumping Clay Litter
Traditional clay litter is quite heavy, but the lightweight options can cut the weight by half! Although clay litter is inherently dusty, there are several formulas available now that are specifically made to minimize dust, and clay litter has the awesome benefit of clumping. This means that when your cat urinates in the box, the clay litter will form a hard clump that you can easily scoop out, leaving the rest of the litter in the box fresh and clean for further use. Clay litter also dehydrated solid waste, which reduces odor.
Clay is an especially great option for cats who like to scratch and dig around in the litter box before and after they use it, because with a non-clumping litter, the waste can get spread around the whole box, meaning you will need to change out the entire volume of litter to clean it.
Cats also usually prefer clay litter because it a finer texture than other options, and it meets their natural desire to keep the litter box area fresh and clean.
Unfortunately, ingesting sodium bentonite clay can be dangerous for cats because it expands nearly 20 times in size when it gets wet. So, when your cat licks the clay dust off her paws and fur, it will settle into her intestines and expand, potentially forming dangerous blockages. This is particularly dangerous for kittens because they have such small digestive systems. Luckily you can avoid this danger by choosing a lightweight clay litter that is low dust or dust free.
Pellet Litters
Pellet litters are virtually dust free so they are great options for people or cats with respiratory issues like asthma or dust allergies. Pellets are usually made from materials like recycled paper, so they are hypoallergenic and biodegradable.
Pellet litter is available in varying weights, but the pellets will always bigger than clay granules, so some picky cats may not like to use the litter box with such a coarse texture. Additionally, pellets do not clump, so keeping the litter box fresh and clean in harder.
Silica Gel Litter
Silica gel litter can be a great lightweight option as well and the crystals are super absorbent, but they can be sharp and unpleasant on your cat’s paws when she goes in the litter box. Smaller and lighter crystals may be easier on the paws.
Other Natural Litters
There are several other options for cat litter that are biodegradable and relatively lightweight, including wood shaving and sawdust, coconut husks, and corn. These options are all dust free and natural, but they are not as light as lightweight clay litter. However, the biodegradability is a plus, although unfortunately, due to the possible presence of dangerous bacteria in cat feces, you shouldn’t place used litter in composting bins or use it as fertilizer.
How To Choose the Best Lightweight Cat Litter
If you or your cat have any known allergens, of course be sure to avoid those substances when choosing a litter. Besides that, choosing litter is mostly personal preference – whether you and your cat prefer clumping litter, whether or not biodegradability is important to you, and how often you plan to clean the litter box and replace the litter. Keep in mind that the finer the grain of the litter, the lighter it will be but the more it will be tracked around your home.
Some litters are artificially scented to cover the odor of your cat’s waste, but the scents can be irritating to your cat’s respiratory system, and can also be cloying and overpowering if there’s not a lot of air flow around the litter box. If you go for a scented litter, choose one that has a mild, fresh scent.
Also keep cost in mind when choosing a litter. Some biodegradable litters can be obtained at no or very low cost, like wood shavings or sawdust from a wood shop, for instance. On the other end of the spectrum, some litters can be very expensive, and if you change out the litter frequently, it can be a significant monthly cost.
Some trial and error may be necessary to find what works best for you, but I’ve reviewed my top five favorite lightweight litter options below to give you a starting point!
Tips For Using Lightweight Cat Litter
Lightweight cat litter is often made of smaller, finer granules than traditional cat litter, which means that the pieces can more easily get stuck to your cat’s paws after she is done in the litter box. Once they are stuck to her paws, chances are she will try to shake them off, scattering pieces of litter all over the area, or she will just walk away, tracking the litter pieces around your home.
To combat this, choose a litter box that has the opening on top, or one with a swinging door. Add a litter catching mat in front of the box so that your cat will walk over it first, leaving the litter pieces on the mat instead of all over your house.
For a kitten younger than three or four months, choose a lightweight litter that does not contain sodium bentonite clay or quartz silica, because as we discussed above, they can get seriously ill. Kittens may not be able to distinguish between litter and food, or if they enter the litter box with damp paws, the litter will stick to them more and they can ingest dangerous amounts when cleaning themselves later.
For those reasons, it’s important to use a non-clumping lightweight litter for kittens, like a pellet or natural substance litter. It’s always better to be safe than sorry with your kitten’s health!
That being said, let’s take a look at my top five picks for lightweight litters!
Reviews - Best Lightweight Cat Litters
Summary
Each of these five options for the best lightweight cat litter has unique pros and cons, but my favorite overall cat litter is the first one, the Purina Tidy Cats LightWeight Glade Odor Solutions Cat Litter. It checks all the boxes for a lightweight, safe, clean, and fresh smelling cat litter, and I know that my cats and I won’t be inhaling dangerous dust. I can spend more time playing with my cats and less time hauling huge bags or buckets of litter around!
This litter had the best clumping formula, and I love that the Glade scent isn’t overpowering but it freshens up the room where I keep the litter box. The lightweight formula means that I don’t have to break my back hauling litter from the car to the house, and a little bit goes a long way with this particular litter, which saves me money in the long run.
I hope this list has been helpful to you, and wish you and your kitties all the best!
1 Comment
I tried the Tidy Cats LightWeight Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Cat Litter, 17-lb box. What I liked. It is lightweight, unscented, controls odor quite well. What I didn’t like. Difficult package. Box said lasts twice as long as it did. Doesn’t clump well or quickly. Stayed slurry for a while after cat peed so tracked clay footprints around that had to be washed off. Also litter tracked a lot. Won’t be using it again.