Wood pellet cat litter is a severely underappreciated choice for cat’s litter boxes. Though it may seem odd to make litter out of wood pellets, the wood based cat litter material is actually very effective. Of course, being litter made out of wood, it is generally more sustainable, environmentally-friendly, and more affordable than many types of litter.
The Right Litter For Cat Urine
Best Wood Pellet Litter For Your Cat – Pros and Cons
1. Feline Pine Original Cat Litter
Feline Pine is a well recognized name in wood pellet cat litter. It has actually been around since 1992, perfecting their litter, and learning what clients need, which explains why they remain a favorite. Feline Pine is known for their promise of sustainability, in fact their litter is made from no new trees at all. Feline Pine’s original litter is made from entirely recycled southern yellow pine wood. Below are the pros and cons:
Pros
- Made from 100% recycled wood.
- The southern yellow pine tree used to create the pellets is perfect for masking smells and absorbing liquids.
- This litter is so absorbent and effective that 40 pounds of these wood pellets for litter work as efficiently as 114 pounds of a traditional clay litter.
Cons
- Overall, you will be saving some money in comparison to clay litters. But since Feline Pine only sells their litter in a large bulk container, it can be a little bit of an investment for some upfront.
- Since litters are only available in a large container, you cannot test out this litter to see if your cat adjusts well to using it before investing in a big amount.
2. Cypress Fresh Cat Litter with Green Tea
Next Gen’s cypress fresh litter with green tea may have a fancy title, but it is just capitalizing on the properties of common natural ingredients. Hinoki cypress is a softwood which is quite common in Japan, perfect for absorbing and odor control and liquids when in the form of litter wood pellets.
To mask the smell even further, Next Gen has combined the Hinoki wood with green tea leaves that work together used to prevent bacteria growth and funky odors. The cypress fresh litter with green tea is technically flushable so you can dispose of the sawdust litter down the toilet (though it is best not to flush too much at once to make sure you do not clog any pipes.)
Pros
- The cypress fresh litter with green tea has smaller pellets than most other wood pellet cat litters which is great for that transitioning period from traditional clay litters since your cats won’t notice a real difference.
- Next Gen uses only recycled sustainable wood so you can lower your carbon footprint.
- The green tea and hinoki cypress combination really masks any potential smells and prevents bacteria growth that could be potentially harmful for your kitty and for many cat owners.
Cons
- Though this litter is technically supposed to clump, the fact that wood pellet litter doesn’t clump, it will not compare with the clumping capabilities of a traditional storebrand clay litter.
- While this litter is technically flushable, you would want to flush the litter in small amounts to prevent any potential clogging. This can be inconvenient if you have to empty large amounts of litter quickly and at once.
3. Kaytee Wood Pellets for Pets
Kaytee is a wood pellet product for pets, not just for cats. People use it for all pets ranging from horses to chickens to cats, which makes it great for those with a variety of animals. Kaytee wood pellets are made 100% in the United States from American pine trees. That’s why these pellets are extremely moisture-wicking and referred to as pine pellets with natural pine scents.
Pros
- The Kaytee wood pellets for pets are available in smaller bags, which are ideal for cat owners unsure of how their cats will adjust to wood pellet cat litter. This makes a great starting option to test the waters and if your cats don’t end up liking the wood pellets litter, you haven’t made a huge investment or have a large bag of wood pellets that will go to waste.
- These wood pellets are made with all pets in mind, so if you have multiple species of animals in your household you can save some money and just purchase one bag of wood pellets for all your pets.
- The pellets are very small which will make the adjustment period for your cat learning to stand and “release” on wood pellets even easier.
Cons
- Some people have found these wood pellets used to have a strong smell that they do not like.
- While these pine wood pellets are intended for a variety of animals, it is really important to research what animals they are safe for before use them since they can be potentially dangerous to some species. Though they are safe for cats and for cat owners, do some research regarding pine pellets and any other animals in your home before purchasing.
4. Simply Pine Natural Cat Litter
With this brand of litter, the ingredient list is in the name. It’s simple pine, no use of chemicals, no use of additives at all, which makes it safe for cats and naturally fresh smelling. These pellets are smaller than most and made from cracked pine, which makes them soft and easy to use for your cat to stand on. Simply’s litter, similar to all the wood pellets for litters, is extremely absorbent and efficient, and is proven 350% more absorbent than clay litter.
These wood pellets for litter come in a medium-sized 20lb bag, which finds itself somewhere between the huge Feline’s original litter bag and the small Kaytee wood pellets for pets. This makes the Simply litter a decent investment that will save you money in the long run. If your kitty uses it up, that won’t feel like a massive waste of money in the case of your cat not enjoying wood pellets litter.
Pros
- The pine used to create Simply Litter has a pleasant, fresh smell that is relatively light and mild while still strong enough to mask the ammonia smell of cat urine.
- This litter absorbs extremely well. It’s 3.5 times more absorbent than the store-name brand clay litter, so you can save money and product.
- The low dust-free formula is perfect for any cats with allergies or even cats without allergies since cats can be easily bothered by dust.
Cons
- A strange yet specific critique of this wood pellet litter made is the color which is a darker brown shade. This may not seem like a huge issue, but when you consider the color of a cat’s feces, you can see the issue. It can sometimes be difficult to tell what needs to be scooped up and what clean wood pellets that need no scooping.
- Since the smell is relatively mild, you may need to change out the sawdust at the bottom of the litter box more often than with some other wood pellets for litter inside the litter box.
Best Wood Pellet Cat Litter Overview
What is Wood Pellet Cat Litter?
While it may seem strange at first to use wood pellets as kitty litter, in many ways is it less unusual than what most any type of litter like traditional litter is usually made out of; bentonite clay like clay litter because it clumps. Wood pellets for cats make you traditional.
How Wood Pellet Litter Works
Wood pellet litter is a pretty simple, yet rather incredible invention that does not get enough attention. When the softwood pellets come into contact with your cat’s liquid waste they essentially crumble into a sawdust which will completely absorb all the smell and liquid like a sponge.
Using Wood Pellet Cat Litter
How to Use Wood Pellets Litter for Cat Litter Box & How to Scoop Wood Pellet Litter
Wood litter is biodegradable, extremely efficient and requires far less litter than your traditional litter in a sifting litter box. You only need to fill up your litter box with around an inch of the pellets if wood pellets are used.
The wood pellets are biodegradable, non clumping litter and instead crumble up into sawdust which will fall below the other whole pellets. Since it absorbs the odor and liquid, you do not need to worry about emptying the litter box out very often. Your cat’s solid waste on the other hand will just sit on top of the wood pellets and you will still need to scoop it out every day but pellet litter isn’t hard to scoop.
Once the wood pellets start to thin out, you can use a scoop to remove the feces in the litter boxes. Remove the remaining solid ones which you can set aside. Replace the litter or scoop the waste as soon as possible. After all the solid wood pellets are removed by scooping, you will be left with just the sawdust, which you can toss and add in the remaining wood pellets and refill the box. Do not let the wood pellets thin out enough to a point where you can see all of the fallen sawdust before you scoop. So scoop out the solid waste especially if you won’t change the litter yet.
Every time your cat urinates wood pellets will crumble, so it is important to constantly keep up by adding more wood pellets. It is best to remove the sawdust at the base at least every week or two. But mainly, you should be aware of how often you refill the wood pellets to determine how often you need to clean out the sawdust.
Do not wait too long to remove the sawdust. Even if your cat rarely uses your litter box, a dirty sifting litter box can be unsafe for your cat.
Why Choose Wood Pellet Litter Over Traditional Litter – Is This Litter Safe for my Cat?
Though wood pellets litter may not be for everyone, it does have many benefits aside from being eco-friendly. The main reason people become interested in wood pellet litter without doubting the wood material, is the affordable price.
Wood pellets for litter also are generally less expensive than traditional clay litter, which is not surprising considering how sustainable and available the wood is. Another great benefit of wood pellet litter is it is a litter completely made of natural wood fiber which makes it both more eco-friendly and safe for your cat.
Wood pellets have one key eco-friendly ingredient – wood. It is not only a renewable source but with all of the rules in place to protect forests and greenery, it is almost always harvested sustainably. Not only is the wood itself harvested in an eco-friendly way, disposing of the wood pellets is far better for the environment than disposing of non-natural ones. The wood pellet litter can actually be composted and even when tossed it will naturally degrade, making it overall better for the world.
Wood pellets for litter is completely natural wood, which means it is also healthier for your cat and safer than any non-natural litter containing chemicals additives or unnatural fragrances. On top of being safer for your cat, less expensive and better for the earth, it tends to be clean for your home since the non clumping litter nature prevents any tracking of leftover litter on your cat’s paws.
Can You Flush Wood Pellet Litter Down The Toilet?
Generally, you should avoid flushing wood pellet litter down the toilet. In fact, don’t flush any litter! If you try to flush it, your cat’s waste can become harmful since it can contain Toxoplasma Gondii which is a parasite. It can spread diseases and cause harm to wildlife. Bear in mind that wood cat litter or clumping cat litter will clog up your pipes and plumbing.
Does Wood Pellet Cat Litter Smell?
In comparison with other litters, wood pellet cat litter reduces odor effectively. It has a pine fragrant that effectively reduces and covers bad odors. The best thing is, it’s not an artificially added scent. It’s simply the natural smell of wood.
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Choose Wood Pellets As Your Natural Cat Litter
Wood pellet litter is a great alternative to traditional store brand litter since it tends to be more affordable, more environmentally friendly, less messy, and safer for your cat. Changing to a new litter system will always be slightly unusual at first for both your kitty and yourself, but so long as your cat does not have any allergies to any woods, switching to wood pellet cat litter is worth the initial awkward stage.
