There are many types of cat litters on the market and it’s important to find one that, most importantly, suits your cat’s needs (so they continue to use the litter box; check out WHY IS MY CAT POOPING ON THE FLOOR if needed). But also, one that suits your needs and preferences.
Paper cat litter is preferred by some cat owners because it’s a safer, environmentally friendly option. Let’s look at the top products on the market in the paper pellet litter category.
THE BEST PAPER CAT LITTERS OF 2021:
- PURINA YESTERDAY’S NEWS NON-CLUMPING PAPER CAT LITTER
- FRESH NEWS PAPER CAT LITTER
- SO PHRESH CONTROL PELLET LITTER
- OKOCAT NATURAL PAPER LITTER
- HARTZ CLUMPING PAPER LITTER
#1 – PURINA YESTERDAY’S NEWS NON-CLUMPING PAPER CAT LITTER
Purina’s Paper Pellet Litter has been around since 1987 and was created as a traditional cat litter alternative that’s natural and free of harmful chemicals, so it’s healthy for your cat, your home, and the environment.
It’s made with recycled paper that soft on your cat’s paws as they walk and dig around the litter box.
Because the paper pellets are 3x more absorbent than traditional clay litters, it helps control odors.
The paper pellet litter is also 99% dust-free since it doesn’t have fine particles.
FEATURES
- Unscented
- No small particles for less tracking
- Absorbs 3x the moisture than traditional clay-based litter
MOST LOVED FEATURES
- Low dust – cat owners love the dust-free formula for their cat, and for when they’re scooping/cleaning the litter box.
- Low tracking – although some pellets will be kicked out of the litter box, since they’re so light in weight, and some will come out when your cat steps outside the box, most cat owners report the pellets not tracking much further than a foot or two from the litter box.
- Environmentally friendly – cat owners love how safe this litter is for their cat, themselves, and the environment.
MOST DISLIKED FEATURES
- Harder to clean – it does take a little more effort to sort the soiled litter from the clean pellets. You may also need to purchase a different litter scoop with larger holes.
- Odor – most customers were pleased with the odor control of this litter but some felt the odor control wasn’t great. It’s important to frequently clean the litter box to keep smells down. It’s especially important to remove poop as soon as possible.
- Frequent changing – most people find they need to completely change the litter every 3 – 4 days to keep the box clean and smelling fresh.
#2 FRESH NEWS PAPER CAT LITTER
Fresh News Paper Cat Litter is made from 100% post-consumer paper from recycling centers. Similar to other paper pellet litters but Fresh News Litter sets itself apart with added baking soda to help reduce litter box odors. They also have a recycling program, paying non-profit organizations to collect recycled paper.
The pellets are super absorbent, absorbing over 3x more liquid than traditional clay litters.
The soft pellets retain their form so they don’t stick to your cat’s paws and get tracked around the house.
They paper pellets are also 99% dust free and safe for your cat, you, and the environment.
FEATURES
- Dust Free
- Low Tracking
- Absorbent
- Baking soda to neutralize odors
- Resealable bag
MOST LOVED FEATURES
- Dust free – cat owners love not having to deal with litter dust when switching from clay litter to paper pellet litter.
- Low tracking – some customers found this paper pellet litter tracks even less than Yesterday’s News Paper Litter.
- Good for wounds – the pellets are too large to get caught in any wounds on a paw; good litter option for cats who have recently had surgery or have a wound.
MOST DISLIKED FEATURES
- Learning curve – it’s not as quick and easy to scoop used litter when using a paper pellet litter, so it does require some time to get used to finding the urine-soiled pellets and scooping them out.
- Odor – some customers found that even though this litter has baking soda, the urine smells were worse than with Yesterday’s News Paper Litter.
#3 SO PHRESH CONTROL PELLET LITTER
This paper pellet litter also has baking soda to control odors, as well as zeolites. Zeolites are minerals. They absorb up to 50% of their weight in liquids and are used for additional odor and moisture control.
This litter is also scented, which may or may not be considered a benefit to you. The pellets have a fresh clean scent, which is moisture-activated.
The lightweight paper pellets are made with 95% or more post consumer paper. They collect their paper from the PaperGator Recycling Program, which gives schools, companies, and groups the opportunity to raise money by collecting paper for recycling.
FEATURES
- 99% dust free
- Low tracking
- Lightweight
- Cat litter with baking soda
- Moisture activated scent
- Made with 95% post-consumer paper
MOST LOVED FEATURES
- Low tracking – the chunky texture of this paper litter helps keep more of it close to the litter box and not stuck in between your cat’s toes.
- No dust or disintegration – the paper pellets are a bit larger than Yesterday’s News. Customers found that they didn’t turn to dust or disintegrate when saturated.
- Better odor control – the baking soda, zeolites, and moisture activated scent seems to do the trick for many cat owners when it comes to reducing urine smells.
MOST DISLIKED FEATURES
- Learning curve – it’s not as quick and easy to scoop used litter when using a paper pellet litter, so it does require some time to get used to finding the urine-soiled pellets and scooping them out.
- Odor – even with the added ingredients, many people switching to paper pellet litter found the urine smell to be too strong with this type of litter.
#4 OKOCAT NATURAL PAPER LITTER
Okocat’s litter is a dust-free, non-clumping paper pellet litter and is free of inks, dyes, and scents. It is made from reclaimed, clean white paper fibers.
Their formula is fortified with plant-based odor control to suppress ammonia smells.
FEATURES
- Controls odor
- Non-clumping
- Dust free
- No inks or dyes
- No artificial fragrance
- No harmful chemicals
- No GMOs
MOST LOVED FEATURES
- Lightweight – customers like how light this litter is compared to the clay or pine pellet litter they switched from.
- Environmentally friendly – customers appreciate this litter, and the Okocat brand in general, because of their commitment to the environment.
MOST DISLIKED FEATURES
- Strange smell – many cat owners didn’t like the smell of the litter straight out of the box.
- Smaller pellets – these pellets may be smaller when compared to other paper pellet litters, which has customers complaining of it turning to mush.
- Tracking – it could be due to the smaller pellets or how light they are that more customers complained of this paper litter being tracked throughout the house.
#5 HARTZ CLUMPING PAPER LITTER
This currently appears to be the only paper pellet litter on the market that is clumping. This is a pro when it comes to scooping litter, but may be a con if you’re wanting to avoid clumping agents.
The odor-absorbing clumps may be what you need if you find other paper pellet litters to be too smelly.
The pellets turn blue when wet and stick together (but won’t stick to the litter box), which will help you find urine-soaked pellets and separate them from clean paper pellets.
FEATURES
- 70% lighter than most clay clumping litters
- Made from 80% recycled paper
- 99% dust free
- Ultra light weight
MOST LOVED FEATURES
- Easier to clean – many people who prefer paper pellets are happy to finally have a clumping paper litter, which makes it much easier to clean urine-soaked pellets.
- More odor control – the clumping seems to help with trapping more odors than non-clumping paper pellet litter.
MOST DISLIKED FEATURES
- Tracking – it could be that the clumping agent is causing the litter to stick to paws, as more people do report this litter being tracked throughout their home.
- Sticking – some customers found the clumps did stick to the litter box, and even the scoop, despite Hartz’s claims of the litter not sticking to the litter box. Some reviewers even found it stuck to their cat’s fur.
TYPES OF PAPER CAT LITTERS
There are a few different types of paper litter you can try.
PAPER PELLET CAT LITTER
Paper pellets can be purchased from manufacturers who recycle various paper products and compress them to create pellets.
CLUMPING PAPER PELLET LITTER
There is also clumping paper pellet litter, which will clump the paper pellets together when they get wet.
However, this reduces how safe paper litter is for your cat due to sodium bentonite, which is the clumping chemical.
The problem with Sodium bentonite is that it expands when wet. If your cat ingests the pellets, they’ll expand in their stomach or intestinal tract and can cause a blockage.
SHREDDED PAPER LITTER
You can make your own paper cat litter by shredding old newspapers, soaking them in a water and mild dish soap solution to remove most of the ink, rinsing the strips to remove the soap, then letting the strips dry.
However, this form of paper cat litter will be harder for you to keep clean as it will be difficult to sort out the urine-soaked pieces of newspaper and poop may get tangled in the strips.
You can shred the paper into finer pieces, but this may also pose a problem because it will be much lighter than regular litter or paper pellet litter and may stick to your cat’s paws. It will also be harder for you to scoop poop out of shredded paper litter because the pieces won’t fall through the holes of your scoop as easily.
PAPER CAT LITTER PROS & CONS:
The benefits cat owners love about paper pellet cat litter are:
- safe for your cat
- gentle on cat’s paws
- hypoallergenic
- recycled
- biodegradable
- low tracking
- dust-free
- highly absorbent
- lightweight
- great for post-surgery (larger litter particles ensure litter won’t get into wounds)
The cons of paper cat litter are:
- Cat preference – if your cat is used to the finer texture of a clay litter, they may not like, or may take more time to get used to, the chunkier texture of the paper pellet litter.
- Cost – paper cat litters are more expensive than clay litters, and may need to be changed more frequently to keep smells away, which can increase litter costs in your household.
- Harder to clean – scooping and sorting waste with paper pellet litter can take some getting used to. You will end up tossing more clean pellets with the waste as it’s harder to separate the two. Urine-soaked pellets will be darker in color and mostly at the bottom of the pan; they don’t stick together. You can purchase clumping paper pellets, however, they’ll contain sodium bentonite, which is questionable when it comes to the safety of your cat.
- Odors – although the paper pellets absorb liquids, some cat owners find the urine smell to be strong. The pellets also don’t stick to poop as well as clay litters, so even if your cat buries their poop, the smell can linger. However, for every customer that complained about the smell, there were dozens more praising how well paper litter traps odors. So I guess it depends on what you’re used to and where your litter box is.
TIPS FOR USING PAPER PELLET CAT LITTER
If you’re considering switching to paper pellet litter, the answers to these frequently asked questions may help.
IS PAPER LITTER SAFE FOR CATS?
Regular paper litter is a safe and healthy litter alternative. However, if you decide to purchase a clumping paper pellet litter, it will have the same ingredient as clumping clay litters: sodium bentonite.
Sodium bentonite is chemically natural. However, it’s been debated whether it’s truly safe for your cat. If your cat ingests it, it can swell in their stomach or intestinal tract and create blockages, which will require surgery to remove.
Kittens may be more likely to eat their litter but even an adult cat may ingest small amounts of litter containing sodium bentonite when they smell their litter and it sticks to their nose, or when cleaning their paws.
If you have a kitten or cat that likes to eat things they shouldn’t, it’s best to steer clear of clumping paper pellet litter.
If you’re planning to make your own paper litter by shredding the paper, be aware that the shredding can create a fine dust that can be harmful for your cat to breath in.
You will notice that it’s harder to separate waste from clean pellets and will be tossing more clean litter when you scoop. Many paper cat litter users also increase the frequency of their litter scooping and litter changing, to keep smells at bay.
HOW DOES PAPER CAT LITTER WORK?
You’ll use paper pellet cat litter in the same way you use regular clay litter, however, it’s the scooping that differs.
Urine will funnel to the bottom layer of the litter and soak the pellets in the bottom of the litter box. They’ll appear larger in size and darker in color, which is how you’ll tell the dirty pellets from the clean pellets.
You’ll scoop poop from the litter in the same way, but you’ll have to sort the urine-soaked pellets from the clean pellets by scraping the bottom of the box, as opposed to simply just searching for clumps of litter when scooping clumping clay litter.
HOW DO YOU CLEAN PAPER CAT LITTER?
You may need to purchase a new litter scoop with larger holes, such as this one. Many litter scoops are meant for finer litter, such as clumping litter, so the holes don’t have to be as big for the finer non-clumped particles to fall through.
Paper pellets are larger so you want a scoop with wider and longer slits for the pellets to fall through.
Because paper pellet litter is non-clumping, you’ll have to dig to the bottom of the litter to scoop out the heavier urine-soaked pellets. Dirty pellets will be darker in color and larger, due to expanding from the moisture.
You’ll be able to scoop poop as you normally would with a clumping litter but simply scooping it up and gently shaking the scoop to allow clean pellets to fall through.
You will be tossing more clean litter with paper pellets than you do with clay litter, so be sure to add new paper pellets each time you scoop, to top the litter up and freshen the box.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU NEED TO SCOOP PAPER PELLET LITTER?
Paper pellet litter is more absorbent that clay litter, but it’s still important to scoop poop and urine-soaked pellets daily, or more if you notice the smell or have a picky kitty.
Many cat owners who recently switched from clay to paper pellets found they couldn’t stand the smell with paper littler. However, people who have adjusted to paper litter suggest increasing your scooping frequency to reduce smells.
HOW DEEP SHOULD PAPER PELLET LITTER BE?
You can use paper pellet litter in a similar way to your regular clay litter and simply fill your litter box until it is 2 – 3 inches deep with the paper pellet litter.
You may find your cat allows you to get away with just 2 inches of litter, which will lower your litter costs and how much litter you dump each week to clean the box.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CHANGE PAPER CAT LITTER?
Each brand of cat litter will have specific directions when it comes to how often to dump the entire box of paper pellets and fill it up with 2 – 3 inches of fresh, clean paper pellets.
In general, paper pellet cat litter should be completely changed once a week.
That may also be altered depending on your cat. If you have a cat that drinks a lot of water or is diabetic and urinates a lot, you may find you need to change the paper pellets more frequently to keep the litter box smelling fresh.
Change the litter completely once a week or when you start to notice the smell or that there are many darker, bigger pellets mixed among the clean pellets.
DOES PAPER PELLET LITTER HELP TO CONTROL ODORS?
One of the top complaints among cat owners who have switched to paper litter is that odors are worse. However, there are many cat owners who are very happy with the odor control paper pellet litters provide; it depends on what type of litter you’re used to.
Many people who are committed to using paper pellet litter suggest odors can be kept under control if you increase your scooping and changing of litter.
Pellets should be scooped no less than once a day (twice a day or as soon as you notice the litter has been used is more preferrable) and the entire litter changed once per week.
The paper pellets are absorbent, but many people find that poop must be scooped immediately to reduce smells. Urine smells may be more prominent because it’s harder to separate urine-soaked pellets from clean pellets.
You can purchase a paper pellet litter with baking soda to help with the odors, or sprinkle baking soda in the litter box. But it does seem that there will be some scent, no matter which paper litter brand you go with.
Another tip that may work, depending on the type of litter box you have, is to place a puppy pad at the bottom of the litter box. Some paper pellet litter users report that liquids drain to the bottom and are absorbed by the puppy pad, which seems to trap odors better than the paper pellets on their own. Of course, adding puppy pads does have more of an environmental impact, since puppy pads aren’t biodegradable.
WHAT IS PAPER PELLET CAT LITTER MADE FROM?
Manufacturers of paper pellet cat litter recycle newspapers, cardboard, egg cartons, and other paper products to form the pellets. The paper is ground up and then compressed to create pellets.
WILL MY CAT LIKE PAPER PELLET LITTER?
There’s no way to know for sure until you test it. If you’ve tried different types of pellet or larger grain litters in the past (e.g. wood pellet litter, corn cob cat litter, etc.) and your cat turned their nose up at it, they may be more likely to dislike paper pellet litter as well.
In the wild, cats will use loosely packed soil as their litter box. They like how soft it is on their paws and how easy it is to dig in. The larger pellets may be less desirable to your cat if they’re used to the sand-like texture of clay litters.
IS PAPER CAT LITTER FLUSHABLE?
It’s always best to read the litter’s label to see if the brand specifically states the litter can be flushed.
If the paper pellet litter is clumpable, it means it has sodium bentonite, which swells when wet. You don’t want to flush clumpable litter down the toilet, even if it is paper, because it will swell and likely clog your drains.
Recycled paper pellet litter, or shredded paper litter you make, may technically be safe to flush down the toilet, but think twice before doing so.
If you think about how much toilet paper you may typically flush in comparison with how much litter you might be flushing, it may be significantly more, especially if you’re changing the litter.
You may also consider, that when you go to the washroom, you’re flushing matter down the toilet within a matter of seconds or minutes. Your cat’s poop may have been sitting for hours and gotten quite hard. Toilets are designed for water-soluble waste, so your cat’s hardened poop can easily create a clog.
Not to mention, your high-efficiency (low water use) toilet, and your septic system may not be suitable for flushing litter.
There are also parasites found in cat’s waste that water treatment plants may not be able to properly treat and can contaminate the water system.
Although there may be flushable cat litters on the market, and non-clumping biodegradable paper pellet litters may seem safe to flush, it’s best to keep animal waste out of the sewage system.
HOW DO I SWITCH TO PAPER PELLET LITTER?
The key to switching to a paper pellet litter and not having your cat turn their nose up at it is to transition slowly.
- Add a second litter box – instead of swapping paper pellet litter in where they once found regular clay litter, try adding a second litter box right next to their existing litter box (which is filled with their existing litter).
- Mix old with new – put paper pellet litter in the second litter box, but sprinkle some of your cat’s litter from their existing litter box, on top of the paper pellet litter. This will add their scent to the new litter box and new paper pellet litter.
- Mix new with old – you can also try sprinkling some paper pellets in with their existing cat litter.
- Increase mixing – transition slowly, starting with no paper pellet litter in their existing litter box and a ratio of 2/3 existing litter with 1/3 paper pellet litter in the second litter box. After one week, try adding 1/3 paper pellet litter in their existing litter box and changing the ratio to 2/3 paper pellets to 1/3 existing litter in their second litter box. As they warm up to the paper pellet litter over 2 – 3 weeks, try using only paper pellet litter in both litter boxes (or remove one box).
Some other tips to keep in mind when switching to a paper pellet litter:
- Give your cat time – cats are creatures of habit and aren’t typically found of change, so give them lots of time to adjust.
- Clean frequently – you don’t want any deterrents when switching litters, and a dirty litter box can be one. So be sure to scoop daily (or even more).
- Don’t move the litter box – that’s too much change at once.
- Reward – try rewarding your cat when they use the paper pellet litter (words of encouragement, attention, or treats will work).
- Try a litter attractor – try sprinkling a product such as cat attract to the paper pellet litter to encourage your cat to give the new litter a try.
- Honor their wishes – you can take all the right steps but your cat may not like pellet litter. If they refuse to use the new litter box with the paper pellet litter, or stop using the litter box, switch back to their regular litter or try another alternative (you don’t want them to develop a habit of pooping or peeing outside the litter box).
I hope this article has helped you learn more about paper cat litter and if it’s right for you, your cat, and your home 🙂