Choosing a cat litter can get confusing. A decade ago, you really only had a choice between traditional and clumping cat litter, but over the past few years, more and more non-traditional options have come into the market. This is a good thing, as many cats are quite picky about their toilet habits, and having options will ensure that you can always find the right choice to please your feline friend. Whether you have a new cat or are just looking to make the best possible choice for your pet, here are some tips on choosing the best cat litter.

The two original types of cat litter are clumping and non-clumping. Clumping litter has the obvious benefit of clumping around the urine to form a firm mass, so there is little chance the litter box will ever become extremely soiled. Clumping cat litter controls odors much better than the non-clumping variety, but it can sometimes cause medical problems, as cat may lick any excess caught in their paws. Clumping cat litter clumps everywhere, which means it can cause stomach or intestine problems if ingested.

Non-clumping cat litter produces less dust and does not have any negative medical effect, but it is certainly harder to keep clean. Clumping cat litter can be simply added to the box as you scoop away the used part, but non-clumping cat litter has to be dumped completely and replaced fairly often to avoid odors.

If you want to consider an alternative type of cat litter, absorbent silica crystals may be one of the best choices available in the market. They last longer than any other type of cat litter, and they are extremely effective when it comes to neutralizing odors. The only downside is that your cat may refuse to use it. If that's the case, introduce it slowly by mixing crystals with regular litter and then shifting quantities slowly.

If you want to be friendly to the environment, there are many cat litter options made with recycled materials such as compressed pine shavings or old newspapers. These types of cat litter may require more frequent changing and many not be the best option for a multiple cat household, as they are not pretreated with baking soda, and do not control odors very well.