Wood pellets cat litter has been in use for many years now. They are not popular as the common clay litter. But there are various benefits that these wood pellets have to offer.
Most manufacturers use natural wood, so they are extraordinarily environment-friendly. Pine and cedar are the most popular choices.
Read on to learn about the top 4 best wood pellet litter options on the market.
What is Wood Pellet Cat Litter?
Wood pellet cat litter is cat litter that comes in the form of pellets made from wood that is pressed together. The wood used in making these pellets is usually pine, but cedar is also common too. The pellets are usually a little less than an inch long. Wood pellets also function quite a bit different than your normal litter.
Most wood pellets do not clump. What they do instead is they dissolve into fine wood dust after they get wet. However there are some brands out there that function more clay like and clump up when wet. Down below we move into what makes wood pellets awesome, and also the less awesome aspects of them.
Pros and Cons Of Wood Pellets
Pros
- Soaks up urine quickly
- Usually inexpensive and lasts a long time
- Fresh pine aroma
- Environmentally friendly
- When in pellet form, it doesn’t track
- Easy clean up with the right set up
- Safer for cats to be around
Cons
- Does not clump (some exceptions)
- Can track when it turns to sawdust
- Not amazing at covering the smell of cat poop
- Litter is not the softest on paws
- Some cats won’t like it
- Cats can be allergic to it
- Different scooping technique compared to other litters
Buyer's Guide
Clumping
Some wood pellet litters clump while others don’t. The clumping varieties are usually more expensive, but they can be more convenient.
Tracking
Make sure you go for a litter that is not going to cause headaches with the amount of clean up you have to do with litter on the ground. Most wood pellet cat litters will track. The best way to minimize tracking is to go with a wood pellet litter that doesn’t clump and then make sure you clean out the sawdust frequently.
Weight Of Bag
Weight is another important factor if you are worried about carrying the litter. Some cat litters are very light in weight, and you can choose them if you don’t want to deal with picking up a heavy bag. If you are someone that doesn’t want to purchase cat litter frequently, then you can opt to purchase a bigger bag.
Dust Levels
Most wood pellet litters produce dust. That is expected because when these litters get wet, they dissolve into finer dust particles. A good option that contains less dust is the Weruva cat litter which is #3 on our list.
Material
Material matters for how eco-friendly a litter is, and also how healthy and safe it is to be around. It is best to go for wood pellets that are made from pine and cedar, and that contain no other additives or chemicals.
Quick Look
The 4 Best Wood Pellet Cat Litter
1. Feline Pine
The Feline Pine is our top choice for wood pellet cat litter. It is the most well known wood pellet litter and has by far the most customer feedback of all the options out there. This product works by breaking down from its pellet form into a dust when it gets in contact with urine. The dust that is created can be annoying to deal with as it can track and it can be hard to clean if you are not prepared for it.
When the litter is still in pellet form, it is unlikely to get out of the litter box and track. This is because it is too heavy and large to. This litter smells like pine straight out of the package. It does a mediocre job at dealing with the smell of cat waste.
One problem that is commonly experienced with this litter is that some cats are not fans of it and won’t use it. This can be very frustrating as you end up purchasing an entire bag and then it ends up going to waste.
Pros
- Huge amount of customer feedback which is mostly positive
- Natural
- Contains baking soda for added odor fighting
Cons
- Not great at reducing smell of cat poop
2. Okocat
This product is one of the rare wood litters that also clumps.
As a clumping litter, the way that this litter functions is a bit differently than the typical wood pellet litter. Instead of becoming sawdust once it gets wet, it just forms a clump like any other clumping litter.
As a clumping litter, scooping this litter is as simple as it gets. Your cat goes to the bathroom, and then you wait a little while for the affected area to clump, and then you scoop it out. Easy as that!
It is important to note that this litter is more fine the other pellet litter and more chip like. A nice feature of this litter is that sticking is basically non-existent. It is better than other pellet litters at being appealing for cats. This might be due to its finer and softer nature.
This is a double edged sword as this also makes the litter far more likely to track. Another negative aspect of this litter is that it is extremely dusty.
Pros
- Clumping
- Straight forward scooping
- Little sticking
Cons
- Lots of tracking
- Not exactly a pellet, it is more like a wood chip
3. Weruva
This is another variety of wood pellet litter that has the ability to clump. This product comes from a combination of Hinoki wood and green tea which makes for a pleasant smell. When this litter is used by a cat, it does a good job at keeping the smell down.
The litter has another positive feature of producing not that much dust for those with allergens or who hate having litter dust ending up everywhere. Tracking is something to expect if you go with this litter. If you are someone that absolutely can not stand a litter that tends to disperse and get everywhere, you might want to look elsewhere.
Clumping is a rare find when it comes to litter made from wood. So that is a plus with this product. But, the way this litter clumps is not exactly ideal. The clumps are bigger than necessary which means you end up wasting litter and also it doesn’t form too strong together. Without strong clumps, it can be hard to scoop this litter as it can come apart mid scooping. But no litter is going to be perfect, and this litter certainly has some great positives along with a few cons.
Pros
- Clumps
- Virtually zero dust
- Green tea scent
Cons
- Pricey
- Clumps are too big and not strong
4. Casual Home
The litter is fast to suck up cat pee to stop the pee from building up at the bottom of the litter box and this also helps with odor control. The scent is a refreshing wood smell.
The product is entirely natural and friendly to the environment. The price for a bag is also very affordable, and one bag will last around 1 month or longer.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Good for the earth
- Takes up liquid quick
Cons
- Not much customer feedback
FAQs
Do wood pellets clump?
Most wood pellet cat litters do not clump but instead, they absorb the cat urine and then the soiled pellets turn into sawdust. Scooping this kind of litter is a bit different as you have to change your scooping method to get rid of the sawdust that collects at the bottom of the litter box, which moves us into the next question in the FAQ.
How do you scoop wood pellets?
Scooping wood pellets is a bit different from scooping any other kind of litter. You will need a litter scoop, and a trash can.
First off, scoop out the solid cat waste from the litter box and put it in the trash. Next, you are going to scoop out the sawdust which is what has absorbed the cat’s urine. Shake the litter box to allow the sawdust to shift together at the bottom of the litter box. Scoop from the bottom of the litter box and pick up the sawdust. When you do this, you will pick up some clean pellets. You don’t want to throw out the perfectly clean pellets, so you will need to separate the clean pellets from the sawdust. Hold the scoop containing the clean pellets and sawdust over the trash and shake it to allow the sawdust to sift out and to leave the clean pellets on the scoop. Repeat this process until you have scooped out all of the saw dust in the litter box. Once you have scooped out all the sawdust from the box, top off the litter box with some fresh pellets.
Another method of scooping pine pellets is by using a sifting litter box. This method does the same thing as the above method, but instead of the cat owner sifting out the sawdust by hand, the litter box does it. To use a sifting box, start by scooping out your cat’s poop. The sifting litter box has two levels, the higher level has holes all along the bottom to let sawdust fall through without letting the clean pellets fall through. Shake the litter box until all the sawdust has fallen through until you are left with only clean pellets on the top level. Separate the top level of the litter box from the bottom level, and empty out all of the sawdust from the bottom level.
How often should you change wood pellet cat litter?
Most manufacturers recommend changing your wood pellet cat litter once every two weeks. But this is highly dependent on the number of felines you have in your home.
If you have only one, then you might only need to change the litter once every four weeks. And if you have more than two, then the frequency will increase accordingly.
If you are looking for more information on how often you will have to change out wood pellet litter, check out our article on it.
What is the best cat litter box for wood pellets?
The best litter box for wood pellets is either going to be a standard litter box or a sifting litter box depending on which kind of wood pellet litter you get. If you go with a clumping wood pellet litter, you only need a normal litter box. But if you have pellets that turn into saw dust when they get wet, you will want a sifting litter box. Instructions to use a sifting litter box is detailed above. Here is a great video showcasing how a sifting litter box works and how to make one for yourself.
How do I clean a wood pellet litter box?
What kind of wood pellets can you use for cat litter?
If you are looking to save money, you don’t have to go with the options that are specifically meant to be used as cat litter. Some of those options are pretty cheap, but you can get wood pellets even cheaper.
You can buy horse bedding pellets or wood stoves pellets. If you are interested in doing this, find a local store that sells farm stuff, and you will be able to get a big bag of wood pellets for very cheap. Just remember to ensure whatever you buy is non-toxic and is going to be safe for cats.
Are pellets better than litter?
Pellets can be better than litter once your cat is used to it, and if you have a good system with it. Pellets are better for being natural, eco-friendly, tracking less when in pellet form, and cheaper. But litter tends to be more convenient, cats like regular litter better, and scooping is easier.
Scooping clumping cat litter is super easy. Cat pee and poops clumps into convenient little balls that you can scoop out. Most people have a tougher time scooping pellets, but once you have the technique down, it is as easy to scoop as any other litter. Wood pellet cat litter is usually non-clumping. Scooping pellets is different because to remove the cat urine from the box, you remove the sawdust that is formed when the pellets get wet. You can either sift the sawdust out with a scooper or you can use a sifting litter box. A sifting litter box will be a bit easier and faster than doing it with a scooper.
Can you flush pine pellet cat litter?
It is recommended that you shouldn’t take the risk of flushing this litter, or you may have to deal with clogged pipes. Also, cat poop can carry a parasite that endangers wildlife, so it is best not to spread this by flushing cat poop down the toilet.
Are wood pellets safe for cat litter?
How do you dispose of pine pellet litter?
To dispose of pine pellet litter, you can either throw it away or compost it. Either way you do it, the litter will eventually biodegrade, so if you are concerned that you are not being eco-friendly by throwing it away rest assured that the litter will soon enough biodegrade in a landfill.
The leftover products from using this litter are literally just poop and wood. If you do decide to compost it yourself, don’t use it for fertilizing anything you plan on eating later. Don’t flush the litter even if the manufacturer says it can be flushed, litter can contaminate water and affect wildlife with the diseases cat waste sometimes carries.
How to switch to wood pellet cat litter?
Blaine is a pet owner and animal lover. His two passions of cats and blogging met and KittyCatReviews was formed.