Catalyst Soft Wood is the strongest all-around pick in this comparison for cats that reject pellets.
A soft, sand-like pine litter that avoids the pellet feel many cats reject while keeping dust and smell manageable.
A crystal litter built around health monitoring and light weight, with a strong subscription convenience angle and weaker clumping value.
Both suit cats that dislike clay. Catalyst clumps and feels like sand. PrettyLitter does not clump and watches for health changes instead. Catalyst is the cheaper of the two to run.
This comparison page is maintained by the ReviewCatLitter editorial team and grounded in the same scoring framework used across the published review catalog.
Choose between them on texture, clumping, dust and price. Then, if the room still tells you where the box is, Purrify is activated carbon you mix into whichever bag you chose. It is what we use in our own homes.
Read our Purrify guide to picking a litter for odor control.
Every figure below is a reading from our own test runs, not a rating. Where a run never took a reading it says so.
| Reading | Catalyst Soft Wood | PrettyLitter | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dust weighed per pourDust caught on a filter and weighed while the bag goes into the box. Lower is better. | 0.15 mg | not measured | only one side measured |
| Clumps that survived the drop testShare of clumps still whole after a three-foot drop. Higher is better. | 73% | not measured | only one side measured |
| Bag priceWhat the tested bag cost. Bag sizes differ, so read it next to cost per pound. | $27.99 | $24.00 | $3.99 |
| Cost per poundBag price divided by what is in the bag. Lower is better. | $1.56better | $4.00 | $2.44 |
| Cost per dayWhat the box costs to keep running each day. Lower is better. | $0.72better | $0.80 | $0.08 |
| Cost across a yearThat daily cost carried over a full year of use. Lower is better. | $263better | $292 | $29 |
Neither run recorded granules outside the box, ammonia after one day and ammonia after three days, so those rows are left out rather than filled in from a similar bag. The full test data shows every reading we have.
Primary tradeoff: Catalyst Soft Wood's weakest area here is value.
It is also the cheapest daily option at $0.72 per day.
Scroll sideways to see every litter. Scores are editorial judgments out of 10.
| Product | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 8.7Very good | 8.8Very good |
| Pricing | ||
| Price | $27.99 | $24.00 |
| Weight | 18 lbs | 6 lbs |
| Cost / Day | $0.72 | $0.80 |
| Performance | ||
| Dust Control | 8.3 0.15mg per pour | 8.6 Very low crystal dust |
| Clumping | 7.7 Good for wood litter | 4.2 Non-clumping |
| Odor Control | 8.1 Fresh wood scent helps | 8.9 Very good urine odor control |
| Tracking Outside the Box | 8.3 Low | 9.1 Minimal |
| Value for Cost | 7 $0.72/day · $27.99 | 6.8 $0.80/day · $24.00 |
| Features | ||
| Type | Soft Wood / Pine | Silica Crystal |
| Flushable | ||
| Scented | No | No |
| Our Verdict | ||
| Best For | Cats that reject pellets | Health monitoring and lightweight convenience |
| Read ReviewCheck Price | Read ReviewCheck Price | |
Catalyst Soft Wood makes the most sense for cats that reject pellets.
You want a soft, sand-like pine litter that avoids the pellet feel many cats reject while keeping dust and smell manageable.
You need a formula that solves cats that reject pellets better.
PrettyLitter makes the most sense for health monitoring and lightweight convenience.
You care more about health signals and easy lifting than classic clumping performance.
You want traditional scoopable clumps or the best value per pound.
The nearest options to this matchup on score and on price.
Weighed 0.13mg per pour and runs at $0.54 a day.
Weighed 0.04mg per pour and runs at $0.55 a day.
Weighed 0.05mg per pour and runs at $0.97 a day.
Catalyst Soft Wood comes out ahead on the balance of dust, clumping, odor control, tracking and daily cost. PrettyLitter is still the one to buy for health monitoring and lightweight convenience.
Catalyst Soft Wood runs at $0.72 a day against $0.80 for PrettyLitter.
PrettyLitter scored higher: very good urine odor control, against fresh wood scent helps for Catalyst Soft Wood.
PrettyLitter keeps more litter in the box: minimal, against low for Catalyst Soft Wood.
Ultra is scoopable clay. PrettyLitter is crystals that change color to flag a health problem.
Ultra is the better litter on every reading we took here. Catalyst exists for the cat that refuses clay outright.
Clump & Seal covers smell with fragrance and clumps for far less money. PrettyLitter is unscented crystals that keep an eye on your cat's urine instead.
Sustainably Yours suits a cat that wants a sand-like litter it can dig. Catalyst suits a cat that wants wood without pellets underfoot.
World's Best is the safer everyday natural pick. Catalyst is for the cat that refuses anything that feels like clay or pellets.
World's Best flushes and clumps. PrettyLitter does neither. Its pull is the color change that can flag a health problem early.