Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract is the strongest all-around pick in this comparison for cats avoiding the litter box.
Herbal attractant actually works for litter-box-avoidant cats, with the same low-dust multi-cat clay performance as Ultra.
A grocery-store staple with broad availability, lots of variants, and okay overall performance without excelling anywhere specific.
Tidy Cats is fine while the box is working. Cat Attract is what you switch to when it stops. Nothing in a Tidy Cats bag addresses avoidance. Cat Attract adds the herbal draw and a far lower dust reading, for a good deal more money.
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 | Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract | Purina Tidy Cats | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dust weighed per pourDust caught on a filter and weighed while the bag goes into the box. Lower is better. | 0.04 mgbetter | 0.50 mg | 0.46 mg |
| Clumps that survived the drop testShare of clumps still whole after a three-foot drop. Higher is better. | 98%better | 62% | 36 points |
| Bag priceWhat the tested bag cost. Bag sizes differ, so read it next to cost per pound. | $26.99 | $15.49 | $11.50 |
| Cost per poundBag price divided by what is in the bag. Lower is better. | $0.67 | $0.44better | $0.23 |
| Cost per dayWhat the box costs to keep running each day. Lower is better. | $0.56 | $0.39better | $0.17 |
| Cost across a yearThat daily cost carried over a full year of use. Lower is better. | $204 | $142better | $62 |
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: Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract's weakest area here is tracking.
Best dust control here at 0.04mg per pour.
Strongest odor control in this set with strong unscented control.
Clumping is a real edge: rock-solid.
Scroll sideways to see every litter. Scores are editorial judgments out of 10.
| Product | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 9.5Excellent | 7.9Fair |
| Pricing | ||
| Price | $26.99 | $15.49 |
| Weight | 40 lbs | 35 lbs |
| Cost / Day | $0.56 | $0.39 |
| Performance | ||
| Dust Control | 9.2 0.04mg per pour | 5.8 0.50mg per pour |
| Clumping | 9.8 Rock-solid | 7.2 Average |
| Odor Control | 8.8 Strong unscented control | 7.5 Solid for budget clay |
| Tracking Outside the Box | 7.3 Moderate | 5.9 Moderate-high |
| Value for Cost | 8.6 $0.56/day · $26.99 | 8.2 $0.39/day · $15.49 |
| Features | ||
| Type | Clumping Clay | Budget Clumping Clay |
| Flushable | ||
| Scented | No | Yes |
| Our Verdict | ||
| Best For | Cats avoiding the litter box | Easy grocery-store replenishment |
| Read ReviewCheck Price | Read ReviewCheck Price | |
Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract makes the most sense for cats avoiding the litter box.
You want herbal attractant actually works for litter-box-avoidant cats, with the same low-dust multi-cat clay performance as ultra.
You need a formula that solves cats avoiding the litter box better.
Purina Tidy Cats makes the most sense for easy grocery-store replenishment.
You want a grocery-store staple with broad availability, lots of variants, and okay overall performance without excelling anywhere specific.
You need a formula that solves cats avoiding the litter box better.
The nearest options to this matchup on score and on price.
Weighed 0.04mg per pour and runs at $0.55 a day.
Weighed 0.11mg per pour and runs at $0.63 a day.
Weighed 0.03mg per pour and runs at $0.43 a day.
Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract comes out ahead on the balance of dust, clumping, odor control, tracking and daily cost. Purina Tidy Cats is still the one to buy for easy grocery-store replenishment.
Purina Tidy Cats runs at $0.39 a day against $0.56 for Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract.
Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract scored higher: strong unscented control, against solid for budget clay for Purina Tidy Cats.
Dr. Elsey's Cat Attract keeps more litter in the box: moderate, against moderate-high for Purina Tidy Cats.
Clump & Seal is worth the step up from Tidy Cats if smell is the reason you are shopping. Tidy Cats is cheaper by the bag and easier to find.
Buy Ultra unless your cat has stopped using the box, which is the one job Cat Attract does better.
Cat Attract is what you try when your cat is missing the box. Clump & Seal is what you buy when the bag price decides it.
Ultra beat Tidy Cats on every performance reading we took, so this comes down to whether you will pay more per day.
Cat Attract is a behavior fix. Sustainably Yours is an everyday natural litter.
If the cat is going on the rug, start with Cat Attract. If the cat is fine and you want to flush the waste, World's Best is the better everyday buy.