Every number we wrote down
Scores are opinions built on readings. Here are the readings, for all 18 litters we have tested, before anything was turned into a score out of ten.
16
litters weighed for dust, out of 18
12
litters put through the clump drop test
5
litters with a full ammonia run on the box
17
litters with a costed daily figure
How to read the gaps
- not measured means we never took that reading. It does not mean zero, and we have not borrowed a number from a similar bag.
- not recorded means the test happened but we did not write down that detail at the time. We would rather show the hole than fill it with a guess.
- A real zero stays a zero. Where a litter threw no dust the scale could pick up, the table shows 0.00 mg, and that is a result rather than a gap.
The dust numbers, on their own
The dust column has a report of its own: every weighed litter ranked, averaged by material, and downloadable as a file you may quote with credit.
Open the 2026 dust reportThe readings
Dust is weighed while pouring a fresh box. Clump survival is the share of clumps that stayed whole after a 3-foot drop. Ammonia is in parts per million. Costs are in US dollars, taken from the bag we tested.
| Product | Dust per pour | Clump survival | Clumps dropped | Ammonia 24h | Ammonia 48h | Ammonia 72h | Tracking distance | Granules near box | Cost per day | Bag price | Cost per pound |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | |
Dr. Elsey's Cat AttractDr. Elsey's | 0.04 mg | 98% | 50 clumps | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.56 | $26.99 | $0.67 |
Dr. Elsey's UltraDr. Elsey's | 0.03 mg | 98% | 50 clumps | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | 18 granules | $0.51 | $24.99 | $0.62 |
Sustainably YoursSustainably Yours | 0.11 mg | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.63 | $29.99 | $1.15 |
Boxiecat PremiumBoxiecat | 0.04 mg | 94% | 50 clumps | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | 10 granules | $0.55 | $27.99 | $0.70 |
World's Best Cat LitterWorld's Best | 0.15 mg | 76% | 50 clumps | 2 ppm | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.58 | $29.99 | $1.07 |
Naturally Fresh WalnutNaturally Fresh | 0.13 mg | 89% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.54 | $24.99 | $0.96 |
Catalyst Soft WoodCatalyst | 0.15 mg | 73% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.72 | $27.99 | $1.56 |
PrettyLitterPrettyLitter | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.80 | $24.00 | $3.00 |
Arm & Hammer Clump & SealArm & Hammer | 0.45 mg | not measured | not measured | 1 ppm | not measured | 3 ppm | not measured | not measured | $0.43 | $16.99 | $0.45 |
Arm & Hammer HardBallArm & Hammer | 0.48 mg | 87% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.47 | $19.99 | $0.53 |
Arm & Hammer Super ScoopArm & Hammer | 0.52 mg | 64% | 50 clumps | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.35 | $13.99 | $0.35 |
Feline PineFeline Pine | 0.08 mg | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.31 | $19.99 | $0.50 |
Fresh Step ScentedFresh Step | 0.42 mg | 66% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.40 | $18.99 | $0.45 |
Frisco by ChewyFrisco | 0.58 mg | 58% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.30 | $13.00 | $0.33 |
Purina Tidy CatsPurina | 0.50 mg | 62% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.39 | $15.49 | $0.44 |
Tuft + PawTuft + Paw | 0.05 mg | 78% | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.97 | $29.00 | $3.22 |
Ökocat Paper PelletÖkocat | 0.00 mg | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | not measured | $0.52 | $19.99 | $1.00 |
Ammonia guide: 5 ppm and under is below what most people can smell, which is the odor threshold published by the CDC ATSDR rather than a figure of ours. 13 ppm and above is where our testers could smell the box from across the room. Granules near the box are counted inside a 12-inch ring around it.
How each run was done
Dates, run lengths and how many cats were living with the litter. Instrument names and purchase receipts are the part of our record keeping that is still thin, so those columns say so plainly.
| Product | Tested through | Run length | Sample size | Bought from | Dust instrument | Ammonia instrument | Tracking instrument |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2026 | 30 days | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | |
Dr. Elsey's Cat AttractDr. Elsey's | Mar 5, 2026 | 90 days | 10 cats, 4 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Dr. Elsey's UltraDr. Elsey's | Mar 7, 2026 | 90 days | 6 cats, 3 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Sustainably YoursSustainably Yours | Mar 6, 2026 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Boxiecat PremiumBoxiecat | Mar 1, 2026 | 90 days | 6 cats, 3 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
World's Best Cat LitterWorld's Best | Mar 6, 2026 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Naturally Fresh WalnutNaturally Fresh | Nov 18, 2025 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Catalyst Soft WoodCatalyst | Nov 20, 2025 | 60 days | 6 cats, 3 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
PrettyLitterPrettyLitter | Mar 4, 2026 | 60 days | 2 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Arm & Hammer Clump & SealArm & Hammer | Mar 7, 2026 | 60 days | 3 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Arm & Hammer HardBallArm & Hammer | Nov 28, 2025 | 60 days | 3 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Arm & Hammer Super ScoopArm & Hammer | Nov 24, 2025 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Feline PineFeline Pine | Oct 20, 2025 | 60 days | 3 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Fresh Step ScentedFresh Step | Mar 3, 2026 | 60 days | 3 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Frisco by ChewyFrisco | Oct 28, 2025 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Purina Tidy CatsPurina | Feb 28, 2026 | 60 days | 4 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Tuft + PawTuft + Paw | Nov 10, 2025 | 60 days | 2 cats, 1 home | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Ökocat Paper PelletÖkocat | Nov 6, 2025 | 60 days | 3 cats, 2 homes | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded | not recorded |
Full ammonia runs
Most of our ammonia readings were taken weekly rather than at 24, 48 and 72 hours, so the hourly columns above are mostly empty. These are the complete runs behind them.
Dr. Elsey's Ultra
- Week 1
- 1 ppm
- Week 2
- 4 ppm
- Week 3
- 8 ppm
- Week 4
- 18 ppm
Boxiecat Premium
- Week 1
- 2 ppm
- Week 2
- 5 ppm
- Week 3
- 12 ppm
- Week 4
- 20 ppm
World's Best Cat Litter
- Day 1
- 2 ppm
- Day 5
- 8 ppm
- Day 10
- 15 ppm
- Day 14
- 28 ppm
PrettyLitter
- Week 1
- 1 ppm
- Week 2
- 3 ppm
- Week 3
- 10 ppm
- Week 4
- 25 ppm
Arm & Hammer Clump & Seal
- Day 1
- 1 ppm
- Day 3
- 3 ppm
- Day 5
- 5 ppm
- Day 7
- 8 ppm