Kate Barrington / Cats.com
If you’re tired of finding dusty paw prints all over the house or are simply concerned about your impact on the environment as a consumer, you might be interested in an eco-friendly alternative to clay cat litter like Really Great Cat Litter from Tuft + Paw.
There’s no shortage of natural cat litters on the market, so what sets this one apart and is it worth trying for yourself? Find out here. We put Really Great Cat Litter to the test to bring you this in-depth review.
Ratings
Price Per Pound – 4/5
Multi-Cat Formulas – 4/5
Natural/Alternative Options – 5/5
Dust/Mess – 5/5
Easy to Scoop – 4.5/5
Overall Score: 4.5/5
Why Trust Cats.com
I’ve owned cats for 15 years, so I’ve seen plenty of cat litter brands come and go. Once a novelty, alternative cat litters are more accessible (and effective) than ever before, and I’ve tried more of them than I can count. When Tuft + Paw—the same brand that makes one of my favorite litter boxes—released their own cat litter product, I was intrigued.
To write this detailed review, I ordered a one-month supply of Really Great Cat Litter (a 9.5-pound bag) and tested it at home with my two cats. Throughout the process, I made observations about my cats’ response to the litter as well as the product’s effectiveness in key categories such as dustiness, tracking, clumping ability, and odor control.
Tuft + Paw Brand Overview
My cats easily took to Tuft + Paw Really Great Cat Litter. Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Founded in 2016, Tuft + Paw is headquartered in Palm Desert, California. Tuft + Paw was created by Jackson Cunningham out of a desire to develop pet furniture that’s both stylish and functional. The self-described cat-first company offers everything from faux fur-lined floating shelves and adjustable cat trees to a futuristic-looking spherical cat bed nestled in a powder-coated steel base.
In the years since the company’s founding, Tuft + Paw has expanded its product line to include other cat essentials like the Porto travel carrier, the Haven litter box enclosure, and the popular Cove high-sided litter box.
Tuft + Paw released Really Great Cat Litter . A flushable alternative to clumping clay cat litter, Really Great Cat Litter is made from soybean fiber—a byproduct of the process through which tofu is made.
Really Great Cat Litter is sold in 9.5-pound bags for $29 each. You can save $3 per bag by ordering a three-bag supply for $79.
Really Great Cat Litter Features
Tuft + Paw Really Great Cat Litter granules are narrow, oblong pellets. Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Unlike clay cat litter, Really Great Cat Litter consists of lightweight pellets rather than heavy granules. Their size and oblong shape helps keep them from sticking to your cat’s paws in order to reduce tracking.
Really Great Cat Litter is virtually dust-free, and any dust it might produce isn’t harmful to your cat the way silica dust can be. The formula consists primarily of soybean fiber but also contains corn starch, corn flour, and guar gum. A little bit of charcoal is added as well to support long-lasting odor control. It doesn’t contain any added fragrances or dyes.
Where many natural and alternative cat litters shine is in their absorbency. Really Great Cat Litter is marketed as “outstandingly absorbent” and this claim seems to be supported by customer experience. The product absorbs liquid to form scoopable clumps that harden as they dry.
One thing worth noting is that some cats appear to only like using the product for urine and not solid waste. This was the case for my cats (and numerous online reviewers), though it wasn’t an issue for me since I have multiple litter boxes with different types of litter. You might simply want to keep some of your cat’s old litter around until you see how they respond to this product.
The other feature that makes Really Great Cat Litter notable is that it’s flushable. It’s important to follow Tuft + Paw’s instructions for flushing this litter (and it might not work for every household) but it’s nice to have an option other than throwing it in the trash.
Really Great Cat Litter is sold on Tuft + Paw’s website only as a recurring subscription. However, after starting your subscription, you can pause and place one-time orders as needed. You can also buy Really Great Cat Litter on Amazon and Chewy.
What We Like:
Flushable alternative to clumping clay cat litter
Virtually dust-free and very low tracking
Forms clumps for easy scooping
Free from artificial fragrances and dyes
Highly absorbent materials
What We Dislike:
Might be harder to sift or scoop than finer granules
Fairly expensive at more than $3 per pound
Some cats only like it for urinating
What Did Our Test Cats Think?
The litter is very absorbent and doesn’t break down when wet. Kate Barrington / Cats.com
To test Really Great Cat Litter, I ordered a one-month supply (a single bag) on the Tuft + Paw website for $29. I didn’t originally realize I was signing up for a recurring order, but found it easy to manage my subscription when I later logged into my account.
My order shipped quickly and arrived in a recyclable cardboard box. The litter was packaged in a sturdy plastic bag with a zipper top and a reinforced carry handle. As other reviewers have mentioned, it would be nice to see an eco-friendly alternative litter packaged in something other than plastic but the bag was thoughtfully designed.
Having tested a variety of natural cat litter products before, I wasn’t taken by surprise when I saw the shape of the litter granules. They’re narrow, oblong pellets about ½ inch in length. The litter is gray in color like clay cat litter and the heft of the bag is similar to a product that comes in small jugs.
When I poured Really Great Cat Litter into the litter box, there wasn’t any noticeable dust. I didn’t pick up on any fragrance either.
I found the litter to be very absorbent and I liked that it didn’t break down when wet like other plant-based pellet litters I’ve tried. It did clump but not as quickly as the clay litter I’m used to—it took an hour or so to completely harden. Even then, pieces of the clumps broke off sometimes if I wasn’t careful during scooping. After trying a few different tactics, I found a trick to scooping Really Great Cat Litter that worked really well for me.
Giving the clumps a little extra time to harden made it easier to scoop them out. Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Because I have an abundance of litter boxes in my house, I generally don’t need to scoop them all every day. I check for activity and scoop as needed. When testing Really Great Cat Litter, I found that giving the clumps a little extra time to harden made a difference when it came to scooping. It also helped to shake the litter box a few times first so I could easily spot the clumps and lift them out with the scoop instead of raking through the whole box to find them.
Overall, I was very pleased with the product and my cats seemed to like it. They’re used to testing out different cat litters at this point, but they took to it easily and didn’t avoid it completely like they have with some other products I’ve tried.
What Do Customers Think of Really Great Cat Litter?
Outside of the brand’s website, reviews of Tuft + Paw products are fairly limited. At the time of this review, Really Great Cat Litter had 120 customer ratings on Amazon (4.0/5-star average) and less than 20 on Chewy (3.9/5-star average).
At tuftandpaw.com, reviews are plentiful. Really Great Cat Litter has more than 3,500 reviews and a 4.6 out of 5-star average rating. Only about 23% of customers rated the product less than 5 stars and only 11% gave it a rating of 3 stars or under.
Positive Reviews
Satisfied customers appear to be overwhelmingly impressed with Really Great Cat Litter’s low-dust formula and minimal tracking. Numerous reviewers admit skepticism prior to trying the product but changed their minds. Many positive reviews also mention the product’s clumping ability and that it lasts longer than a similar volume of clay litter.
“It definitely still tracks outside the box, but it captures scent, is super easy to scoop, clumps well, and I like that it’s flushable.”—Sharon Jay Gilman on Amazon.com, June 8, 2024
“It clumps well, there’s absolutely NO DUST, and very little tracking–I’ve gone from vacuuming multiple times per day to once a day or even once every other day. It is pricey, but I don’t have to lug 40lb bags from the store and I don’t use as much.”—Amanda on Chewy.com, May 22, 2024
Negative Reviews
Few of the negative reviews for Really Great Cat Litter mention any serious problems with the product—most simply say the customer was less impressed with the litter than they hoped to be. Some reviewers were disappointed with the litter’s odor control and cost. Several mention that it’s tricky to scoop or that it sticks to the litter box when wet.
“I was looking for a litter that is more sustainable that clay and that tracks better, but I’m going to continue looking. The litter works well for pee, but it does not clump around poop. So even when the cats bury the poop, the whole room ends up very stinky.”—TJ Green on Amazon.com, February 10, 2024
“Unfortunately, the cats preferences and the flushing didn’t balance out the benefits of low tracking when world’s best works well for us and our cats minus the tracking. I would say give it a try and see how it works for your cats but maybe give them the option like we did in case your cats also don’t like to poop in it either.”—Christina on Chewy.com, June 30, 2024
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Really Great Cat Litter made from?
Tuft + Paw’s Really Great Cat Litter is an eco-friendly alternative to clay made from byproducts of soybean processing. Aside from soybean fiber, the litter contains corn starch, corn flour, guar gum, and a little bit of charcoal to help with odor control.
Is Really Great Cat Litter actually flushable?
It depends. While Really Great Cat Litter is designed to be septic safe and flushable, you shouldn’t just scoop directly from the box into your toilet. Break up the clumps into small pieces and let them soak until softened before you flush.
Keep in mind that some plumbing systems might not be able to handle it, so know that flushing any cat litter comes with a risk of clogs.
Does this litter clump?
Yes. Really Great Cat Litter forms scoopable clumps but they may not harden as quickly or as completely as clumping clay litter. It works best with a litter scoop that has wide, long slots instead of round holes.
Can Really Great Cat Litter be used in automatic litter boxes?
No. While this cat litter does form clumps, they might break apart too easily for self-cleaning litter boxes. The narrow pellets might also get stuck in the mechanical parts of certain automatic litter boxes. Tuft + Paw recommends pairing it with their all-in-one Cove litter box system.
