Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Free from artificial chemical substances and poisonous components, Ökocat pure litter is marketed as a more healthy various to clay cat litter. However how does it maintain up in real-world testing? Discover out on this unbiased, in-depth assessment.
Scores
- Value Per Pound – 3/5
- Multi-Cat Formulation – 4/5
- Pure/Various Choices – 5/5
- Mud/Mess – 4/5
- Straightforward to Scoop – 4/5
Total Rating: 4/5
Why Belief Cats.com
Ökocat was one of many first cat litters I attempted—it was beneficial for litter coaching by the shelter after I adopted my first two kittens, Bagel and Munchkin. Over a decade later, I’ve examined dozens of pure and various cat litters. When Ökocat introduced the discharge of up to date formulation and model new packaging, I used to be wanting to attempt it for myself.
To put in writing this assessment, I examined three Ökocat formulation in a number of totally different kinds of litter field over the course of a month. Throughout testing, I made observations about how properly every product managed odor and restricted monitoring on prime of metrics like dustiness and scoopability. My cats didn’t show any objections to Ökocat litter and didn’t require any prolonged transition course of to start out utilizing it commonly.
Ökocat Litter and Wholesome Pet Overview
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Wholesome Pet was based in 1985 and presently operates out of two places in the USA—Ferndale, Washington and Jesup, Georgia. The Wholesome Pet household of manufacturers contains Ökocat pure litter, carefresh and CritterCare small pet bedding, and Pet Go Potty canine litter.
Ökocat is Wholesome Pet’s solely line of cat litter. Named after the German phrase for “eco” or ecological, Ökocat is constructed from 100% reclaimed wooden. It’s a sustainably sourced and biodegradable various to clay cat litter that is available in 5 totally different formulation.
All 5 Ökocat formulation are free from artificial chemical substances and are available 100% recyclable packaging. Relying on the formulation, the litter is offered in 9-, 12.6-, and 18.8-pound volumes.
You could find Ökocat litter in main pet retailers like Petco and Petsmart in addition to unbiased and regional pet shops and massive field shops like Walmart. Ökocat merchandise are additionally offered on-line at Chewy.com or on Amazon.com.
Ökocat Litter Options
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Not like conventional clay cat litter, Ökocat litter is sustainably sourced and utterly biodegradable. It’s constructed from reclaimed wooden fibers—a mix of spruce, fir, and pine. The fibers come from suppliers that adjust to Forest Stewardship Council and Sustainable Forestry Initiative insurance policies and are commonly subjected to third-party testing for security.
Wholesome Pet makes use of leftover by-products from native lumber mills (earlier than they add any chemical substances) and dries the wooden at excessive temperatures to take away any phenols or unstable oils that may in any other case irritate your cat’s nostril or lungs. No artificial fragrances or different chemical substances are added to Ökocat litter, although the product does retain a delicate pure wooden scent.
Ökocat provides the next cat litter merchandise:
- Unique Premium Clumping Wooden Cat Litter
- Tremendous Tender Clumping Wooden Cat Litter
- Low Monitoring, Much less Mess Mini-Pellets
- Featherweight Clumping Wooden Cat Litter
- Mud Free Non-Clumping Paper Pellet Cat Litter
All Ökocat merchandise are clumping cat litters excluding the dust-free paper pellets. It’s value noting, nevertheless, that the merchandise don’t clump to fairly the identical diploma as clay-based litter. The clumps might have to sit down for an hour or two to harden sufficient for straightforward scooping.
Three Ökocat merchandise are available tender, light-weight granules whereas the opposite two are available small, rectangular pellets. All 5 merchandise are free from probably dangerous silica mud however might break down right into a nice sawdust-like materials. The mini pellets are the bottom monitoring of the Ökocat lineup as a result of the pellets merely don’t stick with a cat’s paws like smaller, finer granules may.
Although free from added perfume, Ökocat litter provides sturdy pure odor-control advantages. It’s extremely absorbent, absorbing urine and locking away the ammonia odor on contact. A small or medium bag of Ökocat litter can final a single cat for a number of months when scooped every day and the big luggage are perfect for multi-cat households.
One ultimate truth value mentioning is that Ökocat litter is biodegradable however Wholesome Pet doesn’t advocate flushing it. It’s not a lot a plumbing challenge, nevertheless, as an environmental one. Wholesome Pet cites issues concerning the potential impression of flushed pet waste on water high quality and wildlife as a proof.
What We Like:
- Sustainably sourced from reclaimed wooden fiber
- Eco-friendly various to clay litter
- Packaging is 100% recyclable
- Sturdy pure odor management means
- 5 totally different formulation to select from
- Free from artificial perfume and different chemical substances
What We Dislike:
- Clumps want time to harden earlier than scooping
- Light-weight formulation might observe greater than heavier merchandise
- Some cats won’t like the feel of the pellets
What Did Our Take a look at Cats Assume?
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
To check Ökocat pure litter, I bought three formulation: Unique Premium Clumping Wooden, Low Monitoring Much less Mess Mini-Pellets, and Featherweight Clumping Wooden Cat Litter. These are the one three Ökocat merchandise my native pet retailer carries, although others are simple to search out on-line.
Instantly, I used to be impressed by the brand new packaging. Not solely is it 100% recyclable, but it surely makes it simple to tell apart between the totally different merchandise. The bag for every product is a unique shade and there’s an enlarged image of the litter on the entrance.
The brand new luggage are constructed from fairly sturdy paper and the handles make them simply as simple to hold because the outdated containers. They’re just a little tough to open however there aren’t any corners for the litter to get caught in (a difficulty I all the time had with the containers). Plus, they fold up properly to slot in the recycling bin.
All through the testing course of, I discovered Ökocat litter did an awesome job controlling odor and it lasted longer than I assumed it will. It had a delicate pure wooden scent that I preferred and my cats didn’t appear to have any points with the scale, form, or texture of the totally different formulation.
The litter didn’t clump fairly in addition to clay litter however the small bits left behind by the news had been simple to stir again in for reuse. This was most noticeable with the mini-pellet formulation.
I truly discovered this high quality surprisingly useful after I was testing it within the Petmate Booda Dome Cleanstep Litter Field. The clay cat litter I’d been utilizing all the time caught to the perimeters (particularly since my cat Munchkin sprays urine everywhere in the partitions of the field), which made it tough to scoop. As a substitute of scraping, I merely stirred any leftover bits again into the litter mattress. The product did a a lot better job of minimizing odor than the clay litter I’d been utilizing as properly.
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
Total, Ökocat stays one in every of my favourite eco-friendly options to clay cat litter. I like the wide range of formulation now accessible and respect the model’s continued dedication to sustainability.
What Do Prospects Consider Ökocat Litter?
Ökocat litter seems to be typically well-liked, particularly amongst cat homeowners in search of a low-dust, fragrance-free various to clay. With hundreds of buyer scores on Chewy.com alone, Ökocat merchandise earn a mean of no less than 3 out of 5 stars. The least widespread product seems to be the non-clumping selection—the others common 4 out of 5 stars.
Optimistic Opinions
Glad prospects usually remark that Ökocat litter isn’t dusty like clay and plenty of appear to understand the product’s delicate fresh-cut wooden scent. Quite a few constructive critiques point out the change to recyclable packaging with a number of prospects saying they consider the slight value improve is well worth the enchancment.
“I respect that that is packaged in paper. I noticed that the value elevated but it surely’s now bagged as a substitute of boxed so you’re truly getting extra litter despite the fact that the burden didn’t mirror that. Anyway, my cats like this, it’s simple to scrub and never dusty in any respect.” – Eve reviewing Ökocat Mud-Free Unscented Non-Clumping Clumping Paper Pellet Cat Litter on Chewy.com, February 25, 2024
“I’m delicate to scented issues, so it’s been actually onerous to discover a cat litter that takes care of the poop odor but in addition doesn’t make my entire home odor terrible. Even the unscented cat litters have scents that hassle me. Anyway, this smells like sawdust, which is ideal for me.” – Lena reviewing Ökocat Tremendous Tender Clumping Wooden Cat Litter on Chewy.com, June 26, 2024
Damaging Opinions
Dissatisfied prospects often complain that the light-weight Ökocat formulation observe to a major diploma—greater than the mini pellets. Some prospects say the product is simply too dusty or that it turns into sticky when moist. A couple of prospects suppose the brand new packaging is simply too giant.
“This litter tracks quite a bit. I assumed it will be lower than the pellets, however, alas, no. It additionally permits urine to turn into sticky within the corners of the litter field and begin smelling.” – Janet reviewing Ökocat Unique Premium Wooden Clumping Cat Litter on Chewy.com, August 18, 2024
“I like the Ökocat wooden litter, however my most up-to-date buy was in a mylar bag as a substitute of the earlier field. The bag on this giant measurement could be very unwieldy — onerous to tug down the steps and won’t keep upright when open and causes contents to spill.” – Eileen reviewing Ökocat Unique Premium Clumping Wooden Cat Litter on Chewy.com, August 21, 2024
Total, Is Ökocat Litter a Good Selection?
On the subject of pure cat litter, Ökocat seems to be a preferred selection. Not solely do the merchandise carry out properly within the litter field, however prospects appear to suppose the standard is well worth the premium value. As a model, Wholesome Pet additionally seems to be dedicated to assembly the client’s wants whereas respecting the surroundings.
Ökocat is a very sensible choice for cats with delicate noses and for functions the place a tender, clay-free litter is required (comparable to post-surgical restoration or litter coaching for kittens). With 5 formulation to select from, Ökocat is flexible for each single- and multi-cat households. It’s additionally simple to search out on-line or in shops, together with main pet retailer chains.
Comparable Manufacturers
On the lookout for different cat litter manufacturers much like Ökocat? Take a look at a few of our different model critiques.
Steadily Requested Questions
What’s Ökocat litter constructed from?
All 5 Ökocat formulation are constructed from reclaimed wooden fibers sourced from native lumber mills. It’s a mix of spruce, fir, and pine that has been dried at excessive temperatures to take away any probably dangerous phenols or unstable oils.
Are you able to flush Ökocat litter?
It relies upon. Whereas Ökocat is biodegradable like different flushable cat litter merchandise, Wholesome Pet eliminated the time period “flushable” from product labels out of concern for the environmental impression of flushing pet waste.
How usually ought to I modify Ökocat litter?
Like every litter, Ökocat must be scooped every day to take away clumps and waste—the litter stage can then be topped up as wanted. A small or medium bag of Ökocat litter ought to final a single cat 2 to 2 ½ months or two cats as much as one month. A big bag can final a single cat as much as 4 months or a number of cats as much as 3 months.
Does Ökocat work in computerized cat litter containers?
No, Ökocat shouldn’t be beneficial for computerized litter containers. For clumping varieties, the clumps ought to sit for an hour or two to harden earlier than scooping or sifting for the perfect outcomes.
