Arm & Hammer Essentials and Feline Pine Clumping

Edit 11/27/2009: This comparison was done for our own use as we searched for a different cat litter. All products were purchased by us and no compensation was received for this review. Please see our Disclaimers and Disclosures for details.

This is a continuation of the clumping cat litter comparison, focusing on Arm & Hammer Essentials and Feline Pine Clumping.

Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Clumping Cat Litter is "formulated with a proprietary blend of 100% natural corn fibers that combine with ARM & HAMMER® Baking Soda to effectively absorb urine and eliminate odors instantly." Target has 10.5-pound bags for $12.29 each. Of all the clumping litter tested, Essentials had the least dust when poured. Unfortunately, that was about the only advantage it had over the others. Its clumpability was only fair; the clumps fall apart when scooped. It has an overpowering fragrance ---- almost perfumy so it seems to mask litter box odor more than controlling it. We could only find the small bags, no 34-40# bags, so on a per pound cost, it was more expensive than WBCL and Swheat Scoop.

Essentials pluses: minimal dust, biodegradable and renewable resources
Essentials minuses: overpowering fragrant, fair-poor clumpability, expensive (no large bags)

Feline Pine Clumping Cat Litter is made from renewable Southern Yellow Pine and Natural Guar. Feline Pine Original was the first "alternative" cat litter I used (and liked) when I first got out of veterinary school. I really wanted to like Feline Pine Clumping but had to abandon it early in the trial when it falls short on the 3 main categories: "dust", clumpability, and economy of size.

True, there was no clay dust, but there was sawdust-like particles when poured from the box. Plus, its lightweight made it prone to blowing around when we filled the box. This may not be a problem with a traditional litter box, but we use giant litter boxes and converted Rubbermaid storage containers (more on litter box size later) --- almost felt like working in a sawmill.

Of all the clumping litter tested, Feline Pine Clumping scored the lowest. The litter absorbs the urine but did not form a very firm scoopable clump.

The largest box of Feline Pine Clumping is 10.1-pound, about $13.99, making it the most expensive per pound of clumping litter in our comparison.

Feline Pine Clumping pluses: very pleasant pine smell, renewable resources, biodegradable, chemical-free, light weight, educational site without being overwhelming, Pine Perks and rebates.
Feline Pine Clumping minuses: more dusty than the other non-clay clumping litter, too lightweight, poor clumping, not available in larger volume, more expensive on a per pound basis.

Then there was the traditional clay clumping litter....