Cats are the best for someone like me, lazy—eh no, I mean busy and wishes to stay home all the time. That's the primary reason why I don't own dogs. Don't get me wrong. I love animals. In fact, I'm an animal person but dogs need to be taken outside to do their business. Cats don't. Thanks to the invention of Soybean Cat Litter—I think it is the best thing ever made—they literally solve all the issues I have. All my cats do now is only leave endorphins.
Now, What is Soybean Cat Litter? Let me put on my boots and walk you through Soybean Cat Litter 101. Yes, that's how I take a walk. Don’t judge. Not to be confused with the soybeans we usually eat, it gets its name because it's made from the pulp of soybeans (also known as okara or ???). It is a non-toxic, 100% greener and natural alternative to conventional cat litter. Soybean cat litter comes in the form of cylinder-shaped granules that are soft and lightweight. Here, let me show you.
Why Soybean Cat Litter?
Let me summarize it for you. They are:
- Much safer
- Less messy
- Very Convenient
- Eco-friendly
Over the years, soybean cat litter has been known to bring many benefits. These benefits aren't minor and they solve problems so much, soybean cat litter is becoming a popular option among furry families.
1. Much Safer
As mentioned earlier, soybean cat litter is non-toxic, meaning they do not contain any harmful toxins or synthetic materials. Unlike cat litter like bentonite, soybean cat litter can even be eaten (although I do not mean cats should eat it as food) but I mean when or if your cat for some reason starts to eat them, there is no need for an emergency vet visit.
2. Less Messy
Soybean Cat Litter doesn't stick to our cats' paws so much. As such, its tracking issue is very minimal, infinitesimal—I’m clearly exaggerating—but yes, you won’t find pieces of them throughout your home even if your cats are being playful with them. It is also less dustier compared to conventional cat litters. Because it is made from soybean pulps, whatever odor your cats leave would be masked by the magical smell of the magic beans.
3. Very Convenient
Soybean cat litter can also be safely ushed into the toilet. If you're living in an apartment or a condo like me, this is gold. Condo residents like us all dread going to the waste room, risking returning smelling like garbage and that your best friends ignore us after coming back. Don’t know about yours, but if your cat loves sticking around after you come back from there, perhaps...get a new cat? Plus point, you may even save some cost on bags for tossing litters!
4. Eco-friendly
Honestly, not many care about this, but I know both you and I do. Traditional cat litter makes up the dump in trashes, in which it contributes to landfills but with soybean cat litter, there wouldn’t be any consumption of space as it is water soluble. Not to mention, the process is seamless. We don’t even have to do anything.
Which Brand Should We Choose?
After hearing what's so good about soybean cat litter, I’m sure you’ll be convinced to give it a try, right? But then there is the problem. There are so many brands out there! Which and how should we even choose?! Well, personally as a long-time cat owner myself as well as a soybean cat litter user, I mainly care about smell, dust, the rate it clumps and how quickly it dissolves—cause I just ush them into the toilet. Well, let’s call it biodegradability. I have tried a few brands online—Yes, I shop online. I already say I’m lazy—I mean, busy. I’ll list it here for you so that you don’t have to. These are based on my own personal opinion and here is the result:
These brands are ones that I have tried. As you can see, I rated each brand’s effectiveness in the four (4) elements I have mentioned: Smell, Dust, Clumping and its Biodegradability, which basically means how fast it dissolves in water. These brands I listed are arranged according to the brands I bought sequentially.
Smell
Now, despite all soybean cat litter uses the same ingredient, the soybean pulp, each of these brands somehow smelled different. Peien has the smell that I could least tolerate. I remember it being sour and unpleasant, much like fermented tofu. This could be for you if you like that. Cat Care has a similar smell as Peien but it isn’t as strong. Other brands smell better, with a more neutral soybean smell. But Catwalk—phew. Catwalk makes your room smell like soybean like how some cafes smell of coffee beans, and I love that!
Dust
Among all cat litters, I felt soybean cat litter has the least dust issue. However, among different soybean cat litters, they also compete in their own dust issues as well. Peien again, in my experience, produces the most dust in my cats’ litter box—they share one. Sometimes when my cats get too playful, some would spill out the box. Cat Care and Xiao Mao have similar issues, but not as much. TaoTaoPets are definitely better. Catwalk has some too, but it is very minimal and much lesser than other brands I tried.
Clumping
All the brands clump. But how fast and strong can they clump? This is one of the most important elements for me. As much as I hated to move, I hated to leave my cat's business unsettled more. If the cat litter does not clump fast, it risks having our cats’ dumps stick at the bottom of the litter box. Hence, I prefer it to clump as fast as possible. In this regard, TaoTaoPets is the slowest to clump. In fact, if your cat has an upset stomach, the dump may not be able to clump in time and the watery dump will leak and reach the base of the litter box, causing a mess. Peien are better, but they have similar issues the moment more than one of my cats are taking a dump together. Cat Care and Pet Pet Care are good in these aspects. More Cats? No problem. Watery Dumps? No problem too. However, Catwalk is also a clear winner here. I was in awe when I saw the litter can be clumped in mere one (1) second—this time I’m not exaggerating! When mixed, it becomes rock-like and you can easily scoop and toss it into the toilet.
Biodegradability
Apart from the green reason, after tossing the cat litter into the toilet, how long do we have to wait before we can ush is important. After all, nobody likes a long waiting time. When I started out with Peien, it only took two (2) minutes. However, when I changed to other brands like Xiao Mao, and TaoTaoPets, I had to wait longer. Later, when I tried Catwalk, it dissolves twice as fast, totally becoming one with the toilet water in just one (1) minute.
Price
As you probably have noticed, Catwalk excels in all four (4) aspects be it Smell, Dust, Clumping or Biodegradability. However, Catwalk has one (1) issue, and that the issue is Catwalk is twice as expensive as the other brands. Is Catwalk really worth it? For me, definitely yes! The convenience Catwalk provides additionally compared to other brands is very well worth the extra pay. All the time saved and the comfort it provides can be spent and savored with my cat companions!
To conclude, my top pick among all brands is Catwalk. I have never changed from Catwalk ever since I discovered and tried it. There are still other brands out there within the similar price ranges as any of them, but you may try them at your own risk. For me, why try others when I’m already perfectly happy with Catwalk? Give this brand a try and I guarantee you and your cat will love it!
Written by: Ellie, a freelance designer who owns three (3) lovely cats and loves to stay at home.
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