Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As someone who has been owned by these brilliant creatures for 30yrs (multiple sets) I have a GREAT deal of experience with litter. However, in a desperate effort to find a more modern and LIGHTER option, I decided to do a very expensive taste-test of sorts. I purchased EIGHT different brands. I compared them all against each other, as well as traditional brands ranging from the tree-hugger types (Dr. Elsey's - Precious Cat) and the more mainstream ones. As far as possible, all other conditions were kept the same. (This, of course, not being a lab or anything.) Here's the thumbnail: I prolly will give up on "lightweight" litter. There is simply no formulation that delivers safely. First, the scented ones -- Please do not do this to cats. They have exquisite olfactory sensory organs. As disgusting as the scented is for you -- it is ONE THOUSAND times worse for them. The scents are overwhelming and cling to the critters' hair. I do not like the scents but more importantly, neither do critters. Excessive licking/grooming follows after each use to get the scent off their coats. So -- I was excited when I found the unscented version of the one referenced (this one). [I had accidentally purchased the SCENTED one first.] How did it work? The truth is that this litter clumps well. The scent is undetectable. So why am I not happy? Here's why (in case the pic didn't give it away): 1) TRACKING: The lightweightness of this litter means it tracks like CRAZY. I've never seen this phenomenon so bad. The pic is after ONE use by each of two cats. Literally. I have moved the vacuum into the "cats bathroom" permanently. If they step in it damp, you will get NOT ONLY the litter but paw PRINTS everywhere (like, on your leather sofa....). (Oh, and it will stick between their toes if wet.) The tracking means it gets tracked throughout the ENTIRE house. You will find in your bed, on your sofa... everywhere the critter goes, you will find it. Which *might* be fine if it wasn't for the fact that... 2) INGESTION: Because the litter sticks to their paws (and fur) so easily, they are constantly grooming themselves. A couple times I snagged a lump right before it almost went into the treats-hole. This is disturbing to me, (but could be catastrophic for critters). But as bad as this is, the next thing that happened was worse... 3) TUMMY LICKING: The aggressive tummy licking started. My big boy has never in his life engaged in compulsive tummy licking (or "mowing" if you'd like the technical term) in his bikini area and legs/bum. The lightbulb finally went on for me after about two weeks (*&^%!). When I threw the first batch (Lightweight/Scented) out and went back to Dr. Elsey's -- he got better and the hair started to slowly grow back. Then I had the brilliant idea to try the UNscented version of this litter (this one) thinking that problem was maybe the scent? I was determined. Nope. He has just today (Day 2) started his aggressive "mowing" again.* I feel like such a ****head. My desperate need for "lighter" litter has created a real problem for my baby. So, yes, it goes into the garbage immediately and back to Dr. Elsey. For me (and I am a trained in the sciences) this is enough evidence that the "mowing" is related to the litter. Sure, there could be a third variable (confound) out there somewhere that coincidentally triggered this behavior. But The fact that my big boy began a behavior that subsided with the discontinuation of the product -- TWICE -- is enough evidence for me. BTW, my chubby-bubbie is a NO-drama-man-cat. He is NOT a delicate, illness-prone cat. He is a sturdy, laid-back, fun-loving, most awesome-personality-blessed Snowshoe in the world. He doesn't have allergies, isn't picky about food, loves every stranger he meets, etc. I think that's why this is hitting so hard. I hurt my precious bubbie. Just trying to find something that was more convenient for me. <sad face> I know this is a highly rated product. It may work well for others. But this was my (sad) experience. I desperately wanted a new, lighter litter. But I think the product science is just not there yet. Until they can make a product that cats are NOT ingesting or trying to lick off, it's simply not safe.