The 5 Best Cheap Cat Litters Of 2024 - We're All About Pets (2024)

Overall Best

This litter is a favorite in the cat guardian community. People love its robust, low-tracking granules, excellent odor control, and minimal dust production. The litter clumps quickly and creates firm clods that are easy to scoop out of the litter box.
It’s unscented and dye-free, so it won’t irritate you or your cat.
Depending on when and where you buy it, this litter ranges from $0.38 to $0.46 per pound, making it one of the most economical clumping clay litters on the market. Combined with its outstanding performance and longevity, this looks like a great value.

Runner Up

Available in Petco stores and online through the Petco store and Amazon, this Petco brand is one of the cheapest on the market. Their Advanced Odor Control formula typically costs between $0.39 and $0.49 per pound.
The Advanced Odor Control formula gets positive reviews from customers. Most seem to agree that it’s hard-clumping, which makes it easy to scoop and keeps it from sticking to the bottom of the litter box. The litter doesn’t produce a lot of dust compared to other clay litters and, thanks to its unscented, dye-free formula, it is an appropriate choice for sensitive cats and people.
This litter’s biggest advantage? If you live near a participating Petco store, you can refill your container from their bulk litter bin. Refilling your jug or bucket will save you a few cents per pound.

Best For Odor Control

Tidy Cats is a reasonably-priced brand that’s been producing reliable cat litter for over 50 years. This clumping clay litter is one of the most consistent, effective products you can buy.
If odor control is your top priority, this Tidy Cats litter may be a good option. It’s a standard clumping clay product that’s optimized for odor control. The litter is infused with activated carbon, which improves its ability to knock out litter box odor. Reviewers say the litter clumps well, lasts for a long time, and is easy to scoop.
The litter is composed of small, relatively light granules that tend to scatter and track across the house. It’s a good product to pair with a mat.

Best For Multiple Cats

This Tidy Cats staple has all the qualities of a good litter, making it a solid choice for multiple-cat homes.
It controls odors effectively, clumps well, and doesn’t produce as much dust as some other clay litters. The litter’s biggest flaw? Its smell. Tidy Cats doesn’t call this a scented litter, but it’s definitely scented. If you or your cat is sensitive to fragrances, you may want to try another of our top recommendations.
At first glance, Tidy Cats isn’t the cheapest litter on the market, but its long-lasting performance and reliability make it a good value over time. If you can snag Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance cat litter on sale, you can get it for under $0.50 per pound.

Best Biodegradable

One of the most effective and trusted biodegradable litters is also one of the category’s cheapest. This litter from World’s Best Cat Litter is made from compressed corn, an absorbent material that locks in liquid and odors. It’s a clumping formula made with multi-cat homes in mind. The litter is infused with a proprietary plant material that, according to the company, helps it to control odors in a multiple-cat home.
Most customers like this World’s Best Cat Litter formula, though some report that it’s dusty and doesn’t control odors as well as some other products.
Compared to clay litter, you’ll pay about twice as much for this litter per pound, but it’s a lightweight product. You’ll get more volume for less weight and end up pouring fewer pounds—and pennies—into your litter box.