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What’s the Best Cat Litter for Your Home (and Your Cat)?

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What’s the Best Cat Litter for Your Home (and Your Cat)?


After testing dozens of automatic litter boxes, I can say it’s been difficult to determine which is the best cat litter (or rather, if there is one). Most people will want to look for a low-tracking, clumping cat litter that’s compatible with their litter box. But there are other factors to consider, like allergens, material, the litter box itself, and how you’ll deal with the waste.

In recent years, there have been leaps and bounds in the pet tech sphere as a whole—including where our cats go potty and what litter they go potty in. In the past, the choices were an absorbent clay whose main compound was calcium bentonite, sawdust, or sand. Now, we have high-tech crystal litter, which aims to show health issues through changing color; eco-friendly tofu litter; and all types of clumping clay litter between. After a year of testing litter boxes and scooping tons of cat litter, let me sift through (get it?) the options so you can determine the best type of cat litter for you and your furry friend.

Table of Contents

Should You Change Up Your Litter?

There are many reasons why you may want to change your litter. Your cat may be like mine, with sensitivities to strong odors or smells that can cause allergies or allergy-like symptoms like red eyes or itching. Or maybe your cat is long-haired, like mine, and you’re tired of litter sticking to their fur.

If you want to be more eco- (and budget-) friendly, a biodegradable tofu or wood pellet litter may be better, but for these, you’ll need to introduce the change slowly and oftentimes, you’ll have to change the box you’re using. (More on that below.)

As a helicopter pet parent who brushes their cats’ teeth and shaves their butts, I honestly just want to make sure I have a litter that keeps my cat (and me) comfortable, giving them a safe space to potty and an easier time to clean it for me.

I look for, and recommend folks do trial-and-error to find, a litter that has all of these elements:

  • Clumping: Many brands claim to clump effectively, but you’ll need to monitor while scooping to see if they actually are, or if they’re leaving smaller bits that sneak through grates while cleaning.
  • Scent-free or low scent: Cats can smell 14 times better than humans, and strong odors can irritate their respiratory system and lead to itching, watery eyes, and other symptoms, including not wanting to use the litter box at all because the scent is too overwhelming.
  • Lowtracking: Same as clumping litters above, many litters claim to be low tracking, but I’ve found that the best way to lessen litter tracking around the house is to have a great clumping litter and add as much space between the box and the floor. This means that in addition to clumping litter, add accessories like stairs (if your cat is mobile enough), a ramp, or a litter-trapping mat to increase the distance between the box and your floor, to reduce litter tracking. Litters that aim to be low-tracking are generally better at dust control, which also help with general cleanliness and lower irritants.

Boxiecat

Extra Strength Multi-Cat Clumping Clay Litter

Boxiecat

Air Probiotic Cat Litter

I’ve tested several types of cat litter from Boxiecat, and although pricey, they have all managed odor well, had low dust/tracking, and scooped easily in clumps (and worked well with my automatic litter box).

Compare the Most Popular Types of Litter

As said before, there used to be super-limited litter options, now there’s tofu, wood, silica crystals, recycled paper, and even nut shells. While something like wood pellets is more-eco friendly and cheaper, you’ll have to factor in your litter box and whether your cat takes to the new litter. (Although slow introduction is key.)

  • Clay cat litter: This is by far the most popular litter type, and most closely resembles what cats would be using in the wild. Clumping clay cat litter is what I recommend for most people, as it primarily uses a naturally absorbent bentonite clay. It expands when wet/soiled, making it “clump,” which is easier to scoop and generally more hygienic. However, it’s not as environmentally friendly because it’s not biodegradable and can contain carcinogenic silica dust.
  • Tofu cat litter: This relatively new litter is great because it’s environmentally friendly. It’s made out of soybean fiber, making it naturally biodegradable, nontoxic, and way less dusty than traditional choices. If bought in pellet form (the most popular option), they clump well and can even be flushed in the toilet, although it can be pricey and can grow mold if in humid conditions.
  • Crystal cat litter: This type of litter is made from silica mined from quartz sand and mixed with oxygen and water to make super absorbent pellets (akin to the absorbing powers of little silica gel packets found in many newly bought items). It’s lightweight and has great odor control. Crystal litter is pricey, not biodegradable or clumping (requires daily sifting), easily tracks, can be an uncomfortable texture for paws, and is difficult for some cats to get used to using. Popular brands like PrettyLitter actually use a special silica formula that aims to track health changes through changing colors based on urinary PH. Although I’m slightly cautious to use it because of reviews of the silica litter being ingested and harming cats and causing respiratory issues because of the particle dust.
  • Paper or Wood pellets: Paper and wood pellets are cheap, have low dust and tracking, and are eco-friendly because they’re biodegradable. (Paper pellets are also great for injured or post-operation pets because the litter is low-dust and there’s less chance for litter to get stuck in wounds.) However, this doesn’t control odor well, is non-clumping, and needs to be changed frequently (you’ll probably need a sifting litter box). Wood pellets are also often made of pine and can have an overwhelming scent.
  • Walnut shell cat litter: Made from crushed walnut shells, this is often used as a much lighter, more natural alternative to clay litter. It’s lightweight and has a similar texture to clay, and is biodegradable. Although it can track, spoil if in moist conditions, and requires frequent emptying/cleaning.
  • We don’t recommend corn cat litter, as corn is prone to a toxic mold called aflatoxin. This can cause health issues for cats and in humans who have asthma or COPD and are immunocompromised or elderly.



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Best HelloFresh Coupons and Promo Codes for December 2025

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Best HelloFresh Coupons and Promo Codes for December 2025


Leveraging meal kit coupons is the extreme couponing of our times—a capitalism hack-a-thon right up there with trial yoga classes and attempting to cancel your Adobe subscription. Meal kits like HelloFresh have always been a better deal than they get credit for, even at full price: It’s actually hard to recreate meal kit meals for less than you can get the recipes delivered to your home. But it’s especially worth it when you can find a HelloFresh coupon, promo code, or discount at more than half off.

I’ll admit I wasn’t that sold on HelloFresh when I first tried it most of a decade ago. It was useful, it got me out of my staid routines, but I wasn’t impressed with the selection. It felt a little basic. But lately? Honestly, it’s kinda cosmopolitan these days, after expanding to a dozen countries and absorbing the supply networks from multiple other meal plans. When I last tested the HelloFresh meal kit (7/10, WIRED Recommends), I was surprised to find myself cooking credible home renditions of ramen, ponzu-plum beef stir fry, and Southwest-accented pork roasts. And when I’m able to pick up a HelloFresh discount code, it’s generally less than I’d spend on groceries anyway. So it’s a good moment to try out a lifestyle where the food comes in the mail.

Get 50% Off and up to 10 Free Meals as a New HelloFresh Customer

Right now, new and returning customers can take advantage of a HelloFresh discount code offering 50% off your first meal kit box plus a free item each week. Enter your email as part of the signup process, and you’ll be auto-subscribed to an email with even more offers for both new and existing customers. Plus, new customers can get up to 55% off and extra free breakfasts, desserts, and other items with other secret discounts.

HelloFresh Student and Discount: 55% Off, Free Shipping, Plus Extra 15% Off Education Discounts Available via UNiDAYS

HelloFresh meal kits are pretty amenable to dorm life when ordering the ready-to-eat meals—or just saving time during grad school instead of ordering pizza, by letting the Internet do your shopping and meal planning. But student budgets tend to be tight, of course. And so there are steeply discounted HelloFresh coupon codes specifically for students. Follow the link here for a HelloFresh education promo code offering 55% off your first box, free shipping, and a continuing discount of 15% off for the first year.

Discounts also apply to teachers who’ve never tried HelloFresh. Educators and school employees can get up to 12 free meals spread out across 3 boxes, plus free shipping. Click here for the HelloFresh promo code, or go here for more information about educator discounts.

Note that the student and educator discounts don’t combine with any other HelloFresh discounts or promotions.

Special Hero Discount for Military, Veterans, and Healthcare Workers

Military discounts are a long tradition in America. HelloFresh also offers hero discount programs for first responders, health professionals, and military personnel. Heroes also get excellent discounts that include 55% off the first order, free shipping, and 15% off for the first year of HelloFresh delivery boxes.

This program is open to nurses, hospital employees, EMTs, active military, veterans, and first responders. First responders include law enforcement, 911 dispatch, and firefighters. Click here to see if you’re eligible, or follow this link for more information about HelloFresh hero discounts.

Note that the hero discounts don’t combine with any other HelloFresh promo codes.

Give $40, Get $10 With the HelloFresh Referral Program

Already a HelloFresh subscriber? You’re still eligible for discounts if you pass along subscription information to your friends. Here’s how: Send your friends a $40 discount for their own affordable meal kits. Once they sign up using your HelloFresh referral code, you’ll also get a $10 credit on your next delivery.

These discounts stack. So if you sign up multiple friends with your referral code, you get multiple $10 discounts. Check out the HelloFresh meal kit referral program here.

Take Advantage of HelloFresh Come Back Offers

Some of these discounts are only available to new HelloFresh customers. But there’s a hack to getting discounts anyway. After you pause or cancel your subscription, check your inbox after the next few days or weeks. Often, you’ll get HelloFresh coupon codes for discounts.

Typical HelloFresh “come-back” offers after a canceled subscription include: $100 to $180 off (spread out over several meal boxes), free shipping on the first box (after re-subscribing), free items such as dessert, breakfast, or an extra protein per meal, or a free meal box is offered after a break. Typical retention offers, for when customers try to cancel, include: 40% off the next box, if you decide not to cancel, or 25% off the next two meal kits. None of this is failsafe, of course, offers vary for each customer. But as with magazine subscriptions, sometimes canceling, or trying to cancel, will lead to a good discount offer from a company eager to keep your business.

When to Save the Most on HelloFresh Subscriptions

HelloFresh almost always has some sort of deal going, whether to bring in new customers with an especially choice HelloFresh coupon, or bring back previous customers with HelloFresh discount codes and retention offers. But summer tends to be one of the times they offer the steepest discounts, including 10 free meals across several boxes, complimentary appetizers, free ready-made items, or free shipping on select boxes.

The other big times for HelloFresh coupon codes are around Black Friday and the end of the year. HelloFresh often launches limited-edition holiday meal boxes and themed meal kits, not to mention discounts for returning customers looking to cook more at home as part of New Year’s resolutions.



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Could You Use a Rowboat to Walk on the Seafloor Like Jack Sparrow?

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Could You Use a Rowboat to Walk on the Seafloor Like Jack Sparrow?


But you already know about this, because Fg is what normies call an object’s “weight,” and for a given volume, weight depends only on the density. Now, if you dropped these blocks in a lake, obviously the styrofoam would float and the steel would sink. So clearly it has something to do with density.

What if you had a block of water with the same volume? If you could somehow hold this cube of water, it would feel pretty heavy, about 62.4 pounds. Now, if you place it carefully in a lake, will it sink or bob on the surface like styrofoam? Neither, right? It’s just going to sit there.

Since it doesn’t move up or down, the total force on the block of water must be zero. That means there has to be a force counteracting gravity by pushing up with equal strength. We call this buoyancy, and for any object, the buoyancy force is equal to the weight of the water it displaces.

So let’s think about this. The steel block displaces the same amount of water, so it has the same upward-pushing buoyancy force as the block of water. But because it’s denser and has more mass, down it goes.

In general, an object will sink if the gravitational force exceeds the buoyancy force, and it will float if the buoyancy force exceeds the gravitational force. Another way of saying that is, an object will sink if it’s denser than water and it will float if it’s less dense.

And right in the middle an object will neither sink nor rise to the surface—we call that neutral buoyancy. Humans are pretty close to neutral because our bodies are 60 percent water. That’s why you feel weightless underwater—the buoyancy force pretty much offsets the gravitational force.

Avast! Hold on there, matey. Aircraft carriers are made of steel and weigh 100,000 tons, so why do they float? Can you guess? It’s because of their shape. Unlike a block of steel, a ship’s hull is hollow and filled with air, so it has a large volume relative to its weight.

But what if you start filling it with cargo? The ship gets heavier, which means it must displace more water to reach that equilibrium point. In general, when you launch a boat or ship into the water, it’ll sink down until the weight of the water it pushes aside equals the boat’s total weight.



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The Ricoh GR IV, the Cult Favorite Pocket Camera, Just Got Way Better

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The Ricoh GR IV, the Cult Favorite Pocket Camera, Just Got Way Better


When I reviewed the GR III, I wrote about how much I liked snap focus mode, which allows you to set a predetermined focus distance regardless of the aperture. I set up my GR III to use autofocus when I half-pressed the shutter and snap when I quickly pressed, so that snap focus fired off the shot at my predetermined focus distance (usually 1.5 meters).

All that remains, but there is also now a dedicated letter, Sn, on the mode dial that sets the camera in Snap Focus mode, which allows you to dial in not only the distance you want focus at, but also the aperture you want to lock in. You can control the depth of field as well. I rather enjoyed this new mode and found myself shooting with it quite a bit.

Should You Get One?

The GR IV debuted at $1,497, which is significantly more than the GR III’s $999 price at launch. Is it worth the extra money? If you have a GR III and are frustrated by the autofocus, I think you will like the upgrade. It’s significant and, if you have the money, well worth it.

If you have any desire to use your pocket camera for video, this is not the one for you. See our guides to pocket cameras and the best travel cameras for some better, hybrid photo- and video-capable cameras. If you want an APS-C sensor that legitimately fits in your pocket, offers amazing one-handed control, and produces excellent images, the the Ricoh GR IV is for you.

Personally, I am holding out for the GR IVx, which will hopefully, like the GR IIIx, be the same camera with a 40mm-equivalent lens. At the time of writing, Ricoh would not comment on whether there will be a GR IVx.



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