Unbiased Pretty Litter Review 2024 - Cats.com (2024)

If you’re looking for a high-performance litter that can give you insights into your cat’s health, Pretty Litter may look like a promising option. But is it worth the money, and does it really work? Based on months of hands-on testing with multiple cats, we’ve concluded that Pretty Litter is worth it for people who like crystal litter and want to see changes in their cat’s health—especially if they have one to two cats—but it’s not the right choice for everyone. Read on to get the details.

How We Tested:

• Two members of our team independently ordered Pretty Litter and used it for several months
• We spent months testing the product with several cats
• We did not receive these products in exchange for a favorable review—they were purchased with our own money (see how we’re funded here)

Pretty Litter YouTube Video Review

Brand Overview

Pretty Litter, or at least the concept of it, goes back to 2015, when entrepreneur Carly Martinetti set out to create a “less depressing” cat litter, saying that the sight of her cat’s gray clay bummed her out. That’s right—the concept of Pretty Litter was originally all about its, well, prettiness.

The health monitoring concept came in later, after the concept brought Carly to the reality show Startup U, where she gathered a team of chemists, marketers, and other business partners. From there, company founder and CEO Daniel Rotman turned this sparkly white litter into the product we know today.

Daniel tells the story of his beloved childhood pet, an orange tabby named Gingi. After accompanying Rotman through high school and into college, Gingi suddenly became ill. He rushed her to the vet but discovered she’d been sick for months.

After the experience of losing Gingi, Daniel set out to create a product to help cat owners be more proactive in protecting their pet’s health, and Pretty Litter was the perfect foundation.

What Kinds of Litter Does Pretty Litter Offer?

Pretty Litter contains pH-detecting particles that cause the litter to change color when exposed to urine. Changes in the acidity of your cat’s urine may be an indicator of common health problems like kidney tubular acidosis, struvite crystals, or urinary tract infection. Though Pretty Litter isn’t intended to diagnose your cat’s condition, it can help you catch developing issues early while they’re still treatable.

This cat litter was developed by a team of veterinarians and scientists specifically for cats. It is made of highly absorbent silica gel combined with a proprietary formulation of pH-detectors to help cat owners monitor their cat’s urine for acidity and alkalinity levels outside of the normal range.

In addition to its core product, the company also offers cat food called Pretty Please, which you can add on to your litter subscription. If you’d like to learn more about the food, click here to read our in-depth review.

My Experience Using Pretty Litter

My one-month supply of Pretty Litter arrived within a week of order and came in a surprisingly small cardboard box. It included a printed insert that explained how the product worked and provided tips on how much litter to pour, how to get my cats used to it, and how to maximize odor control.

How Dusty Is Pretty Litter?

The first test of Pretty Litter came when I poured it into my litter box. I found the litter a little less dusty than other crystal cat litters I’ve tried, but it still produced a noticeable cloud of dust. I also found it to be a little dusty later on when I was scooping the cat litter, so it definitely isn’t a dust-free litter.

It’s important to note that crystal cat litter doesn’t produce the same type of dust as clay litter. It’s amorphous silica dust, not crystalline silica dust, which doesn’t have the same reputation for causing lung issues. It’s more of a nuisance dust than anything.

How Did the Cats React?

While my cats were willing to use the Pretty Litter as an alternative to other silica gel litter products, a good clumping clay is their consistent favorite. When I placed it alongside a box full of Dr. Elsey’s clumping clay, they reliably went to the Dr. Elsey’s and left the silica gel untouched.

How Much Does Pretty Litter Scatter and Track?

Pretty Litter’s light weight makes it a good choice for those who hate lugging around boxes and bags of clay litter, but it comes with a downside—it’s incredibly easy for your cat to toss out of the box, and you’re likely to find it everywhere.

How Easy Is It To Maintain?

Silica gel litters are known for easy maintenance and odor control, but that ability comes with a caveat—you need to maintain them just as you would a clay litter, and you’ll usually need to change them sooner than you expect.

Between all of that stirring, scooping, replacing—and of course, sweeping and vacuuming up the scattered litter—I didn’t find Pretty Litter much more convenient than clumping clay.

In my view, the biggest convenience benefit is that the Pretty Litter doesn’t clump and stick to the box. This means no more scraping and prying and also translates to a cleaner litter box long-term.

How Well Does It Control Odor?

Even with daily poop-scooping and pee-stirs, I found that the Pretty Litter only lasted about 10 days with two cats before it started to stink.

Once it passes the saturation point, the Pretty Litter takes on a distinctive, unpleasant urine odor that doesn’t go away until you replace everything in the box.

Overall, I found the odor control disappointing for a multi-cat home.

Testing the Health Monitoring Feature

Fortunately, my cats’ urine seemed to be within the healthy pH range throughout the testing process.

Because I wanted to see how the litter would respond to different pH levels, however, I ran an experiment using three different solutions:

1. Water with baking soda
2. Plain water
3. Water with vinegar

After pouring the solutions into separate containers of Pretty Litter, I noticed the colors changing and deepening over time. They achieved their deepest color a few minutes after pouring.

Here is what the different colors indicate:

• Red (Detection of Blood) – May indicate a Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disorder (FLUTD), kidney stones, bladder stones, bladder inflammation, kidney disease, or clotting disorders. In rare cases, it may also indicate bladder cancer or internal injury.
• Orange (Acidity Outside Normal Range) – May be a sign of metabolic acidosis, kidney tubular acidosis, or calcium oxalate crystal formation.
• Blue or Dark Green (Alkalinity Outside Normal Range) – May indicate certain types of urinary tract infections and an increased risk for crystal/stone formation.
• Dark Yellow/Olive Green – Indicates urine within the typical pH range.

It’s important to note that Pretty Litter is a tool that provides insight into your cat’s health but should not be used as a replacement for medical diagnostics or veterinary care. If the product indicates a potential health problem, take your cat to the vet.

What Do Customers Think of Pretty Litter Cat Litter?

For the most part, Pretty Litter receives very positive ratings. The litter fulfills its promise of changing colors when a potential health problem is detected, but it is still on the cat owner to take the cat to the vet. There are many comments about the price being high, but that is fairly standard for crystal cat litter.

The most consistent negative comment is that the 6-pound bag doesn’t last quite a month for larger cats or multi-cat households. Some customers also found that Pretty Litter didn’t cover feces odor as well as urine odor. Check out some customer reviews for Pretty Litter below:

Positive Customer Reviews for Pretty Litter Cat Litter

“I love it. It’s light. Easy to use. Gato took to the change very easily. It let me kno in the middle of the month with a slight color change to blue that his urine was becoming more alkaline. Not good. We were able to take action and change his diet accordingly. You’ve made believers out of us.” – Shelley V.

“It’s great, I have a small in-home Sphynx Cattery, with 4 large litter boxes, I transferred two over to pretty litter and the cats are using them instead of old litter, very little tracking and no smell, light weight; so easy to clean boxes instead of heavy clumping.” – Beth C.

Negative Customer Reviews for Pretty Litter Cat Litter

“So, it doesn’t smell like cat urine, but it doesn’t cover up the poop smell. And my cat has managed to get it everywhere just like regular litter. I do like that there’s less scoping and it’s lighter, but I’m not sure I’m going to continue after I’m through with what I bought.” – Becca K.

“I only have 1 cat and clean it out daily and move it around after each visit. I’ve only had the first bag in for 2 weeks and it is really starting to smell. I am going to have to change it. I won’t be able to get a month use out of 1 bag which is disappointing due to the price.” – Vicky G.

How Much Does Pretty Litter Cat Litter Cost?

The cost of Pretty Litter varies depending on where you buy it and how. At Target, a single 8-lb bag costs $25.49, and the cost is similar at Walmart.

If you order through the Pretty Litter site, you’ll only pay $24 per bag but the bags are smaller—6 pounds instead of 8. Keep in mind that you’ll also be opting in to the subscription and will have to cancel it if you don’t want more. Discounts are available if you buy multiple bags at once. For example, two bags cost $44 and three bags cost $66. Expedited shipping is always free.

Pretty Litter frequently offers discounts and promotions, plus you can contact the company via email to ask about bulk discounts. Even so, Pretty Litter is fairly expensive.

It’s also worth noting that one bag may not be enough to fill a large litter box and may not last the full month in a multi-cat home. In my experience using Pretty Litter with two cats and a large litter box, my cost would sit at about $60 per month—compare that to roughly $10 per month for a traditional clumping clay.

Overall, Is Pretty Litter Cat Litter a Good Choice?

Pretty Litter is a standout option for certain people.

Those with a single cat or perhaps two smaller cats won’t run through the litter too quickly, and cats who prefer crystal litter will appreciate the fine granules under their paws. The litter changes colors in response to urine and could give you early insights into changes in your cat’s health.

But if you don’t meet that description, try Pretty Litter with some skepticism. The litter tends to get smelly quickly in a multi-cat home, and the crystal texture doesn’t suit every cat. And when you’re spending $25 or more each month on litter, the health monitoring functionality might not seem impressive enough to justify the price.

Remember that you could spend half that amount on clumping clay and get similar health insights—clumps are easy to measure by eye and won’t get mixed in during the covering process.

With the quantity of your cat’s urine and the frequency of their bathroom trips being the biggest indicators of health issues, a traditional clumping clay, frequent scooping, and a diligent eye should do enough.

Where Is Pretty Litter Cat Litter Sold?

Pretty Litter is currently available by subscription through the company website or in single bags through a couple of retailers, including Target and Walmart.

To get started with your subscription, log on to the website and select the number of cats you have (one, two, or more than two).

I received my order six days after submitting it and found it easy to cancel the subscription once I’d completed testing. Pretty Litter makes it easy to manage your account online.

Also Read: Pretty Please Cat Food Review