We give Scoop Away Cat Litter a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
Scoop Away, with nearly 30 years of experience, has made a name for itself manufacturing and selling clumping cat litter. Although it has a somewhat limited range, if you are looking for a budget clumping litter, you really can’t go wrong with any of the options that are available to you.
Options available include multi-cat litter, low-tracking, and unscented litters. Read on to find out about the company and brand, whether there have been any product recalls, and to read our reviews of some of the most popular Scoop Away cat litter products. Find out whether it is the right choice of cat litter for you and your cat’s litter box.
At a Glance: The Best Scoop Away Cat Litter Products:
Who Makes Scoop Away Cat Litter & Where Is It Produced?
A&M Products first introduced clumping cat litter to the United States in 1987. While production of the litter was initially completed in the founder’s garage, the brand grew in reputation and soon acquired Black Hills Bentonite Company. With this purchase, A&M had access to a source of clumping clay, which would become the primary ingredient of their cat litter. This same source of clay is still used today.
Although the company opted for the brand name Catsanove in 1990, this was soon changed to Scoop Away and the name has stuck ever since.
Although the company has changed hands several times since the 1980s, it continues to produce affordable, clumping cat litter, with the majority of its recipes being made from clumping clay. They have changed to recycled cardboard containers and have expanded their range of litter, however.
Which Types of Litter Box is Scoop Away Cat Litter Best Suited For?
Scoop Away Cat Litter is a clay cat litter. It will work with all manual litter trays, but it is not considered suitable for auto trays and self-cleaning products.
Clumping Litter
Most clumping litters use a material called bentonite, which is found in Scoop Away litters. This material solidifies as it comes into contact with liquid, so when the litter comes into contact with urine, it will form a ball, making it easier to lift that area of litter out of the tray and throw it away, replacing it with fresh litter. Obviously, feces can also be removed by scooping. The biggest benefit of clumping litter is that it removes the need to completely empty the litter tray whenever your cat uses it. Instead, you can skim clean the tray, which means removing the soiled areas and replacing the litter you remove with fresh. The Scoop Away brand has made a name for itself providing clumping litter, and all of their litter lines are still clumping cat litters.
Clay Litter
Scoop Away has also made a name for itself making litter from clay or bentonite. Bentonite can expand up to 15 times its original volume, making it easier to remove clumps and ensure that there is no liquid left in the litter box.
Some people do not like clay litter because it can solidify against the sides and the bottom of the tray and some clay litter can produce a cloud of dust whenever you empty more litter into the tray from the bag. Some cats do not like walking on or standing on clay because it can be quite sharp compared to other materials. Although clay is the most popular material used in the manufacture of clumping cat litter, other materials do also exist.
Low-Tracking Products
When your cat uses the litter tray, some of the small and individual pieces of litter might end up caught between their paws or in their fur. When they walk around the house, and especially when they jump and run, these pieces can become dislodged and end up in the carpet or on the furniture of your home. This is known as tracking litter, and it is obviously considered undesirable.
Low-tracking litter is litter that forms hard lumps because this eliminates the risk of wet individual pieces of litter getting stuck in the fur. It also uses material, or formulations of material, that are less likely to get stuck in a cat’s fur.
Scented or Unscented
Another choice when buying cat litter is whether you want scented or unscented litter. It might sound like an obvious choice. After all, scented cat litter claims to mask the smell of cat urine and feces. The reality, however, is that a lot of scented litter has a chemical or synthetic smell, while those with natural scents don’t tend to last.
Some options, like bicarbonate of soda or activated charcoal, do smell natural and the smell can last. Scoop Away does offer both scented and unscented litters, which means that you can find the option that matches your preferences.
Multi-Cat Litter
Cats are territorial and they can be very picky over the litter box. Experts advise that multi-cat households have one litter box per cat plus one extra, so if you have two cats, you should have three litter boxes around the house. A multi-cat litter is usually stronger and better suited to those households with two or more cats, but it is still perfectly safe for use in a single cat house.
A Quick Look at Scoop Away Cat Litter
Pros
Clumping cat litter
Manufactured in the US
Decent price
Cons
Limited selection
All their products are clay litter
Recall History
Throughout its history, Scoop Away Cat Litter has never had its products recalled. It is rare for litters to be recalled, certainly rarer than with foods, but it can still happen, and a lack of recalls is a positive sign.
The Complete Performance Fresh Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter includes natural plant extracts that remove and cover up the smell of the litter tray. The company claims that the scent will last for a period of up to 10 days, which should be plenty of time before you have to replace the litter.
It uses bentonite which forms a solid and strong clump that is easy to remove from the tray. It also comes in four smaller resealable bags. These are convenient and enable you to keep the litter fresher and free from moisture that can naturally form while also negating the need to have to pick up and tip a heavy bag full of cat litter.
It is clumping, it is made from bentonite clay, and it is the quintessential Scoop Away Cat Litter product.
Houses with two or more cats usually have three or more litter trays. While your cats may have a preferred tray of their own, it is just as likely that they will chop and change, occasionally leaving one tray especially full and fragrant.
The Multi-Cat Meadow Fresh Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter has a natural plant scent that will replace the smell of cat urine and feces and it will last for up to seven days. The litter forms a strong clump when wet, which makes it easy to remove soiled litter and to replace it with clean. It also boasts a dust-free formula that is less messy when changing the litter.
The Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is also a dust-free formula. It forms solid clumps that are easy to remove, and because it doesn’t throw up a dust cloud every time you put it down, it’s easy to change.
The unscented formula contains antimicrobial agents that effectively kill off any bad odor as it hits the litter so while the Unscented formula does not attempt to mask cat smells, it will protect your home from urine and feces smells for a period of up to seven days.
Although Scoop Away claims this is a dust-free formula, there are complaints that this formula does, in fact, create some dust.
Pros
The unscented, microbial formula kills smells
Clumping litter
Dust-free
Cons
Not as dust-free as it claims
Clay can be difficult to clean
What Other Users Are Saying
See what others are saying about Scoop Away Cat Litter and its range of clumping clay cat litters here:
AllAboutCats – “The first national brand of clumping cat litter, Scoop Away offers a variety of products at an affordable price point for all cat owners to enjoy.”
The Spruce Pets – “If you (or your cat) find scented products off-putting, especially for litter, then this odor-eliminating option is for you.”
Amazon – Visit Amazon to see what other pet owners and cat litter buyers have said about Scoop Away products.
Conclusion
Getting the right cat litter is important. It can eliminate bad smells from around the litter tray, provide your cat with somewhere comfortable to go, and eliminates nasty problems like persistent odors, cat litter clouds, and litter being tracked through the rest of the house.
There is a surprisingly wide array of different materials and litter options available to the buyer, but if you prefer clumping cat litter that is made from a traditional clay material, then Scoop Away is a good choice for you.
They have built a reputation for providing exactly this for the past thirty years and they continue to excel at providing clumping clay litter at affordable prices.
Christian is the Editor-in-Chief of Excited Cats and one of its original and primary contributors. A lifelong cat lover, now based in South East Asia, Christian and his wife are the proud parents of an 11-year-old son and four rescue cats: Trixie, Chloe, Sparky, and Chopper.
