Top Picks: 6 Ultimate Litters for Your Maine Coon’s Comfort

Litter tracking, mats, and stinky fur are some problems that Maine Coon cats are notoriously known for. Their long, thick fur tends to easily stick to litter, which is why owners need to be selective about what kind of litter they get.

This post reviews 6 of the best litters for Maine Coon cats that won’t leave a trail of granules around the house and also let your kitty do its business in peace. They won’t stick to their hair in clumps and are much safer for your long-haired cat in general. Read on for detailed reviews with pros and cons and our honest opinions.

Quick Glance: Best Litters for Maine Coons 2024

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What is the Best Cat Litter for Maine Coons?

Maine Coon cats typically don’t do well with fine-grain litters. Their bushy tails and butt hair catch those fine grains easily, and if it’s a clumping litter, it can turn into a nightmarish mat that stinks, tug on the skin, and is generally uncomfortable for the cat.

What works well for most Maine Coons are pellet-style litters that are non-clumping. These are large pellets made up of various materials – wood, paper, silica gel crystals, etc – that don’t get stuck onto hair. Unlike fine grains, it doesn’t get caught between the tufts of hair on their paws either.

There’s also the added benefit of less scattering since pellets are harder to kick out of litter boxes than finer litter types. If you’re worried about the pellets being too big or hard on your kitty’s paws, we’ve got some recommendations that are softer and easier to use.

Of course, if your Maine Coon has a shaved butt or you’ve gotten its hair trimmed, you can use clumping litter too.

Exploring The 6 Best Litters for Big Maine Cat

1. Best for Odor Control: Fresh Step Scented Crystal Cat Litter

For superior odor control and maximum absorbency, there’s no better litter than the Fresh Step scented crystals. Before you get alarmed, yes – it’s safe for your cat, since the crystals are made of non-toxic silica gel that doesn’t really harm your cat even when ingested.

Because it locks in odors in the crystals, you’ll find little to no litter box smells even when you’re standing near it. The crystals themselves have a light and fresh smell, but it’s nothing that smells artificial or is too overpowering for your cat’s sensitive nose.

At the same time, you’ll find this litter to have strong absorbing powers. It absorbs liquids within seconds and dehydrates any poop so it becomes solid, hard, and easy to scoop. Since it’s non-clumping, your Maine Coon will also be free from any rock-hard clumps at their back end.

While the crystals are appropriately sized, they might not be the best option for cats with sensitive, declawed, or injured paws. Other than that, cats seem to have no problem using it. It also tracks far less than other crystals, especially if you scoop and change it regularly.

Cost-wise, this crystal litter is slightly more expensive compared with other crystals, but it also lasts a long while – up to 25-30- days – before you have to dump the whole thing. With regular scooping, you’ll not only get the most bang for your buck but also have a house that doesn’t reek of cat poop and pee.

Do keep in mind that once it gets oversaturated with liquids it can stain your cat’s paws blue.

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2. Best for Absorbency: Ultra Micro Crystals Cat Litter

If crystal litters suit your cat the best but you want something smaller and much more soft on the paws, then you’re going to want to try the Ultra Micro Crystals litter.

With a sand-like texture, these crystals are grain-sized and almost like thin plastic, which means they’re much easier on the paws and don’t scratch and hurt your cat’s feet. They’re extremely lightweight too, making it very easy to pour and dig through the litter.

This does mean, though, that it’s easy for cats to scatter this fine-grained litter and track it with their hairy feet.

Nevertheless, it can prove to be worth it with its excellent absorbing ability. It absorbs urine very quickly and dehydrates poop within minutes. This means the litter box has no lingering smells because of how quickly the litter dries everything out and locks in odors.

Since it’s non-clumping, all you’ll really have to do is scoop out the dehydrated poop and stir the crystals around a bit. You may find some urine pooled at the bottom of the litter box, so if you’re concerned about the cleanup, you may want to use this with a liner.

When it comes to cost, it can prove to be pretty expensive, especially if you have a multi-cat household. Keep in mind, though, that these crystals are pretty long-lasting and one bag really does last one cat almost a month.

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3. Best Clumping: Okocat Low Tracking Less Mess Clumping Wood Litter

If you’re okay with clumping but still prefer pellets, try using the Okocat Low Tracking Clumping wood litter. It’s an eco-friendly and biodegradable litter made of wood fiber and is somewhat softer than other kinds of wood litter.

The pellets are shaped into long cylinders – longer than the usual pellet litter – which may not be preferred by some cats who don’t appreciate large pellets. However, this does mean that it tracks much less and doesn’t scatter around the litter box much. It’s also less dusty, though you should still expect some dust as the pellets can often disintegrate into sawdust.

When it comes to clumping, these wood pellets don’t really clump rock hard like a typical clay litter. Instead, they clump into much softer balls when your cat uses the litter box, especially after peeing. This makes it safer for long-haired cats, reducing the risk of rock-like clumps stuck to the hair.

Scooping it can prove to be a bit more time-consuming, as the larger wood pellets take longer to sift out. It does last quite a long while if you scoop daily, or better yet, twice a day. At the same time, it controls odors surprisingly well despite being unscented, as the wood fibers trap odor and keep it locked in for a good while.

While it’s much more expensive than some of the other wood and pine litters available, keep in mind that one batch can last up to a month for one cat.

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4. Best for Low Tracking: Catit Go Natural Pea Husk Clumping Cat Litter

The innovative Catit Go Natural Pea Husk litter is a clumping formula made up of pea pods or husks. Together with binding agents like corn powder and starch, this pea husk fiber is formed into narrow pellets that are 1.5 mm in diameter.

Because of their shape and size, these unique pellets track very little. They produce virtually no dust – even when pouring from a height – and are pretty lightweight too. It’s much like tofu litter, except that this one is a comparatively cheaper option.

What makes this litter stand out, though, is its superior clumping ability. Whether it’s pee or poop, these thin pellets clump it into soft balls, covering it entirely. At the same time, the odor control is surprisingly good, even after days of usage. The lavender scent also helps with it, although if your cat detests smells, they may not appreciate this litter.

Scooping it could be slightly more cumbersome, as unused pellets don’t sift out as easily. That said, it’s a small price to pay for such a low-dust, low-tracking, and absorbent clumping litter that you can easily flush too. Speaking about price, it’s definitely not the most affordable option out there, but among its tofu competitors, it’s comparatively cheaper.

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5. Best Budget: Feline Pine Original Litter

The Feline Pine Original non-clumping litter happens to be one of those few litters that are affordable yet highly absorbent and easy to use.

It’s made of up 100% pine, and the cylindrical pellets, though larger than most pellet-style litters, are lightweight and easy on the paws. They’re harder to kick out of the litter box too, though occasionally your cat may kick out a bunch of it. It’s nothing to fret over, though, as you can easily pick up the large pellets and toss them back in – no vacuuming or sweeping needed.

It doesn’t clump either, rather, the liquids disintegrate the pellets into sawdust, while the poop remains as it is, and so it needs to be scooped out regularly. Because it turns into sawdust, using this litter with a sifting litter box will prove much easier than manually sifting out the dust into a garbage bag.

When it comes to absorbency, the pine pellets soak up liquids pretty well and leave no moisture behind. They’re not the best at controlling odors, though – some cats can’t bury their poop properly with these large pellets, leaving the litter box area quite smelly.

Nevertheless, they’re an affordable pick in the world of pellet litters, with a 40-lb bag costing as low as $0.54/lb, depending on where you get it from. They also last quite a long while before you have to dump out the whole thing and pour in new pellets.

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6. Best for Sensitive Paws: Fresh News Litter

For cats that are prone to paw infections from cuts and injuries or have declawed paws, the paper pellets from Fresh News will be the gentlest kind of litter for them.

Made from 100% recycled paper, this litter isn’t just eco-friendly but is incredibly soft on the paws. In fact, most vets recommend paper litter for injured paws and for kittens who tend to eat just about everything.

The pellets don’t stick to paws or fur, and offer (almost) zero-tracking with no dust at all. Of course, since it doesn’t clump, the poop doesn’t harden nor does it get covered very well, which means you’ll have to scoop more often than usual.

It does absorb pee surprisingly well, though, and doesn’t leave any moisture at the bottom of the litter box like you’d expect it to. Even so, the pellets retain their shape and don’t disintegrate easily, which is great for extra hairy paws and kickers who scatter litter all the time.

When it comes to scooping, it can get a bit tricky as it’s a bit difficult to differentiate unused pellets from used ones. If you look closely, though, the wet pellets expand, get rougher, less shiny, and lose their gray color. They’re not great at odor control either, but if you scoop twice a day, you won’t have much of a problem.

Price-wise, these pellets are a bit more expensive if you compare them to clay litters, but within the pellet-style litter category, they’re reasonably priced.

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