Choosing the best eco-friendly cat litter: Tippaws vs. Natusan

As cat owners (and pet owners in general), more and more of us are becoming conscious of the impact of pet ownership on the planet and want to know how we can make small, everyday steps to improve our carbon pawprint. Using an eco-friendly, biodegradable, clumping cat litter is an easy way to make quite a larger difference. As we discuss in our article about the impact of cat litter on the environment, clay cat litter has a hugely negative impact on our planet in many ways, from how it is made, how much of it you need to use and how it is disposed of.

There are many eco-friendly cat litters on the market, but in this article we’ll be comparing the two best eco-friendly clumping cat litters in the UK: Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter and Natusan’s Wood Litter.

Note: this is based on personal experience and extensive research into the cat litter industry over many years. Disclaimer: one of our team used to work for Natusan previously.

Skip to try Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter.

So let’s see how the two best eco-friendly cat litters compare…

Cat litter ingredients and composition

Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter is made from corn and wood fibres. Both of which are by-products of industries that use these raw materials for either human consumption (in the case of corn) or human use (the timber industry, in the case of wood). As well as being a by-product, the wood used in Tippaws’ litter is FSC certified. It also contains a patented antibacterial clumping agent which allows it to be super tight clumping and provides another level of reassurance that bad odours will be contained.

Natusan Wood Litter is made from 100% PEFC-certified, recycled wood materials, a by-product of the timber industry. It also contains a clumping agent, but we don’t believe it contains an antibacterial agent based on the description on their website.

Tippaws is heavier than Natusan at approx 3kg per 6L bag vs. 4kg per 10L bag due to the slightly more granular texture. Natusan’s texture is fine, almost like wood shavings.

Note: our comparison only relates to Natusan Wood Litter and not Natusan Wheat Litter. The wheat version is much more comparable to Catsan Natural, which has an almost identical description and appears to have the same composition. These litters don’t have clumping agents so they have a more ‘sludge’ like consistency when they clump resulting in less good odour control.

Odour control performance

We haven’t conducted an independent scientific study to compare how the odour control compares for Tippaws and Natusan litter so we would not want to comment without this data. However, from feedback provided by people who have tried both litters, we would say the odour control performance is similar for both litters.

For those who are interested, the way to test odour control performance would be to monitor the levels of ammonia in the immediate environment/ litter tray over a period of time after a cat has urinated in the litter, to see when it hits the human sensing threshold i.e. at what point a human could smell the ammonia. This needs to be tested in an independent lab.

Biodegradable clumping cat litter

Litter tracking

All natural litter will track at least a little bit due to the nature of the particles (lots of them and they are both small and light so can be carried on the cat’s paws). However, Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter tracks less than Natusan litter. This was determined by at home testing with a number of customers/ cats. 

Is the litter flushable?

Tippaws is flushable however you must ask your local waste water provider if they allow you to do so.

Natusan advise you do not flush their litter.

How much does each litter cost?

Tippaws costs £1.68 per litre if you subscribe to the largest size. Tippaws offers free standard delivery on all orders and express delivery is £4.99.

Natusan Wood costs £1.24 per litre if you subscribe to the largest size. Natusan offers one delivery type which is £2.99 for orders under £30 and it’s free for orders over this threshold.

	£/ month	£/L	Delivery
Tippaws	£10.07	£1.68	Free standard delivery
Natusan	£12.37	£1.24	£2.99 or free over £30

How much litter do you need?

You can calculate how much Tippaws Long-lasting Litter you need using this calculator.

Natusan says you need 1 x 10L bag per 4 weeks.

Scent

Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter has a very mild wood-like scent.

Natusan Wood Litter has a slightly stronger wood-like scent.

Dust content

Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter is considered a 'low dust' litter. We couldn’t find a statement about dust on Natusan’s website, however from in-home trials it is slightly dusty as the particles are so fine. 

Bentonite

No, neither litter contains bentonite.

Company ownership / background

Tippaws is independently owned by its Founder who started the company in February 2023.

Natusan is owned by Mars Petcare and it was launched in September 2019.

Packaging

Both litters come in recyclable packaging.

Suitability for kittens

Tippaws is suitable for kittens / cats of all ages. As with all litter, if your kitten starts eating our litter, please stop them immediately. 

Natusan is suitable for kittens over the age of 12 weeks.

Subscriptions

Both companies offer a subscription service which is delivered to your door at your chosen frequency. 

Natusan used to offer a collection service too where the used litter was converted to fertiliser but had to shut this down as it ultimately wasn't viable, understandably.

Doing good for those in need

Tippaws donates a proportion of all sales to small cat rescues in the UK.

Natusan plants a tree for every order placed. 

Trustpilot scores

Both companies have great Trustpilot scores, with Tippaws scoring 4.8 (Excellent) and Natusan scoring 4.6 (Excellent).

Summary: Which is the best cat litter? Tippaws Long-lasting Litter or Natusan Cat Litter

 

	Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter	Natusan Wood
Composition	Wood and corn	Wood
Biodegradable	Yes	Yes
Compostable	Yes	Not stated
Cost per month	Approx. £10.15*	Approx. £12.37*
Odour control	Excellent	Excellent
Flushable	Yes, but you must ask your waste water provider if it is allowed in your area	Not advised
Dust	Low dust	No mention of dust on the website
Safe for kittens	Yes	Suitable for kittens over 12 weeks old
Trustpilot Score (Oct 2023)	4.8	4.6
Who owns it	British owned, UK based small independent company	Owned by large US parent company (Mars Petcare)
Litter made in	EU	EU
Packaging	Recyclable	Recyclable
Bentonite	None	None
How much per month?	~6L - use our calculator to see how much you need	~10L
Tracking	Tracks slightly like all natural litter	Tracks slightly like all natural litter
Scent	Mild wood, natural pleasant scent	Slightly stronger wood, natural pleasant smell

 

*Depends on how much you need per month, every cat is different. This is based on using 1 bag of Tippaws litter a month.

If you have any questions on our comparison, please email us on help@tippaws.com or click the chat icon in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

Buy Tippaws Long-lasting Cat Litter.

Other general Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I choose corn or wood litter?

Wood and corn litters are great at clumping and are biodegradable, so they are better for the planet. They are also soft on paws.

What do you mean by eco-friendly cat litter?

We mean cat litter made from natural sources that allow you to reduce your cat litter waste and are biodegradable. They are also sometimes called sustainable cat litter or natural and biodegradable cat litters. These eco-friendly products won't save the planet (as some other cat litter companies wrongly and misleadingly claim!), however they do allow you to make a small change to your every day life that will definitely do good for the planet.

Can you recycle or compost natural clumping litter?

Technically, you can compost used litter (unsoiled). We cover the dos, don'ts and risks in our Litter Guide.

What's the difference between Natusan Wood litter and Natusan Wheat litter?

One is made from wood and one is made from wheat. Natusan Wood is the original litter that they now don't appear to sell anymore. If you used to use this litter, Tippaws Long-lasting Clumping Litter is a great alternative as it's made from wood and corn. Natusan wheat is the same as Catsan Natural, i.e. it's made from wheat and in our opinion, does not perform well (sticks like a super strong paste to the tray).

Is clay cat litter biodegradable cat litter?

No it is not. 

Which litter is best for paws?

Any wood or corn based litter which is made of granules is better for delicate paws.

What do you mean by natural cat litter or natural and biodegradable cat litter?

We mean it is made from natural substances. 

Why should I choose clumping litter over non clumping litter?

It's lasts way longer, so you only have to do a full tray change once every month or so depending on which litter you buy vs. every 2-3 days.

Clumping litter is better in every way! We've written an extensive article about why this is.

Are 2 million tonnes of cat litter really sent to landfill every year?

This is debatable. Natusan claims there are 2 million tonnes of cat litter that go to landfill every year, however our calculations show it is less. Either way, it's still a lot! 

Which type of litter is most highly absorbent?

Clumping litter is the most absorbent type of litter. 

Who should use clumping litter?

Clumping litter is great for all cat owners and especially good for people with indoor cats or those with small homes who are worried about the scent of urine in their homes but don't want to do multiple tray changes as you can go usually a month without a full tray change. 

How does clumping litter work?

Clumping litter forms clumps or lumps when it comes into contact with your cats urine. After a while (anything from 15mins to a couple of hours depending on the litter), the clump is solid enough to be removed from the litter tray leaving behind fresh litter. The key to good clumping is the clump is easy to remove. You simply have to keep topping up your tray with new litter when it starts to get low as you remove the clumps. You don't have the change the old litter for up to 45 days depending on the litter you buy. 

How does non-clumping litter work?

Non clumping litter doesn't form clumps so it doesn't really absorb the urine and instead, you have to change the whole tray often i.e. every 2-3 days. It can be made of natural substances though, for example, pellet litter can be made from recycled materials such as paper. 

Is pellet litter made of natural materials?

It depends, some is made from wood and recycled paper, however some are made from man-made substances.

Why is it important to have low dust litter?

Low dust or dust-free litter is far better for your cat's respiratory health. 

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