Should You Be Using Cat Litter Made of Tofu? cat litter

It may sound like a novelty item, but tofu cat litter isn’t all that unusual in terms of the natural cat litter market, according to Galaxy, a YouTuber and host of the television show “My Cat From Hell.” Galaxy endorses a natural cat litter called Sustainably Yours, which is made from corn and cassava, not tofu. “There’s a lot of litters that are made of everything from corn to wheat to grass and coconut husks,” Galaxy says. “But I think the tofu litter is, to my knowledge, just another one of those natural litters, which all have different claims that go with them.”

Pidan tofu cat litter, which CR’s market analyst says is the top-searched tofu cat litter brand on Amazon, says it is made with food grade soy bean dregs and bentonite, a type of clay made from altered volcanic ash that the brand claims helps with clumping. Frisco Tofu Clumping Cat Litter lists just one ingredient: tofu. Amazon lists the ingredients in Zen Kitty Clumping Tofu Cat Litter as soy fiber, guar gum, corn starch, and corn flour, with a “green tea scent.” 

The most noticeable observation you might make when opening your first bag of tofu cat litter is that it comes in pellet form, whereas clay-based and crystal litters have a softer texture. All the tofu cat litter brands mentioned above claim their litters are “low dust.” This is a selling point because concerns have been raised that cats can be harmed when they inhale clay dust or ingest inorganic clay-based litters. Another claim they make is that your cat will track less pellet litter around the house. If true, your robotic vacuum cleaner can finally take a much-needed break from running—everyone wins.

Sounds intriguing so far, but hold on to your wallet because tofu cat litter is more expensive than clay and silica-based litter. To give you some idea of what you can expect to pay: an 18-pound box of clay-based Arm & Hammer Forever Fresh Clumping Litter costs about $15, while a 5.5-pound bag of Zen Kitty Clumping Tofu Cat Litter costs $16, and a two-pack with 7.9 pounds each of Pidan Composite Cat Litter costs $32. Tofu cat litter is also more susceptible to moisture and direct sunlight and should be stored in a dry area, according to Pidan.

If everything was perfect in the world of clay-based cat litter, there might not be a market of natural litters trying to shake things up, but this isn’t the case. 

Shanika Whitehurst, CR’s associate director of product sustainability, research, and testing, says clay-based cat litters are not a very good sustainable choice and that people tend to choose them because of cost, absorbency of the material, and availability for purchase. “The fact that clay-based litters are not biodegradable is what adds to it not being a sustainable option,” Whitehurst says. “If they are sent to landfills, they do not break down, and they contribute to issues already seen with solid waste disposal. When you couple non-biodegradability with the amount of resources used to mine the clay and also the energy used to dry it out during a process called ‘firing,’ it makes its environmental impact much higher.”

Brands like Pidan also claim that their tofu cat litters are compostable and that you can repurpose their litter as a garden fertilizer. But there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters, neither cat nor dog feces can be composted in backyard or commercial composting facilities and should be landfilled, says Linda Norris Waldt, deputy director at the US Composting Council. “This is both a permitting issue and a health issue,” Norris Waldt says. “Most states do not allow for this in their permits. There are pathogens in these feces that cannot be destroyed at operating temperatures that are recommended for composting facilities (131° F).”

The Environmental Protection Agency also warns that you should not compost pet waste (or traditional cat litter), and Whitehurst says waste would not be sanitary for application to growing vegetables. The EPA states on its website that it doesn’t recommend composting cat litter, but its guidelines do not specify whether it is referring to clay-based litter, natural litter, or both. CR reached out to soil experts in the Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) for clarification on this point but did not hear back by publication date.

According to a 2004 article published in Chemical & Engineering News, 60 percent of cat litters sold in the U.S. consist of clumping clay that does not decompose and should not be flushed in sewer or septic systems. “In contrast to clay litters, tofu litters appear to be a more sustainable choice,” Whitehurst says. “For one, they can break down, naturally giving more options for disposal, such as flushing. Secondly, they are made with a byproduct of soybean products and tofu waste, which gives life to a waste stream that would otherwise be lost.” It’s important to note that it is unclear where each tofu cat litter brand sourced its soybean dregs, so while we can say with confidence that these litters are biodegradable, we want to pause before calling them all “sustainable” until brands provide more clarity about their sourcing methods. 

Plant-based alternatives to clumping clay litter have been commercially available since the 1980s and include sawdust, wheat, alfalfa, oat hulls, corn cobs, peanut hulls, recycled newspaper, and, yes, tofu. Their “flushability” is a big marketing point and you’ll notice the word “flushable” appears on several tofu cat litter packages, including prominently on the packaging for Nourse Chowsing Tofu Cat Litter. 

Who can blame any cat owner for daydreaming about the day they can just go to town flushing all that litter down the toilet and be done with it? But hold that thought. For starters, flushed cat fecal matter has been implicated in infecting southern sea otters along the California coast with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii and infecting humans with T. gondii, an infection caused by the Toxoplasma gondii parasite that usually does not trigger symptoms but can be harmful during pregnancy and in individuals with compromised immune systems. Symptoms of the Toxoplasma gondii infection can include flulike muscle aches and pains, swollen lymph glands, and signs of ocular toxoplasma, such as “reduced vision, blurred vision, pain (often with bright light), redness of the eye, and sometimes tearing, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger even signed a bill in 2006 that required all cat litter sold in California to contain a statement that would notify customers of the water quality benefits of disposing cat feces in the trash and not in toilets or drains. 

Read the fine print and you’ll find some cat tofu litter brands do not condone flushing their litter or use cryptic language when it comes to their flushability claim. Frisco Tofu Clumping Cat Litter instructs on its box not to flush its litter, and Zen Kitty states on its bag that to “maintain good water quality do not flush cat feces in toilets or dispose of contents through toilet or septic system” because it will “clog pipes.” Nourse’s Amazon product page maintains that you can pour agglomerated cat litter into the toilet, let it dissolve in water, and then flush it. 

As for Pidan, the brand doesn’t provide flushing instructions on its website, but its Amazon product page gives this advice: “Flushing into a toilet is allowed. Due to the solubility in water, the garbage processing is more convenient. (Do NOT flush too much into a toilet in a time.)” There is no additional instruction on how much litter is “too much” to safely flush. 

How do cat experts handle this? Galaxy says he tries not to flush natural cat litter. “There are always going to be potential issues and whether those are septic systems or not,” Galaxy says. “Even if the toilet can handle it, I tend to not, but that’s a personal choice.” He adds: “I mean, most of them will say that they’re flushable. It’s just I think with the vagaries of septic systems, a lot of times I don’t think any of the companies want to be on the hook for that.”

In other words: Flush at your own risk.

You understand the pros and cons of tofu cat litter and are ready to make a switch. Now comes the really difficult part: convincing your cat that switching litter is their idea, and not yours. 

Cats will have varied reactions and behaviors after their litter is changed, depending on their personalities and preferences, says cat expert Samantha Bell at Best Friends Animal Society. “Some cats may not care at all when you change their litter,” Bell says. “Some may be excited to use it since cats love clean litter. Some cats may inspect and paw at the new litter. Some cats may avoid the new litter. Make sure you’re always patient with your cat, no matter what their reaction is.”

When changing your cat’s litter type, Bell says you want to ensure a gradual transition to help avoid stress. “Cats are creatures of habit, and changing their litter brings the possibility of them refusing to use their box,” Bell says. Five tips Bell recommends to make this transition as seamless as possible: 

1. Add a sprinkle of the new litter to the old litter and mix it in. 

2. Gradually add more and more of the new litter over the next week, mixing it in, until there’s more of the new litter than the old. 

3. At this point you can fill the box with the new litter and sprinkle a layer of the old litter on top. 

4. If your cat seems hesitant to use the box at any point, you can try using positive reinforcement to reward them when they enter or use the box. But if they stop using the box, go back to the litter they were using. 

5. You could also give your cat two boxes, one with the old litter and one with the new litter, and let them decide which one they like best. (Cats like having options, Bell says.)

If your kitty isn’t taking to tofu cat litter right away, there may be perfectly good reasons why they are hesitant. “Studies show that cats tend to prefer clumping and sandlike litters over chunkier/larger litters, and if we think of their natural history, it makes sense,” Bell says. “Cats are descended from wildcats who used desert sand to eliminate in.”

No matter what litter you end up choosing, Bell says to make sure you keep the litter box clean for your kitty by scooping at least once a day and changing out the litter once a week. “A dirty litter box is quite off-putting to your cat, and they may stop using it,” Bell says.

Good news: The switch from clay-based to tofu cat litter was a smashing success—so successful that your cat won’t stop snacking on their new, tasty litter. Now what? 

First, remember that many cats are ingesting clay and silica litter and that these substances can be extremely harmful to their health. “When urine hits clay litter, the thing that causes it to clump, which also causes it to expand, is called sodium bentonite,” Galaxy says. “And of course, this is more anecdotal than data-driven, but the idea of your cats going to clean their paws, which of course they’re going to do a lot of times after they leave the litter box, so not only are they eating silica and inhaling the silica dust, which is also a carcinogen, then there’s the sodium bentonite, which may expand in their gut as well. So the cat is prone to eating their litter, which happens.” [Note: Studies confirm that sodium bentonite is a “swelling clay,” which can cause gastrointestinal distress in cats].

Cats are naturally discerning animals, and it’s uncommon for them to intentionally eat their litter, regardless of its composition, says Kelly Cairns, DVM, vice president of medical excellence and education at Thrive Pet Healthcare. However, Cairns says, there is a possibility that a cat could inadvertently ingest small amounts of litter while grooming if it becomes stuck to their fur. This might lead to an upset stomach, but it’s unlikely to be harmful.

“Cats, particularly kittens, are naturally curious,” Cairns says. “They are specific about their litter boxes and tend to avoid soiled litter. However, the smell and texture of fresh litter may pique their curiosity, leading them to taste it. Importantly, there is no significant research indicating that any specific type of cat litter, including tofu cat litter, is harmful when ingested in small quantities.”

If your cat appears to find the litter appealing to taste, Cairns says it’s advisable to consult with your veterinarian because this behavior could be indicative of an underlying health issue known as pica, which involves the consumption of nonfood items.

I decided to try out Pidan Tofu Cat Litter because it is the most popular brand on Amazon, and its ingredients passed Whitehurst’s sustainability seal of approval. My goals were to observe how it clumps and dissolves in water when compared with clay-based litter brand Purina Tidy Cats Multi-Cat Clumping Litter. There are a few important caveats to keep in mind, and the first is that I don’t have a cat. Even if I did, my cat-loving friends assured me that outfitting one in a lab coat to test litter could cause them unneeded stress and isn’t the most ethical thing to do. 

To replicate a cat’s urine, I used a combination of water and distilled white vinegar with 5 percent acidity. As for Pidan’s flushability—I was open at first to using my home toilet and pipes as guinea pigs, but it has been so long since I’ve had to call a plumber that I didn’t want to tempt fate with that one. We’ll have to save that test for another day (and another toilet).