Just like humans, our cats can suffer from allergies, and it’s no fun for them at all! If you notice your cat sneezing, wheezing, and generally looking a bit miserable, it’s important to try and figure out if they’re having an allergic reaction to something. Did you know that the cat litter you use can sometimes trigger allergies? Excessive amounts of fragrance or dust from cat litter can cause a flare-up if your cat is sensitive.
If you’re trying to reduce the number of allergens around your house for your sensitive cat, then switching to a hypoallergenic cat litter can be a great way to help them feel more comfortable. The good news is that there are plenty of options out there to choose from, but the hard part is narrowing it down to the best option for your cat. We’re here to help!
We created detailed reviews for our top 10 cat litter for allergies. From clumping litters to those made with low-dust formulas, we’ve covered them all. Check out our recommendations to find a litter to suit your cat and help stifle those sneezes for good!
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A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2025
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Best Overall
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Dr. Elsey's Ultra Unscented Cat Litter |
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Best Value
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Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Cat Litter |
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Premium Choice
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World's Best Clumping Corn Cat Litter |
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CHECK PRICE |
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Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief Unscented Cat Litter |
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Naturally Fresh Clumping Walnut Cat Litter |
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The 10 Best Cat Litters for Allergies
1. Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Clumping Clay Cat Litter – Best Overall
If you’re looking for the best cat litter for your allergic cat, then Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is a great choice. The hypoallergenic formula is 99.9% dust-free and unscented, while still providing amazing odor control. The medium-grain clay used in this cat litter forms hard clumps that are easy to clear away and reduce excess moisture pooling at the bottom of the litter tray.
The low-tracking formula means you don’t need to worry about this getting stuck to your kitty’s paws, so no more sweeping the house after your cat! This is suitable for mechanical litter boxes too, making cleaning up after your cat even easier. As an unscented, hypoallergenic cat litter, this will help both humans and cats within your house who suffer from allergies feel more comfortable.
- Great value for money
- Unscented
- 99.9% dust-free
- Low tracking
- Hard clumping
- None that we can see
2. Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Clay – Best Value
As the best cat litter for allergies for the money, we recommend the Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter. This comes in a huge 35-pound pail, although you can also buy it in other sizes too. The unscented formula does a great job of locking away odor, thanks to the activated charcoal.
This litter is also 99.9% dust-free, so you won’t find your cat sneezing just after you refill their litter tray. It clumps well, making cleaning up easy too. The big pail that this cat litter comes in helps keep things much tidier than a bag or box, which is a massive bonus!
- Fragrance-free
- Dye-free
- 99.9% dust free
- Amazing value for money
- Low tracking
- Heavy
3. World’s Best Clumping Corn Cat Litter – Premium Choice
If you’re looking for a premium choice cat litter for your precious kitty, then there’s no better option than the World’s Best Clumping Corn Cat Litter. This high-end litter might be a bit more expensive than some of the other options on this list, but it might be just what you’re looking for. This is also a great choice as a non-clay litter. It uses whole-kernel corn to provide odor control, easy scooping, and a quick clumping formula. Added to this is a fresh scent due to the natural lavender oil, which shouldn’t trigger any allergies.
As a natural and clay-free cat litter, this is our favorite choice. The only reason that this missed out on the top two spots on this list is that if you have multiple cats, the cost of this litter will soon mount up. But if it works for your cats, then it might be a price worth paying!
- 99.9% dust free
- Available in different bag sizes
- Contains natural ingredients
- Light lavender scent
- Expensive
4. Dr. Elsey’s Respiratory Relief Clumping Clay Cat Litter
If your cat suffers from feline respiratory disease or you’re simply looking for a high-quality hypoallergenic cat litter, Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Respiratory Relief Unscented Clumping Cat Litter is a great choice. Some cat litters, even low-dust formulas, contain plant proteins that can trigger allergies and respiratory issues. This litter, though, is free from any plant proteins like corn, wheat, pine, or even paper.
What it does contain are herbal essences designed to help reduce stress. Cats with respiratory diseases should be kept in low-stress environments, so the addition of herbs is a thoughtful touch here. This litter is also hard-clumping and can be used with mechanical litter boxes.
- Hypoallergenic formula
- 99.9% dust free
- No plant protein
- Contains stress-reducing herbal essences
- Does track a little more than we’d like
5. Naturally Fresh Clumping Walnut Cat Litter
If you’re looking for a natural alternative to clay-based cat litter but would like to avoid pine, corn, and wheat, then the Naturally Fresh Clumping Walnut Cat Litter is the obvious choice! This litter is better at neutralizing odors than some other options. It’s also biodegradable and is a great environmentally-friendly option if you’re looking to move away from clay-based litter due to concerns about the mining process.
While Naturally Fresh states that this litter is dust-free, we think that it’s a little dustier than some of the other options on this list. But if you and your cat can cope with the small amount of dust that it does produce, it’s still a great option, especially as this dust doesn’t seem to cause allergy flare-ups as far as we can tell.
- All-natural ingredients
- Biodegradable
- Environmentally friendly
- Expensive
- Can be a little dusty
6. Ever Clean Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
This premium clumping clay litter has activated charcoal bonded to the clay. This helps eliminate odors right on contact. It also contains antimicrobial agents that control the growth of bacteria that can lead to bad smells if you don’t get to clean the litter box right away.
The unscented formula contains no synthetic fragrances and is perfect for kitties and humans with sensitive noses. Even smarter, this litter contains plant extracts in the form of chlorophyll that are activated when your cat steps into the litter box and helps leave your home feeling fresh as they release their natural extracts. As the first brand to bring clumping cat litter to the US, you can trust Ever Clean to deliver the goods.
- Maximum odor control
- Contains natural plant extracts
- Unscented
- Not dust-free
- Heavy to clean out
7. sWheat Scoop Clumping Wheat Cat Litter
As a clay-free cat litter, this is a great option. This litter uses breakthrough technology to infuse the wheat enzymes within this litter with noble ions. How does that make this cat litter more effective? It neutralizes odors from your cat’s pee and poop on contact, rather than just covering them up with artificial fragrances.
The starch content of the wheat used in this litter helps to clump moisture for easy removal, although we would say that the clumping action is not as efficient as a clay-based litter.
- 100% biodegradable
- Natural ingredients
- Effective odor control
- Expensive
- Can be a little dusty
8. Boxiecat Premium Clumping Clay Cat Litter
If you’re looking for a veterinarian-recommended cat litter for your sensitive kitty, then the Boxiecat Premium Clumping Clay Cat Litter is a good option. This forms hard, flat clumps on the top of the litter, which are extremely easy to scoop out, while the remaining litter stays fresh. The manufacturing process uses an advanced dust suppression system, which makes this litter 99.9% dust-free.
While we think that this litter is great, the bag it comes in is not so much. The re-sealable top is a good idea in theory, but it’s actually difficult to scoop or pour the litter out, so expect a mess there. But if you empty the litter out into a covered pail and refill your litter tray from there instead, problem solved!
- Veterinarian recommended
- Made in the USA
- Ultra-low dust
- Expensive
- Bag is tricky to use
9. Weruva Clumping Wood Cat Litter
If you want to try a scented cat litter but your cat has allergies, then selecting a brand that uses natural scents like the Weruva Clumping Wood Cat Litter is your best bet. This unique litter is made from Hinoki wood, also known as Japanese Cyprus. This gives off a natural fresh scent and is combined with green tea extracts that prevent the growth of the bacteria responsible for those stinky odors.
For a litter that’s made from natural ingredients, this is a great choice, but it does have a few drawbacks. It’s not completely dust-free, and while it does clump well, these clumps soon fall apart if you don’t clean them out as quickly as possible. It also tracks through the house, so you might find yourself having to clean up more than normal.
- Lightweight
- Natural ingredients
- Does track around your house
- Expensive
- Not dust-free
- Clumps fall apart
10. CatSpot Litter Coconut Non-Clumping Formula
In our final spot, we have the CatSpot Litter Coconut Non-Clumping Formula. This litter is made from environmentally friendly coconut, and that’s it—there are literally no other ingredients! This means it’s great for cats with allergies to dust or artificial fragrances. The 100% natural formula is absorbent, although it does not clump, so it can be messier to clean up than some of the other litters on this list.
It works better if you remove solids and stir the remaining litter around to distribute the moisture, which is quite a different method compared to most cat litters. You’ll need to do a full change of all the litter every two weeks, but as this can be placed on your flower beds or in your compost, you can feel good knowing that you’re doing your bit for the environment. While transitioning to this litter might take you longer to get used to than your cat, it’s an excellent eco-friendly choice for cats with allergies.
- Chemical-free
- Lightweight
- Doesn’t clump
- Doesn’t work with mechanical litter boxes
- Tracks through your house
- Some dust
- Messy to clean up
Buyer’s Guide: Selecting a Cat Litter to Relieve Allergies
Switching to a cat litter designed to help relieve allergies can be an excellent choice if you think that your cat may be having a reaction to their current litter. While litters that are heavily fragranced can make life for us humans more pleasant, they can cause allergy flare-ups for more sensitive cats.
Sometimes the dust and artificial fragrances can cause problems for us owners too! So, if you’ve noticed that you start to sneeze or get teary-eyed when cleaning out your cat’s litter tray, you may have an allergic reaction. Either way, switching to a hypoallergenic cat litter is a good idea.
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Itchy skin
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Wheezing
- Watery or red eyes
- Feline acne
- Puffy face
Bear in mind that these can be symptoms of any allergy, not just to the litter you use. If you notice that any of these signs seem to flare up when your cat goes to use their litter box, then it’s more likely that the litter is indeed causing the problem.
When it comes to choosing the best hypoallergenic cat litter, there are a few different things to look for:
Hypoallergenic
Hypoallergenic cat litter can come in all different types of material, including clay, wheat, corn, pine, and even coconut! Some cats clearly prefer one material over another, so if that’s the case for your cat, then use this as your starting point. Some cats with respiratory problems can have allergies to the plant proteins in some cat litter (like wheat and corn), in which case, a clay-based litter would suit them best.
Your vet might be a good resource if you’re having trouble choosing the right cat litter.
If you need to speak with a vet but can't get to one, head over to PangoVet. It's an online service where you can talk to a vet online and get the personalized advice you need for your pet — all at an affordable price!
Low Dust/Dust-Free
Look for a litter that says it’s 99.9% dust-free or low dust. The dust can often cause issues as your cat scrapes in their litter tray. No cat litter is 100% dust-free, but choosing a low-dust brand is definitely the way to go.
Scent-Free
Artificial scents might make your cat’s litter box smell a little better to you, but they can often cause irritation in cats. Choose an unscented version or one that uses natural plant extracts, activated charcoal, or plant-based oils to provide natural odor elimination.
Even the best cat litter can quickly start smelling bad. To avoid the expense and inconvenience of constantly replacing your litter, you can try a great litter additive like Hepper's Advanced Bio-Enzyme Cat Litter Deodorizer, a natural product that uses bio-enzymes to neutralize odors.
This deodorizer works on all types of litter and won't disrupt your cat's litter box habits. At Catster, we’ve admired Hepper for many years and decided to take a controlling ownership interest so that we could benefit from the outstanding designs of this cool cat company!
Our Cat Litters for Allergies Selection Process
Catster’s dedicated team of writers and editors collaborate with expert veterinarians, considering a wide range of factors when selecting the best cat litters for cats. These parameters include customer reviews, brand reputation, veterinary experience, and in some cases, hands-on testing. Of course, our cats have a say in the process, too! We strive to select and review the highest-quality products available, to help you choose the best possible product and make the most informed decision for your and your cat’s needs.
Why Trust Catster?
Catster has been a trusted online brand since 2001, so we know a thing or two about cat litters. We’re a team of cat-loving writers, editors, and veterinarians dedicated to helping you make the most informed decision for your feline. We deeply believe in providing the best information for cat owners to help their cats live their best life possible. We look at reviews from the most trusted sources available, and this, combined with our veterinary team’s experience and expertise, helps us gather the best options on the market. Our team is invested in the welfare and health of cats around the world, and believe that expert knowledge is one of the best ways to achieve this.
In Summary
Remember that if you find yourself sneezing as you change your cat’s litter tray, then any of the litter options included on this list could also benefit you if you decide to make the switch!
We selected Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter as our best overall choice. As a hypoallergenic, dust-free option, it’s our favorite pick to help your sneezy cat feel a little more comfortable.
As for the best value, give Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter a go. This clay-based, dust-free, clumping cat litter comes in a huge pail that is great value for money, while also making switching out your litter a quick and easy job.
Whichever of our recommendations you pick, it is sure to do a great job relieving your cat’s allergies and making you feel better in the process. After all, as cat parents, we hate to see our kitties uncomfortable, so sometimes a switch like this is all it takes to help them feel better.
Related Read:
- Best Medication for Cat Allergies – Reviews & Top Picks
- Best Clumping Cat Litter – Reviews & Top Picks
Featured Image Credit: Lightspruch, Shutterstock
