Does your cat have a history of urinary tract infections? Maybe theyre constantly peeing outside of the litter tray, and you cant figure out why? If so, then pretty litter could have the answer.
This scientifically enhanced litter designed to give you an insight into your cats health has been gaining attention around the world. Unique indicators in the silica crystals turn green, orange, red and blue to showcase problems in your cats urine.
If youve ever wished that your cat could tell you what was wrong before, youll know how difficult it can be to deliver the right quality of care for your animals. Even when your feline friend is showing symptoms, it can be difficult to determine whats really wrong.
Since a litter box is a natural part of the package when looking after a cat, it only makes sense to get as much value out of it as possible. If youre willing to pay a little extra for scientific litter, then your litter box could act as a diagnosis system for your furry pals
We decided to give Pretty Litter a go to determine just how well it works.
Here’s what you need to know.
Pretty Litter Review: The Basics on Cat Urine Testing
Testing your kittys pee might not seem like something you signed up for when you got your feline friend, but it could be a valuable part of great animal care.
Since cats are notoriously good at hiding illness and pain, a litter that tests urine can be a valuable tool for any cat owner.
When my feline friend started urinating outside of the litter box, a uti was my biggest concern.
Unfortunately, even vets can have trouble determining whats going on within your cat without enough information. Testing the ph of your cats urine might be a good way to determine whether there are kidney, bladder, or other issues harming your cats wellness
Pretty litter, founded in 2015 with the help of genuine veterinarians, aims to give you an insight into your cats health, by allowing you to check their urine via the litter.
The color-coded crystals change shade depending on your cats ph level. Crucially, pretty litter cant diagnose your cat with any health issues, but it can give you a starting point to work with.
When you know your cats ph, you have more information to share with your vet.
– What Do They Mean?
The whole idea of using it is that the pretty litter colors give you an early warning insight into any health issues with your cat.
So, here are the colors you might see with pretty litter, and what they mean:
- Dark yellow or olive green: This is the “normal” color for your cat’s urine when using pretty litter. It’s best to clean Pretty Litter regularly to ensure that the color remains the same.
- Blue: High alkalinity turns the litter blue, which can indicate things like Struvite crystal formations, FLUTD, or kidney issues in a cat.
- Green: This indicates a higher level of acidity than normal in your cat’s urine. Acidity could indicate calcium oxalate crystals, kidney issues, and urinary blockages.
- Orange: Orange could suggest the presence of bilirubin, as well as kidney tubular acidosis, metabolic acidosis, and the presence of kidney stones.
- Red: if the pretty litter turns red, then this indicates the presence of blood. Blood can be a sign of all kinds of ailments in your cat, including interstitial cystitis, crystals, feline lower urinary tract disorder, internal injuries, bladder cancer, and more. Blood may also indicate that a female cat is in heat, so its not always a cause for concern.
Notably, sometimes a temporary change in color in your cats urine can occur because of stressors, environmental changes, or a new diet.
A little research online will also show you that plenty of people have had false positives with pretty litter before. You shouldnt automatically panic if you notice a change in your cats ph.
Pretty Litter Reviews – What Our Cats Thought!
As with all the cat products that we test and rate, when we came to our pretty litter reviews plan, we knew our cats would need to be involved!
After all, it’s your cat that needs to like using the litter to make it worth buying.
That’s why we got our hands on some pretty litter and handed it over to holly for a pretty litter review with her cats. Watch it below.
Using something like pretty litter is going to be different from using most litters.
The biggest problem i had was trying to keep the cats separated in my household. If you have multiple feline friends to care for, you wont always be able to tell which urine belongs to which, unless youre watching your furry pals like a hawk.
Pretty litter also requires semi-constant cleaning, so youre not mixing colors and making a mess of the color-coded functionality.
Lets look at some of the features to be aware of when youre purchasing pretty litter.
Pretty Litter Cost (and How To Buy)
Pretty litter is quite expensive compared to standard cat litter. Of course, this is likely something youd expect if youre investing in a specialist litter product that delivers more than just your usual everyday litter.
But with all this added scientific extra health monitoring included, what does pretty litter cost?
The basic price per cat, per month, is $22.
Now, whilst that’s not cheap cpompared to litter you can pick up at any pet store, you do need to remember that you’re getting the health monitoring as well.
And when it comes to ‘where can i buy pretty litter? ‘ that’s where there’s another advantage – you buy it online on their website at prettylitter. Com and it’s delivered direct to your door
on the plus side, this litter does make shopping for cat litter a little easier, because you buy what you need online.
Youll choose how many cats you have on the prettylitter. Com website and sign up to a subscription. The team delivers the litter for free straight to your door each month. That means you dont have to lug several pounds of cat litter around every month.
If you decide you dont like the cat litter, you can cancel your pretty litter subscription easily on the website. This might also be an option for you if you only want to check on your cats urine issues when they seem to be displaying symptoms.
As we said, pretty litter costs around $22 per month per cat, but there are discounts if youre ordering for multiple cats. This might seem expensive, but it could be a lot cheaper than constantly visiting the vet to chase up issues.
Odor, Cleanup, and Appearance
One good thing about Pretty Litter is that it really is genuinely “pretty.”
The silica gel crystals look exceptionally clean and sanitary, if you’re sick of having horrible-looking cat litter around your home. Pretty Litter is also non-clumping, so when you scoop, you won’t be removing huge amounts of litter at a time.
If you tend to scoop your litter regularly (like you should), this is a pretty straightforward process with Pretty Litter. Try not to mix too many of the colored crystals back into the mix, or it may be difficult to notice changes in PH.
Odor control is fantastic with Pretty Litter too.
The silica gel crystals are fantastic for capturing and reducing the smell of urine and waste.
If you tend to struggle with terrible smelling litter around your home, it might be worth investing in Pretty Litter just for the odor control component.
Tracking and Dust
One thing we noticed about the Pretty Litter cat litter is silica gels are excellent for reducing dust.
You don’t have to worry about massive plumes of dust rising up whenever you fill or empty your litter day. This lack of dust is better for your airways, and good for your cats too.
Unfortunately, reduced dust doesn’t necessarily equate to less mess. The extra-fine gel really does cling to cat paws – particularly if you have a cat with long fur.
I found this litter was often spread all over the floor in my kitchen, living room, and anywhere else we had a litter tray set up. You might need to vacuum a little more often than usual with a litter like this.
Safety and longevity
Safety is something a lot of consumers have mentioned when exploring Pretty Litter as a cat litter option.
Silica gel (the main ingredient of this litter) is also the stuff you’ll often find in the packaging when you buy new shoes. We’re talking about those “do not eat” packets.
Since kitties tend to wash their paws, and sometimes consume small amounts of litter accidentally, this can be quite a worry.
The good news is that in general, Pretty Litter is quite safe. You shouldn’t have any more issues with this litter than you do with standard cat litter options.
However, some of your cats might avoid the pretty litter entirely because its likely to feel different on their paws than standard litter.
One particular issue i had with the pretty litter is that it doesnt seem to last as long as it should.
A single bag can last one cat for one month, but it largely depends on the kind of cats you have. I have breeds in my home that are much larger than regular cats, which means bigger litter trays, and more waste. I had to replace the litter a little sooner than expected to keep it clean.
Be prepared if you have bigger felines like me that you may need to opt for a slightly larger subscription size, or swap between different cat litters from time to time.
Tips for Changing Your Cat’s Litter
Pretty Litter cat litter does have a lot of benefits if you’re looking for a reliable way to track your cat’s health and ensure you’re the first to know about any issues.
The biggest challenge for most (aside from the price and potential mess), will be convincing your cats to actually use their new litter. Cats can be pretty stubborn about the kind of litter they want to use.
There are a few methods you can try for introducing a new litter to your furry friends.
Typically, vets and experts will recommend planning a slow introduction, similar to what you might do if you were trying to protect a cat’s digestion when starting them on new food.
Consider mixing old and new litter together at first. This might make it harder to track the issues in your cat’s urine to begin with. However, it should mean that your cat is more willing to test the new litter and use it regularly.
Some cats simply hate walking on crystal litter. If you notice problems with your cat’s bathroom habits, then you might need to give up on Pretty Litter entirely.
Watch out for any of the following signs indicating an issue with your cat’s bathroom habits:
- Increased frequency of urination (going to the bathroom more often)
- Regularly going in and out of the litter box without producing any waste
- Straining to urinate or making unhappy sounds when in the litter box
- Urinating outside of the litter box
- Blood in the urine, or signs of crystals
- Yowling or meowing loudly when visiting the litter box
- Drinking much more frequently than usual
Is Pretty Litter Worth the Cost?
Pretty litter is an intriguing option for cat owners worried about any possible health issue with their feline friends.
I found this to be a must-have purchase when i was concerned about my cats bathroom habits. Although i didnt find any signs of a uti, at least i was able to put my mind at rest and provide more information to my vet.
Whether or not pretty litter is a good investment for you will depend on a lot of things.
This is a litter that does what it claims it will change color according to your cats urine and give you more information. However, it also costs a significant amount of money to sign up for a regular subscription, and i found it a little messy with my cats furry paws.
There were downsides to pretty litter outside of the expensive costs, but id still repurchase it given the opportunity.
I loved the fact that i didnt have to go and buy my cat litter from a store. Plus, it really does feel like youre taking better care of your cats when youre tracking their health.
Keep in mind, for pretty litter to be a success in your household, its not just you that needs to approve it. Many cats have distinct preferences when it comes to cat litter.
Even mixing old and new versions of cat litter in your home might not be enough to convince your feline friend to use something they dont like. If all of your cats do enjoy this litter, then you have the other problem of trying to figure out who urinated where.
Whilst we are on the topic of uti’s, diet can also be a part of dealing with such issues. We look into this much further in our article about the best urinary control cat foods currently available.
Pretty Litter Review – Pros and Cons and the Verdict
Overall, I think that Pretty Litter has more positives to consider than negatives, making it a great purchase for any family concerned about their cat’s health. 
Here are the most significant positives and negatives I noticed when testing the litter.
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