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Fresh Step Cat Litter Review – Is it Worth It in 2023?

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Are you tired of constantly struggling with smelly and ineffective cat litter? Look no further! After spending over 50 hours researching, we have gathered honest and unbiased reviews on the Fresh Step Cat Litter to help put an end to your feline’s litter woes.

Not only does the Fresh Step Cat Litter have a refreshing Febreeze Fresh Scent, but it also boasts superior clumping action and exceptional odor control. But that’s not all, this litter uses innovative technologies to truly stand out from the competition and provide unbeatable performance.

Want to see for yourself why Fresh Step is a favorite among felines? Check out our reviews and discover the magic of Fresh Step Cat Litter.

Best Overall

Gold medal by vets winner

Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter

Fresh Step Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter
  • Clumps easily form firm and tight scoops
  • Febreeze fragrance masks litter box odor easily
  • Ammonia block absorbs the strong urine odor and helps the litter last longer

Editor’s Pick

Silver medal by vets second place

Odor Shield Scented Cat Litter

Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Cat Litter
  • The litter offers long-lasting odor control for 10 days 
  • Ammonia Block Technology that locks the odor particles
  • The ClumpLock Technology helps to form firm clumps

Affordable Pick

Bronze medal by vets third place

 Extreme Scented Cat Litter

Fresh Step Extreme Scented Cat Litter
  • Long-lasting odor control that lasts for more than a week
  • The goodness of Mountain Spring Fragrance along with Febreeze Freshness
  • The powerful scent makes it suitable for multiple cat use

Fresh Step Cat Litter Review

Fresh Step Cat Litter is an advanced formula clumping cat litter that is made with your cat’s health and happiness in mind. It is one of the most popular brands and offers a vast range of litters to suit every feline’s needs. The brand was launched in 1984 by its founder Clorox and has gained popularity since then.

Fresh Step Cat Litter

There are various types of Fresh Step Cat Litter available and it is known to be 99% dust-free. Its superior clumping and odor control properties are commendable. Fresh Step cat litter is recommended by vets and forms firm clumps which make it easy to scoop.

The scented cat litter by Fresh Step is the best amongst all their variants as it masks the litter box odor and strong ammonia smell. It comes with Febreeze technology which keeps your cat’s litter box smelling pleasant after each use.

Its soft and gentle texture is preferred by most cats. Feline owners love it due to its ease of cleaning and scooping. There are unscented and non-clumping variants for picky and sensitive cats too.

Certain users claim that the scented variants have a very overwhelming fragrance and the fine litter particles form a lot of dust and tracking. Apart from that, the litter offers excellent performance and the vast range of litters available from the brand makes it worth considering and reviewing.

Look below to find out the various types of Fresh Step Cat Litter and what are the features of the most popular litter variants from Fresh Step.

Types of Fresh Step Cat Litter

Fresh Step offers a vast range of cat litters for every litter box related concern. The various types of litters are:

Scented Clumping

  • Gain Original with Febreeze
  • Advanced Gain Original with Febreeze
  • Mediterranean Lavender Litter with Febreeze
  • Hawaiin Aloha with Febreeze
  • Multi-cat Litter with Febreeze
  • Odor shield Litter with Febreeze
  • Triple Action
  • Extreme Scented
  • Lightweight Litter with Febreeze
  • Total Control Scented Litter

Unscented Clumping

  • Free and Gentle
  • Lightweight Simply Unscented Litter
  • Advanced Simply Unscented Litter
  • Simply Unscented Litter

Clean Paws Low Tracking Cat Litter

  • Gain Original Scented Litter
  • Ultra Absorb Clumping Cat Litter
  • Simply Unscented
  • Triple Action Scented
  • Multi-cat scented with Febreeze
  • Advanced Multi-cat scented Litter with Febreeze

Non-Clumping Litter

  • Premium Non-clumping litter with Febreeze

Crystals

  • Fresh Step Crystals Easy Care Litter

What Kinds of Litter Does the Brand Offer?

After careful research and analysis, we decided to review the most popular litter varieties offered by Fresh Step Cat Litter. Take a look below to find out about the best offered by Fresh Step.

1. Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter

The Fresh Step Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter is very strong and offers superior odor control for 10 days guaranteed. It is claimed to be 99.9% dust free and comes with ammonia block technology to control strong urine smells and foul litter box odor.

Fresh Step Multi-Cat Clumping Cat Litter

The litter is made of large, high-quality clay particles that come in a specific shape and density. This causes less dust and low tracking, which helps you keep your house and surroundings clean. The extra strength formula is very powerful which makes it suitable for multi-cat households.

The litter comes with the goodness of Febreeze Fragrance which gets activated when the litter comes in contact with your feline’s paws. It also possesses the ClumpLock technology which offers high absorbance and locks the moisture as well as the odor associated with it to form tight clumps that are easy to scoop.

  • The size of the litter particles is large and has high density which causes less spreading and tracking
  • Clumps easily to form firm and tight scoops
  • Febreeze fragrance masks litter box odor easily
  • Ammonia block absorbs the strong urine odor and helps the litter last longer
  • The Febreeze Scent can be too overwhelming and smell disgusting on combining with cat poop
  • Certain users claim that the litter is very dusty which makes it unsuitable for long-haired cats

2. Odor Shield Scented Cat Litter

The Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Cat Litter works on foul smells coming from the litter box continuously and stops the odor before it spreads in the surroundings. This feature helps keep your house and litter box surroundings smelling fresh and pleasant at all times.

Fresh Step Odor Shield Scented Cat Litter

The litter offers long-lasting odor control for 10 days and comes with Ammonia Block Technology that locks the odor particles and masks urine and fecal smell effectively. The litter granules are made of a very smooth and granular texture with balanced densities to avoid tracking.

The ClumpLock Technology helps to form firm clumps and offers high absorbance that helps in locking the liquids easily. The litter also comes with the power of Febreeze that makes sure to keep the litter box pleasant at all times for your cat’s use. The litter is absolutely safe and pet friendly.

  • Odor Shield Technology works on strong smells immediately before they spread everywhere
  • Ammonia block and ClumpLock Technology takes care of smells and forms firm clumps
  • Comes with the goodness of Febreeze smell for a pleasant litter box fragrance
  • The litter forms dust almost easily and tracks excessively
  • The Febreeze is too overwhelming as per some users

3. Extreme Scented Cat Litter

The Fresh Step Extreme Scented Cat Litter comes with the goodness and freshness of Extreme Mountain Spring Scent and is claimed to be 99.9% dust-free. It combines the Febreeze freshness to curb litter box odor and strong ammonia smell very effectively.

Fresh Step Extreme Scented Cat Litter

This litter also comes with 10-day odor control technology and has ammonia blockers to absorb the urine and fecal odor particles. The litter has a very granular and smooth texture which does not stick to your cat’s paws.

The ClumpLock technology helps in forming tight and firm clumps for ease of scooping while cleaning the litter box. The litter is absolutely safe for pets and is formulated keeping your pet’s health and happiness in mind.

  • Goodness of Mountain Spring Fragrance along with Febreeze Freshness
  • ClumpLock technology helps in forming firm and tight clumps for ease of scooping
  • Long-lasting odor control that lasts for more than a week
  • Powerful scent makes it suitable for multiple cat use
  • The litter is very dusty and can cause allergies
  • The smell is very overwhelming as per certain users

4. Ultra Unscented Cat Litter

If you are looking for a solution for the stinkiest of litter boxes without any artificial scents, then the Fresh Step Ultra Unscented Cat Litter helps in eliminating the strongest of urine and fecal odor upon coming in contact with the foul smell. This litter is specially formulated to fight tough bacteria and the odor associated with it.

Fresh Step Ultra Unscented Cat Litter

The litter has activated charcoal for absorbing dirt and dust effectively to keep your box smelling fresh. It is powerful to inhibit bacterial odor for 10 days. It forms ultra-tight clumps as it locks the moisture and liquid upon coming in contact with it. No sticky particles or crumbles are left behind.

The litter claims to have a low dust formula so that the particles stay inside the box and not on the floor or in the air. It is hypoallergenic and traps dirty smell almost instantly.

  • Prevents the growth of bacteria in litter and controls bacterial odor
  • Forms firm and non-sticky clumps
  • Offers long-lasting odor control for 10 days
  • Activated charcoal works on litter box smell almost immediately
  • It has a mild scent and is not unscented as it claims to be
  • Forms high amounts of dust

5. Triple Action Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

The Fresh Step Triple Action Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is unscented and has activated charcoal which works on strong litter box odor almost instantly. The triple-action formula works on 3 types of odor being urine, feces, and bacterial odor.

Fresh Step Triple Action Scented Clumping Clay Cat Litter

Combined with Ammonia Block Technology, the activated charcoal and plant extracts trap the odor particles to give you a clean and fresh litter box. It has the freshness of Febreeze Scent and claims to be 99.9% dust free.

The ClumpLock technology ensures that the litter forms firm and hard clumps that provide the ease of scooping and cleaning the litter box. It forms no sticky clumps that are easy to scrape off the box. The litter is suitable and effective for all kinds of odor.

  • Works on urine, fecal as well as bacterial odor effectively
  • ClumpLock helps in quick clumping and scooping and offers high absorbance
  • Paw activated Febreeze Fragrance each time your cat uses the litter box
  • The strong scent smells very horrible
  • The litter has a cement-like texture

6. Simply Unscented Lightweight Cat Litter

Now cleaning cat litter would feel feather-like with the Fresh Step Simply Unscented Lightweight Cat Litter. It has the goodness of natural clumping clay litter but it is very light in weight that makes it easy to scoop, clump, and carry for disposal.

Fresh Step Simply Unscented Lightweight Cat Litter

The litter is not only pet friendly but also suitable for multi-cat use. It is unscented that makes it suitable for the pickiest of cats. In spite of being light, it claims to form less dust but may stick to your feline’s fur and cause tracking.

The litter has activated carbon along with Ammonia Block Technology that traps litter box odor quite effectively. It has no artificial fragrances and curbs odor with plant-based extracts. It is natural and safe for your pet.

  • Easy to sift, clean, and manage
  • No added fragrances
  • Contains natural plant extracts that are extremely safe
  • Causes tracking
  • Does not form tight clumps

Ratings

After a detailed analysis of each and every variant, here are our honest and unbiased ratings for the Fresh Step Cat Litter:

  • Clumping Ability: 4/5
  • Odor Control: 4/5
  • Low Dust: 2/5
  • Non-tracking: 2/5
  • Safety: 3/5
  • Multi-cat use: 4/5
  • Price: 3/5

Overall Ratings: 4 out of 5

FAQs

  1. Is Fresh Step with power of Febreeze harmful for cats?

    No! The Febreeze Technology that is used to absorb, control, and trap litter box odors is very safe for cats and the entire household. It does not contain any chemicals that are harmful to your cat.

  2. Is Fresh Step Cat Litter harmful for humans?

    Fresh Step Cat Litter is not harmful to humans. However, it may form slight amounts of dust that can spread on the floor or in the air and cause respiratory issues or allergies.

  3. Is Fresh Step Cat Litter harmful to cats if ingested?

    No! If ingested in small amounts, Fresh Step Cat Litter is not harmful to cats. However, if your cat consumes litter in large quantities, it can cause intestinal blockage and you may need to consult a veterinarian.

  4. Is Fresh Step Cat Litter biodegradable?

    No! Fresh Step Cat litters are non-biodegradable but are compatible with most landfill requirements which makes them environmentally safe and not harmful.

  5. Where to buy Fresh Step Cat Litter?

    Fresh Step Cat Litter is available for purchase on Chewy, Amazon, or any local pet store that can be located by the brand’s official website. You can also buy Fresh Step Cat Litter with the help of special offers and coupons.

Fresh Step Cat Litter | Is it Worth It?

After researching and asking various cat parents about the performance of Fresh Step Cat Litter, we came to the conclusion that it is quite worth the purchase. Fresh Step Clay Litter has ClumpLock technology that helps in forming firm and hard clumps for ease of scooping.

Fresh Step Cat Litter Is it worth it

It also features Ammonia Block Technology along with the freshness of Febreeze Scent in the Fresh Step Scented variants. These litters help in masking urine, fecal as well as bacterial odor effectively.

The only turnoff about the product is the amount of dust it causes due to the fine clay particle size that can cause litter tracking. It can stick to your feline’s hair and you may have to invest in a litter tracking mat to avoid the particles from spreading on the floors.

The Febreeze fragrance can get too overwhelming for picky cats and your feline may refuse to use the litter box. Ignoring these minimal drawbacks, the litter offers a superior level of performance and has been effective in maintaining a fresh and healthy litter box environment for various felines and cat households.

References

  1. INTRODUCING NEW FRESH STEP® OUTSTRETCH™ — Fresh Step
  2. What is the Best Cat Litter? Non-Clumping vs. Clumping Litter — PetMD
  3. Fresh Step Cat Litter — Chewy

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