Cat Pee Not Clumping – Reasons Why and Helpful Solutions

Scooping the litter box is never a chore that anyone looks forward to, but no cat owners can escape it. When you go to the litter box to scoop it, you might be surprised that your cat’s pee isn’t clumping in the litter box. Immediately, you’re going to start wondering why is cat pee not clumping?

Cat pee does not clump when there is too much moisture in the litter. The litter may be defective or your cat may be stressed. The type of litter used can also impact clumping success.

There are options when it comes to your cat’s litter box, and so your litter is the reason why your cat’s pee isn’t clumping in the litter box. Let’s talk a little more about the different kinds of cat litter you can choose and how it will interact with your cat’s pee when he uses the litter box. 

Is Cat Pee Supposed To Clump In Litter

Cat pee is supposed to clump in the litter if you have the kind of litter that clumps.

Most people assume that cat pee always clumps in the litter, but that isn’t always the case. Not all kinds of cat litter clumps with cat pee.

Here are a few kinds of cat pee that don’t always clump with cat pee:

• Newspaper
• Wood chips or wood shavings 
• Pine pellets
• Sand
• Certain brands of non-clumping cat litter, such as the increasingly popular crystal cat litter

If you’re purchasing most of your run-of-the-mill cat litter at a grocery store, then your cat litter is going to clump when your cat uses the litter box. The average person is going to use that kind of cat litter.

Regular cat litter that clump is made with clay, which you may not have known if you’ve never read the ingredients list. When the litter gets wet with cat pee, it sticks together, and you can scoop it as usual. 

On the other hand, you might be checking out a new kind of cat litter alternative. In that case, you’re not going to see your cat litter alternative clump.

Clumping has less to do with your cat’s urine and more about the kind of litter you are using in your litter box. 

How Different Types Of Cat Litter Work

Not all cat litter works the same way, so let’s talk some time to discuss the different types of cat litter and how they work.

Traditional Clay Cat Litter

Clay cat litter is the traditional cat litter that you are most familiar with.

Cat litter that is made of clay acts precisely how you picture cat litter to work.

When your cat uses the litter box to pee, the litter clumps around the cat pee and becomes a solid mass, you will use a scooper to break the clump of litter away and remove it from the litter box.

Most people who use traditional clay cat litter need to add at least a little more cat litter every time their cat uses the litter box. It has to be dumped out altogether every few months before it gums up too much in your cat’s litter box.

Additionally, some clay litters are better at absorbing the smell of cat pee than others, but there is usually some odor fighter. 

Up until relatively recently, clay cat litter was one of the only kinds of litter used by the average cat-owning household. 

Newspaper

Newspaper is a cheap alternative to cat litter, and most people almost always have some newspaper on hand to use in the litter box.

Newspaper is paper, of course, so it shouldn’t be surprising that newspaper won’t clump when your cat pees on it.

Often, your newspaper alternative doesn’t always do a great job of soaking up cat pee when your cat uses it. Instead, the newspaper will turn to mush and may even start to disintegrate. 

It’s important to note that newspapers also won’t reduce or stop the smell of cat urine, so make sure to keep a bottle of air freshener nearby! 

Wood Chips And Shavings

For people who live in more rural areas, wood chips and shavings are a great replacement for cat litter, but wood chips and shavings will not clump.

If you’re familiar with how wood soaks up water, it shouldn’t be surprising that wood chips won’t clump together.

Instead, wood chips work to clean up pee by soaking it up. The pieces of wood will not clump together like cat litter.

You might notice slightly more clumping action if you are using wood shavings or finer sawdust. The wood will become wetter and stick together, but you shouldn’t expect it to stay together once you start scooping it up. 

When it comes to wood-based litter, the finer the pieces, the more clumping will happen. Even so, it is not a perfect dupe for clumping cat litter.

Pine Pellets

Pine pellets work similarly to wood shavings or chips, but these are specifically created as pellets from pine wood.

Don’t expect any clumping to happen from pine pellet cat litter. The pellets will not clump together after your cat pees in the litter box. 

Pine pellets will begin to disintegrate when your cat uses the litter box, which can become messier to clean up than traditional cat litters that clump.

Most people who choose pine pellets choose pine because it is excellent at soaking up the smell of cat urine. What you lose in clumping you make up for in odor control. For some people, that is entirely worth it. 

Sand

Sand is another cheap alternative that can be purchased in massive quantities.

You might expect sand to clump like cat litter based on how sand reacts at the beach, but that’s not exactly the case.

Sand may clump a little bit when your cat uses sand as litter, but sand will not clump as well as traditional clay cat litter. 

Sand will most likely break apart when you go to scoop it up. There is nothing in the sand that will allow it to bind together. 

You will notice that your cat will also track more sand around the house. Much like how it doesn’t bind with cat urine, it won’t stick to the hair on your cat’s feet.

Now, that doesn’t sound like much of a bad thing until your cat starts walking around. You’ll start seeing sand everywhere: the bed, all over your clothes, on the carpet, on the counters…

Non-Clumping Cat Litter

Not every cat litter that you buy at the supermarket will be a clumping cat litter.

One of the most common non-clumping cat litters is crystal cat litter. 

Crystal cat litter is not made of clay-like other cat litters, so there won’t be clumping.

Crystal cat litter is an excellent alternative to clay cat litter because it is better at fighting the smell of cat litter and lasts longer.

Crystals that aren’t used won’t be clumped together with used cat litter and will stay in the litter box. Some litter brands say that unused crystals can stay in the litter box for up to one month after use! 

You can also find clay-based litters that don’t clump. While made similarly to traditional cat litter, these litters will trap less of the odor from cat pee and poop; however, they will soak up more of the mess.

Each kind of cat litter – whether clumping or not – is up to you to choose and see what your cat prefers the most.