Pet Products Review - ARM & HAMMER® Essentials™ Clumping Litter

If you read my blog you know I am super fastidious, and a maniac about keeping my house clean and free of odor.  Especially when it comes to the cat litter.  There is nothing worse than an apartment that smells of litter box.  ICK!  So I make it a duty of mine to keep on top of what's new and what works.

Well over the weekend I went to the apartment of my friend Donalee. Now Donalee has 3 big, I mean like Maine Coon Cats, big chubby ones.  Well, walking into her apartment was so pleasant.  Not a hint of cat odor.  So I asked her what she uses.  She told me that recently she switched to ARM & HAMMER® Essentials™ Clumping Litter.

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She told me that she switched mostly because a friend of her's lost a cat to cancer.  And it made her think that maybe it was the chemicals in the fragrant litter the owner was using.  Well, when it comes to green, there is no greater green company than Arm & Hammer, I mean come on, everything is made with baking soda.  But this product is made, not only with baking soda, but super absorbent corn starch fibers.  They soak up urine and urine odor instantaneously.  Plus, because its not clay or rock, its lightweight, so you can carry those bags of old litter to the garbage can with ease.  It is litterally half the weight of othe litter brands. 

And because the grains are small they are soft for the cat's footing.

It clumps so a daily, sometimes hourly scoop of the box is easy, even with three cats.  But don't flush it.  Its not a flushable litter. 

 

I looked all over, and the best prices are online at National Pet Pharmacy both for the 7lbs and 10lbs bags.  Order here: 

http://www.nationalpetpharmacy.com/store/product_detail.asp?pf_id=30635811&cm_mmc_o=2mHlCjCWVVCjCWVV2tzEEwklCjCWR2RJVRW&zmam=90031077&zmas=22&zmac=84&zmap=30635811

If you've got a product you think will pass the Secret Shopper Test, send an email to SecretShopperBlog@gmail.com

Anonymous
July 9, 2009, 11:41 am
Smelly cats? Not for us. We just started the DOG BLOG REVIEW, where we only review DOG MOVIES and DOG TV. Cats are not part of the plan for us. ESPECIALLY SMELLY CATS. The cool part is that we're DOGS... so the reviews are always DOG-CENTRIC. It's been said, that on this big old spinning tennis ball we call earth, that our blog is by far, the FUNNIEST. Check it out, check-it-out-ers! doggieblogreview.blogspot.com and doggieblogreview.com BARK ON! Love, Susha and Sebastien (Jack Russell Terriers)
Anonymous
July 10, 2009, 8:30 am
Susha and Sebastien, cool that you have a dog website. But why put down cats????? 40% of all dog owners also have cats. So I applaud Secret Shopper for including blog mentions on cat products. I with there were more blog posts for other animals. Besides, it a pet blog network, not dog blog network. There is even a button created so that people can go directly to cat blogs. Oh besides.... CATS RULE!
Anonymous
July 10, 2009, 8:42 am
Thank you for sharing your review of A&H litter. Looks like a great product. We've been very happy with Scoop Away which does a great job for odor control. The big plus is the bucket handle with that the 28lbs of litter comes in. Very sturdy and practical - especially for a woman having to carry teh litter up/down stairs!
Anonymous
July 12, 2009, 5:28 pm
Anonymous
July 13, 2009, 6:45 am
I see Arm and Hammer has a whole line of Essentials products. Last night I saw a commercial for window cleaner and laundry detergent. Looks like Essentials will be their moniker for all things GREEN. Sounds good, but I hope it works. I lost a dog to cancer. ANd I always wonder if it was the cleaning products that I used that may have excellerated the cancer.
Anonymous
July 24, 2009, 7:19 am
hey there- do you know how this compares agains ScoopFree litterbox? We have a scoopfree automatic litterbox (www.scoopfree.com) and it definitely has cut down on odors - it sweeps the poop away into a tray, and the crystal littler absorbs urine. Awesome stuff. But this A&H litter makes me curious... how does it do on absorbing the urine? And you mentioned hrly scooping... is that necessary? Cause that doesnt sound fun. ;-P
Anonymous
July 24, 2009, 10:32 am
I LOVE THIS REVIEW, check out this link, its great !!!!!! http://greenfrugalista.blogspot.com/2008/10/review-arm-hammer-essentials-natural.html
Anonymous
July 25, 2009, 7:52 am
PA Kitties I have two cats and two litter boxes. Bought two bags of Essentials. Started off great...then it rained and was humid here for several days....and so it began . . .no more clumping. I am a diligent scooper. My cats started going outside the box. Good concept - but I don't think they have this one right quite yet.
Anonymous
July 25, 2009, 11:53 am
Wow, can you believe that comment above? I kind of agree with her. I live in New Jersey and we've had a ton of rain, and if your litter is not working right, and its clumping on its own your life can be just hell. I have 4 cats and can't take that risk. Everytime I try something all natural its a disaster, thats why I'm loyal to Fresh Step. Not for nothing, it works.
Default User Photo
July 26, 2009, 7:54 pm
I've just started to use the Arm&Hammer essentials. I'm mixing it in with Fresh Step which the brand I've used for years. I want to start using more fresh and all natural alternatives. I've always felt that Fresh Step had too much perfume and chemicals in there. Plus I heard its made by Clorox so I'm really scared that they may be using bleach and bleach by products as ingredients for the litter.
Dsc03462_small
July 28, 2009, 9:58 am
Mount Laurel, NJ
I don't like any of these new natural litters. They don't offer me any better odor protection, and they clump into a horrible mud. If the old litter was so good and healthy, why do they have to come out with an essentials brand? Were the old litter products dangerous? IF SO LET US KNOW
Anonymous
July 28, 2009, 12:19 pm
Keep in mind that the Arm and Hammer Essentials litter is part of a growing more eco friendly trend in litters. It is a celulose based litter. Cellulose litter is probably one of the most ecologically friendly choices. Litters made from corn, wheat, beet, soy, pine, pulp, and recycled newspapers are biodegradable. Some can even be used for composting or mulching after feces are removed. This product may also end up in landfills but has more chance of breaking down if it is not wrapped in plastic bags.
Default User Photo
October 14, 2009, 12:30 pm
I bought Arm and Hammer Essentials on a whim and I found that I really like it. I have 6 cats and it is refreshing to smell the pine aroma but I can't seem to find it in the stores any more. Is it being discontinued?__Anonymous

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