September 6, 2025
by Robyn Paterson
For over fifteen years, Dr. Elsey’s Unscented litter has been our go-to recommendation. We try nearly every other litter that people swear by, and none of them compare. The number one factor that always rules a litter out for us is the smell. If we can smell it, it is an absolute no-go for us. Fortunately, the cats agree with us on this factor. Dr. Elsey’s has kept our house odor-free for a very long time.
We were not looking to change, but at a recent cat show, we met the owner of Cat Butler and agreed to try his product. We were thrilled to open the bag and discover that it is, as proclaimed, odor-free. Many litters claim to be odor-free, but the reality doesn’t measure up. Not this one.
Within the first few weeks, we saw that Cat Butler offers benefits that make our lives easier and keep our cats cleaner. The first thing we noticed was the lack of residue. Bengals have a habit of playing in their water bowls and then playing in the litter box. I know, it's disgusting, but they are Bengals. With Dr. Elsey’s, this means gray paw prints across our Saltillo tiles and residue on the cats' coats. With Cat Butler, the pellets are shaped to resist sticking to paws, which reduces tracking and scatter, therefore leaving no marks on the floor and no residue. Furthermore, the pea fiber is also naturally dense, so it doesn’t break down into fine particles and produce the same dust you get with clay. This means cleaner paws, cleaner coats, and cleaner air. That alone is a noticeable benefit.
Scooping is also easier. With Dr. Elsey’s, if we get behind on scooping, a cement-like block forms at the bottom of the litterbox. These are especially challenging when we have a pet sitter whose scooping skills are never quite up to par with our own. With Cat Butler, the cement block does not form. The starch in the pea fiber used in Cat Butler quickly absorbs liquid. It binds it into strong, tight clumps that not only don’t break apart but also stay separate from each other, making them easier to scoop out, even when the litterbox scooping gets behind schedule. In addition, the litter is about 60% lighter than clay, which makes pouring and refilling less of a chore. These may seem like small changes, but when you are cleaning multiple litter boxes every day, they add up.
The most important test is always going to be odor. Cat Butler passes the opening of the box odor test, but does it pass the your-house-does-not-smell-like-cats test? Answer – yes, it does. The litter itself has no strong fragrance. When the cats urinate, there is a faint Play-Doh-like scent that disappears quickly. Because the pea fiber locks in moisture so fast, the box stays drier and fresher, which helps keep odor down even more. Combined with the fact that our cats are raw fed, which already reduces odor, the result is an odor-free house that visitors still comment on.
Our one hesitation in trying Cat Butler was the texture. Cats naturally prefer a sand-like litter, and Dr. Elsey’s provides that. Cat Butler is a small pellet made from pea fiber. At first, our Bengals hesitate, and we wonder if they will reject it. To give them the choice, we set out one box of Cat Butler litter next to a box of Dr. Elsey's litter. Over time, they begin using the Cat Butler box with as much ease as the Dr. Elsey’s box, and within a month, they are choosing the pellets regularly. If we ever face litter box problems again, we will temporarily use Dr. Elsey’s Cat Attract until the issue is resolved, just as we still advise anyone struggling with litterbox issues to use Cat Attract until they are resolved. But when everything is status quo, Cat Butler is our daily litter.
Another benefit worth mentioning is what Cat Butler is made from. The litter is created from peas, specifically a byproduct of gluten-free food production. Instead of going to waste, that pea fiber is reused in a way that is safe for cats, biodegradable, and sustainable. It is food-grade material, naturally low in dust, and free from chemicals. We've seen the infamous Jean Mill cat litter mound visible by Google Earth's camera, so it does make us feel better knowing we are choosing something lighter on the environment.
For us, the change is worthwhile. Our floors are cleaner, our cats are cleaner, the litter is lighter to handle, and the boxes remain odor-free. Cat Butler earns its place as our new favorite cat litter.