Tidy Max Cat Litter Review: We Tried Tidy Cats Online-Only Litter

Last Updated on

Tidy Max Cat Litter

$23.99
8.5

Cat comfort

10.0 /10

Tracking

7.0 /10

Odor control

8.0 /10

Dust

8.5 /10

Ease of use

9.0 /10

Pros

  • Good odor control
  • Tight clumps
  • Low dust
  • Has a texture most cats like

Cons

  • Box can be unwieldly
  • Expensive
  • Lightly scented

Meet Tidy Max cat litter: the new Tidy Cats litter designed for online shoppers.

If you order your pet supplies from Chewy.com, you’ve probably noticed that Purina Tidy Cats recently introduced a new line of cat litter. The ads introducing Tidy Max cat litter are scattered throughout the site—Try New Tidy Max Cat Litter!

Is this new cat litter any good? What makes it different from Tidy Cats old litter? Is Tidy Max replacing the handy Tidy Cats pails?

As part of the product launch, Tidy Cats offered a selection of people the opportunity to try Tidy Max cat litter in exchange for an honest review. We were chosen and are excited to share our experience with you. In this review, you’ll find the answers to all of the questions above, a description of our experience with Tidy Max litter, and all of the information you’ll need to decide whether or not it’s a good litter to try. Let’s dive in.

What is Tidy Max cat litter?

Tidy Max is a new clumping clay litter made specifically for online shoppers. It’s only available in online stores and hasn’t made its way to brick and mortar shelves. It’s not replacing Tidy Cats’ current litter, it’s just an addition to the lineup.

Tidy Max litter’s packaging is streamlined for shipping. It comes in a sturdy cardboard box that is 21% lighter than Tidy Cats’ pails. The cardboard packaging is also a bonus if you’d rather not throw away a plastic package every time you go through a container of cat litter. The boxes are a bit awkward to pour from directly. If you have an empty Tidy Cats pail around, you’re in luck. One box of Tidy Max fits perfectly in an empty pail and it’s a lot easier to pour—dump the litter into the pail and recycle the Tidy Max box. 

Tidy Max boxes
Tidy Cats suggests you refill empty Tidy Pails with Tidy Max litter.

The packaging isn’t the only difference between Tidy Max and previous Tidy Cats litters. Tidy Max cat litter claims superior ammonia odor control. According to the box, the litter features around-the-clock odor control and ammonia blockers to eliminate ammonia odors for up to two weeks if used correctly. The litter is also filled with moisture-activated Power Pieces. These purple pieces absorb moisture and odors.

There are nine varieties of Tidy Max cat litter currently available in online stores:

We got a box each of Tidy Max Instant Action, Tidy Max Lightweight Instant Action, Tidy Max 24/7 Performance, and Tidy Max Lightweight 24/7 Performance. The litter that we’re analyzing in-depth in this review is Tidy Max 24/7 Performance.

Tidy Max Cat Litter Review

Disclosure: “Wildernesscat received this product for free in exchange for an honest review. Although the product was gratis, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.”

A closer look at Tidy Max 24/7 Performance cat litter.

Before we dive into the review, I’d like to share my history with Tidy Cats litter with you. During the 11 years that I’ve been a cat guardian, we have tried a lot of different types of cat litter. We’ve sampled fluffy coconut husk cat litter, lavender-scented wood litter, wheat-based cat litter, and cat litter made from wood pellet horse bedding.

That said, the litter we use full time is Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance litter. We haven’t been able to find another litter that equals its clumping ability, odor control, texture, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. 

As a longtime Tidy Cats litter customer, I have a personal wish to see how the new Tidy Max litter compares to their previous offerings.

In order fairly judge Tidy Max litter, I compared it to my six key litter criteria. Let’s take a closer look at the qualities that make a cat litter great.

What I look for in a cat litter:

  • Low dust. Excessive dust is uncomfortable to breathe and potentially dangerous. Any kind of dust can cause respiratory problems and should be avoided, but clay litter can be especially dangerous. Clay litter contains potentially carcinogenic crystalline silica dust. Many litter manufacturers tout their litter’s low dust levels, but it’s rare to find a litter that lives up to the claims. We look for litters that don’t produce much dust while pouring, scoop, or when your cat digs around in the litter box.
  • Minimal tracking and scatter. A litter shouldn’t stick in between your cat’s toes and track around the house. A great litter stays in the litter box.
  • Effective odor control and absorbance. What sets a box of cat litter apart from a box of sand from the beach? Cat litter should absorb liquids and control odors. Effective odor control is an extremely important factor in a cat litter’s greatness.
  • Low maintenance. Some litters take more work than others—too much scooping, stirring, and scrubbing of the litter box and I feel like I’m spending too much time with the litter box. We prefer a mostly hands-off litter.
  • Budget-friendly. We look for a cat litter that’s both effective and affordable. 
  • Cat-friendliness. Cat litter should be safe and healthful for our cats. We also want to make sure our cats love their litter. Usually, this means we choose a litter with small, diggable grains, and light scent.

Let’s dive into the review and find out where Tidy Max cat litter stands in these key areas.

Is Tidy Max cat litter dust-free?

QUICK ANSWER: Yes. Tidy Max cat litter has very little dust and seems to be a good choice for sensitive people and cats.

Tidy Max cat litter is advertised as 99.9% dust-free. Unfortunately, this description is overused and not all litters live up to the label. Here’s what I observed during my test of Tidy Max litter.

I poured the litter into the box, allowing it to drop from a height of approximately two feet. There wasn’t a visible dust cloud and I didn’t feel like I was inhaling any dust. Next, I shook the litter box around a little and swirled up the litter with a scoop to see if dust would come up when the cats pawed around in the litter box. Still very little, if any, dust. 

Tidy Max litter in the box

Does the litter track and scatter?

QUICK ANSWER: A little bit. Tidy Max litter granules are lightweight and will likely scatter outside of the box. The litter didn’t stick to our cats’ paws or fur and track around the house.

I remember one cat litter we tried that stuck to Wessie like glue. The clay would clump and stick in between his toes. Not only would the litter track across the house into my bedsheets, but Wessie would lick his toes and ingest the clumpy stuff if we didn’t notice it in time. Fortunately, Tidy Max doesn’t share that sticky flaw. 

The litter is made of lightweight clay granules, so it does scatter a bit. Our cats like to dig vigorously in the litter box, and that means litter ends up on the mat. In order to reduce litter scatter, using a high-sided or hooded litter box.

Does Tidy Max cat litter reduce and control odors?

QUICK ANSWER: Yes. Tidy Max litter offers excellent odor control. Ammonia odors are kept in check with daily scooping. 

I took a quick look at Tidy Max’s customer reviews on Chewy and was impressed by the number of people praising the ammonia odor-blocking capabilities of Tidy Max litter. 

Tidy Max differs from their other litters in the inclusion of an ammonia blocking agent and absorbent Power Pieces. These elements are supposed to provide 14 days of odor-free bliss if you follow proper scooping procedures.

Alright, this sounds like clever marketing, but let’s give it a try. The regular Tidy Cats litter that we use already does a good job with odors, so I didn’t imagine that Tidy Max would perform any worse. Tidy Max didn’t disappoint. In agreement with the majority of customer reviews, ammonia odors and general litter box odor were kept at a praise-worthy minimum with daily scooping.

Close up of Tidy Max cat litter.
Absorbent clay and purple Power Pieces work to reduce odors.

Is the litter easy to maintain?

QUICK ANSWER: Yes. Daily scooping should be enough to keep most litter boxes fresh.

Tidy Max cat litter forms into tight clumps when it gets wet. The clumps were easy to scoop and stayed intact when I scooped them out. I didn’t notice the litter sticking to the bottom of the box in cement-like clumps. You should read cat litter reviews sometime—I love the ones where people tell tales of prying up stuck-on cat litter.

Once-daily scooping should be enough to keep most litter boxes clean. It clumps well enough that the litter can simply be topped off when it gets low. If desired, you can dump out the entire litter box once every two weeks for a deep clean. 

Tidy Max litter directions
How to use Tidy Max cat litter.

How much does Tidy Max cat litter cost? 

QUICK ANSWER: $23.99-$24.99 for a box, or approximately $0.42/day.

Tidy Max cat litter costs $23.99 for a 38-pound box right now on Chewy.com. The 17-pound boxes of Tidy Max Lightweight litters cost a little bit more at $24.99.

This is around $10 more than a 35-pound pail of Tidy Cats 24/7 clumping litter, which is priced at $14.64. 

What did the cats think of Tidy Max cat litter?

QUICK ANSWER: They liked it. The litter has small granules, a light scent, and is similar to their usual litter.

Tidy Max litter is very similar in texture to Tidy Cats other clumping litters, which is what our cats use most of the time. It was a natural transition for them.

The litter has small granules, which we find most cats prefer. The litter is comfortable for them to walk and dig in. While we prefer unscented litter, the light perfumey scent of Tidy Max wasn’t overpowering. Wessie and Forest didn’t seem to mind the scent, either.

Conclusion: our final assessment of Tidy Max cat litter.

Tidy Max cat litter is a convenient choice for online shoppers and an option for Tidy Cats fans who want to limit the amount of litter packaging they go through. Unfortunately, the cardboard box can be frustrating and awkward to handle if you don’t already have a used pail to transfer the litter into. 

There’s an excellent selection in the Tidy Max line so you should be able to find an option suited to you and your cat’s needs.

Tidy Max litter is low-dust, succeeds in controlling odors, and is easy to maintain thanks to its tight clumps. 

Are we convinced to switch from our regular Tidy Cats 24/7 cat litter to Tidy Max? Not quite. The slight improvement in odor-control and clumping ability doesn’t make up for the nearly-doubled price. We’re sticking with the old stuff for now.

Where can I buy Tidy Max cat litter?

When you make a purchase through our links, we get a small commission. This allows us to continue providing content like this article. Thank you for your support!

Tidy Max cat litter is available online from Chewy.com and Amazon.com for $23.99-$24.99.

If you purchase from Chewy.com, consider choosing their auto-ship option. Chewy offers a 30% discount on your first auto-ship order, and it’s a great choice if you always forget to buy cat litter and find yourself on last-minute runs to the store. Chewy.com also offers free shipping on all orders $49 and over.

Click the photo to view Tidy Max litter on Chewy
Click the photo view Tidy Max litter on Chewy.com

Did you find this post useful? Pin it for later!

Tidy Max cat litter review pin       Tidy Max Cat litter review pin 2