Fresh Step Scoopable Litter with Odor- Eliminating Carbon Review

Bottom-Line: If the manufacturer can create a truly dust free formula, Fresh Step will be the must-have kitty litter of the 21st century.

Our three-year old kitty, Naima, is a bit of a princess-very particular and fastidious.  In fact, she's appropriately named after the winner of "America's Next Top Model."   Naima is so refined and dainty that she would never be caught dead emerging from such an indelicate place as a litter box.  When nature calls, she minces towards the litter box (covered for privacy!), looks around to make sure no one is watching, and then gingerly steps in.  She's so self-conscious, that when she's finished, she dashes out of the litter box, streaks through the living room, and sprints up the staircase.  It's as if she's ashamed and wants disassociate herself from the uncouth litter box odor. 

Of course, since this is the only situation in which Naima runs at top speed through the house, she's not exactly discreet and thereby defeats the purpose of trying to be inconspicuous.  We know her secret immediately.  Therefore, litter box odor is not a big concern in our home.  As soon as Naima tears up the staircase, my wife knows it's time to scoop up the waste.  It turns out that my wife is pretty fastidious too.  The offending clump is disposed of practically the moment it's deposited.

Anyway, for those few times where waste retrieval is not immediate, it is important that the kitty litter clumps well, and has ingredients that reduce or eliminate odors.  Other vital characteristics are that the litter doesn't irritate the cat's paws, create clouds of dust, or have a tendency to scatter or leave tracks through the house. 

Since we adopted Naima a year ago, we have used only one type of baking soda-based litter that has worked pretty well.  So, it was nice to have an opportunity to try out a new product -Fresh Step Scoopable Litter with Odor-Eliminating Carbon.   

The Product

Fresh Step Scoopable Clumping Cat Litter is "New & Improved" with Order Eliminating Carbon for Maximum Odor Control.  The key ingredient appears to be the carbon contained inside the granules, which helps to eliminate odor on contact.   That seemed logical to me, since carbon is well known for its freshening properties in both air and water filters. 

The first difference I noticed between the Fresh Step and my usual litter is that a big dust cloud wafted up as I poured the product.  The scent is quite strong, though not unpleasant.  The product description contends that this new and improved formula is "99.9% dust-free!", but I beg to differ!  I think that if you are at all prone to allergies, you'll want to be careful in using this so you don't end up with a nose full of kitty litter dust. 

The Test

Now it was time to wait and see how Naima would respond.  She's pretty regular, so she tends to go about the same time every day. 

My wife reported that on the first day, she was busy with housework and didn't notice when Naima made her morning run up the staircase.  So, the litter box sat unattended longer than usual.  Amazingly, my wife said that when she did go to check the litter, she could see that it had been used, but literally could barely smell it!  This is amazing because (a) my wife can smell any odor within a square mile, and (b) because it's rare when a product actually lives up to its hype.   The litter clumped well and was easily scoopable.  There was no gooey mess that sometimes occurs with our usual litter. 

My viewpoint

Fresh Step Scoopable Litter with Odor- Eliminating Carbon does one thing extremely well.  It effectively eliminates odors and clumps well for which I give it 5 stars.  However, it gets 3 stars for the amount of dust it generates and for the tendency to scatter.  Overall, I give the product a respectable 4 stars.  If the manufacturer can create a truly dust free formula, Fresh Step will be the must-have kitty litter of the 21st century.