Dr. Elsey's Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter Review: The Gold Standard in Clay

Quick verdict: Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter is the most reliable clay litter we have tested. After 60 days in a two-cat household, it delivered the hardest clumps we have ever scooped, excellent odor control, minimal dust for a clay product, and outstanding value at roughly half the per-pound cost of natural alternatives. The 40-pound bags are genuinely heavy, and it is neither flushable nor biodegradable, but if you want the best-performing traditional litter at a fair price, Dr. Elsey’s Ultra is the benchmark. We rate it 4.7 out of 5.

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Why We Tested Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium

Dr. Bruce Elsey is a feline-only veterinarian who spent decades observing how cats interact with their litter boxes before developing his litter line. That background matters because most cat litters are designed by consumer goods companies focused on what appeals to humans — pleasant scents, colorful packaging, clever marketing. Dr. Elsey’s approach starts from the cat’s perspective: What granule size, texture, and odor profile encourages consistent litter box use?

The Ultra Premium formula is the flagship product in the line, and it has been the best-selling premium clumping clay litter on Amazon for years. Despite its popularity, we see the same questions repeatedly in reader emails and comments: Is it really that much better than budget clay litters? How does it compare to natural alternatives? Is the 40-pound bag worth the trouble?

We set out to answer those questions with an extended 60-day test — the same duration and methodology we used for our World’s Best Cat Litter review. Our test household included two adult indoor cats: an 11-pound domestic shorthair and a 9-pound Siamese mix. We used two standard open-top litter boxes, scooped twice daily, and performed full litter changes every three weeks. Prior to this test, both boxes used World’s Best Cat Litter, giving us a direct comparison baseline against the leading natural alternative.

Clumping Performance

This is where Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium stands alone. The sodium bentonite clay forms clumps so dense and hard that they feel like small rocks when you pick them up with a scoop. In 60 days of testing, we did not experience a single clump that broke apart during scooping — not once. That is a remarkable consistency that no other litter we have tested, clay or natural, has matched.

The clumps form quickly, typically within 60 to 90 seconds of contact with liquid. They are self-contained, meaning urine does not spread to surrounding clean litter the way it can with lighter natural formulas. This has a practical benefit: you waste less clean litter per scoop, which extends the effective life of each box fill and contributes to the product’s excellent long-term value.

The clumps also maintain their integrity at the bottom of the box. With many litters, a clump that forms against the box floor becomes a flat, stuck-on mess that requires scraping. Dr. Elsey’s clumps at the box floor are slightly flatter than those that form mid-litter, but they still lift cleanly with a scoop. We attribute this to the granule density — the heavy particles create enough structure around the clump to prevent it from bonding to the plastic.

For cat owners coming from budget clay litters — Tidy Cats, Arm and Hammer, Fresh Step — the upgrade in clumping performance is immediately obvious. Budget clays form softer clumps that crumble during scooping, leave residue in the box, and require more frequent full changes. Dr. Elsey’s eliminates all of those frustrations. For owners coming from natural litters like World’s Best, the clumps are noticeably harder and more satisfying to scoop, though you lose the flushability and lightweight advantages.

The Cornell Feline Health Center notes that a clean, well-maintained litter box is the single most important factor in preventing house soiling. A litter that clumps perfectly makes consistent cleaning easier, which directly benefits your cat’s willingness to use the box reliably.

Dust Control and Tracking

For a clay litter, Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium is impressively low-dust. The brand markets it as “99.9% dust-free,” and while we cannot verify that exact figure, our real-world experience supports the claim that it is significantly better than most clay competitors.

When pouring fresh litter into the box, there is a brief, small puff of fine particulate that settles within a few seconds. It is visible but does not linger in the air the way budget clay litters do — litters like Tidy Cats or Fresh Step produce a visible dust cloud that takes 30 seconds or more to settle and leaves a gray film on nearby surfaces. Dr. Elsey’s does not do that. During scooping, dust is negligible. We did not observe any visible particulate during our twice-daily scooping sessions.

That said, it is still a clay litter, and clay is inherently dustier than corn, wheat, or silica alternatives. If your cat has diagnosed asthma or chronic upper respiratory issues, a completely non-clay option like World’s Best or a silica gel litter like Pretty Litter may be a safer choice. For the vast majority of cats and owners, the dust level of Dr. Elsey’s Ultra is completely acceptable.

Tracking is where the heavy granules provide a genuine advantage. Because the particles are denser than corn, wheat, or lightweight clay formulas, they tend to fall off paw pads rather than clinging. In our testing, litter scatter was confined to a two-foot radius around each box — better than any natural litter we have used, though a litter mat is still recommended for hard floors. Indoor cats who are heavy diggers will still kick some granules out of the box during covering, but the tracked-out particles stay close rather than appearing in distant rooms.

Odor Control

Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium uses an unscented formula that controls odor through rapid, tight clumping rather than fragrance masking. The logic is straightforward: if the clump seals around urine completely and immediately, ammonia cannot escape into the surrounding air. And for the most part, this approach works exceptionally well.

During our 60-day test, we did not detect any noticeable ammonia smell around the litter boxes during the first 10 to 12 days of each three-week cycle, provided we maintained our twice-daily scooping routine. Between days 12 and 21, a faint odor became detectable only when standing directly over the box — never from across the room. This matched our experience with World’s Best Cat Litter almost exactly, though the mechanisms are different (enzyme breakdown versus physical containment).

For fecal odor, Dr. Elsey’s performs well but not exceptionally. Because the litter is unscented, freshly deposited feces will produce odor until you scoop it. This is true of all unscented litters. If immediate fecal odor masking is important to you, a scented litter or a litter box with a carbon filter lid may be better options — but we generally recommend unscented litter because many cats are sensitive to artificial fragrances and may avoid a scented box.

The absence of fragrance is actually a selling point for most cat behaviorists. The ASPCA and AAFP both recommend unscented litter as a general guideline because cats have roughly 200 million olfactory receptors compared to a human’s 5 million. What smells “fresh” to you can be overwhelming and aversive to your cat.

Value Assessment

This is one of Dr. Elsey’s greatest strengths and the reason it dominates the premium clay category. At the time of our review, a 40-pound bag costs approximately $18-22 depending on the retailer — roughly $0.45-0.55 per pound. Compare that to the broader litter market:

• Budget clay litters (Tidy Cats, Fresh Step): $0.35-0.50/lb
• Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium (this product): $0.45-0.55/lb
• World’s Best Cat Litter (corn): $1.40-1.70/lb
• Pretty Litter (silica gel subscription): approximately $2.00+/lb

Dr. Elsey’s Ultra costs only marginally more than budget clay litters while delivering dramatically superior clumping and dust control. And it costs less than half the per-pound price of leading natural alternatives.

In our 60-day test with two cats, we used three 40-pound bags at a total cost of approximately $60. Our previous two-month baseline with World’s Best Cat Litter for the same household was approximately $100. That is a $20 per month savings — or roughly $240 per year — with no sacrifice in odor control and a significant upgrade in clumping quality.

The 40-pound bag is the most cost-effective size, but it does present a practical challenge: it is genuinely heavy. If you have mobility issues, live in an upper-floor apartment, or simply do not want to wrestle with a 40-pound bag, Dr. Elsey’s also comes in 20-pound bags at a slightly higher per-pound cost. We recommend the larger bag for value, with the tip of transferring litter into a smaller sealed container for daily pouring convenience.

Comparison Table: Dr. Elsey’s vs. World’s Best vs. Pretty Litter

For a detailed breakdown of corn versus clay litter trade-offs, see our World’s Best Cat Litter review.

Who It Is For

Buy Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium if:

• You want the hardest, most scoopable clumps available in any litter
• Value matters — you want premium performance without paying premium natural litter prices
• Your cats are healthy and do not have diagnosed respiratory conditions that require a completely dust-free environment
• You prefer unscented litter that will not deter smell-sensitive cats
• Tracking is a concern — the heavy granules stay in the box better than lightweight alternatives
• You are transitioning from a budget clay litter and want a meaningful upgrade without changing litter type entirely
• You have multiple cats and need a litter that keeps up with heavy daily use

Skip Dr. Elsey’s Ultra if:

• You or your cat have respiratory sensitivities that require a completely non-clay, zero-dust litter
• Environmental impact is a priority — bentonite clay is strip-mined and not biodegradable
• You want a flushable litter for apartment living convenience
• You have mobility issues that make carrying 40-pound bags impractical (though 20-lb bags are available)
• You prefer a natural litter material like corn, wheat, or walnut shells
• You want health monitoring features (consider Pretty Litter instead)

For additional guidance on choosing the right litter type for your household, the ASPCA’s litter box guide and the AAFP’s litter box recommendations provide excellent starting points. If you are setting up a box for a new cat, our kitten litter training guide covers the process from first day to full confidence.

Final Verdict

Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium Clumping Cat Litter earns a strong 4.7 out of 5 from Meowing Goods after 60 days of hands-on testing. It is the best-clumping litter we have ever tested — bar none. The sodium bentonite clay forms clumps so dense and hard that scooping is genuinely satisfying, and the absence of crumbly, broken clumps means your litter box stays cleaner between full changes. Dust control is excellent for a clay product, tracking is minimal thanks to heavy granules, and the per-pound cost makes it one of the best values in the premium litter market.

The trade-offs are inherent to clay rather than specific to this product: the bags are heavy, the material is not biodegradable, and it is not flushable. If those factors are deal-breakers for you, a natural litter like World’s Best Cat Litter is a strong alternative. But if you want a clay litter that performs at the highest level and does not break the bank, Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium is the clear winner. It has been the top-selling premium clay litter for years, and after 60 days of testing, we understand exactly why.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium really 99.9% dust-free?

Dr. Elsey’s uses a proprietary hypoallergenic formula that significantly reduces dust compared to typical bentonite clay litters. In our 60-day testing, we found that the litter produces a very small puff when poured — detectable but brief, settling within seconds rather than lingering in the air the way budget clay litters do. During scooping, dust is virtually undetectable. It is not as dust-free as corn-based litters like World’s Best, but for a clay litter, it is the best we have tested. Cats with severe asthma may still benefit from a fully non-clay option, but most cats and owners will find the dust level completely manageable.

How does Dr. Elsey’s compare to World’s Best Cat Litter?

These two litters serve different priorities and are both excellent choices. Dr. Elsey’s Ultra forms the hardest, densest clumps on the market, tracks less thanks to heavy granules, costs significantly less per pound, and does not attract insects since it contains no organic material. World’s Best Cat Litter uses corn enzymes for odor control, is nearly dust-free, is flushable, is much lighter to carry, and is made from renewable ingredients. If rock-hard clumps, minimal tracking, and value are your priorities, Dr. Elsey’s wins. If you want a natural, lightweight, flushable litter and are willing to pay more, World’s Best is the better choice. See our full comparison in our World’s Best Cat Litter review.

Can kittens use Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium?

Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium is a clumping litter, and most veterinarians recommend non-clumping litter for kittens under 8 weeks old. Very young kittens may ingest litter while grooming or out of curiosity, and clumping clay can cause intestinal blockages if swallowed in significant amounts. Once your kitten is past 8 weeks and consistently using the box without eating the litter, Dr. Elsey’s Ultra is a safe and effective option. Dr. Elsey’s also makes a dedicated Kitten Attract formula with a milder granule size and a herbal attractant to help train kittens to use the box. For step-by-step guidance, see our kitten litter training guide.

How often should I completely change Dr. Elsey’s Ultra litter?

With twice-daily scooping in a single-cat household, Dr. Elsey’s Ultra lasts approximately three to four weeks before needing a full box dump and refresh. For multi-cat households, shorten that interval to every two to three weeks. Signs that it is time for a full change include a persistent ammonia smell that scooping no longer resolves, litter that has become visibly saturated or discolored, or clumps that are no longer forming tightly. When you do a full change, wash the litter box with warm water and a mild unscented soap — avoid harsh chemicals like bleach, which leave residual odors that can deter cats from using the box.

Why is Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Premium so heavy?

The weight is a direct consequence of the material. Sodium bentonite is a dense, naturally occurring clay that expands when it contacts moisture — this is what creates the rock-hard clumps that Dr. Elsey’s is known for. The density also means the granules are heavy enough to stay in the box rather than sticking to your cat’s paws and tracking through the house. The 40-pound bag is the best value per pound but is genuinely difficult to lift and pour. If the weight is a concern, Dr. Elsey’s also sells 20-pound bags, or you can transfer litter into a smaller container for daily use.

Sources

1. Cornell Feline Health Center — Feline Behavior: House Soiling
2. ASPCA — Litter Box Problems
3. American Association of Feline Practitioners — Cat Friendly Homes: Litter Boxes