Owner survey gives you the scoop on cat litter consumption

Cat well-being, not odour, motivates scooping

A recent study by Yummypets asked cat parents in five countries – Belgium, France, the UK, Canada and the US – about their cat litter behaviours and priorities: what kind of litter they buy, why they buy it, and more.

When quizzed about their primary reason for scooping litter, most respondents (75%) said it was to promote their cat’s ‘health and well-being’. ‘Household cleanliness’ and ‘odour’ each represented 13% of respondents. Canadians (17%) and Americans (16%) care the most about ‘odour’ as their primary reason for scooping.

Americans (23%) and Canadians (20%) were also more likely to scoop to support household cleanliness, whereas Belgian (88%) and French (85%) consumers, mentioned their cat’s health and well-being as the primary reason.

Clumping more important than environment

More than half (57%) of consumers purchase mineral litter. And a majority has a preference for clumping cat litter (64%). Overall, 26% of respondents buy organic litter, but in the UK this figure is 40%.

Organic litter is least popular in the US and Canada, where there is a greater preference for mineral litter. Silicium or silica litter is most popular in America, and much appreciated for its ability to neutralise odours. This reflects the finding that Americans primarily scoop to reduce odour.

North American loves scented litter?

Before you think odour reduction is a priority for most cat owners, think again! Only 22% of respondents buy scented litter, with the majority (78%) opting for unscented. Respondents in France (89%), the UK (86%) and Belgium (82%) use unscented litter the most, which makes sense when you consider they also primarily scoop for cat health, rather than odour.

Across the Atlantic, respondents in Canada (38%) and America (36%) use scented litter more often than their European counterparts. This points to differing attitudes towards cat smells between Europe and North America.

Larger litter bags most popular

Most respondents (60%) answered that a bag of cat litter would typically last a month or more. In Belgium and France respondents appear to buy small bags of litter, answering that a single bag was likely to last a week or less, compared to 23% of all respondents. In contrast, Americans and Canadians buy larger bags, saying a bag will usually last a month.

Self-cleaning litter trays not a priority

Despite a range of innovative self-cleaning litter boxes on the market, these solutions remain unpopular, with 47% saying they ‘do not need one’, and 50% saying they are ‘too expensive’. Only 3% of respondents own a self-cleaning box, saying that they are ‘very convenient’: most of these owners are men under 34, and most live in Canada or the US.

What about sustainability?

Most respondents care about sustainability, but only 19% put it ‘at the top of my list’ when choosing a cat litter product. Over a third (35%) said sustainability ‘doesn’t influence my decision’. That being said, 46% of respondents think that ‘sustainability is a plus, but I value other factors more’. Whilst cat owners in all countries care about sustainability, Canada leads the way: 26% of respondents put it at the top of their list.

Store purchases more popular than online

Despite the rise of online shopping, the majority (57%) of cat parents responded that they buy cat litter in grocery stores or supermarkets, 23% in pet stores, and only 13% buys litter online. Respondents in the UK and the US are more likely to buy cat litter online than other countries, at 23% each. Belgium (30%) and the UK (27%) are most likely to buy cat litter in pet stores. Interestingly, factors like age and location do not seem to influence where consumers buy their litter.

A litter subscription?

Whilst most respondents (57%) were not interested in an automatic cat litter delivery service, nearly a third answered ‘why not?’, with 12% expressing willingness to subscribe to such a service. However, Britain has the strongest opposition to automatic delivery: most other countries show a general openness to subscription, with the US (24%) and Canada (18%) being the most willing.

Purchasing decision drivers

When it comes to buying behaviour, price dominates: 35% of cat owners said cost is the most important factor, followed by materials used (24%). Scent, brand and innovation are less often put forward as the most important factor, at 11%, 13% and 17% of consumers respectively. When comparing between countries, some interesting differences emerge. Canadians are especially price focused, with 45% of owners indicating they value price the most. Americans, on the other hand, value brand a lot more than their counterparts in the other countries, with 20% indicating brand as the most important factor.

‘Materials used in the litter’ tops the list of most important factors for all three European countries, while for North American consumers, this factor is actually most often at the bottom of their list. Consumers indicate that the least important considerations for their choice of litter are brand (31%) and innovation (26%).