The Future of Litter

Companies guiding the trajectory of the litter category stand out in a number of ways. Litter manufacturers have dedicated teams that are able to sidestep challenges and focus on opportunities to push the category forward. With new product launches and expansions, these leaders are keeping their heads down and looking for out-of-the-box ways to thrive while remaining vigilant in defeating obstacles out of their control.

“We’ve seen incredible demand for our products—our new plant coming online in early Fall will give us the additional capacity to expand our distribution across the country and internationally,” said Jean Broders, Director of Marketing for World’s Best Cat Litter. “We are getting strong placement of our newest formula Poop Fighter, as consumers are seeing the benefit of a litter that provides additional odor control.”

“So far in 2025, Dr. Elsey’s has maintained a strong position in the litter category,” said VP of Marketing and Product Mat Brost. “Consumer trust in our brand remains high, and that’s been reflected in sustained demand across e-commerce and brick-and-mortar channels. Our Dr. Elsey’s Ultra litter remains a top seller and fan favorite. We’ve also seen a positive response to our continued investment in consumer education, reinforcing the health benefits of our unscented, low dust composition of our clay-based litters.”

“2025 has been a strong year for Boxie in the litter category,” said CEO and Founder Josh Wiesenfeld. “We’ve seen growing consumer interest in health-conscious, vet-recommended litter solutions, which aligns perfectly with Boxie. A major win has been the continued momentum behind our Boxie Glo™ litter. Its unique UV factor that guides cat to the litter box has resonated with cat parents looking to ease litter training or address litter behavioral challenges. In April, we launched Glo For Good, where for every Boxie Glo purchase, 20 percent is donated to LA Animal Services. Thanks to the incredible support from our community and customers, we’ve raised $25,000—funds that will go toward enrichment, medical care, food and spay/neuter surgeries for shelter pets. We’re proud to give back and make a real impact for animals in need.”

Pioneer Pet Products credits its ongoing success to a number of attributes, particularly its team. Its dedicated and hardworking employees have been instrumental in maintaining smooth operations, ensuring consistent supply and supporting the company’s overall growth in this segment.

“Speaking to the litter side of our business, things have been going well,” said Shannon Supanich, Director of Marketing for Pioneer Pet Products. “We manufacture our litter right here in Cedarburg, WI with Midwest-grown grains. Our employees are amazing, dedicated and hardworking and they have kept everything running smoothly.”

“2025 has been complicated to navigate as a company who imports their products,” said Janice Yamamoto, Next Gen Pet’s Director of Marketing. “No wins to speak of yet, but the constraints this year has brought is pushing our team to react as creatively as possible.”

“2025’s been a strong year for us, especially with the momentum from our acquisition of Ultra Pet and launch of Cat’s Pride Crystals,” said Leah Craft, Brand Manager for Oil-Dri Corporation of America. “Another big highlight is our Cat’s Pride Antibacterial Clumping Litter. It’s the first and only EPA-approved cat litter to kill 99.9 percent of odor causing bacteria and customers trust its performance, especially with its odor-fighting properties. We also launched our new 24-pound bags of Total Odor Control litter. It’s lightweight, strong odor control formula from our well-loved 15-lb green jugs and now available in a larger, better-value size. No compromises, just performance, convenience and great value in one easy-to-carry package. Our distribution is also strong. You’ll find Cat’s Pride online at Chewy, Amazon, Walmart and in most major grocery stores.”

“Our value proposition to the consumer is our long-lasting benefit, which helps them stretch their dollars, without forfeiting performance,” Broders said. “Offering a variety of larger sizes also helps them make less trips to the litter aisle. If your litter works, you use less, and it lasts longer, which means more savings to the consumer.”

“With cost increases across the board, we’re focused on delivering value where it matters most to consumers—product quality and consistency,” Brost said. “We’ve prioritized efficiency across our operations to minimize price increases, and where price adjustments have been necessary, we’ve communicated them transparently. We’re also exploring product innovation to stretch consumer dollars while maintaining the trusted performance of Dr. Elsey’s litter.”

“At Boxie, we recognize that value is about more than just price,” Wiesenfeld said. “It’s about performance, peace of mind and trust. Even as costs rise, we’re focused on delivering smarter, longer-lasting products that actually reduce waste and replacement frequency. Our litters are designed to clump better and last longer, which translates into real cost-per-use savings for consumers. Pet parents love that they don’t need to dump the litter every month. Just Top Off™ and go. We’re also committed to providing education and tools that help them get the most out of our products, maximizing value while building trust and confidence in our brand.”

This year, Pioneer Pet Products acknowledges the ongoing challenges of rising costs, emphasizing leadership’s efforts to absorb some expenses while transparently passing along unavoidable increases. The company prioritizes maintaining strong, honest relationships with retailers, working collaboratively to ensure mutual success by fostering open communication, flexibility and a shared commitment to navigating economic pressures together. The looming impact of higher costs on pet parents “is a constant conversation in 2025,” Supanich said. “The cost of everything is going up, as people know. We are trying to eat some of the cost but eventually it will be inevitable to pass some of that along. We are trying our best to do everything we can to be efficient, strategic and straight forward with our customers. We value our relationships and want to work together so that all can be successful.”

“Next Gen’s Fresh Cat Litters offer a comprehensive list of features from being lightweight to clumping to controlling odor naturally,” Yamamoto said. “We’re lucky that our best path forward is to keep repeating our best features.”

“We know consumers want the best for their pets,” Broders said. “Even during economic times, they are not forfeiting their decisions of choosing safe and healthy products for their homes. They continue to choose products that provide benefits that meet their needs, providing value beyond the price tag on the shelf. It’s promising that the category is still seeing growth, with natural and sustainable brands driving growth beyond the category. This is a promising story for natural brands and support that consumers will continue to support their pets as part of the family.”

“While economic uncertainty remains, there’s growing consumer willingness to invest in high-quality products that deliver peace of mind—especially in the pet care space,” Brost said. “This gives us a unique opportunity to deepen loyalty by reinforcing the health benefits of our formulas and the science-backed story behind the brand.”

“The shift towards more intentional shopping is a huge opportunity,” Wiesenfeld said. “Consumers are looking beyond the basics. They want products they trust and that perform consistently. For us, that means continuing to lead with vet-recommended formulations and innovative pet solutions. There’s also growing recognition that proactive pet care starts with everyday essentials like litter. If we can help avoid behavioral issues or vet visits down the road, that’s real value—and we believe Boxie is well positioned to lead in that space. It’s not just about solving a mess. It’s about supporting the whole pet-parenting experience.”

Pioneer Pet Products is committed to continuous improvement by actively evaluating its facilities, product offerings and strategic plans to identify areas for enhancement. “There is always room for improvement,” Supanich said. “So, we are using this time to really look at our facilities, product and strategic plans to see where we can improve. Team leaders have had a lot of productive conversations and we hope to implement some new ideas and ways to maximize efficiency.”

Pet owners’ growing curiosity about the products they use on their pets presents a light spot in an otherwise murky climate. “Consumers today strive to be more educated about the products they support,” Yamamoto said. “The quest for information encourages new and unique perspectives like the detail that because our litter clumps so effectively, you use less litter per clump, meaning one small bag of our litter costs half of the equivalent amount of clay you would use because that small bag will last one cat about four to six weeks.”

“Oil-Dri is a family-controlled company dedicated to people, their pets and upholding high moral and ethical values,” said Craft. “That foundation has helped us build trust, innovation and leadership, which is something we will always bring to our team, consumers and their cats. We’ll continue leading in lightweight innovation, delivering products that make life easier for pet parents and supporting causes that matter to our customers. We’re excited about what’s ahead.”