Vanguard Awards: Natural Litter

In the past year, leaders within the natural litter space, Healthy Pet and World’s Best Cat Litter, have made notable gains that will set them up to continue making progress. Healthy Pet introduced and launched ökocat Multi-Cat, a natural wood litter designed specifically for multi-feline households. It fills a gap by combining potent odor control and performance with the use of natural ingredients. Meanwhile, World’s Best Cat Litter successfully opened a production facility without disrupting service to its trusted retail partners. Additionally, it launched an innovative litter additive that enhances performance while allowing cats to continue using the litter they are familiar with. 

“As with any new plant start-up, it takes time to manage through new processes, new equipment and validate your tried and true product formulas,” said Director of Marketing, Jean Broders. “Our production, quality, R&D and procurement teams did a fantastic job of continuing to move forward and get better along the way, as our new plant started up this past year. When you have the high demand for a product like ours, a major transition like this is bound to cause a few bumps along the way. You don’t just turn on the lights overnight on a new multi-million-dollar facility. We are proud that we’ve been able to supply our consumers with the premium litter they’ve come to love and rely on. With so many retailers to choose from, having product available for consumers where they want to shop is key—we’ve made that happen during our transition from the old to new facility, keeping World’s Best Cat Litter in homes across the country.” 

“I’m also excited about our new innovation into the cat litter additives category,” Broders continued. “In a $125 million category, growing over 8 percent in the past year, it’s great to expand and offer World’s Best Cat Litter into more cat homes. The advantage of a litter additive is you can boost the performance of your litter box—while allowing your cat to continue to use the litter they are used to. We’ve brought options to improve odor control, break bad habits and get an unmistakable read on your cat’s health! Three benefits that can improve your relationship with your cat and their litter box!”

“We’re proud of the successful development and launch of ökocat Multi-Cat natural wood litter,” said Healthy Pet Consumer Communications and Promotions Manager, Leslie Ellis. “There was a clear market need for a litter that could perform in multi-cat homes, but developing a viable natural solution with the right balance of odor control and performance was not simple. Through significant formulation work and innovation, we were able to build on the original ökocat Premium wood litter variation and introduce a patented, naturally derived technology that delivers stronger odor control with 100 percent sustainably sourced, rescued wood fibers. The result is a product that effectively neutralizes urine, ammonia and fecal odors without added perfumes or synthetic fragrances, meeting a key consumer need without compromising our standards.”

World’s Best Cat Litter and Healthy Pet are established leaders by keeping pets safe and comfortable at home by using natural, practical ingredients and delivering reliable, high-quality products. “What stands out to me is the brand trust we’ve gained from both our customers and consumers,” Broders mentioned. “We’ve been the #1 natural and sustainable cat litter for over 10 years and counting. We’ve driven the growth in this sub-category and we’ve paved the way to be listed in the #1 mass retailer in the country, along with several other natural litter brands. This doesn’t happen by accident. It comes with trust, proven performance and a commitment to continue to provide safe and healthy cat litters in the category. It comes with delivering a consistent product time and time again. It’s bringing innovation to the market that is distinctly different and answering consumers’ unmet needs.”

“At Healthy Pet, our leadership is rooted in our ‘Best in Home’ purpose: making pets more at home, naturally,” Ellis explained. “For over 40 years, we have led with responsibly sourced and rescued natural plant fibers, transforming wood, pulp and paper that would otherwise go to waste into high-performing pet bedding and litter. Our strength comes from purpose-driven innovation and a commitment to sustainability, advancing natural fiber solutions that are cleaner, safer and free from harmful additives, while reducing environmental impact through upcycling and responsible sourcing.”