
Kate Barrington / Cats.com
When it comes to alternative litter, there are a lot of options. Unfortunately, not all of them are good. Alternative litters come in many forms including recycled paper pellets, silica crystals, even grass seed, and So Phresh has it all.
This brand may not be one of the biggest names in the business, but they do offer a surprising variety of products. Not only do they offer a number of options for cat litter, but they also produce litter for dogs and small pets like rabbits and guinea pigs. If you’re looking for an alternative litter that is affordably priced, consider So Phresh.
Ratings
- Variety of Products – 5/5
- Price Per Pound – 3/5
- Multi-Cat Formulas – 3/5
- Clumping Ability – 3/5
- Long-Lasting Odor Control – 4/5
- Natural/Alternative Options – 5/5
Overall Score: 4.25/5
Brand Overview
So Phresh is a Petco-owned brand that sells a variety of pet litters and litter accessories. The Petco brand was founded in 1954 as a mail-order business selling veterinary supplies. In 2000, it was acquired by Leonard Green & Partners and TPG Capital.
Today, the brand is officially known as Petco Animal Supplies, Inc., and it is one of the largest American pet retailers in the United States. With over 1,500 locations across the country, Petco is a household name.
In recent years, many major pet retailers have begun to develop their own in-house brands, and So Phresh is one that falls under the Petco umbrella. Currently only sold in Petco stores and on Amazon, the So Phresh brand is still fairly new but already has a dedicated following.
Offering a variety of traditional clay litters and alternative cat litters, So Phresh is known for excellent odor control and for being a more affordable option in alternative litter.
Products Included in This Review |
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Name | Materials | Clumping? | Life Stage | Additional Features |
So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter | Paper | No | All | Non-Clumping, Odor Control, Fresh Scent, Lightweight |
So Phresh Odor-Lock Crystal Cat Litter | Silica | No | All | Fast Absorption, Odor Control, Unscented, Silica Crystal |
So Phresh Scoopable Odor-Lock Clumping Micro Crystal Litter | Silica | Yes | All | Clumping, Fast Absorption, Odor Control, Unscented, Silica Crystal |
What Kinds of Litter Does the Brand Offer?
The So Phresh brand of cat litter offers a number of different options, both conventional and unconventional, and their prices are competitive.
What really makes the So Phresh brand stand out is their variety of alternative cat litters. On top of several varieties of silica crystal litter, this brand also offers recycled paper litter and litter made from grass seed.
These alternative litters are designed to offer top-notch odor control while being lightweight and lower in dust than traditional litter.
So Phresh offers a limited variety of clay litters as well. Unfortunately, reviews of these products leave much to be desired. It seems that when it comes to cat litter, So Phresh excels in the department of alternative litter and doesn’t put as much into their traditional clay litters.
The three formulas we’re reviewing here are two crystal cat litters and one paper litter.
Top 3 Cat Litters Reviewed
Product Name | Type | Price | Overall Rating |
So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter | Paper | $0.6 per lb | 3.25/5 |
So Phresh Odor-Lock Crystal Cat Litter | Crystal | $1.33 per lb | 3.25/5 |
So Phresh Scoopable Odor-Lock Clumping Micro Crystal Cat Litter | Crystal | $1.31 per lb | 3.75/5 |
What Do Customers Think Of So Phresh Cat Litter?
Reviews of So Phresh cat litter are highly varied, depending on the product. For all three products, at least 50% of the reviews were 5-star reviews. Unfortunately, many cat owners had minor problems that led them to review the products poorly. Generally speaking, there are more positive than negative reviews, however, and the So Phresh brand is still well-accepted.
This being said, every customer’s experience is unique, and there are both good and bad reviews for the brand online. Keep reading to see a positive and negative customer review for each of the three cat litter formulas featured above:
Positive Reviews
“I tried the other product it was good but they doubled the price. So I tried Sophresh, to my surprise it was great and my cats loved it. The most importantly, there was no smell. We didn’t even know that my cats pooped because we don’t smell at all. My first time using it and I will continue using. This cat litter is highly recommended.” -by MilBus reviewing So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter
“Great litter! Absorbs odor well! House odor free! Been using for years and ppl say it doesn’t smell like i have cats in my house! Highly recommend!”-by Sugarsweets828 reviewing So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter
Negative Reviews
“I’ve bought 4 25lb bags of this for my rabbit over the past year and a half. The third bag I recently opened reeked of ammonia. I thought it might need some airing out, but even after three days, the smell remained. I can’t imagine this being healthy for any pet, so I threw out the entire bag.”-by Abcalum reviewing So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter
“This litter stinks so bad there is no way to keep it in a closed room. I’m talking about the litter itself not used litter. I use the fragrance free bag but the last one was ripped so I took this one and was beyond disappointed. I found a combo that works with the paper and pine to control odor but pine makes a mess as it is used it crumbles if you try it. I’ve never had to put a closed bag of litter outside because of the smell. Lots of reviews complained about it not clumping but it’s not supposed to.”-by ChocoTaco reviewing So Phresh Odor Control Paper Pellet Cat Litter
How Much Does So Phresh Cat Litter Cost?
The So Phresh brand offers a variety of different litters, so the costs vary. Their traditional clay litters are the most cost-effective options, while their alternative litters cost a little more. Though they cost more than clay litter, So Phresh alternative litters are still competitively priced. They are certainly not the most expensive alternative litters on the market, even for crystal cat litter.
Overall, Is So Phresh Cat Litter a Good Choice?
Generally speaking, we were pleased with the So Phresh cat litters we tried. Having tried a number of alternative litters, we found this brand to stack up well against the competition, and it offered a competitive price point. We were less thrilled with the paper litter than the crystal options but overall thought the So Phresh brand was a decent option for the type of litter they offered.
The thing to keep in mind about this brand is that their alternative litters are consistently rated higher than their traditional clay litters. If you’re interested in alternative litter, So Phresh is a great option for both crystal and recycled paper litter. If you prefer traditional clay litter, however, you would be better off choosing a different brand that specializes in clay litter.
The So Phresh brand’s claim to fame is their odor-lock technology. Though the paper litter didn’t perform as well in this department, the crystal litters we tried were very impressive. Though not specifically marketed for multi-cat households, we would recommend So Phresh to cat owners with multiple cats. Just make sure you have the right number of litter boxes, and you scoop the solid waste daily to keep the boxes fresh.
Where Is So Phresh Cat Litter Sold?
So Phresh Cat Litter is sold online and in certain pet stores. You can find it for sale from certain online retailers like Amazon as well in Petco stores. So Phresh is a Petco-owned brand, so it is unlikely to be sold on Chewy or other pet store websites.
I bought the 30lbs.sophresh cat litter it was 14.99 plus tax of course and brought the bucket to refill and it cost 12.99 plus tax to me that’s not a great deal for a few more dollars I could have bought another 30lbs bucket i think im still look around and it says dual odor control well I could still smells what my cats did in litter no odor control i think it was a waste
Petco has changed their supplier in 2024. This new clay kitty litter is very pissy. Does not clump and the smell of urine overpowers you.
I go to the store an uses the refill bucket for over a year. I have 7 cats and can’t smell the cat boxes. I have 3 cat litter boxes. 2 are for my senior cat that has arthritis and 1 is a litter robot. Anyone that walks in my home says they can’t smell litter box. The only complaint I have with this litter is when I pour into the litter box they’re a lot of dust but when the dust settle no problem.
Use to use this for years out of the bulk bin at Petco, refilled the reusable pail for YEARS! Won’t buy it anymore, it’s gotten very, very dusty and I don’t want all that dust in my house. Had to change to Tidy Cat
We tried So Phresh kitty litter because our usual brand had a manufacturing issue so we were not able to get it. I am so sorry that the only kitty litter available at our pet store was So Phresh. If I could I would give this a negative star. The litter is not fresh at all. It smells worse than any other. I have to change it twice a day and that is for 1 cat. I think I am going to either potty train her or take her out at regular intervals. This is so frustrating. Why even bother with having kitty litter for our cat to go in. So sad.
Ugh, sorry to hear you’ve had such a bad experience. Thank you for sharing and contributing to the review!
I think you need to review it again. I have been a loyal customer for so phresh cat litter for over ten years and 6 cats. However this year the litter mixture or formula or whatever has just failed. We go through litter quite fast with three cats and another one at a separate household, and so in the last four orders, each being three 30lb bags, the litter no longer clumps and does not disguise odors. In fact it seems to cause the litter to smell much worse accentuating the odor of the urine especially. They must have changed their source or their formula for this started happening when the litter suddenly had a dark gray color to it instead of the normal medium color. Using an automatic litter box that I purchased at Petco it’s essential to have an actively clumping cat litter to for it to work properly. With the sophresh litter since the color change in the large bags of it, it just screws through the litter box and becomes a gooey mess instead of clumping and being able to scoop it out. Even when using a hand scoop which I am forced to resort to on a regular basis because it no longer clumps properly, it still is not scoopable with the hand scoop you end up cleaning out the entire litter box! After more than 10 years I think closer to 12-25, I will no longer be buying it. Please review it again and actually test it this time with real world tests.
Hi Reginald, thanks for sharing your experience with So Phresh. We will consider re-ordering and updating the review to reflect these apparent changes. In the meantime, I appreciate you making other customers aware of what’s happened to you!