Sometimes people contact us to ask what cat products we use at home. So in this blog we discuss the best cat products for cat parents we have found. Topics we cover include best vacuum for pet hair, best cat clippers, best cat scales, best carpet cleaner, best cat litter tray, and best cat litter.

Best Vacuum For Pet Hair

Shark Vacuum Cleaner

Above: Best Vacuum for Pet Hair - The Shark NZ801
& The Shark Apex Pro X2

What is better, Dyson or Shark? We prefer the Shark Vacuum Cleaner. It is hands-down the most powerful and easy to use vacuum we have encountered. We own two models, the Shark Cordless Apex Pro Stick Vacuum and the Shark NZ801 Corded Upright Vacuum. The corded vacuum is superior in terms of clean and it's our favourite. With the cord you don't need to recharge a battery, nor do you run out of power.

However, on lazy days and for spot cleaning we use the cordless stick vacuum for convenience. This unit has 40 minutes of battery life! Another great feature is that the stick can bend, so you can vacuum under furniture, where hair loves to hide.

Both of these Shark vacuums are great at picking up pellet cat litter. Previous vacuums of ours have failed to pick up pellet kitty litter, instead just pushing it around the floor.

Best Cat Shaver For Medium-Long Haired Cats

Rocket 4500 Battery Operated Trimmer

Above: Best Cat Clippers for Long Haired Cats - The Rocket 4500 Cat Trimmer.
3 Colours Are Available from Made Moggie

We have 3 cats - a short, medium, and a long haired cat. For our two more-hairy cats we need to manage knots and matting. Regular brushing helps, but when knots form we want a painless and quick way to remove them.

We really like the Rocket 4500 Battery Operated Trimmer. This was recommended to us by our vet, after we bought several trimmers that could not cut through cat fur. The Rocket is brilliant. It cuts through cat fur, like a knife through butter. We keep it next to where our cats sleep, so we can remove knots when they are sleepy and compliant. The trimmer is compact and easy to use because there are no cords.

It is also a quiet cat trimmer and it's extremely economical, retailing for under $50. Professional trimmers cost in upwards of $400.

Best Cat Scales

Charder MS2400 Infant Scale or MS2410 Veterinary Scale

Above: Best Cat Scales - The Charder MS2400 Infant Scale or MS 2410 Veterinary Scale

A cat scale can flag health issues early. Weight changes in cats can mean that something is wrong. So in-between vet visits we monitor our cats health with regular weigh-ins.

Human scales just do not work for cats. So we bought the Charder MS2400 Baby Scale on advice from our vet. It has been fantastic for all our cats, but in particular for our senior. Senior cat weight loss is very common and these scales have been vital to keeping our senior cat at a good, healthy weight. We know exactly when to ramp-up her feeding.

The scales are slim so are great to store away, and if you remove the baby head rests you have really convenient handles to carry it. A feature we really love is the hold function that locks a weight measurement even as your cat moves or jumps off. So you have plenty of time to write down their weight.

Charder is a medical scale specialist and they also sell a dedicated Pet Scale, but the baby scales will work just as well for cats.

Best Carpet Cleaner

Unbelievable Spray Cleaner

All cat parents will be familiar with the occasional cat throw-up and furballs. The best carpet and upholstery spray cleaner we found is Unbelievable. It's a simple to use, neutral pH spot cleaner and it's available through specialist cleaning stores in Australia.

Unbelievable Spray Cleaner is WoolSafe approved. The WoolSafe Organisation runs an international testing and approval program on cleaning products to ensure they are colour safe and cannot harm wool fibres.

Unbelievable is very effective at removing protein stains (food and blood), and acidic stains (vomit, tea and coffee). A quick tip, please sponge all stains with cold water before applying the spray. At the end of your clean, place a towel over the area and step on it. This will lift moisture from the carpet.

Bissell SpotClean Turbo Wet-Vac

Above: Best Carpet Cleaner - The BISSELL SpotClean Turbo Wet-Vac

Even better for carpet stains, is the BISSELL SpotClean Turbo Wet-Vac. This model is BISSELL’s most powerful portable carpet & upholstery washer. It is noisy, but it is absolutely the most effective way to clean cat vomit and furballs from carpet. For a professional cleaning unit it is surprising small and compact, making it possible to store it on a cupboard shelf.

Best Cat Litter Tray

Ezystorage Oblong Flexi Tub

Above: Best Cat Litter Tray - Ezystorage Oblong Flexi Tub.
White & Grey Are the Nicest Colours

We have tried many cat litter trays. Presently we use the Ezystorage Oblong Flexi Tub as a cat litter tray. Aesthetically we find it more pleasing than regular trays due to its simple design and curvy, oblong shape. Also it doesn't take up too much floor space because it is narrow. It looks perfectly at home in a laundry, which is where most people keep their litter tray.

The tubs come in some decent decor-blending colours - we use white and grey in our home. Importantly, the sides of the tray are high, which minimises litter tracking. It has convenient handles too. The BPA-free plastic is flexible. So the sides can be pulled together by the handles to create a spout for pouring the used litter into a bin bag (we use biodegradable bags). 

Best Cat Litter

Cat’s Best Smart Pellets

Above: Best Cat Litter - Cat's Best Smart Pellets

We prefer Cat’s Best Smart Pellets which are made exclusively from renewable raw materials (active wood fibre), meaning they are sustainable, biodegradable and compostable. Cat’s Best is a product of the world’s leading plant fibre technology company, J. Rettenmaier & Söhne, headquartered in Germany. For over 140 years, they have been researching the world of plant fibres and developing innovative technologies.

Cat's Best is a clumping cat litter. The company has mentioned their litter can remain in the tray for up to 7 weeks. However, we undertake a complete cat litter change, and litter tray clean much more frequently as we are a multi-cat household. There is a low dust content to this kitty litter and clump strength is high. Clumps don't break apart on removal, meaning you are not left with mini-clumps that fall through the scoop.

Clumps can be disposed of in the organic waste bin (in a biodegradable bin bag) or in compost. While it can be directly disposed of in the toilet (since the litter dissolves completely in water), we do not recommend this. Other factors like local waste disposal regulations, plumbing condition, your cats diet, whether they are an indoor or outdoor cat, come into play and affect whether flushable litter is indeed flushable. So it's better to just stick with the organic waste bin or compost.