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The Best Cat Litter Depends on Your Cat and Type of Litter Box
Product Reviews

The Best Cat Litter Depends on Your Cat and Type of Litter Box

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After testing dozens of automatic litter boxes, I can say it’s been difficult to determine which is the best cat litter (or rather, if there is one). Most people will want to look for a low-tracking, clumping cat litter that’s compatible with their litter box. But there are other factors to consider, like allergens, material, the litter box itself, and how you’ll deal with the waste.

In recent years, there have been leaps and bounds in the pet tech sphere as a whole—including where our cats go potty and what litter they go potty in. In the past, the choices were an absorbent clay whose main compound was calcium bentonite, sawdust, or sand. Now, we have high-tech crystal litter, which aims to show health issues through changing color; eco-friendly tofu litter; and all types of clumping clay litter between. After a year of testing litter boxes and scooping tons of cat litter, let me sift through (get it?) the options so you can determine the best type of cat litter for you and your furry friend.

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Should You Change Up Your Litter?

There are many reasons why you may want to change your litter. Your cat may be like mine, with sensitivities to strong odors or smells that can cause allergies or allergy-like symptoms like red eyes or itching. Or maybe your cat is long-haired, like mine, and you’re tired of litter sticking to their fur.

If you want to be more eco- (and budget-) friendly, a biodegradable tofu or wood pellet litter may be better. But for these, you’ll need to introduce the change slowly, and often you’ll have to change the box you’re using. (More on that below.)

As a helicopter pet parent who brushes their cats’ teeth and shaves their butts, I honestly just want to make sure I have a litter that keeps my cat (and me) comfortable, giving them a safe space to potty and an easier time to clean it for me.

I look for, and recommend folks do trial and error to find, a litter that has all of these elements:

  • Clumping: Many brands claim to clump effectively, but you’ll need to monitor while scooping to see if they actually are, or if they’re leaving smaller bits that sneak through grates while cleaning.
  • Scent-free or low scent: Cats can smell 14 times better than humans, and strong odors can irritate their respiratory system and lead to itching, watery eyes, and other symptoms, including not wanting to use the litter box at all because the scent is overwhelming.
  • Low–tracking: Same as clumping litters above, many litters claim to be low tracking, but I’ve found that the best way to lessen litter tracking around the house is to have a great clumping litter and add as much space as possible between the box and the floor. This means that, in addition to clumping litter, add accessories like stairs (if your cat is mobile enough), a ramp, or a litter-trapping mat to increase the distance between the box and your floor, to reduce litter tracking. Litters that aim to be low-tracking are generally better at dust control, which also help with general cleanliness and lower irritants.

Boxiecat

Extra Strength Multi-Cat Clumping Clay Litter

Boxiecat

Air Probiotic Cat Litter

I’ve tested several types of cat litter from Boxiecat, and although pricey, they have all managed odor well, had low dust/tracking, and scooped easily in clumps (and worked well with my automatic litter box).

Compare the Most Popular Types of Litter

As said before, there used to be limited litter options, now there’s tofu, wood, silica crystals, recycled paper, and even nut shells. While something like wood pellets is more eco-friendly and cheaper, you’ll have to factor in your litter box and whether your cat takes to the new litter. (Although slow introduction is key.)

  • Clay cat litter: This is by far the most popular litter type, and most closely resembles what cats would be using in the wild. Clumping clay cat litter is what I recommend for most people, as it primarily uses a naturally absorbent bentonite clay. It expands when wet/soiled, making it “clump,” which is easier to scoop and generally more hygienic. However, it’s not as environmentally friendly because it’s not biodegradable and can contain carcinogenic silica dust.
  • Tofu cat litter: This relatively new litter is great because it’s environmentally friendly. It’s made out of soybean fiber, making it naturally biodegradable, nontoxic, and way less dusty than traditional choices. If bought in pellet form (the most popular option), they clump well and can even be flushed in the toilet, although it can be pricey and can grow mold in humid conditions.
  • Crystal cat litter: This type of litter is made from silica mined from quartz sand and mixed with oxygen and water to make super absorbent pellets (akin to the absorbing powers of those little silica gel packets found in many newly bought items). It’s lightweight and has great odor control. Crystal litter is pricey, not biodegradable or clumping (requires daily sifting), easily tracks, can be an uncomfortable texture for paws, and is difficult for some cats to get used to using. Popular brands like PrettyLitter actually use a special silica formula that aims to track health changes through changing colors based on urinary PH. Although I’m slightly reluctant to use it because of reviews of the silica litter being ingested and harming cats and causing respiratory issues because of the particle dust.
  • Paper or wood pellets: Paper and wood pellets are cheap, have low dust and tracking, and are eco-friendly because they’re biodegradable. (Paper pellets are also great for injured or post-operation pets, because the litter is low-dust and there’s less chance for litter to get stuck in wounds.) However, this doesn’t control odor well, is non-clumping, and needs to be changed frequently (you’ll probably need a sifting litter box). Wood pellets are also often made of pine and can have an overwhelming scent.
  • Walnut shell cat litter: Made from crushed walnut shells, this is often used as a much lighter, more natural alternative to clay litter. It’s lightweight and has a texture similar to clay, and is biodegradable. Although it can track, spoil in moist conditions, and requires frequent emptying/cleaning.
  • We don’t recommend corn cat litter, as corn is prone to a toxic mold called aflatoxin. This can cause health issues for cats and in humans who have asthma or COPD and are immunocompromised or elderly.



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Biwin Mini SSD
Gaming Gear

The shockingly small Mini SSD threatens microSD dominance yet depends on Biwin seeking SDA or PCI-SIG approval to succeed worldwide

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  • Biwin Mini SSD risks obscurity without SDA or PCI-SIG standard approval
  • SanDisk’s early SDA submission made microSD a universal storage success
  • Mini SSD hits 3,700MB/s reads, crushing MicroSD Express’s 985MB/s ceiling

Chinese storage maker Biwin has introduced the “Mini SSD,” a format far smaller than a US penny yet offering capacities up to 2TB.

Measuring just 15mm x 17mm and 1.4mm thick, it targets laptops, tablets, phones, and cameras.

Sequential read speeds are listed at 3,700MB/s with writes at 3,400MB/s through a PCIe 4×2 connection, placing it closer to full-size SD Express performance than traditional microSD speeds.


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Why universal standards matter for adoption

Despite achieving such speed, Mini SSD may never reach its full potential unless Biwin follows SanDisk’s example.

When SanDisk launched microSD in 2005, then called T-Flash, it promptly submitted the format to the Secure Digital Association (SDA), the industry body overseeing SD card standards.

That move enabled “a ton of companies” to manufacture compatible cards, cementing microSD’s near-universal adoption.

Without taking a similar step, Biwin’s format risks remaining exclusive and failing to gain widespread support.

To truly replace microSD, Biwin must submit the Mini SSD to either the SDA or PCI-SIG, the two leading organizations currently setting removable storage standards.

If it is adopted, members of both SDA and PCI-SIG could then seriously consider this SSD for their devices.

Mini SSD has strong potential; it is faster than microSD Express cards, which top out at about 985MB/s, and can match SD Express cards at 3,940MB/s, which are nearly twice the size.


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The Mini SSD’s slot functions like a SIM tray, allowing users to eject it with a pin, making swaps or upgrades straightforward.

It boasts IP68 water and dust resistance and can withstand three-meter drops, qualities that might suit mobile hardware exposed to rough handling.

While this may not be the fastest external SSD on the market, its tiny form makes it relevant for space-conscious and highly portable devices.

Currently, M.2 drives remain quicker, with some reaching 14,000MB/s, and still dominate the largest SSD category, although Mini SSD is closing the gap with portability.

Two Chinese gaming handheld consoles, the GPD Win 5 and OneNetbook’s OneXPlayer Super X hybrid, have already adopted dedicated Mini SSD slots.

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EU Chat Control Depends On Germany’s Decision
Crypto Trends

EU Chat Control Depends On Germany’s Decision

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As the EU Council heads to vote on the so-called “Chat Control” law, Germany could prove the deciding factor.

Put forward by Denmark, the law would essentially eliminate encrypted messaging, requiring services such as Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal to allow regulators to screen messages before they are encrypted and sent.

Legislators from 15 member states of the EU have indicated support for the bill, but those countries do not constitute at least 65% of the EU population, meaning they need additional support.

Germany has been on the fence about supporting the law, and it could deal a major blow to privacy in Europe if it decides to support it.

EU Chat Control bill aims to fight child abuse

The Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), or “Chat Control” regulation, was first introduced by then-European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson in 2022. It aims to fight the spread of online child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through, among other things, screening messages before they are encrypted. The law has previously failed to achieve the support necessary to move forward.

On July 1, the first day of Denmark’s presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU Council), the country said the directive would receive “high priority.”

Since the beginning of Denmark’s six-month presidency of the council, member states have been solidifying their positions, which they are expected to finalize before a meeting on Sept. 12 and an eventual vote on Oct. 14.

The supporting block needs more support to comprise 65% of the EU population and obtain a qualified majority. Six countries remain undecided, according to Fight Chat Control, an activist group opposed to the regulation:

  1. Estonia

  2. Germany

  3. Greece

  4. Luxembourg 

  5. Romania

  6. Slovenia.

Among these countries, Germany is necessary to sway the outcome of the EU Council vote. Its 83 million citizens would bring the population of countries supporting Chat Control to some 322 million, or 71% of the EU. The other five countries combined, even if they voted in support, do not make up a large enough segment of the population.

Related: EU proposal to scan all private messages gains momentum

Per Fight Chat Control, many German members of the European Parliament (MEPs) oppose the draft law. Citing documents from a July 11 meeting leaked to German publication Netzpolitik.org, it found opposition to Chat Control across the political spectrum. MEPs from the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen and Alternative für Deutschland — respectively representing the center-left and far-right of German opposition politics — oppose Chat Control.

However, an equally large number of parliamentarians from the ruling Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and Social Democratic Union of Bavaria are reportedly uncommitted.

Some are concerned that these uncommitted lawmakers could be inclined to take existing German law and apply it to the entire EU.

Germany already has laws that allow police to circumvent encryption used by popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Signal. In 2021, the Bundestag amended laws to allow the police to intercept communications of “persons against whom no suspicion of a crime has yet been established and therefore no criminal procedure measure can yet be ordered.”

Software developer and privacy rights advocate Jikra Knesl said, “A form of ChatControl already exists in Germany. Companies like Meta are sharing their reports with the police.”

If expanded to the entire EU, it could affect “millions of innocent people whose homes might be searched even when they did nothing wrong,” he said.

Civil society mobilizes against Chat Control 

As the decision draws closer, civil rights groups, activists and even European parliamentarians have been speaking out against Chat Control.

Emmanouil Fragkos, an MEP for the right-wing Greek Solution party, submitted a parliamentary question about Chat Control in July. He said that a review of the law “raised new, grave concerns about the respect of fundamental rights in the EU.”

The law faces a reading and critical vote at the EU Council. Source: EU Council

Oliver Laas, a junior lecturer of philosophy at Tallinn University, wrote in an op-ed on Monday that laws like Chat Control “are laying the groundwork in the present for a potential democratic backslide.”

“In a world that is slowly but surely becoming more authoritarian, individuals are not protected by the state’s surveillance capabilities being reined in by law — they are protected by the absence of such capabilities altogether,” he said.

Another point of contention is the impact Chat Control could have on the efficacy of encryption technology. 

Fragkos said that creating mandatory gaps in encryption would “create security gaps open to exploitation by cybercriminals, rival states and terrorist organisations.”

The FZI Research Center for Information Technology, a nonprofit organization for IT research, released a position paper opposing Chat Control last year. It acknowledged that the goal of the law is undisputed, but Chat Control’s implementation would both weaken user rights to privacy and the efficacy of encryption technology itself.

Sascha Mann, policy shaper for digitalization and digital rights at Volt Europa — a federalist, pan-European political party in the European Parliament — also questioned the efficacy of Chat Control.

“Besides the issues of privacy and consent, chat control may even hinder law enforcement efforts to effectively fight sexual abuse,” he said. The sheer volume of content sent by messengers in the EU would “result in an abundance of false positives that would eat up law enforcement resources.”

Some 400 scientists from global research institutions confirmed this problem of false positives in an open letter signed this morning. 

“Existing research confirms that state-of-the-art detectors would yield unacceptably high false positive and false negative rates, making them unsuitable for large-scale detection campaigns at the scale of hundreds of millions of users as required by the proposed regulation,” the letter read.

Mann suggested it would be better for the EU to implement solutions suggested by organizations fighting CSA. These included deleting CSA materials online after an investigation and increasing law enforcement resources.

On Friday, Europe will see whether these concerns are enough to convince undecided MEPs and chart the future for digital privacy, or lack thereof, in the EU.

Magazine: Can Robinhood or Kraken’s tokenized stocks ever be truly decentralized?



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The future depends on the AI: Centralized vs decentralized
NFT Gaming

The future depends on the AI: Centralized vs decentralized

by admin



Disclosure: The views and opinions expressed here belong solely to the author and do not represent the views and opinions of crypto.news’ editorial.

AI could be the latest technology to create a surplus of resources that allows Western civilization to thrive after a period of decline and stagnation. Society has become a rigid structure controlled by elites who try to control the system to maintain their privileged status, only to exacerbate the inequalities. 

Summary

  • Centralization breeds stagnation: Financial elites, monopolies, and militarized corporatism have fueled inequality, wars, and societal decay since the 20th century.
  • AI as renewal: If decentralized, AI could trigger a new Renaissance—expanding access to knowledge, empowering startups, and redistributing resources globally.
  • AI as a threat: Concentration of AI in tech monopolies or authoritarian states risks deeper inequality, surveillance, and even totalitarian control.
  • The choice is clear: Humanity must resist monopolistic capitalism, enforce ethics and antitrust, and prevent AI from being a weapon of propaganda or war.
  • Path forward: Open-source and decentralized AI — built on blockchain, edge computing, and distributed networks — offers the best shot at inclusive growth and societal renewal.

The centralization of society under a system of financial elites has resulted in slowed growth, resource hoarding, and societal friction, causing wars, class conflicts, and mass irrationality. 

Western civilization seems to be stuck in a conflict that only seems to be getting worse. This trend perhaps dates back as far as World War I. Corporatism, the military-industrial complex, monopolistic capitalism, and global tensions are symptoms of this centralization and stagnation.

Perhaps AI is a technology that could help renew expansion, but to do so, it will have to not worsen the existing inequality. To do so, AI will have to be decentralized away from tech behemoths, and it will have to have a decentralizing effect on society’s resource distribution. 

AI could be a positive new mechanism for expansion, which fosters growth. And while this new technology could decentralize power, it could also centralize power, leading to increased stagnation and conflict.

AI’s decentralizing promise: A new Renaissance

AI democratizes knowledge and could help Western civilization enter a new Renaissance period. The question is: Does AI ultimately centralize or decentralize power? If it empowers individuals, small entities, and diverse groups, it would reduce barriers for those lacking resources and usher in an era of creativity, allowing, for instance, startup entrepreneurs to compete with Silicon Valley.

Large Language Models are a new way of doing things, allowing anyone with internet access to create ideas, code, create art, or analyze that which once required intensive resources. Surplus computational power is being used to innovate and grow collective knowledge, as well as increase economic output. These open-source AI frameworks are beginning to empower startups in developing countries to compete with giants, leading to the expansion of geographical and economic frontiers. 

And although much of the discussion revolves around the fear of an AI dystopia, AI could instead redistribute power away from centers of power, like Silicon Valley and governments, to benefit other areas of society. 

This advent could lead to the growth of innovative sectors and increase employment, reduce inequality with personalized education and healthcare, and increase entrepreneurial activity.

The centralizing threat: Power in the hands of a few

On the other hand, AI could increasingly centralize power in existing systems. It is currently controlled by tech monopolies or authoritarian governments, such as the CCP in China, which, if not tempered, would not help society. Innovation would stall, inequalities would get worse, and tensions would lead to widespread war. If tech monopolies hoard the best of AI innovation for themselves, such as more powerful models than are available to the public, the same result would come to pass.

The question begs itself: Will vested interests resist open AI innovation? Will they continue down the path of monopolistic capitalism, or will they foster free markets? If they choose monopoly capitalism over decentralization of free markets, then the result will be worsened class struggles, mass unemployment, and an even greater gap between the elite and the working class. Our age of irrationality will continue, as will social unrest — a continuation of what we’re seeing today. 

AI could be used as a tool of propaganda, the likes of which the world has never seen before. It could be used as a tool of ubiquitous surveillance, predictive policing, and control of information. AI could give the state-enterprise even more power than it had before. It could create a one-world government in which a totalitarian state unifies the world under its boot, while eradicating diversity. Further moral decline would ensue — stagnation, conflict, and later, war. 

Autonomous weapons and cyber warfare would be unleashed on the world. Proxy conflicts and economic blockades would be managed by machine overlords, who show no mercy. The digital divide would be insurmountable. 

This does not have to be humanity’s fate. Humans have free will to influence the future of AI. Ethics frameworks and antitrust measures could be used as tools against centralization and AI dystopia, safeguarding the future of decentralization and renewal. Rather than being complacent, we must foster the decentralization of this powerful technology, emphasizing privacy, robustness, and access, as well as distributed AI resources and processing. 

Perhaps, the most direct way to do this is via open-source and decentralized AI networks, such as those employing blockchain technology or edge computing on personal devices.  Open-source AI could foster collaboration and help reorganize society into an age of growth, rescuing it from its current path of decay.

The future hangs in the balance. 

Manouk Termaaten

Manouk Termaaten is a serial entrepreneur and expert in AI technologies. As the founder and CEO of Vertical Studio AI, Manouk is aiming to make AI accessible for everyone. With a background in engineering and finance, his main goal is to disrupt the AI space with accessible customization tools and affordable computers. In his free time, he enjoys riding Harleys and helping his friends start and scale their businesses using modern-day AI tools and previous start-up experiences. 



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Has Playtonic done enough to entice players back to the world of Yooka-Replaylee? I think it depends on the price
Game Reviews

Has Playtonic done enough to entice players back to the world of Yooka-Replaylee? I think it depends on the price

by admin


If you cast your minds back to 2017, you will remember Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee first making its way onto the scene. Players were given control of a bat and chameleon duo in an homage to Rare’s Banjo and Kazooie, who together could make their way through the 3D platform-riddled world collecting quills, pagies as such as they went. It was a charming little number, but it had its niggles. As our original Eurogamer review noted: “Playtonic’s tribute to Banjo is a gentle, irreverent platformer let down by spotty handling and a slight shortage of genius”.

Fast forward to 2025, though, and Playtonic is looking to address that by re-releasing Yooka-Laylee in a spruced up package known as Yooka-Replaylee, and I was able to take a quick look at it at Gamescom.

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As you would expect, the original’s whimsical and comic charm is still there. Characters such as Clara Lost of course pop up with her bony form, and during my time with Yooka-Replaylee I needed to liberate her from a cauldron to ensure no bandits attempt to make a meal out her calcium rich body (I mean, I can’t imagine it being all that tasty, anyway). This involved a spot of fire breathing and tail spinning to rid those blighters from the area. So far, so Yooka-Laylee. But, what the team has done this time, is given its cute and colourful platformer controls that allow for a much freer flow. Rolling and jumping melds into one more fluid and natural process, making those climbs up perilous platforms overall a much slicker experience. Roll, jump, flutter and away!

After freeing Clara, I climbed up to the top of a temple in Tribalstack Tropics to get Shovel Knight his treasure by doing just that. The mechanics were simple and easy to execute, with the duo performing small hops to larger powered up jumps effortlessly.

A more notable and welcome change for this remaster, though, is that rolling no longer drains stamina, again adding to the efficacy of getting around. Meanwhile, the bulbs that allow Yooka to breathe ice during this section were more readily placed to assist with the climb (though I did spend too long trying to negotiate one tilting platform, purely because I forgot I had the power to freeze it in place, but that was definitely a ‘me on too little sleep’ issue rather than the game itself).

Right now, and after only a short time with it, Yooka-Replaylee is something I can absolutely picture children perhaps a little younger than my own – who are 12 and 10 – whiling away some pleasurable hours with. There are items to collect, secrets to discover, baddies to bop and the colours are a kaleidoscope of joy. Even though overall it was relatively simple, it made me chuckle and smile.

Image credit: Playtonic

The question now is has Playtonic done enough to entice players back to the world of Yooka-Laylee? The team has added more pagies to collect, refined animations and of course made adjustments to its controls, and all of these make for a pleasing package. However, in a time when the likes of Nintendo has just released its bombastic, earth-shattering (quite literally) Donkey Kong Bananza, I am still unsure there is quite enough fresh meat here to allow Yooka-Replaylee to fully stand out from the platforming crowd.

That being said, if Playtonic prices it right, Yooka-Replaylee will surely be a welcome return for fans of the original, or even serve as a gentle entry into the world of solo platform gaming. And, there’s nothing wrong with that.



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