After seven years of testing and sifting 23 cat litters, we've learned that every litter has its trade-offs. But no cat litter has outperformed Dr. Elsey's Ultra Unscented's combination of excellent odor control and scoopability at an affordable price.

This litter forms tight, solid clumps, which hold together better during scooping than those of most other litters we tested. The average-size granules are easy on cats' sensitive paws, so kitties are more likely to accept this litter. In terms of dust, Dr. Elsey's falls in the middle of the pack: It produced less dust when it was poured than half of the brands we tested, and dust clouds were minimal during scooping.

However, Dr. Elsey's Ultra comes in a large, awkward plastic bag that's a hassle to pour litter from and to carry. And, as with most of the litters we tested, with this litter, some clumps may stick to the bottom of a dirty pan.

If clumping is less important to you than minimizing dust and tracking, we recommend Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Clumping Litter. The larger granules help rein in dust, and they reduce the spread of stray litter crumbs outside the box. When we were pouring, this litter produced a smaller dust cloud than most of the clay litters we tested. And when we were vigorously digging and scooping, the dust was barely noticeable.

Arm & Hammer Super Scoop controls odors well, and it comes in a cardboard box, which is easier to pour from and to carry than a plastic bag. But its clumps don't hold together as well as Dr. Elsey's Ultra's clumps -- the Super Scoop clumps broke and crumbled into smaller pieces. That means they can slip through the slats of most litter scoopers, leaving more soiled litter behind in the pan.

Clay-alternative cat litter is rising in popularity, and many of our readers asked us to look into a best-selling brand, World's Best Cat Litter. We found that World's Best Cat Litter Multiple Cat Unscented -- made of whole kernel corn grown in the US -- does a great job of clumping and produces minimal dust, but it doesn't control odor as well as clay litter does. And, like Dr. Elsey's Ultra, this litter comes in a plastic, non-resealable bag, so it's a challenge to store and to pour. We plan to test more non-clay litters in the future. But we think World's Best Cat Litter is a good option in this category, and it performs well with regular scooping.

Of eight scoops we tested, the DurAnimals DuraScoop Original Cat Litter Scoop was the least nasty after scooping several heavy loads. There was minimal pee and litter crust on the edge, and no litter bits got stuck in the slats.

Because of this scoop's generous size and sturdy construction, it's easy to rake through the litter box quickly and catch most clumps.

If you want to clear out more of the soiled bits that sometimes fall back into the pan, we recommend a scoop with narrower slats, like our also-great scoop, the iPrimio Non-Stick Litter Scooper.

The iPrimio Non-Stick Litter Scooper caught dirty bits of litter that other scoops missed. Slightly smaller than our DuraScoop pick, the iPrimio scoop can get into tight corners while still combing through a larger box with ease.