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I was recently selected by Arm & Hammer Kitty Krew to test a new product. The product is a litter additive. It’s color-changing crystals to help monitor a cat’s urinary health.
Please note this isn’t a substitute for regular vet visits. It’s more of an at-home health aid.
The product
The Arm & Hammer Health IQ bottle is a slender shape and has a twist off top.
The bottle info is easy to read. and It offers a color chart that helps you monitor your cat’s urinary health.
how to use the product
The product is crystals you shake into the litter box. It can be used in many varieties of litter from clay to wood to crystal litter.
You shake it into the litter box and wait for your cat to use it. You will have to wait up to 4 hours before you notice a change in the color of the litter. Depending on the color you can refer to the package chart.
I will note that if you have a multi-cat household the directions suggest you use separate litter boxes for each cat.
It also seems that the Health IQ works best in litter that doesn’t have baking soda or other additives in it.
You can see the Arm & Hammer site to see the color chart.
Join Kitty Krew
Putting the product to the test
The sample bottle I was sent was stated to be good for up to 4 uses. So I tried a little bit of it in all 3 litter boxes that we have. Here it is in one of the boxes.
The crystals are a combination of orange and clear/white. They blended in well with the litter and weren’t so large that they bothered the cats while using the litter box. The crystals don’t have any scent that I noticed.
Linus was very eager to help me test the crystals.
The only issue with this was he likes to dig so the crystals were mixed in with the litter. This doesn’t cause any issue with the effectiveness of the product. I was just hoping he would leave the crystals on the top of the litter.
The first day I tested Health IQ I added it to the litter box later in the evening. So I waited overnight to see what the results would be.
The results of the first use
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to clean the litter box the next day. I was sort of expecting to find clumped and colorful litter.
This wasn’t the case.
The litter either looked brownish like wet sand or it clumped like normal.
I had this result in all three litter boxes.
I used it again and after cleaning the litter box I left some litter in my litter genie overnight to see if the color would change. Again it didn’t it just looked like wet sand.
I finished the bottle and still was left wondering if I had done something wrong.
Could the lack of results be a user error?
I thought maybe it was a user error. So I purchased another bottle to test again.
This was the larger bottle. It’s good for up to 6 uses. This time I just tested it in one litter box. I followed the directions and sadly had the same results. Either normally clumped litter or wet sand color litter.
I did a controlled test
I happened to do a controlled test to see if the crystals would change color. I have two litter boxes that I use with training pads and shredded newspaper in them. These are sort of extra boxes for the cats to use when the other boxes are busy. Well, I found that one of the boxes had been used.
As you can see from the photo the crystals are there and the training pad was wet but the product didn’t change color.
Granted the crystals probably do better in litter because there’s something for them to cling to when it expands to absorb the liquid. But I still thought I’d try this test just to see what the reaction was.
Why didn’t it work?
All I can think of is that the litter I’m using had odor-blocking additives in it. This may cause odd results. I don’t think the cats digging when using the litter box made a difference.
I still have some of the second bottle left so I might do another test with a different litter and post an update to see how if it works any better.
Pal’s Rating 🐾
Pal’s rating: 🐾🐾🐾 3 out of 5 paws
Price: $-$$ Inexpensive to Moderate
The product retails for $8 to $12 USD
Price May vary by product size and retailer
Final thoughts and Where to buy
Final thoughts
I was excited to try the Arm & Hammer Health IQ litter additive. I was a bit disappointed that it didn’t work well for the cats. the cats loved testing it out. I think this product would be best for a single-cat household. Or maybe two cats with their own litter boxes.
I think a litter without any extra additives in it such as odor crystals or baking soda may also have a better result. As I stated earlier I’ll try it again with another litter and give you all an update.
Where to buy
Arm & Hammer Health IQ is available at many retailers. You can visit the product page and click the Shop Now button to see some retailers.
I also found it at Target, Amazon, and Walmart.
Do you think this is a product you’d try?
Thanks again to Kitty Krew for the free sample and the testing opportunity.
