Tender paws change what a litter tray feels like from underneath. A young cat steps over coarse grains without noticing, while an older cat with sore pads and stiff joints feels every sharp edge, and she may start hovering at the tray edge, digging less, or avoiding the tray altogether rather than standing somewhere that hurts.
Texture and Scent Under Her Feet
Fine-grained litter is the starting point because small, soft particles spread her weight across the whole pad instead of concentrating it on a few hard points. Paper-based litter and soft plant-based litter both tend to feel gentle in this way, and either can suit a sore-footed senior better than coarse crystals or large pellets, which can press and roll under an unsteady foot. Run a little between your own fingers before you buy: if it feels gritty or sharp against your skin, it will feel harsher against a thin, aged pad.
Unscented matters as much as texture. Perfumed litter is designed for human noses in a room, but a cat stands inside the tray with her nose close to the surface, and strong fragrance gives some cats a reason to leave quickly or choose another spot entirely. An unscented litter in a tray that is scooped often controls smell through cleanliness rather than perfume, which serves both of you better. Avoid clumping formulas that turn dusty if she is a vigorous digger, because inhaled dust and dust caked between sore toes both add discomfort she cannot explain to you.
Depth, Digging and Stiff Joints
Keep the litter about five centimetres deep in the tray she uses. Shallower than that, her claws scrape the base as she digs, her paws meet a hard surface through a thin layer, and waste reaches the bottom quickly and sticks. Much deeper, and she is wading: loose litter shifts under stiff legs, turning inside the tray takes effort, and a cat who already finds the trip uncomfortable may decide the floor beside the tray is easier. About five centimetres deep gives her enough material to dig a shallow hollow and cover waste without the tray becoming soft ground she has to push through.
Watch how she actually uses it. A senior who digs a small scrape instead of a deep hole is telling you the surface suits her; one who perches with two paws on the rim is telling you the inside still feels wrong. Tender paws that look cracked, swollen or red, or a cat who licks her feet after every visit, need a vet's eyes rather than another bag of litter, because litter choice cannot fix a paw that is sore for a medical reason.
Changing Litter Without Losing the Tray
Introduce a new litter in one tray only, and leave her familiar tray exactly as it was beside it or in its usual place. Older cats often reject a wholesale change, and a cat who dislikes a new toilet may hold on or go elsewhere in the house, which creates a bigger problem than the one you were solving. If she chooses the new tray willingly for several days, fill the second tray the same way; if she ignores it, try the other soft option, paper-based where plant-based failed or the reverse, before concluding that texture was not the issue.
Once she has settled, keep the winning litter consistent rather than rotating brands whenever one is on offer, because each change asks her paws and her nose to judge the tray again. Note the litter type and the depth that worked in her records, so a sitter filling the tray in your absence copies the setup instead of guessing at the shop. Notes on texture and depth belong in Pet Passport through KinsLe, where the packet travels with her to vet visits, boarding stays and handoffs.