In my experience black cats seem smarter. It's gonna take some time for it to adapt to you.
Litter doesn't matter an awful lot. Most of the claims of odor nullifying are... Well, I'm not the best judge I'm largely desensitized. So maybe they're spot on. I just use basic clay litter though. The main thing is to change it every other day and scoop it if he lays a steamer.l
And food. Cat shi t should be dry. If it's even a little bit wet you're overfeeding him canned food. Dry kibble is better for them, canned food rots their teeth and gives them nasty shit. You can do half a bowl of kibble into half water and it'll become mush. Every cat I've fed prefers that mush to canned food, often actively. Like I've had cats that would ignore canned food in favor of wet kibble when given the option.
cow Milk makes most cats shit. If you ever notice your cat is constipated. Goat milk is richer than cow milk and they seem to digest it better, it you get a sick cat who's off their food.