We give Swheat Scoop Cat Litter a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
Introduction
sWheat Scoop Cat Litter is a range of all-natural cat litters that aim to offer a healthier, but equally effective, alternative to the clay litters that are ubiquitous in the cat litter market. Made primarily from wheat, the litters are natural, biodegradable, and are clumping formulae.
As well as being better for the environment as a whole, sWheat Scoop wheat litter is better for you and your cat. Clay litter is dusty. This dust can cause respiratory problems for your cat, yourself, and your family. It also contains sodium bentonite, which is considered hazardous for your health.
Many owners rely on clay litter because it is what they are used to, but also because it is effective as a litter. It clumps; it traps and, therefore, eliminates odors; and it can be thrown in the waste fairly easily.
sWheat Scoop cat litter offers a natural alternative that is better for the environment and less damaging to you and your cat’s health all while still performing all the required functions of cat litter. They offer natural odor control, and there is a selection of three wheat litters, and one wheat-corn mix litter, meeting your needs regardless of what you look for.
The litters are made by Pet Care Systems in Minnesota and buyers can choose between the fast-clumping, multi-cat, and premium+ litter products.
At a Glance: The Best sWheat Scoop Cat Litter Recipes:
Which Types of Cats is sWheat Scoop Litter Best Suited For?
sWheat Scoop Cat Litter is considered suitable for any cat. However, because it produces less dust than clay litters and does not contain sodium bentonite, it is especially well suited to cats with respiratory problems or those that are sensitive to the dust that clay-based litters produce. Similarly, it is a beneficial litter for owners with respiratory problems.
Cat litter not only produces dust when it is poured, but your cat will kick up more dust when it is attempting to dig a hole or cover up. If you have used clay litter, you will know that the problem only gets worse as you get further down the bag and pour the sifted dust into the tray. Wheat and corn-based cat litter produce minimal dust, and the dust does not contain harmful toxins that negatively impact you or your cat’s breathing.
The Main Ingredients
Why Wheat Works
Traditionally, cat owners would have used sand or newspaper to line litter trays, while commercial cat litter has long been made of a clay substance. This clay has been developed to clump when it comes into contact with urine or feces. It is also relatively inexpensive and has become readily available.
However, it is known to be bad for the environment because its collection uses a technique called strip mining, which also involves the removal of trees and other local flora and even fauna. The technique is also known to cause a lot of local pollution. Ethically sourced, sympathetically grown wheat, as sWheat Scoop claims to use, does not rely on these techniques and is farmer grown. It is made from totally renewable sources and is a much greener alternative to traditional cat litter clay.
This sustainable material also has several other benefits. It is flushable (read below), is better for your cat, and should have a natural scent that you and your cat will prefer over the chemicals that are introduced to some clay litters.
It tends to be more comfortable for your cat when she’s scratching and, if you’re making the switch from clay litter, it looks similar so could be easier for your cat to get to grips with.
The Corn Combination
Corn is another increasingly popular natural cat litter alternative to clay, and sWheat Scoop offers one formula that combines wheat with corn. Corn is a very good, natural odor controller. It essentially collects and traps odor molecules, preventing them from getting into the local environment of your home.
But corn alone can be quite tough on your cat’s sensitive pads and paws, which is why combining it with wheat is so beneficial. This way, the litter offers the best of both worlds. It does a good job of preventing the escape of odors, while also being comfortable for your cat to use.
Don’t Rush Your Flush
sWheat Scoops claims that its litter is flushable and this is a regular boast of wheat and other natural litters.
Flushable cat litter has to straddle a fine line.
On one hand, it has to clump, which means that it needs to solidify when it comes into contact with wet or damp. The clumped litter needs to retain its structure because this gathers the mess, making it easier to clean, and helping to ensure a better smelling litter tray and room.
On the other hand, flushable litter needs to disintegrate when it is completely immersed in water, such as when it is flushed down the toilet.
sWheat Scoop advises not to rush the flush. They say that the litter can be flushed (except in California where laws prohibit it) but that you should prepare it first. They suggest scooping litter daily and scooping just a few clumps at a time into the toilet. Allow them to sit for 20 minutes before flushing.
Image Credit: Lightspruch, Shutterstock
Healthier Cat Litter
The most common cat litters are made of clay. The material is inexpensive, mined easily (although not sympathetically), and it does meet most of the criteria of a good litter.
However, one of the problems with clay cat litter is that it is dusty. It emits fine clouds of clay dust, and these can get on the chest and in the lungs. They can cause breathing problems and exacerbate existing respiratory issues in your cat and you. Between 1% and 5% of all cats suffer from asthma and the majority of researchers agree that this is caused by the inhalation of allergens and toxins, which can include sodium bentonite in clay-based cat litter.
Clay can also cause a major health problem for cats that are inclined to eat litter. While this might sound gross, this form of pica is not entirely uncommon, and while you don’t want your cat eating any type of cat litter, a cat’s stomach is better equipped to digest wheat than it is clay.
Short-Term Clumping
The reason that clay has become such a popular cat litter material is its ability to clump when it comes in contact with any form of moisture. It clumps quickly and forms a solid ball that is more easily removed than the individual pieces of clay litter in the tray.
Wheat can form an equally fast clump, but it does not tend to enjoy the same long-term concrete-like consistency of a clay ball. The clump will eventually fall apart so that you are left with individual pieces of wheat husk.
This isn’t a problem for those that sift or scoop twice a day, but if you only clear out clumps every night or every couple of days, they may well fall apart by the time you clean up the mess.
A Quick Look at sWheat Cat Litter
Pros
Healthier than clay litter
Better for the environment
Clumps quickly
Natural odor control
Cons
Short term clumps
More expensive than clay
Recall History
sWheat Scoop cat litter has never been recalled. Although recalls are less common in cat litter products than in foods, they can still happen, so it is positive that this brand has not had its products recalled.
This wheat-based cat litter is designed for multi-cat houses. It is unscented, relying on the natural odor of the wheat to help improve the smell of the cat litter.
The wheat itself quickly clumps when it gets wet, and this not only makes it easier to clean the litter up after your cat has been, but it traps the smell inside the clumps, too. In doing so, the natural enzymes found inside the wheat neutralize the smell, further preventing any odor escape. There are no artificial ingredients in this litter, and the wheat product is biodegradable and flushable.
Reasonably priced, sWheat Scoop Multi-Cat Unscented Clumping Litter absorbs more liquid, and this means that the clumping capability of the product has suffered as a result. It does clump, but not as effectively as the other formulae. It also tracks quite badly, so be prepared to sweep up often.
The Premium+ cat litter from sWheat Scoop is a wheat-based formula that traps and eliminates odors. The litter does not contain artificial or added ingredients and it is 100% biodegradable and flushable. sWheat Scoop claims that the Premium+ is three times more efficient at odor control than the fast-clumping litter and that the litter is suitable for multi-cat households, as well as those with only one cat.
Unscented litter is beneficial for sensitive cats, and many owners prefer it, too. Whereas some litters use chemicals and agents to help mask the smell of urine, unscented alternatives like wheat-based litter rely on natural ingredients. Too strong a smell will put some cats off using the litter.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t clump as well as other types of litter, which means that the unscented wheat has a lot of work to cover the scent of urine.
It is cheaper than the rest of the brand’s formulae and it combines the enzymes of two natural ingredients to better control odors and provide a tidy and fuss-free cleanup.
sWheat Scoop’s Wheat-Corn blend does clump better than some of its other products and does cost less, but it is dusty and, despite being unscented, it has quite a strong odor that is difficult to ignore.
Pros
Clumps better
Cheaper than other sWheat litters
No artificial ingredients
Cons
Dusty
Tracks badly
Strong odor
What Other Users Are Saying
See what other users and reviews are saying about sWheat Scoop cat litters here:
AllAboutCats – “The fact that it is flushable and biodegradable is a major bonus, and it is also lightweight and, generally speaking, very affordable.”
CatLitterHelp – “If you are interested in trying out wheat cat litters you should consider giving sWheat a shot because it is their bread and butter.”
Amazon – We also checked to see what other Amazon buyers have said. You can read their reviews and experiences here.
Conclusion
sWheat Scoop’s goal is highly commendable. Clay cat litter is not only potentially bad for your cat and you but for the environment, too, thanks to some highly objectionable mining and gathering techniques. While some litter companies offer one or two wheat-based products, sWheat Scoops offer nothing but these natural litter alternatives. They’re also surprisingly well priced.
Unfortunately, the wheat litter does not tend to clump as well as clay, and even if the natural scent works in the first place, it will stop preventing urine and feces smells when the clumps fall apart.
If you are looking for an alternative to clay and want to try wheat, sWheat Scoop is a good option and because they are reasonably priced with some reasonably sized bags of litter available, too, it won’t break the bank to do so. And you might find that you and your cat love the product.
