Pets: Eco-Friendly Cat Litter

We use this - it's a good product and controls odors well too.

we use this, too, and it works really well for our two cats. www.petfooddirect.com has the best price on the 40 lb box.

I tried this, but found that it didn't work very well for us (in a two cat household). Urine sinks to the bottom and then makes a gluey mess that is nearly impossible to scrape off.

I was disappointed because I really wanted to like the stuff.

alex

Make sure that no one in the household has wheat allergies before using this product. Hubby and I tried it for our four cats and having open pans of the product in the house made both of us very ill. Prior to using the product we had not known that both of us were sensitive.

I'd have to agree with alex -- I loved the idea, but this particular product ends up with a horrible wheat/cat pee cement on the bottom of the litterbox.
For a great alternative, there are a number of corn-based eco-friendly, clumping flushable litters on the market that work much better!

I tired Sweatscoop and wile found it to be adequate we prefer another similar product: "Healthy Pet Milled grains". Same idea...but costs less and does not seem to stick to the pan like Sweatscoop. Also, I compost everything in th ekitty litter pans (we actually have a rabbit)and use it to topdress landscaping (not veggies).

Have used Swheat Scoop. It works alright but I prefer the recycled pine variety of enviro-litter. Feline Pine can be pricy but many major pet stores have a store-brand pine litter that is basically the same and cheaper. Recycled, no chemical additives, compostable, and pine fresh smell! No clump sifting either! After two weeks of a lesser amount of litter, I just dump it in the compost and replace with new litter.

We've used this for 2 years and it clumps great. The only time it gets a chance to soak to the bottom is if we are lazy and change it once a week vs. every few days. And, I love the fact that I am not drenched in a cloud dust everytime I pour it in the box!

I'm all for alternatives to the ecological and health nightmare of clay litter, but SWheat Scoops propensity to coagulate into cement led me to corn-based World's Best Cat Litter, which has SWheat Scoop's good points, without the dreaded 'cement syndrome'.

I agree with Alison that if you scoop enough it should not cement to the bottom, especially if you keep the recommended three inches in the box. When it does get "cemented" (I was recently sick and didn't scoop enough) it's not an issue with my metal litter scoop.

I have also heard that non-stick cooking spray will work with the litter box as well, but daily scooping is much better for the cat(s) anyway.

I agree with most of the comments above, re- it's nice overall but the wheaty tray-bottom cement is a problem. An alternative I find very useful is Yesterday's news by Purina:

http://www.yesterdaysnews.com/

I find it holds up well to their claims: much less of a tracking problem than with other litters, great odor reduction, excellent absorbency and flushability (even compostability). I've also tried out homemade litter made by boiling used newsprint to a pulp (it has to be newsprint, not glossy paper, which won't reduce to pulp), washing out the ink and making little pellets out of the cakes of compressed pulp. It's fairly labour-intensive, but is low-tracking, flushable and compostable and has great absorbency, however not so good for odor reduction. Instead of making the pellets by hand (BTW rubber gloves are recommended because of the remaining ink when it's wet), I imagine it would be feasible to use a hand operated or electric grinding machine to take care of this part of the deal.

I see how the clay litter can be bad because it is mined, but what is the biodegradable issue mentioned in the article. If it's clay, hasn't it already biograded?

To avoid the cement clumps at the bottom (and not use risky nonstick sprays): When next switching out all of the litter, wash the litter box, dry it, and wipe the inside down with a cloth soaked in olive oil. Makes for very easy cleanup.

the only time the litter formed cement-like clumps on the bottom was when we didn't spray the litter box with oil. but if you spray the sides and bottom with corn or vegetable oil before putting in the litter, there will be no cement-like clumps, even if you don't clean the box for a week. the directions say to use oil and it's a good idea to use the litter exactly as instructed. i still give it thumbs up!

This litter was great in the beginning but I would not recommend it for more then one cat or cats that pee a lot. I have two cats that eat wet food due to medical problems. This litter ends up being cat-pee-dough, very gross. You can also get mold problems with it in your litter box and even after cleaning it keeps re-infecting the next batch and you have to get a new box. So unless you have time to scoop twice a day and are a litter cleaning machine this is not for you.

There is also World's Best Cat Litter, which is made from organic corn. Also, don't try to compost natural cat litters unless you are composting very large commercial grade piles which reach very, very high temperatures. http://www.worldsbestcatlitter.com/

i have 4 cats and we currently live in a condo that only allows indoor kitties. they use a lot of kitty litter. i tried many litters and find that a combination of swheatscoop and world's best work pretty well in their automated box (hey, 4 big cats = a lot of scooping, and one won't use a "dirty" box.) the pelleted stuff won't work in auto sweep boxes. if i use straight corn, it sometimes ferments--smells like silage. an swheatscoop neat turns to cement. the mix works out ok. emmer

I used to swear by swheat scoop but I always had the same problem with the cementing to the bottom of the pan (and seriously why would i do the wash, dry, oil routine if i can just wash and use something that doesnt stick?). I switched to world's best and it seriously kicks ass. Theres also a pine one that I buy if the store is out of worlds best called "nature's miracle".

so cool to see comments on this product. we tried this in our 3 cat household & found the cementing to be an issue too. we have been searching for the right replacement to clay & are excited that we are not alone in this "journey". sounds like this weekend we will have to try out the mix with swheatscoop and world's best. many thanks!

We are currently manufacturing a 100% bio-degradeable cat litter made from 100% aspen.We do not harvest any trees for our litter, rather we utilize the waste produced by our local sawmills. Our product contains no chemicals, it is all natural. Also contains no oils or phenols associated with other wood based litters. If you would like to learn more about us please contact me at my e-mail address listed. Thank You! Glenn Pearson

We have used Swheat Scoop for a while. It only sticks to the bottom when we don't leave enough litter in the box. We have about a 4 inch bed of litter, and even then we have gone a week without changing it while out of town and returned to find nothing stuck to the box. Its great for odor control but sometimes sticks to their paws and they track it through the house.

I wanted to like this stuff, but in the end I was not too impressed with Sweatscoop... The biggest problem: pantry moths love wheat products. Pantry moth larvae + the "cement" = a fun clean-up. That's a bit of a product problem.

I've found that the SWheat Scoop doesn't work at all for my cat; it certainly doesn't mask odors and it tracks all over.

Nature's Miracle corncob-based litter is far less publicized, a LOT cheaper, and works beautifully!

Make sure your cat doesn't eat the Swheatscoop litter. Strange but true. My cat just had to go to the vet with severe constipation from nibbling on the stuff. There is a warning on the side of the bag that some animals may be attracted to the protein in the litter...didn't notice that until after the vet visit.
I am switching back to the corn-based litter.

Mice love to eat this, roaches love to eat this, moths love to eat this.... if there is any possibility of vermin coming into your home, I would urge you to avoid this stuff like the plague. I was so excited about this product (flushable, natural) until I realized that my bathroom was becoming swarmed. Ugh.

I have just been through a several month experience trying to find the best cat litter. I finally bought large plastic bins so there is no kicking out the litter and the clear plastic lets you see clumps in the litter. The winning litter is Nature's miracle and it is just that - it is a corn-based clumping litter with some pine in it to smell just right. It completely controls odors, is probably 99.999% dust-free (inlike SwheatScoop) and has no cementing issues. I have tried all other litters out there and this has won hands-down. It is not publicized at all and the pet store was actually giving things away with 18lb bags of this stuff. I highly highly recommend it and will never again switch to another litter.

Great comments, but WHAT IS, exactly, the best KittyLitter disposal system? I've switched from clay to a biodegradable substance, but..

WHAT IS the best disposal method?
• flush down toliet?
• mulch in the garden?
• shallow burial in the dirt?
• compost?
• place in biodegradable plastic bag
and throw out in trash?

Are they all equal? Does it make any difference?

Anybody?

SU,
I have actually been doing some research on just this topic, and I've come across some information that says that flushing cat feces isn't a good idea because sometimes it can contain a pathogen that can be harmful to wildlife in oceans or other bodies of water. Depending on what litter you use, I think the best alternative is to compost it in your backyard, but don't use it on vegetables or other edibles. However, I was just checking out Yesterday's News website and they say that it's not recommended for composting (though I wonder why). So check if the litter you use has a similar blurb, but in general I would say composting is best.

I have a concern about this product, as well as the
corn one - Arent they likely full of pesticides, since they
are from the non-organic farming industry???

Im concerned for my cats, and also for me since I am chemically sensitive.

I also wonder about the 'reclaimed sawdust ' ones
as sawmills use chemicals in treating their
wood.
Any one have any information on this/
Much appreciated,
Ciara

I have always cleaned my litter box twice a day, out of respect for my cats. Cats are finicky, and the leaving their exrement there for a day or more must be awful for them.

Try not flushing your toilet for a day and see how it gets. Imagine doing it for a few days1

I've used S'Wheat Scoop for a couple of years now and I (and my cat) really like it. I did experience the "cement clumping" early on, but when I added a good amount, about 3 - 4" of it, to the box it virtually eliminated the problem. I also like the fact that it's flushable and safe for my septic system - which was a big concern. It works for my being vegan, too.

Like Lise stated in her comment, I clean the box every morning, sometimes twice in a day if needed. I don't like my cat to have to use a dirty box and neither does she. I love my girl and simply can't imagine not keeping it clean. Even when I was sick with the flu and felt like a wet rag I still cleaned that box out. It's courtesy and respectful of an animal trusting me to see to it's health and welfare.

One nice thing about this stuff is the fact that when people come to my house they don't even realize I have a cat unless they see her. There is no smell unless she's just pooped ('scuse my language!). But hey, it's the same for us humans!

Now, since it is a little pricey (I get it from my local grocery store 'cause I live in a small town) I don't dump the entire box every week. By keeping it scooped daily, and adding a bit of baking soda with more litter as the level goes down with scooping, I only change it out completely every month. I've even gone a bit longer just to see if it would work and it does ... Still No Smell - and I love that!

The only down side is tracking. While it doesn't track nearly as bad as the clay litters I've used in the past, it still tracks a bit from the laundry room into the hall. I just keep a hand vacuum at the ready and make that a part of the daily scooping process. Only takes about 6 minutes to clean everything up. How hard can that be to fit into a day?

So I've read that we can't compost it unless we have an industrial sized compost pile (and even then, some manufacturers don't recommend it). We can't flush it because it may contain pathogens.

So what do we do? Put it in municipal waste?

I was so excited about Swheat Scoop but my cat has a very strong urine odor and I found that this product did not help at all with odor control. I even bought that Nature's Miracle litter box deodorizer powder and added that to the mix, but to no avail. I finally threw in the towel when I had some friends come and cat sit while I was away. They were so appalled with the smell, they thought my cat had a problem! Right now I'm using the Arm n' Hammer "Natural" clumping litter. My odor problem has been solved, however I'm trying to research though how natural and eco-friendly it actually is.

I LOVE Swheat Scoop and have been using it for my kitties for several years now. I'd never go back to clay litter because of the horrible litter box odor it produces. Not so with Sweat Scoop. And my cats like it too. With the clay litters, there is the danger of kitties ingesting it (and the perfume on it!) when they clean their paws. That's not good for them!!! I only wish I'd found this product years ago.

Those who are describing problems with the cemented urine need to look at the directions. It's easily solvable. You need to spray cooking oil on the sides and bottoms before filling with 3 inches of the litter. Also do this every time you clean the box, or at least once a week. You'd be amazed how much difference this makes.

I also had this problem at first, but I never give up easily. I wanted to like this product and I still do, especially after following the manufacturer's recommendations. Try it; it works!

Composting S'wheat Scoop!

Don't compost kitty litter or dog poo in your regular compost!

I am going to start my own kitty compost hole JUST for my kitty litter.

You shouldn't use kitty litter or dog droppings on your compost because of the possibility for disease.

Peace

I too, dislike the gooey mess it makes from cat urine. Plus, it would smell like damp wheat! Not something I enjoyed at all!. I love World's Best Cat Litter much better. Odorless, and clumps really well without stickiness or gooeyness!

I've been using Swheat for about a year, and it's been great. I recently noticed that mice were getting into the bag stored in my bathroom closet. Apparently they think it's great, too -- so great that even though I removed the bag from the closet, they have risked life and limb by making trips to the litter box. My cat has caught three of them in the past 24 hours. No more Swheat scoop after this. Too bad.

A lot of great info here. I may try the Nature's Miracle now that I know there is a pine scent added. Hasn't anyone noticed that the wheat and corn based products smell sweet, then add cat urine and it's just gross. I've tried nearly every product mentioned...old fashioned clay, clumping clay, pine, Yesterday's News, etc. I can't compost because I have dogs who would very quickly find cat poop. I also have a very small yard.

I forgot to mention that as far as I can recall, Arm'n'Hammer uses a lot of animal testing in their products. Despite their 'natural' claims, they tend not to be so animal-friendly. You may want to look into that further, unless they have changed their ways, the company isn't very eco-friendly.