Last Updated on August 3, 2018

sWheat Scoop Premium+ Wheat Cat Litter

7.2

Cat Comfort

9.9 /10

Tracking

6.7 /10

Dust Production

6.5 /10

Odor Control

4.0 /10

Environmental Impact

8.9 /10

Pros

• Environmentally-friendly
• Free from chemicals and perfumes
• Safe for kittens and all cats
• Comfortable under the paws
• Lightweight

Cons

• Dusty
• Not that great at clumping
• Odor control is hit-or-miss

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sWheat Scoop Premium+ Natural Clumping Wheat Cat Litter Review

When we had the opportunity to try out a bag of sWheat Scoop as part of the Chewy Influencer program, I was excited to try out this new variety of environmentally-friendly biodegradable litter. This would be our first time using wheat cat litter, and sWheat Scoop Premium+ wheat cat litter is positioned as the company’s highest-performing product.

How is wheat cat litter different from other types of cat litter?

Wheat cat litter is one of many plant-based biodegradable alternatives to traditional clumping clay cat litter. These alternative litters are presented as superior to clay for numerous reasons. Unlike clay, they’re biodegradable.

Unlike clay litter, which is collected through strip mining, wheat cat litter is usually sustainably harvested and manufactured. After you’ve used the litter, wheat cat litter is biodegradable. This is in sharp contrast to clay litter, which never breaks down in the environment.

Compared to clay litter, wheat cat litter is an environmentally-friendly choice.

How is Premium+ different from other types of sWheat Scoop litter?

According to sWheat Scoop, the Premium+ formula contains added plant extracts to enhance odor control. However, several reviewers say that it’s dustier and tends to track more than other sWheat Scoop litter products. Like other sWheat Scoop litter products, the Premium+ formula is also enhanced with Noble Ion Technology for superior odor control.

What is “Noble Ion® Technology” and how does it work in cat litter?

sWheat Scoop explains that their litter is infused with “a liquid” containing billions of positive ions. These positive ions neutralize the negatively-charged ions that cause litter box smell.

sWheat Scoop’s videos and articles are vague about the real identity of this spray and the specifics of how it works. Some customers dislike the addition of Noble Ion® Technology, saying that they refuse to use any product made with a “proprietary” spray.

Noble Ion® Technology was developed by Zavada Scientific, a Dallas-based scientific research and development company. After over seven years of development, Noble Ion® Technology was created. The company describes it as the first new technology in odor elimination in over 20 years.

The company sells their proprietary positive ion liquid both directly and through private label sales. It’s used in numerous spaces, including commercial cleaning, institutional cleaning, property management, dumpster and trash deodorizing, and pet odor control.

Our Experience with sWheat Scoop Premium+ Wheat Cat Litter:

Disclosure: “Wildernesscat received this product for free from Chewy.com in exchange for an honest review. Although the product was gratis, all opinions in this review remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.”

We received the 10-lb bag of sWheat Scoop Premium+ litter, which is the smallest size available.

The litter comes in a paper bag that you unfold and pull apart to open, much like a bag of wheat flour. Appropriate. Larger sizes feature zippers for easier, more secure storage.

The litter is similar in texture to clumping clay litter, with small, irregular, camel-colored granules.

Is sWheat Scoop Premium+ cat litter dusty?

Yes. When I poured the sWheat Scoop litter into the litter box for the first time, I was shocked by the cloud of dust that billowed up. Unlike almost every other cat litter on the market, each bag of sWheat Scoop Premium+ is conspicuously devoid of any low-or-no-dust advertising.

One reviewer on Chewy said:

I am turned off from this product because of the dust is gives off. My cats come out of the litter box with particles of the litter all over their faces. I have a tuxedo cat, so you can clearly tell. Although it’s dusty, I’m giving it another “buy” (try) because of the KIND of dust it is. It’s not clay dust… Clay dust would most likely do damage and could clog some air holes. Wheat.. This is wheat.. So it shouldn’t do much harm other than covering their cute faces with wheat dust.. I hope

It’s not carcinogenic crystalline silica dust, but wheat dust is a health hazard.

Here’s the UK’s Health & Safety Executive’s list of some of the respiratory problems associated with breathing grain dust:

• rhinitis (runny or stuffy nose);
• coughing and breathing difficulties (see asthma and COPD);
• asthma (attacks of coughing, wheezing and chest tightness);
• chronic bronchitis (cough and phlegm production usually in winter months and associated with smoking);
• COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (a longer-term illness that makes breathing progressively difficult, includes chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma);
• extrinsic allergic alveolitis, for example farmer’s lung (fever, cough, increasing shortness of breath, muscle/joint pains and weight loss);
• organic dust toxic syndrome, for example grain fever (a sudden onset, short-lived, ‘flu-like’ illness with fever and often associated with cough and chest discomfort)

It’s unlikely that your cat will be severely affected by wheat dust from the litter box, but it’s a good idea to avoid this dust if you or your cat have asthma or other respiratory sensitivities.

Does sWheat Scoop Premium+ cat litter clump well?

No. Not at all.

The consistency of sWheat Scoop Premium+ clumps reminded me of oatmeal cookie dough. This makes sense, since it uses wheat starches as a clumping agent. The urine clumps were large, soft, and crumbly.

But the litter doesn’t always absorb the waste. That is to say that it seemed to clump only when it felt like it.

Although initial tests created soft, unimpressive clumps, I later noticed that some of the liquid was going straight through the litter. The bottom of the litter box was wet. Because the litter hadn’t absorbed the urine, it did nothing to control the smell.

Did the sWheat Scoop Premium+ cat litter control odors?

When it actually absorbs the urine, sWheat Scoop Premium+ offers great odor control. During our initial testing, I poured a combination of ammonia and water into the litter box. After 15 minutes, the solution had been absorbed and made odorless. But because its absorbency is on-and-off, the odor control is also inconsistent. 

What did the cats think?

sWheat Scoop has a paw-friendly texture. It’s made with small, soft granules that are about the same size as a standard clumping clay litter.

Wessie and Forest both used it without hesitation. They have three litter boxes – two filled with Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance clumping clay litter and a third filled with sWheat Scoop. The litter box with sWheat Scoop was just as well-used —if not more popular—compared to those filled with clay litter.

In conclusion, is sWheat Scoop Premium+ cat litter a good choice?

sWheat Scoop Premium+ is a middle-of-the-line biodegradable litter. It’s not the best nor is it one of the worst performers in this space. Its odor control ability is inconsistent, as is its clumping ability. 

Some customers have noted that sWheat Scoop tends to attract bugs, so it’s important to keep the litter box as moisture-free as possible. Store it in a cool location and always close the bag completely to help keep bugs out.

Where can I buy sWheat Scoop Premium+ cat litter?

This popular and widely-distributed cat litter is available at almost any major pet product retailer in the United States. Online, you can find it from PetSmart, Petco, Amazon, Chewy, and Doctors Foster and Smith.

Prices change on Amazon, so click the photo below to see the current price: