Wheat's in Your Cat Box?

I tried to make a little pun there. Litter-ally. Because, today I'm writing about cat litter. And wheat. And how the two go together.

When you think of kitty litter, you might not naturally think of wheat. The average cat litter is made of clay. The trouble is, clay can become muddy when wet, and your kitty will track it all across your clean carpet. Then there's the issue of odor. You don't want your home to smell like...well, like a litter box. So what is important to know when looking for the best kitty litter?

I was lucky enough to interview Mark Hughes, National Sales and Marketing Manager for Pet Care Systems, the makers of Swheat Scoop litter, for more information.

1. What is the most important factor to keep in mind when choosing cat litter?
MH: Most importantly, customers are looking for odor control! They also are interested in our product because of the clumpability, because it's natural, biodegradable and also because it's sewer and septic safe. Still other people choose our wheat litter because it is all natural and made from a single ingredient, wheat. We don't add chemicals, fragrances or binders to make our product work, it works naturally.

2. How did you come up with the idea to use wheat?
MH: It was originally invented by a farmer in Minnesota. I was really interested in the product because we grew up with cats and I knew that litter box odor could be a big problem. I was even more interested because the product really worked! My father, mother and I bought the rights to Swheat Scoop in 1993. Over the years we have continued to improve our patented product through our manufacturing process.

3. What makes wheat the best ingredient for cat litter?
MH: In my opinion, because it does everything a cat owner wants from their litter without any additives. The natural starch found inside the wheat kernel is exposed during grinding. Those starches make the product clump. The enzymes from the wheat, react and neutralize the odor causing enzymes in cat urine. Our wheat litter is, to my knowledge, the only litter which is a single ingredient. All others add something to make the litter clump or give it odor control. Wheat is also biodegradable so it is safe to flush in sewer and septic systems and is also compostable.

4. Why is it important for pet owners to use eco-friendly litter and other products?
MH: Clay litters are strip mined from the earth and when thrown in the landfill, the clay will simply fill up space. Many eco-friendly litters are biodegradable so they are less harmful. When they biodegrade or break down, they have less impact on our already limited landfill space.

Thank you Mark for your helpful information.
You can find out more about Swheat Scoop at:
www.SwheatScoop.com
www.Facebook.com/SwheatScoop
www.Twitter.com/SwheatScoop
www.Pinterest.com/SwheatScoop