I Used Wheat Cat Litter With My Litter Robot – Here’s The Result

Why wheat cat litter?

I am very aware that some cat owners (and their cats) are used to using certain types of cat litter. And sometimes their decision to get the Litter Robot (or not) is based on how a particular type of cat litter will work with the unit. Also, it could happen that some cat owners have already the Litter-Robot and they want to switch to a more environmentally friendly option. Many people prefer a more eco-friendly solution for the litter box, and wheat cat litter is certainly friendly to the environment, plus is soft on the cat’s paws. So I decided to do the testing and help people with the information they need.

How is wheat cat litter made?

Wheat cat litter is made of natural renewable wheat. The wheat starches provide this cat litter with the clumping properties needed to scoop when cleaning the litter box. It’s very safe for the cat since there are no chemicals added to the formula. Also, wheat has enzymes that destroy the odors on contact so you can be friendly with the environment and enjoy an odor-free litter box.

The Wheat cat litter I used for my testing

I like to use popular brands because they have been approved by the majority of people. I did this when I tested the best clumping clay litters for the Litter Robot and the result was amazing. Following this same path, I picked the most popular brand I found online which was sWheat Scoop. In the beginning, I was a little confused because there were many varieties with this brand so I didn’t know which one to select for my testing, but I decided to go for the fast-clumping type. Since the Litter Robot needs to dump the clumps into the waste drawer after a few minutes I needed the clumps to form quickly. The name of the type I used is sWheat Scoop Fast Clumping Original.

How the Litter Robot works with wheat vs. clumping clay litter

The differences I discovered when using wheat cat litter instead of regular clumping clay litter:

Dust level

When I poured wheat cat litter into the Litter Robot I didn’t see dust. That was a nice surprise because I am always preparing myself when I am experimenting with a new cat litter to breathe some dust when pouring it into the litter box. But wheat cat litter doesn’t create any dust at all, at least I didn’t see or feel anything in the air.

Litter weight

Wheat cat litter is much lighter than clumping clay litter by far, which allows you to pour more of this litter into the Litter Robot without the risk of overloading the motor. One cup of this cat litter weighs only 161g, versus the average clumping clay cat litter weighing approximately 280g (a cup).

Clumping properties

Wheat cat litter does have clumping properties due to the wheat starches as mentioned before. But I have to say that the firmness of these clumps is not ideal. Maybe if you scoop a regular litter box the clumps formed are OK, but with the Litter-Robot, the litter clumps need to be firmer in order to slide down into the waste drawer without breaking down. Also, the clumps broke down when sliding, and after a week I noticed a big flat clump attached to the globe because it didn’t clump firmly or it simply didn’t get detached from the rubber when rotating, so it didn’t get dumped into the waste drawer. See a short video below on how the rubber of the Litter-Robot looks after 7 days of using wheat cat litter.

Odor control

This was the biggest surprise to me. I have to say that the cat waste accumulated in the waste drawer didn’t smell much when I had to open it after 7 days. I couldn’t believe it! This has been always an issue for me, my Litter Robots never leak any odor to the outside, but when it’s time to open the waste drawer the smell is not nice (although now I use the OdorTrap packs that reduce odors by 75% approx). Anyway, I never thought that a natural cat litter with no chemicals could control odors this well. Impressive to say the least.

Litter tracking

Curiously, even though this cat litter is much lighter than the regular clumping litter, the scattering was not that bad. When I cleaned the litter box area I didn’t see a lot of scattered litter from my cat jumping onto the floor from the Litter Robot. Or maybe it could be the fact that the floor’s color is similar to the color of the wheat cat litter. Anyway, it was not as bad as I thought it would be.

Cleanliness of the Litter Robot’s rubber bottom

This is the bad part of using wheat cat litter with the Litter Robot. After a week of usage, the bottom of the globe was totally dirty, I took a picture for you to see. However, I have to say that even though the rubber was pretty dirty, it was very easy to clean it, I only had to use a scoop to remove the stuck flat clump and the residual left in the globe I could clean it by using only a small broom. I included a picture of this as well. In the picture, you can see how the bottom looks after I swept the globe without even cleaning it. In conclusion, wheat cat litter leaves a pretty dirty rubber after a week of usage, but it’s really easy to clean it, much easier than clumping clay litter.

Video review on how wheat cat Litter works with the LR4

Pros of using Wheat Cat litter (sWheat Scoop) with the Litter Robot

• Odor control is excellent, very reduced smell when opening the waste drawer after a week.
• Lightweight so you can pour more into the Robot for heavy diggers (it’s easy on the motor too).
• Friendly with the environment, no chemicals added. Safe for your cat as well.
• Very easy to pour into the Litter Robot, the litter slides down into the globe smoothly.
• No dust, good for people or cats with asthma.
• Easy on the cat’s paws
• Waste stuck on the bottom rubber is really easy to clean

Cons of using Wheat cat litter

• The litter clumps are not firm enough, which makes them break down when sliding into the waste drawer of the Litter-Robot.
• The rubber base gets very dirty after a week of using this cat litter.
• For some reason, my cat Sophie didn’t like it after a few days (maybe she didn’t like the clumps residual at the bottom).

My Conclusion of Wheat Cat Litter

Personally, I really liked wheat cat litter, especially how lightweight it is and the odor control. My cat didn’t like it the same though, in the beginning, she started using it with no issues but after a few days, she preferred the alternative litter box we placed in the bedroom for emergencies. The rubber base of the globe gets very dirty after a week of using it, but on the other hand, when you clean it, it takes no time, it detaches from the rubber very easily, unlike the gummy and sticky residual left by the clumping clay litter.

Should You Use Wheat Litter With The Litter-Robot?

The bottom line for this review is sort of divided. I recommend it for the Litter Robot only if you are currently using this type of cat litter because it does work with the Litter-Robot. The problem is the rubber getting too dirty after a few days. What you can do is every week when disposing of the bagged waste you can place the globe upside down by simply making it rotate and stop it in the middle. Then scoop the residual off with any object (it detaches very easily) and then sweep the dirt off with a small broom. If your cat is used to this cat litter it won’t be an issue, my cat Sophie never used wheat cat litter before so maybe that’s why she didn’t like it (at least she gave it a try).