If you’ve ever owned a cat, or even lived in a house with indoor cats, you’ve probably come to appreciate the convenience of the cat litter box. The cat litter box has come a long way from its meager origins of a small crate filled with sand. Today, we are fortunate enough to benefit from three major innovations in cat litter disposal.
Who Invented Cat Litter?
“Kitty Litter” was invented in 1947 by Ed Lowe while working at his father’s industrial absorbents company. Since the company sold sawdust, sand and other raw material, one of Ed’s neighbors, named Mrs. Draper, asked for sand for her cat’s waste box. Ed suggested that clay would work better because it was much more absorbent than sand and would be less likely to track all over the house.
Mrs. Draper enthusiastically returned to purchase more and her rave reviews caused Ed to consider if other cat owners might pay for this new product, which he then began to call Kitty Litter.
For the next 30+ years, this simple invention was the standard all over the world for indoor cat owners.
The Addition of Clumping Cat Litter
The absorbent nature of the clay that made Kitty Litter so useful also required owners to regularly change out the entire box of litter as it would become saturated. That all changed in 1984 with the introduction of clumping cat litter. Now, consumers can quickly locate the small portion of the litter that has been soiled and scoop it out, reducing the workload and waste required to maintain a sanitary environment for our feline friends.
We have an American biochemist named Thomas Nelson to thank for this advancement:
“Nelson was studying the molecular structure of clay when he discovered that some types prevented urea (the primary solid component of urine) from breaking down, hence no unpleasant ammonia odor as a result. Nelson also learned that drying bentonite clay instead of baking it in a kiln allowed it to form clumps in the litter box, which could then be easily removed from the box. This was a revolutionary discovery for cat owners because it allowed the litter box to stay cleaner and less odorous.”
A classic example of science making our daily lives more convenient.
Making Cat Litter Disposal Easier
But what exactly do you do with these waste clumps? Until recently, those responsible for maintaining the litter box would scoop the waste into a used plastic grocery bag from a recent shopping trip, or some other plastic bag. And since even a tied up grocery bag might emit a decomposing odor, we were required to walk outside to the outdoor garbage cans, trash chute or dumpster. If a house has two or more litter boxes, this could become quite the chore.
One of the most serious, but lesser known problems of using grocery bags, is that cat lovers were filling our landfills with unbelievably large quantities of non decomposable waste.
Enter the Lucky Champ Cat Litter Disposal System.
Each time you scoop your cat’s litter box you are replacing the use of a wasteful plastic bag with an easy scoop into the Litter Champ and sealing the odor and waste inside with the turn of a knob. Conveniently decide when you are ready to transport the waste to an outdoor receptacle without worrying about odor, cleanliness or safety. Less bending over, less walking, less non decomposable waste, and less odor!
Here are some of the features and benefits of adopting the Litter Champ system:
– The clean-looking device can be kept next to all of your litter trays, making the process quick and convenient.
– Long-lasting liner saves you money over time.
– Continuous liner system assures zero-waste disposal.
– Litter Champ Liners will biodegrade 100% underground or in landfill within 9 months to 5 year period.
– Exclusive triple-seal design locks odors in.
– Odor-free system reduces trips to garbage can.
– Child-proof lock keep pets and small children out.
While we should certainly thank Mr. Lowe for introducing the world to Kitty Litter, we have many other advancements to be thankful for. As you can see, cat litter disposal is not what it used to be!