The Evolution of Litter: From Cat Sand to Clumping

While it seems like such a simple substance, cat litter, or cat sand as it is sometimes called, is an invention that's newer than automobiles and airplanes. Before the invention of the stuff, cat sand was a more literal term, as pet owners either allowed their feline friends to roam outdoors like dogs when they needed to use the bathroom, or they had a small cat box with sand in it when keeping the cat indoors. Cat sand has a few problems with it. This is because just like actual sand isn't a very absorbent material, the large grains can get tracked all around the house.

The First Generation

The first and most traditional form of cat litter consisted of grains of clay-based material, which tend to be smaller than cat sand and less prone to being tracked around. This material is actually the same as what is used to clean up oil spills specifically because of its absorbency. Ed Lowe was the inventor that first put this material to use for cats, marketing it under the brand name Kitty Litter. It became so prevalent that it's now a generic term for the substance. Ed's litter and his company evolved into another familiar name, Tidy Cat litter.

Clumping Litter

There are still problems with regular cat litter that the use of clumping litter solves. Rather than having to change the litter box entirely due to liquid waste, clumping litter will form a solid mass when it gets wet, trapping moisture in a concentrated area and allowing the pet owner to scoop out a solid mass. This makes cleanup a snap, and there's even cat boxes designed specifically for use with clumping litter, most of which work by filtering out the particles that haven't clumped.

While this form of litter is convenient, some owners worry about cats eating the litter, since it tends to swell when wet. This is a particular problem with kittens, who can't recover from having litter swelling in them as easily as an adult cat might.

New Materials

Today, there are new forms of litters, including clumping litters that claim to be made of biodegradable material and environmentally safe, as well as silica gel litter, which claims high absorbency and odor reduction. Silica gel litter also boasts of being lightweight and needing only a little material to work at absorbing liquids and odors for a long time.

Some of the biodegradable litters also last for a long time, and many also tout the reduction of dust over clay materials. This is great if you have an asthmatic cat; with the number of materials developed, cat litter is a far cry from the simple cat sand that your parents used, but they all make the task of taking care of your cat's waste a little easier.