Cats: green tech blows away cat sand dunes
I've co-existed with housecats most of my life. In the same living space. The little darlings will awaken you at night when they want room service. Some needlessly kill salamanders or wild birds. We had had one angry tom who pooped on top of our piano. They'll sneak food from your plate if you leave the dining table. Pick fights with the neighborhood skunk or raccoon with the expected results. And they will always sleep on your pillow, leaving a free deposit of soft fur behind.
But none of that matters, or even moves the annoyance needle. Not when you compare it to cat sand and litter boxes. We thought we had evolved into modernity when we got one of those electric cat litter boxes that automatically scoops the poop into a plastic box. No, the stench, the chemical odors and the gently wafting ammonia, the sand itself nestled into shoes and cracks between tiles--all of that remained. And the sweet kitties would often prefer to insist you get up and open the door if their box didn't smell quite right.
Gone. Over. Finis. There's a green tech solution. No more toxic cat sand that can't be recycled and is death to modern plumbing. We've gone far beyond the use of shredded newspaper and other primitive attempts to cope with real kitty litter. Thanks to a brilliant woman in Oregon, we found the elusive answer: Waxed safflower seeds, plus an easily emptied and washed little potty tray. No electricity. No chemical smell. Nothing goes from cat to landfill. We're now the happiest cat owners I know. Though I may occasionally pretend to miss that gritty sound of cat sand being ground into a wooden floor.
(Photo: Providence House Manufacturing)
