Kitty Litter

So this morning when I was cleaning the litter boxes I wondered "who invented kitty litter?" What would make someone even think about such a product and did people have indoor cats before kitty litter? If they did have indoor cats what did they use? This is what I found via the Internet:

Edward Lowe was born July 10, 1920 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lowe served in the U.S. Navy from 1941 to 1945. After the Navy, Lowe worked for his father selling industrial absorbents, including products such as sawdust and an absorbent clay called Fuller's Earth. Edward Lowe's neighbor Kay Draper asked for a replacement for the ashes she was using in her cat box. (George Plitt first packaging ashes from burned wood for cats to use.) Her cat was trailing ashy paw prints all over her home and she was hoping for a cleaner alternative. Ed Lowe suggested that she use absorbent clay, she did and loved it.

In 1947, Edward Lowe decided to package the clay in 5lb bags marked "kitty litter" to sell in a local pet store. The store owner did not think the product would sell for the asking price of sixty-five cents, sand for cat boxes was very cheap. Ed Lowe convinced the store owner to display his product and give it away. Soon, the customers were willing to pay for more kitty litter.

Thank you Edward Lowe!