Recently, identity theft has been in the news. By digging through rubbish bins, criminals can obtain people's details, and use those to obtain credit cards and the like, causing problems for their victims. Common advice is to destroy anything with your name and address on it, such as bills and bank statements, before throwing it out.

Meanwhile, a lot of people who keep cats at home have found that cat litter made of recycled paper is more efficient than the gravel variety, because of paper's odour-absorbing properties.

Recycling paper is efficient and helps reduce waste, but the round trip the paper makes from consumers' homes to processing facilities and back in the form of cat litter, toilet paper, and so on, uses resources such as fuel. Short-circuiting the process would conserve these resources.

Therefore, imagine the following device for the environmentally- and privacy-conscious cat owner. A small machine that looks a little like a paper shredder, only containing a chute under which a bag or bucket may be placed. Place some paper (bills, scrap paper, newspapers, whatever) in the intake slot at the top, press the button and it goes to work, shredding and pulping the paper, before reconstituting it into small pellets,. Shortly later, the pellets come out of the chute; instant environmentally-friendly cat litter.
-- acb, Jul 25 2002

Industrial strength version http://www.officezone.com/is1650vc.htm
[DrCurry, Jul 25 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Cat Facts and Cat Info http://videoforcats.com/catlitter.htm
"Shredded paper can be used as litter and is recommended for cats that are "healing" after de-clawing. Not recommended as a full time litter as it is very messy to work with." [phoenix, Jul 25 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

bliss, you misunderstand me. http://dookwww.landfood.unimelb.edu.au/
Dookie refers to a university in Melbourne, duh! [polartomato, Jul 26 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Synonyms for feces http://www.colleges.../features/poop.html
See under 'D' [polartomato, Jul 26 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]

Tom Ballhatchet: Hamster Shredder http://www.tomballh...amstershredder.html
No, not for shredding hamsters. Sheesh. [jutta, Oct 08 2007]

I like this idea in principle. However, my cat distinctly selects the diggable stuff because he likes to feel that he is burying his dookie under heavy soil. Of course, that doesn't fully explain why he enjoys using the carpet for similar purposes.... I am moved to give the first crois.
-- polartomato, Jul 25 2002


I think Artur Andersen would be a big customer.

This kind of poop-free litter works well in composts.
-- FarmerJohn, Jul 25 2002


I'd like one, my cat would like one. Bun for you, when are you going into production?
-- madradish, Jul 25 2002


I find that the recycled paper litter is just too light weight and they (the cats) tend to kick it all about like nobody's business, making even more mess - so as much as I am for recycling, this is not the way to go - for me or my cats.

By the way, there is some dispute about cats trying to bury their "waste products" - cats are pretty smart and if they wanted to, they most certainly would. it seems that they are actually putting their little pawprints around the stuff to mark it out and make a statement so to speak!
-- po, Jul 25 2002


UB, you, of all people, should know the drill: Burn. Scatter. Repeat. Marshmellows/Red Meat optional.

Po, come to think of it, I don't remember seeing a bathroom in the tellies abode. What's the 'scoop'?
-- dag, Jul 26 2002


Yay! Confidential waste BBQ at UB's house!
-- madradish, Jul 26 2002


Cats are territorial, and tend to want to mark their territory, so will leave their droppings uncovered. However, within the house, they regard their keeper as dominant, so will bury their droppings so as not to challenge.
-- angel, Jul 26 2002


Dook University?

How does this device turn shredded paper into "small pellets"? I am moved to inquire.

My own gato loco would not use this, alas. He is a digger.
-- waugsqueke, Jul 26 2002


The paper cat litter I've used had been compressed into pellets, making it heavier than paper otherwise would be. The cat litter maker would presumably pulp the paper and press it into pellets, possibly mixing it with some mucilaginous substance.
-- acb, Jul 26 2002



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