Cat Litter Has Felines, Owners Purring
Cat lovers are giving rave reviews to a new cat litter called Ever Clean. It’s virtually odorless and is easy to clean up.
Introduced in mid-1988 by A&M; Pet Products of Houston, Ever Clean is made of natural, nontoxic minerals that resemble fine sand. The material, which has no added deodorants, absorbs the cat’s urine quickly, forming it into a compact ball so it can be removed from the litter box easily with a scooper, just as solid waste is. You then add a little more Ever Clean to the box, rather than having to replace the entire box of litter every few days.
Be advised, though, that cats seem to like Ever Clean as much as their owners. “At first they think they’re at the beach and dig in it and throw it out of the box,” said one cat lover who tried Ever Clean. “But that didn’t last long; part of a day. And they do seem to like it.”
A&M; President Dennis Markel says that even though his company’s product is more expensive than conventional cat litter, cat owners will use much less Ever Clean. He suggests that you determine the weekly cost of the regular litter you use, including expenses for cat box liners and deodorants, then compare it with the cost of Ever Clean (which is not used with cat box liners).
Markel estimates that one indoor cat will use a 5-pound jug of Ever Clean each month. A 5-pound container retails for about $10; a 12-pound one for between $18 and $20. Depending on how many times each week you empty your cat’s box, you’ll probably find that Ever Clean will cost about 50 cents more each week.
To start using Ever Clean, you’ll need the bigger jug of litter because it is recommended that you fill the litter box 2 to 3 inches deep. That takes 1 2/3 of the small containers of Ever Clean.
Ever Clean is sold in pet shops, pet supply stores and by some veterinarians, but not in grocery stores. For information on where you can by the product in your area, call (800) 284-2287 or write to A&M; Pet Products, P.O. Box 460509, Houston, Tex. 77056.
Going Crackers
There’s a new cracker on the market designed to appeal to sports fans. Sport Snacks are bite-size crackers shaped like baseballs, basketballs and footballs.
The unusual crackers are part of Sunshine Biscuits’ new line of no-cholesterol and low-cholesterol products that are free of coconut oil and more than 98% free of palm oil. Included in the cholesterol-free lineup with Sport Snacks are Wheats, Krispy Whole Wheats crackers and oatmeal cookies called O.T. Bears.
Bridge players and other card game aficionados may want to turn their attention to Sunshine’s Shuffles, a low-cholesterol cheese cracker made in the form of hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades. Shuffles are made with 100% natural skim milk cheese.
The new cracker snacks are available in most major grocery chains. Sports Snacks cost about $1.89; Shuffles, $1.79.
