Who Knew? Cat Litter Was Invented in This West Michigan City

The $2 billion cat litter industry started right here in Southwest Michigan nearly 80 years ago.

It's hard to miss that huge building along with a couple of cute matching small homes on Decatur Road just before M-60 on the way to Cassapolis.  It's also hard to imagine a world without kitty litter.

Before we had the product that we now know as cat litter, ashes were used to help dispose of kitty poo.  It was a neighbor of Ed Lowe's complaining about what a pain it was to use ash for this purpose back in January of 1947 that led to the invention that would soon be used worldwide.

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That person complained to the correct neighbor as Ed Lowe worked at his father's company selling industrial absorbents like sawdust and clay according to the official website of the Edward Lowe Foundation,

She asked for some sand, but Ed suggested clay instead. Soon the neighbor would use nothing else, noting that the clay was much more absorbent than sand and didn’t track all over the house.

Little did Ed Lowe know he was on to something huge.  Lowe began giving away 5-pound bags of a new product that he called "Kitty Litter."  It wasn't long before people were paying him for bags of his invention.  Another major claim to fame is the fact that Lowe created a special litter product for Jane Goodall for chimpanzees.