Could Cat Litter Mineral Be Edible?

[n2doc]

Analysis by Marianne English

Chemistry and physics do wonders for material science, sometimes expanding the applications of products we may view as having the "ew" factor.

Take sepiolite, for example. The absorbent mineral used in some cat litters may amount to more than being pawed at and discarded every week. An analysis to be published in the October issue of the journal American Mineralogist suggests differences in sepiolite's composition and tunnel formations account for why liquids tend to adhere to crystal structures within the mineral.

To be fair, sepiolite has other uses as well, including absorbents in spillage solutions, components in animal feed and adhesives in tobacco pipes roof panels and waste treatments. But further examining the mineral opens the door to create synthetic materials that mimic sepiolite.

The idea is that if scientists can understand which conditions and temperatures yield the most efficient form of sepiolite, perhaps the mineral can be made synthetically rather than mined for.

more
http://news.discovery.com/human/mineral-in-cat-litter-examined-for-other-uses.html

Sure glad they are finding new things for us to live on when cat food gets too expensive to buy :sarcasm:

[rug]

1. Oh God, don't let the republicans know.

[Liberal_in_LA]

16. +1

[FiveGoodMen]

2. So now we have the CatSHIT commission?!

[jberryhill]

3. My dog sure seems to think so

[Cirque du So-What]

5. Yep. I've had dogs who were 'Tootsie Roll' aficionados

Apparently some nutritional value remains - aesthetics notwithstanding.

[Maru Kitteh]

6. Our vet told us that cat poo is very high in protein.

Yeah - the dog can have it.

[Cirque du So-What]

4. This is the same material that's used to make Meerschaum pipes

I think it's worthwhile to see if this mineral can be used to deliver drugs into the body, as the article suggests.

[otohara]

7. Kitty Litter Cake Is Yummy

[Hissyspit]

9. Oh my god.

Don't let the pregnant women do the dishes after everyone has eaten!

[Hissyspit]

10. LOL

It's hanging over the side. One of my cats baked that cake.

[Kurmudgeon]

11. Now if I could just get mine to quit peeing beside the box, that isn't lemonade!

[Hissyspit]

14. I know the feeling...

[Taverner]

8. My dog certainly thinks so

[HockeyMom]

12. I assume you are talking about clay litter

You want to eat anything of the clumping litter? Good luck, since our bodies are 90% water and that litter could cause our insides to harden into one solid mass.

[Maru Kitteh]

13. There is one edible clumping cat litter. No really.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Nicolai97214/edible-cat-litter_n_721553_61187099.html

"If you're going to call your product the World's Best Cat Litter, you should probably leave out the part where you say you can eat it. Unfortunately, the people behind World's Best didn't think that through before putting together this ridiculous advertisement. We're not saying the litter is bad - it's made from corn, biodegradable, masks odors, and seems overall like a good purchase. But this commercial! If you can make it through the urine-smelling focus group, stay tuned for the demonstration of its edibleness. "


It's actually very, very good cat litter - but I use it in the box, not at the table.

[damntexdem]

15. Hopefully not after it's been used.

;-)

[emilyg]

17. I fell into the litter

box once - face first. In my shock - swallowed and I'm still here.