A few weeks ago, PetSmart stopped carrying the cat litter I previously used (a biodegradable, environmentally-friendly paper-based product). I bought several bags and resolved to find it elsewhere. Except, I think it's possible it no longer exists. At least, I did not find it elsewhere, and after attempting to buy it online and being told by the PetSmart webside that they had one bag in stock, I decided I was just going to have to find a new litter.

I tried enough varieties of litter when Oliver was a kitten to know what I didn't want (anything corn-cob or wheat-based was out, and I definitely wanted scoopable). I really, really wanted to find something else biodegradable . . but I found nothing that seemed like to actually work, in that catagory.

So I figured in for a penny, in for a pound, and bought a major brand regular-old-clay scoopable litter, designed for small spaces (the small space shared by me and my cat did require some highly frequent litterbox maintenance in order to keep things breathable, with the old litter).

The litter itself works beautifully - better than the old litter (*sigh* - I am such a sell-out). However, it comes in these big old Rubbermaid-like plastic tubs. I didn't even really think about this in the store, but then I got home, and put it in the box, and had an empty tub that looked suspiciously like something I could buy in its own right for about $10 at Walmart. Huh. I tried, momentarily, to figure out what I could use it for . . before I realized I was going to be acquiring a new one of these about once a month.

I do not need 12 tupperware tubs a year. I really, really don't.

I tried to see if I could buy this litter in more sensible packaging - I recalled seeing other types of litter made by this same company on the shelves in larger cardboard boxes, or bags. But no - not the small spaces litter. The small spaces litter only comes in packaging designed to clutter your small space.

So I wrote to the company, and complained (politely) about how wasteful and unnecessary this was, that I did not want to be contributing 12 rubbermaid tubs to a landfill per year, or to use the energy that would be required to recycle them (they're heavy-duty plastic).

Company replied with a form letter apologizing for the fact that I found their packaging inconvenient and assuring me that my concerns had been passed on to the folks who did packaging research (Dude, there are people who research how to package cat litter? Really?). Also they promised me coupons. I saw no evidence anywhere in this response that my letter had actually been read, but oh well - I suppose I can put whatever money I save via the use of my exercise-in-futility coupons towards saving for a less-small space. And then I can buy the litter that comes in the cardboard box.

In the mean time, anybody need plastic tubs?