Philadelphian Nancy Zatzman lives in a large Victorian home with her husband, teenage son and five cats. Although we each have our own pets, we fight constantly about cleaning the cat boxes, Zatzman says. As the wife and mother, I always get stuck with the smelly responsibility.

Other than the unpleasant chore of cleaning litterboxes, Zatzman must keep track of the cats litter likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, we cannot just use one type of clay litter; my finicky felines have regular, scoopable and crystal-blend preferences, she says.

According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Associations (APPMA) 2005/2006 National Pet Owners Survey, 90 million cats live in about 37.3 million U.S. homes and the American cat owner has about three cats. The survey also reveals that 72 percent of cat owners buy clumping/scoopable litter, while only 27 percent purchase traditional clay litter. Of the estimated $38.4 billion dollars spent on American pets, about $1.7 billion is spent purchasing cat litter.

Litter is the single most needed pet product, says Bob Vetere, APPMAs president. What is truly significant is that manufacturers have responded to these statistics by creating better products for multi-cat households. For example, this year we have seen better and improved technology for self-cleaning litterboxes.

**For the full article, pick up the September issue of CAT FANCY**

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