Kitty litter. There are supposed to be 100 uses for it besides the obvious, which is poop patrol. But the obvious is what I use it for. I remember when I was a kid back in the Punic Wars, we didn’t use store-bought kitty litter, even tho it was invented in 1947. You either brought in dirt from your garden (and all its pests) or you used strips of newspaper. The Miami Herald was my mother’s favorite home-made kitty litter. It was torn into narrow strips, spread around in the box, and the cats never seemed to mind at all peeing on the latest headlines. My job was to rip up a week’s worth of strips every week to be stored in a bag for later use. I may be resorting to that method very soon.

Why you may ask? Because the sellers of Ellie’s kitty litter are now asking $25 a bag. And that’s NOT for a 60-pound bag, as you would think. It’s for a 6-pound bag. That’s outrageous. As it is, I’ve been paying $14.99 a bag online since early March, due to COVID19. Fortunately, I have a couple of bags stored away. I use a particular brand (see right) because it has a low dust level, is ecologically sound, and lasts a long time. I can go 6 to 8 weeks without changing the litter. But not at 25 bucks a clip.

So I am now resorting to other brands for my little darling, Ellie. I’m not sure she even cares. Ellie is from the school of thought that she is there solely to do her business. She feels she does not need designer litter and I need to get over myself. She has not told me this in so many words, but after a while, a pet owner senses these things. Or is taught these things. Cats can be very persuasive.

Hmmm. I wonder if the San Francisco Chronicle will do just as well as the Miami Herald? Stay tuned.