Method for producing cohesive litter and low-tracking cohesive litter

Abstract

A low-tracking, cohesive litter is provided, which has larger non-cohesive litter particles with a sufficiently large particle size relative to smaller cohesive litter particles, thereby filling and positioning substantially all of the smaller particles of litter in the litter box into the voids between adjacent non-cohesive particles below the surface of the litter. This reduces tracking because the surface is composed of larger particles, and these larger particles are not easily picked up by cats, minimizing the number of those at the top as the smaller, more easily tracked particles fill the voids. This causes urine to rapidly wet and swell the cohesive particles, trapping the urine and forming clumps at the top. This litter has a tracking effectiveness of less than 90 particles / in2, and the cohesive particles, preferably composed of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder, produce shedding-resistant clumps with a clump retention rate of preferably more than 97%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference

[0002] This application claims the priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 465,916, filed on May 12, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. This application is also a partial continuation application of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 372,677, filed on September 25, 2023, which claims the priority and benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 409,755, filed on September 24, 2022, the entire disclosures of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein, respectively.

[0003] Field

[0004] The present invention relates to a granular absorbent for use by animals, preferably litter, and more particularly to an agglomerated litter formulated to reduce the tracking (dragging with traces) of litter from a litter box that houses the litter by the animals using the litter.

Background Art

[0005] Background Art

[0006] When a cat uses a litter box containing litter composed of absorbent granules, it is common for some of the litter granules to be taken out of the box in an undesirable form when the cat exits the box. The process by which litter is taken out of the box by the cat usually occurs in several ways.

[0007] Entry and digging movements: When a cat enters a litter box, especially in the case of long hair, litter particles may adhere to the hair. Since the cat instinctively digs to bury excrement, litter particles may adhere to the paw pads during this movement. During the digging movement, the cat stirs up the litter, and some of it may scatter near the edge of the box or adhere to the body.

[0008] Litter box use: After cats relieve themselves and bury their waste, they often gather more litter to cover it up. This action provides another opportunity for litter to stick to the cat's paws. Clumping litter, which is designed to absorb moisture and solidify, tends to stick to paws more easily than non-clumping litter.

[0009] Exiting the litter box: When a cat exits the litter box, it may carry out litter particles that are stuck between its toes or attached to its fur. The texture and length of the cat's fur, as well as the moisture level of its paws, can affect the amount of litter carried out. Longer, denser fur can trap more litter.

[0010] After cleaning the litter box: Cats often groom themselves after defecating, licking their paws and fur. During this grooming, it is common for cats to brush litter particles off their paws, which then fall onto the floor outside the litter box.

[0011] Movement within the house: When cats move around the house, their movements can cause litter particles remaining on their paws and fur to fall off. This can spread litter particles to areas near the litter box, and depending on the cat's activity after using the litter box, they may spread even further.

[0012] To mitigate this, many cat owners use mats placed around the litter box to catch some of the tracked litter that falls from the cat as it leaves the box. Regular cleaning and maintenance of the litter box and surrounding area also helps minimize the spread of litter outside the box. Despite the use of mats to catch tracked litter and the implementation of regular cleaning and maintenance of the litter box, it is still quite common for litter to be tracked over the mats by cats and later fall from the cats, requiring frequent cleaning by cat owners.

[0013] In response, litter manufacturers have attempted to develop low-tracking litters, but with limited success. One type of low-tracking litter introduced by manufacturers is made from silica gel crystals because the crystals are less likely to stick to cat fur and paws. Other low-tracking litters use larger, heavier granules or pellets than those used in standard litter because they are less likely to get stuck in cats' paws or fur. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0014] U.S. Patent Application Publication US20050160997 discloses cat and small animal litter composed of yellow pine wood fiber and a nonionic surfactant, formed into pellets using a pellet mill, with relatively large pellet diameters of 4762 to 6350 microns (0.1875 inches to 0.250 inches). While the '997 publication discloses that pellets with these large pellet diameters "can hold whole to limit tracking by animals from the litter pan," it further discloses that the pellets "may be ground and sieved for a softer texture, and therefore more comfortable for larger animals," teaching that the use of whole pellets may not be comfortable for animals.

[0015] Granules of coagulating materials, such as sodium bentonite or other solidifying materials, tend to be inherently sticky, which makes them adhere more easily to cats' fur as well as their paws, thus proving to make attempts to produce solidifying litter with less tracking more difficult.

[0016] An example of a cohesive animal litter intended to reduce tracking is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 11,918,969, which is made of composite litter particles composed of bentonite sodium and activated carbon with a particle size distribution of 16 / 50 mesh in the size range of 300 to 1180 microns. This litter claims to reduce tracking by limiting the amount of fine particles in the litter to about 10%, 5%, 4%, 3%, 2.5%, 2%, 1.5%, or less than 1%, thereby removing almost all of the fine particles (commonly referred to as "fine") in the litter that pass through a 100-mesh size (e.g., a sieve opening of 0.150 mm or 150 μm). However, even with this litter, tracking still occurs due to the relatively small size of the composite litter particles that actually make up the litter, despite the significant reduction, and even near-complete removal, of fine particles from the litter.

[0017] U.S. Patent No. 8,720,375 discloses another cohesive litter formulated to reduce tracking, comprising particles of a clay-based liquid absorbent material, such as sodium bentonite, and particles of at least one filler consisting of a non-absorbent, non-soluble substrate coated with at least one coagulant. The coagulant may also be sodium bentonite. The particles of the clay-based liquid absorbent material have a particle size of 500 to 2000 microns (0.50 to 2.00 mm), preferably 400 to 1600 microns (0.4 to 1.6 mm), and more preferably 400 to 1200 microns (0.4 to 1.2 mm). The particles of the clay-based liquid absorbent material constitute 40% to 99% of the litter by weight, preferably 50% to 95%, and more preferably 40% to 85%. The clay-based liquid absorbent material is selected from cohesive and non-cohesive clay materials, or a mixture of cohesive and non-cohesive clay materials. The filler has a particle size of 250 to 850 microns (0.25 to 0.85 mm) and constitutes 10% to 60%, preferably 30% to 60%, more preferably 45% to 60%, of the weight of the litter. The flocculant may be a flocculating clay, such as sodium bentonite, polysaccharides, water-soluble gum, dry particulate cellulose ether, superabsorbent polymer, or a mixture thereof. The flocculant is present in an amount of 0.1% to 20%, preferably 0.25% to 10%, more preferably 0.45% to 7.0%, of the weight of the litter. However, tracking still occurs with this litter because the size of the litter particles constituting the litter is relatively small.

[0018] Furthermore, most coagulating litters, including those claiming to reduce tracking, primarily use bentonite sodium for coagulation. Bentonite sodium swells when it absorbs urine during coagulation and shrinks when dry, forming coagulated clumps. Unfortunately, bentonite sodium lacks the plasticity to prevent tensile and compressive stresses from accumulating within the clumps during drying and shrinking, which can lead to crack formation in the dried clumps. Such crack formation in dried clumps can cause them to crumble or even disintegrate when scooped out of the litter box, resulting in used litter fragments falling back into the litter. Such shedding is undesirable because it can cause litter contamination, necessitate more frequent cleaning of the litter box, and lead to faster litter depletion. Additionally, the detached clumps returned to the litter box can harbor odor-causing bacteria and other bacteria that may be harmful to the cat's health, potentially causing the litter to emit an undesirable odor. This could even lead to cats defecating outside the litter box.

[0019] What is needed is an improved cohesive litter formulation that minimizes tracking while maintaining good cohesiveness. There is also a need for a low-tracking cohesive litter formulation that produces aggregates that are less likely to fall off, or do not fall off at all, when removed from the litter box. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] summary

[0021] The present invention relates to a low-tracking agglomerating litter formulation having larger non-aggregating litter particles with a sufficiently large particle size relative to smaller agglomerating litter particles, thereby positioning substantially all of the smaller particles of litter in the litter box below the litter surface and filling them in the voids between adjacent non-aggregating particles. Because the surface is composed of larger particles, tracking is reduced, as these larger particles are not easily picked up by cats, and the number of smaller particles that are more easily tracked is minimized as they are filled in the voids. This causes urine to rapidly wet and swell the agglomerating particles, trapping the urine and forming clumps on top. The litter has a tracking effectiveness of less than 90 particles / in2, and the agglomerating particles are preferably composed of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder, preferably producing detachable clumps with a clump retention rate of more than 97%. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0022] Description of the drawing

[0023] One or more preferred exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, where the same reference numerals in the drawings represent the same part throughout, and in the drawings: [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevation view of the agglomerated and non-agglomerated particles within the litter box of the low-tracking agglomerated litter of the present invention, showing how agglomeration is improved and the number of smaller agglomerated particles on the litter surface that can be tracked outside the box is minimized by filling the spaces between adjacent, larger non-agglomerated particles with smaller agglomerated particles. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a top view of another preferred low-tracking litter, which is a two-component litter having a pair of different types of agglomerated and non-agglomerated particles, where the size of both types of agglomerated particles is smaller than the size of both types of non-agglomerated particles in order to reduce tracking. [Figure 3]Figure 3 is a front elevation view of a litter particle tracking effect tool used to evaluate the tracking effect of litter. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a rear elevation view of the litter particle tracking effect measuring tool of Figure 3. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows Table 1, which is a table listing the material type of litter particles, the particle size range by sieve size, the bulk density, and the formulation by weight percentage for each of the low-tracking litter test formulations Nos. 1 to 6. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows Table 2, which provides the preferred non-agglomerated and non-agglomerating litter particle components, as well as the particle size distribution and weight percentages for the low-tracking litter test formulations Nos. 1 to 6. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows Table 3, which is a table providing the density, the weight of the agglomerate before dropping, the weight of the agglomerate after dropping at 10 minutes and 30 minutes, and the corresponding agglomerate retention rate for the low-tracking litter test formulations Nos. 1 to 6. [Figure 8] Figure 8 shows Table 4, which is a table providing the litter particle tracking effect test results in terms of the number of particles per square inch for the low-tracking litter test formulations Nos. 1 to 6 and four types of commercially available litter for comparison. **DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION**

[0024] Before explaining one or more embodiments of the present invention in detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited in its application to the details of the configurations and the arrangements of the components described in the following description and drawings. The present invention can have other embodiments or can be implemented or executed in various ways. Also, it should be understood that the syntax and terms used herein are for the purpose of explanation and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0025] **Detailed Description**

[0026] **Introduction**

[0027] Cat litter is manufactured as either a coagulating litter that forms aggregates when exposed to urine or other aqueous liquids such as water, i.e., a coagulating litter that wets the particles of the coagulating litter, or as a non-coagulating litter that does not coagulate when its particles are wetted with urine or other aqueous liquids.

[0028] Non-aggregating litter is typically formulated with larger litter particles, usually larger than 2 millimeters or 2000 microns (sieve 10), so that when poured into a litter box, voids form between adjacent litter particles. These voids are large and numerous enough to define channels or passages within the litter, allowing urine to move relatively quickly downwards towards the bottom of the box when the cat uses the litter. Using such large particles ensures that the litter is relatively loosely packed in the box, creating relatively large voids between adjacent particles, which is desirable as it prevents urine from accumulating at the top of the litter and becoming sticky.

[0029] The relatively large particles used in non-aggregating litter tend to reduce tracking because they are less likely to be carried out of the litter box. This is because these larger particles are large enough not to easily become embedded in the paw pads of cats using the litter. Also, because these larger particles are heavier, they are less likely to easily adhere to the cat's fur while using the litter.

[0030] Agglomerating litter is typically formulated with smaller litter particles compared to non-aggregating litter. The smaller litter particles are necessary during agglomeration to block intentionally created passages or channels in non-aggregating litter, which typically allow urine to move downward through the litter towards the bottom of the litter box. The use of smaller particles in agglomerating litter packs them relatively tightly within the box, reducing the size of the voids between adjacent particles. These voids are quickly filled by the agglomerating litter particles, which swell rapidly upon contact with urine, trapping the urine on or near the litter surface. By trapping the urine on or near the litter surface, it is ensured that the urine is absorbed by the litter on or near the surface, forming aggregates on the litter surface that can be easily scooped out of the litter.

[0031] When a cat urinates, the rate is typically about 1 milliliter per second. Using smaller litter particles, the urine is trapped on or near the surface of the litter, so that the agglutinating material of the agglutinating particles is sufficiently wet with urine, the agglutinating material is activated, and the ball-shaped clumps that expand are formed. During activation, the agglutinating material of each wetted agglutinating particle swells and becomes sticky, adhering to one or more adjacent litter particles and causing them to agglutinate together. The urine is absorbed by the particles that form the clumps, trapping the urine within the clumps and preventing it from flowing downwards towards the bottom of the box.

[0032] This must happen almost instantaneously when urine comes into contact with the litter; otherwise, the urine will flow downwards towards the bottom of the litter box, creating a sticky mass at the bottom of the box. To promote coagulation and prevent urine from flowing to the bottom, the smaller particles used in coagulating litter include coagulating particles that have a coagulating material that expands immediately upon wetting, filling the gaps between particles. By filling the gaps, this prevents the urine from flowing downwards, redirecting the flow of urine so that it remains at or near the top of the litter, where it wets more and more coagulating particles at or near the top of the litter, forming ball-shaped clumps that constantly expand on the litter, thereby making them easy to scoop up.

[0033] Generally, manufacturers of cohesive litter have produced litters with particle sizes smaller than 3350 microns (3.35 mm or 0.132 inches) (e.g., Hughes, see U.S. Patent No. 5,000,115) and others with particle sizes smaller than 2000 microns (2.0 mm or 0.079 inches) (e.g., Kuras, see U.S. Patent No. 11,026,397). Both Hughes and Kuras teach the use of components predominantly composed of particles smaller than 3500 microns (3.5 mm or 0.138 inches), and both used similarly small-sized cohesive and non-cohesive components. Among other things, these patents teach the use of preliminary mixture surface area surrogate values ​​related to the assumption of components with similar particle sizes and similar shapes. Most prior art cohesive litters used products with similar size distributions for the components to be blended in order to improve cohesive consistency and ease of blending. Traditionally, attempts to create cohesive litter with large particles have resulted in litter with inconsistent aggregation, making them commercially unfeasible.

[0034] Cohesive litter formulations often contain coagulants, absorbent materials, non-absorbent components, and often non-coagulant components as well. Coagulants generally include, but are not limited to, bentonite sodium, gum, carboxymethylcellulose, acrylic, and / or high-pressure extruded grains, which are water-absorbing, swollen clays capable of absorbing up to six times their weight in water. Absorbent components of litter generally include, but are not limited to, products containing bentonite calcium, starch, walnut shells, paper, cellulose, and perlite. Non-absorbent components include sand and various other types of non-absorbent products. Some coagulants are plated or coated onto other particles. For example, bentonite sodium on perlite, or guar gum on distilled dried grains, or guar gum on cellulose products.

[0035] While the aforementioned coagulating litter allows for the formation of easily removable clumps within the litter when exposed to urine, the smaller particle size used in coagulating litter leads to increased litter tracking outside the litter box. Therefore, improvements to coagulating litter are desired.

[0036] Therefore, it is advantageous to have a cohesive litter formulation with very low tracking characteristics without sacrificing cohesive ability, cohesive efficiency, or the integrity of the aggregates. Furthermore, it is desirable to have a cohesive litter that not only exhibits low tracking but also minimizes the amount of used litter particles that detach from the aggregates when the aggregates are removed from the litter box.

[0037] Low-tracking, low-shedding, cohesive cat litter

[0038] Figure 1 shows the low-tracking agglomerating litter of the present invention, which is a dry blend of at least several pairs, i.e., at least three agglomerating litter particles 42, of a single type of agglomerating material 44 that can be water-absorbent, preferably water-absorbent, and at least several pairs of non-agglomerating litter particles 46, of a single type of non-agglomerating material 48 that can also be water-absorbent. The litter 40 is formulated such that the agglomerating litter particles 42 are sufficiently smaller than the non-agglomerating particles 46 that make up the litter 40, so that when the litter 40 is placed in a litter box 50, substantially all of the smaller agglomerating particles 42 are distributed below the surface 52 of the litter, filling in between adjacent larger non-agglomerating particles 46, thereby reducing tracking by minimizing the number of smaller particles 42 on the surface 52 that could be picked up by a cat using the litter 40. The litter box 50 is shown in Figure 1 with dashed lines indicating that the litter 40 is held inside the box 50. The box 50 has a bottom wall 54 located beneath the litter 40, from which several pairs of side walls extend roughly vertically. Figure 1 shows only a portion of one side wall 56, which is depicted as being in contact with at least several cohesive particles 42 and non-cohesive particles 46 of the litter 40.

[0039] This litter particle size formulation favorably configures the litter 40 to minimize tracking by forming the top surface 52 of the litter 40 poured into the litter box 50 to be composed substantially entirely of larger-sized particles 46, and these larger-sized particles 46 are less likely to be picked up by a cat's paws while the cat is using the litter 40, thereby beneficially minimizing the number of smaller-sized particles 42 positioned on or along the top surface 52 of the litter 40, as the smaller-sized particles 42 are more easily picked up by a cat's paws while the cat is using the litter. This non-aggregating and agglomerating litter particle formulation of the low-tracking litter 40 of the present invention favorably configures the litter 40 such that the larger litter particles of the litter 40 are non-aggregating litter particles 46, which are less sticky than agglomerating particles 42, and therefore even less likely to stick to a cat's paws while the cat is using the box 50 compared to the smaller, more sticky agglomerating particles 42 of the litter 40.

[0040] The low-tracking litter 40 formulations of the present invention are configured to have, or have, litter tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch, when tested according to the litter particle tracking effectiveness test described in more detail herein. Advantageously, such low-tracking litter 40 formulations of the present invention also reduce shedding when removing clumps formed of litter particles 42, 46 from the litter 40 in the litter box 52, and are configured to have, or have, a clump retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%, when tested according to the clump retention rate test procedure described in more detail below. A lump formed from such a low-tracking litter 40 formulation of the present invention is preferably configured to have, or to have, a lump compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch, when the lump is tested according to the lump compressive strength test procedure described in more detail below.

[0041] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a preferred litter tracking effect test tool 60 comprises a generally flat or planar litter tracking effect test pad 61 having a fibrous surface 62 facing in one direction, and a handle 63 extending in the opposite direction on the opposite side. The pad 61 preferably has a fibrous surface 62 which is a flocked fibrous pad surface composed of upright-extending litter particle pickup fibers 64, and includes a generally rectangular, e.g., square litter particle tracking pickup pad area 66, shown in black in Figure 3, preferably a 1-inch x 1-inch square. If desired, the tool 60 can be manufactured so that the fibrous surface 62 of the pad 61 is limited to a 1-inch x 1-inch square.

[0042] Referring to Figure 4, the pad 61 is preferably about a quarter inch thick and includes a base 68 from which fibers 64 extend outward, the base 68 being supported on or by a lower rigid backing 70 shown in Figure 4, the rigid backing 70 which can be made from polystyrene foam, such as Styrofoam, from which the handle 62 extends outward. If desired, a foam layer, such as a layer of open-cell foam, can be placed between the fibers 64 and the backing 70. The pad 61 is about a quarter inch thick, the fibers 64 are made from a synthetic material, preferably nylon, and have a fiber length of about 0.150 inches, so that the fibers 64 protrude about 0.150 inches from the base 68.

[0043] During the litter tracking effectiveness test, the tool handle is manually grasped by a user, e.g., a tester, and the pad's fibrous surface is manipulated to cover the surface 52 of the litter 40. It is then pressed straight down without any angle, preferably at least slightly into the litter 40. A pressure of 0.5 pounds per square inch is applied for 5 seconds while the pad's fibrous surface is pressed against the litter 40 on the surface 52. The tool 60 is then lifted straight up from the surface 52 and removed from the litter 40. The number of litter particles 42 and / or 46 adhering to a 1-inch x 1-inch test area of ​​the pad is counted, preferably removed, to obtain a particle count per square inch, which represents the litter particle tracking effectiveness. The litter tracking test procedure can be repeated, preferably, at three other different locations on the outer surface 52 of the litter 40. The total number of litter particles 42 and / or 46 picked up by a 1-inch x 1-inch square test pad area is counted and divided by the number of test procedures performed to obtain an average litter particle tracking effectiveness that allows for evaluation of the uniformity of the litter blend or formulation. In a preferred embodiment, the tool 60 is the 1500C Handy Painter manufactured and sold by Shur-Line, Wisconsin, but the Shur-Line 1520C Trim and Touch Up Pad can also be used.

[0044] Suitable flocculants from which the flocculants 42 are at least partially or completely composed include, preferably, flocculant clay such as sodium bentonite; starch, starch-containing materials, and / or starch-derived materials, for example, preferably starch-containing grains or legumes, which are extruded under sufficient pressure and temperature to modify, for example, physically, thermally, and / or chemically, at least a portion of the starch therein, to form a water-soluble binder that is a litter flocculant in sufficient quantity to cause litter flocculation during the use of litter 40 by cats; other starch-based flocculants; cassava; tapioca; gums or gum-based flocculants such as gum arabic, karaya gum, tragacanth gum, guatti gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, and xanthan gum; alginates such as sodium alginate; carrageenans such as kappa-carrageenan; high The materials include pectins such as methoxyl pectin (HMP), low methoxyl pectin (LMP), or amidated low methoxyl pectin; dextrans such as high molecular weight dextran, low molecular weight dextran, or cross-linked dextran; gelatin; gluten; vinyl polymers including polyvinyl esters such as polyvinyl alcohol and polyvinyl acetate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl oxazolidone, polyvinylmethyloxazolidone, copolymers or mixtures thereof; semi-synthetic polymers including guar gum derivatives and cellulose ethers, such as methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose, hydroxypropylcellulose, ethylhydroxyethylcellulose, methylhydroxypropylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, preferably hydroxypropylmethylcellulose or mixtures thereof; and superabsorbent polymers that can be used as litter agglomerating materials.

[0045] Suitable non-aggregating materials that consist of or are made from non-aggregating particles 46 at least partially or completely include non-aggregating absorbent smectites such as calcium bentonite, attapulgite, fuller's earth, sepiolite and / or kaolinite; plastics; rubber, e.g., crushed waste tires; glass, e.g., glass beads, granules or pellets, preferably having a smooth outer surface or texture; wood, including wood pellets, sawdust, sawdust pellets, wood shavings, bark, crushed wood particles, and including granules, pellets or balls made at least partially from wood; paper, e.g. Examples include granules, pellets, or balls made at least partially of paper; sand, such as silica sand; perlite; plant shells or husks, such as walnuts, such as walnut shells; hazelnuts, such as hazelnut shells; cashews, such as cashew nut shells; almonds, such as almond shells; macadamia nuts, such as macadamia nut shells; peanuts, such as peanut shells or peanut husks; Brazil nuts, such as Brazil nut shells; pine nuts, such as pine nut shells or husks; and / or crushed shells or husks from pecans, such as pecan shells or husks.

[0046] In one preferred embodiment and formulation of low-tracking litter, the cohesive litter particles 42 are extruded by an extruder, preferably a single-screw extruder, from a starch-containing mixture, preferably having a moisture content of 22% or less, preferably 20% or less, more preferably 18% or less, and containing at least 40% starch, preferably at least 50% starch, more preferably at least 60% starch by weight of the mixture, at a rate of at least 2000 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 2500 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 3000 pounds per square inch. The cohesive litter pellets are extruded under pressure at an extrusion temperature of at least 100°C, preferably at least 120°C, more preferably at least 135°C, wherein at least a portion of the starch in the mixture is modified, preferably by extrusion modification, into a water-soluble binder, preferably a cold water-soluble binder that is a cohesive agent, by physical and / or thermal modification, etc., by applying extrusion pressure while the mixture is in the extruder, and is contained in an amount of at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% of the pellet weight in each cohesive litter pellet extruded from the extruder. The starch-containing mixture preferably consists of one or more grains such as wheat, corn, oats, rice, barley, sorghum, and / or millet; one or more tubers such as yams, sweet potatoes, and / or other types of potatoes; and / or one or more legumes such as lentils, chickpeas, peas, lupines, and butter beans, white beans (navy beans), cannellini beans, red beans, adzuki beans, black-eyed beans, and / or soybeans.The cohesive litter particles 42 may be extruded cohesive litter pellets, for example, extruded cohesive litter pellets of cohesive lightweight natural grass litter sold by Pioneer Pet Products, LLC in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, as SmartCat All Natural 100% Grass Lightweight Clumping Litter, which may be gray and may have substantially the same or similar composition, structure, and composition as and / or be manufactured using the manufacturing methods disclosed in one or more of the jointly owned U.S. Patents 11013211, 11083168, and 11457605, each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. When extruded cohesive litter pellets are used as cohesive litter particles 42 in the low-tracking litter 40 of the present invention, the cohesive material 44 of each extruded pellet is or comprises a starch-based extruder from the aforementioned starch-containing mixture extruded by the extruder during pellet extrusion, which contains at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of a water-soluble binder, preferably a cold water-soluble binder, which is formed from the aforementioned extruded modified starch modified by and / or during litter pellet extrusion, which at least partially solubilizes into one or both of a gel and / or a fluid adhesive when the pellets are wetted with an aqueous liquid, preferably urine, which is a cohesive agent that causes adjacent wet pellets to cohesive and adhere to each other to form a scoopable mass. In at least one such preferred embodiment, the non-aggregating litter particles 46 may be composed of one or more of the aforementioned non-aggregating materials, preferably consisting of, for example, calcium bentonite, crushed, for example, ground walnut shells, sand, paper granules, wood, cellulose particles or granules, or another of the aforementioned non-aggregating materials.

[0047] Within the scope of the low-tracking litter 40 of the present invention, it is also intended to use as an agglomerating material 44 containing an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, preferably an extruded starch-based agglomerating material 44, such as extruded agglomerated pellet powder, such as fine-sized extruded particles, and / or made from crushed extruded agglomerated pellets, which is applied to the outer surface of the base particles by coating or plating, as disclosed in jointly owned pending U.S. Application No. 18 / 372,677 filed September 25, 2023, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, thereby forming agglomerated particles 42 for use with or within the litter 40. The base particles can be agglomerative base particles, composed of agglomerating materials such as sodium bentonite; non-agglomerative base particles, composed of non-agglomerating materials such as calcium bentonite; non-absorbent base particles, composed of non-absorbent materials such as plastic, glass, rubber, or metal; absorbent base particles, composed of water-absorbing materials such as perlite or clay such as sodium bentonite and / or calcium bentonite; inorganic base particles, composed of inorganic materials such as inorganic materials; synthetic base particles, composed of synthetic materials such as polymer materials; and / or organic base particles, composed of organic materials such as organic materials, and are preferably coated with an extruded starch-based agglomerating material 44 to form agglomerated particles 42 having the particle size, particle size range, and / or particle size distribution disclosed elsewhere in this specification. In at least one preferred embodiment of a low tracking litter 40 made of agglomerated particles 42, which are formed by coating or plating such base particles with a starch-based agglomerating material 44 extruded onto them, the non-aggregated litter particles 46 of the litter 40 may be, preferably constitute, at least one of the aforementioned non-aggregated materials, for example, calcium bentonite granules, crushed, for example ground walnut shells, sand, perlite, paper granules, wood, cellulose particles or granules, or another particle of the aforementioned non-aggregated material, for example, granules.

[0048] Low tracking litter with a single cohesive and non-cohesive component

[0049] In one preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that the particle size of the largest agglomerating litter particles 42 is at least 40%, preferably at least 45%, more preferably at least about 50%, so that the low tracking litter 40 of the present invention has a desirablely low tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch, and / or the litter 40 has such a desirablely low tracking effectiveness. In one such embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that the size of the largest agglomerating litter particles 42 is between about 40% and about 60% of the size of the smallest non-agglomerating litter particles 46, so that the litter 40 has a desirablely low tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. Such litter formulations preferably form litter clumps configured to reduce shedding during scooping while cats are using the litter 40, the clumps having (a) a clump retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, and / or (b) a clump compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0050] Procedure for testing the compressive strength of a block of material

[0051] The following equipment was used to conduct tests on the bulk compressive strength of extruded granular absorbent material (litter).

[0052] (1) 15 mL centrifuge tube with screw-top cap, made of plastic.

[0053] (2) 3.0 mL disposable pipette, plastic

[0054] (3) Distilled water

[0055] (4) Force Gauge: Mark-10 Model M7-500 S / N 3674412

[0056] (5) Electric test stand: Model ESM303, Serial number 3979431

[0057] (6) Digital control panel: Mark-10 Model DC4060 S / N 3680222

[0058] (7) DREMEL handheld high-speed rotary power tool with deep cutting wheel

[0059] (8) Sample of extruded granular absorbent material (extruded pellet) to be moistened to form aggregates for compressive strength testing.

[0060] Using the above, the following methodology was employed to conduct tests on the bulk compressive strength of the extruded granular absorbent (litter):

[0061] (1) Cut the tapered end of a 15 mL test tube and remove any burrs.

[0062] (2) Screw the cap off the test tube and fill the tube with the sample material to be tested.

[0063] (3) Add distilled water to the sample material in the test tube (weight ratio 1:1) to moisten the sample material.

[0064] (4) Wait for 10 seconds

[0065] (5) Remove the cap from the test tube and use the spherical end (which fits snugly) of the plastic pipette to gently push out the "mold" mass formed from the moistened sample material from the test tube.

[0066] (6) Allow the cast ingot to dry for 5 days at ambient room temperature.

[0067] (7) Using a deep-cutting wheel mounted on a DREMEL high-speed rotary tool at a speed exceeding 10,000 RPM, cut the ingot into barrel-shaped sections with a thickness or length of approximately 0.5 inches.

[0068] (8) Measure the diameter and length of each barrel-shaped cast ingot.

[0069] (9) The barrel-shaped (cylindrical) cast ingot is placed in the center of the compression test stand platform, and the flat cut end of the barrel-shaped cast ingot is positioned up and down, and a compression test is performed using a force gauge.

[0070] (10) Using a compression rate of 0.5 inches / minute, measure the peak compressive strength of the barrel-shaped cast ingot cross section using a force gauge.

[0071] Test procedure for aggregation retention rate (clamp drop test)

[0072] The coagulation retention rate is determined by adding 10 ml of water to litter 40 to moisten pellets 42 and 46, thereby forming coagulated clumps in the litter. After waiting for a predetermined time (10 minutes in one test series, 30 minutes in another), the coagulated clumps are removed from the litter, weighed, and then dropped onto screen 10 from a height of 18 inches. The coagulated clumps remaining after dropping onto the screen are weighed, and the coagulation retention rate is obtained by multiplying the decimal result of dividing the weight of the coagulated clumps after dropping by the weight of the coagulated clumps before dropping by 100 to obtain the coagulation retention rate (expressed as a percentage), which is the percentage of remaining coagulated clumps.

[0073] In such a preferred embodiment, the smallest non-aggregating litter particles 46 of the litter 40 have a particle size of at least 3000 microns, preferably at least 3250 microns, and more preferably at least about 3350 microns, and the largest agglomerating litter particles 42 have a particle size of 2000 microns or less, preferably 1850 microns or less, and more preferably about 1700 microns or less. As indicated by the relationship defined by the aforementioned minimum percentage and / or percentage range in the preceding paragraph, this minimum limit for the size of the non-aggregating particles 46 and the maximum limit for the size of the agglomerating particles 42 are important to ensure that the maximum size of the agglomerating particles 42 is sufficiently small compared to the minimum size of the larger non-aggregating particles 46, so that when the litter 40 is poured into the litter box 50, substantially all of the smaller agglomerating particles 42 are distributed below the top surface 52 of the litter, preferably relatively uniformly, filling the gaps between the non-aggregating particles 46 that normally form channels through which urine flows downward from the surface 52. By ensuring that the agglomerating particles 42 are distributed below the upper surface 52 of the litter 40, and in particular by positioning them in the gaps between adjacent non-aggregating particles 46 that can form downward channels within the litter 40, the agglomerating particles 42 in the adjacent gaps below the surface 52 are rapidly moistened by the urine, swelling and blocking the gaps between adjacent non-aggregating particles 46 before the urine flows downward towards the bottom 56 of the litter box 50 through the channels defined by the gaps. As a result, the urine is trapped on or near the litter surface 52, rapidly activating the agglomerating material 44 in the agglomerating particles 42, and quickly forming expanding ball-shaped aggregates on or near the surface 52, consisting of the moistened agglomerating particles 42 and the non-aggregating particles 46 of the litter 40, which can be easily scooped up.

[0074] As a result of minimizing the amount of relatively small aggregated particles 42 that are positioned on and along the upper surface 52 of the litter 40, more optimal amounts of aggregated particles 42 are positioned below and between adjacent non-aggregated particles 46, which helps ensure that the litter 40 of the present invention is not only low tracking but also generates aggregates with an aggregate retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, minimizing, and preferably substantially preventing, shedding during aggregate removal. As a further consequence of minimizing the amount of relatively small aggregated particles 42 that are positioned on and along the upper surface 52 of the litter 40, and consequently more optimal amounts of aggregated particles 42 being positioned below and between adjacent non-aggregated particles 46, the low-tracking litter 40 of the present invention also generates aggregates that have an aggregate compressive strength of preferably at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch, minimizing, and preferably substantially preventing, shedding during aggregate removal.

[0075] In at least one of the preferred embodiments described above, the low-tracking litter 40 has aggregated particles 42 comprising (1) extruded starch-based aggregated pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) substrate particles coated or plated with an extruded starch-based aggregate material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, which absorb at least 5 times, preferably at least 6 times, the weight of the extruded starch-based aggregate material of the pellets or particles of urine or water, which are advantageous as they swell more rapidly when wet with urine to more quickly fill the gaps between adjacent non-aggregated particles 46, trapping urine on or near the top surface 52 of the litter 40, which more quickly activates the water-soluble binder of the extruded starch-based aggregate material of each wet pellet or particle, which are advantageous as they rapidly form litter aggregates on the top surface 52 of the litter 40. The use of aggregate particles 42 comprising (1) extruded starch aggregate pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) substrate particles coated or plated with an extruded starch aggregate material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, has the advantage of forming a clump that is less prone to shedding, and when tested according to the corresponding clump retention rate and clump compressive strength test procedures detailed below, the clump has a clump retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, and a clump compressive strength of at least 40 psi (pounds per square inch), preferably at least 60 psi, more preferably at least 100 psi, and even more preferably at least 200 psi, resulting in a harder, stronger, and non-cracking, crumbling, compression, or other shedding.

[0076] A preferred formulation of the low-tracking litter 40 according to the present invention may be further formulated such that the litter 40 is composed of a minimum size of agglomerating particles 42 in the range of about 4% to about 10% of the minimum size of non-agglomerating particles 46, thereby ensuring that the size of the minimum agglomerating particles 42 is sufficiently large compared to the minimum non-agglomerating particles 46, minimizing the number of agglomerating particles 42 adhering to the non-agglomerating particles 46 on the surface 50 of the litter 40, and advantageously resulting in even the minimum agglomerating particles 42 being distributed below the surface 50 of the litter. This also reduces tracking, resulting in the litter 40 having a tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. Such a preferred litter formulation forms clumps with a retention rate of preferably at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%, minimizing, and preferably substantially preventing, shedding during removal. Such preferred litter formulations can also form a lumpy with a lumpy compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch, and which is resistant to shedding, and preferably forms such a lumpy.

[0077] In such preferred litter formulations, the smallest agglomerated particles 42 preferably have a minimum particle size of at least 200 microns, preferably at least about 250 microns, to ensure that even the smallest agglomerated particles 42 are large enough to become dust or avoid becoming dust. In at least one such preferred litter formulation, the smallest agglomerated particles 42 may have a minimum particle size of at least about 500 microns. As described above, in such preferred formulations, the smallest non-agglomerated litter particles 46 of the litter 40 have a minimum particle size of at least 3000 microns, preferably at least 3250 microns, and more preferably at least about 3350 microns. The relationship between the smallest non-aggregated particles 46 and the smallest agglomerated particles 42, as defined by the aforementioned minimum percentage in the previous paragraph, is important to ensure that the smallest agglomerated particles 42 are not too small compared to the smallest of the larger non-aggregated particles 46, thereby ensuring that the smallest agglomerated particles 42 do not become dust or behave like dust, and that they are large enough to be distributed below the top surface 52 of the litter when the litter 40 is poured into the litter box 50, filling the gaps between the non-aggregated particles 46 and filling the gaps that would otherwise form channels through which urine would flow unrestricted downwards from the surface 52 of the litter. By ensuring that even the smallest clamping particles 42 are large enough to be distributed below the top surface 52 of the litter 40 when the litter 40 is poured into the litter box 50, filling the gaps that form downward channels between adjacent non-clamping particles 46, the number or amount of smaller clamping particles 42 that would be carried by or placed on the non-clamping particles 42 on the surface 52 of the litter 40 is minimized, thereby reducing, minimizing, and preferably substantially preventing tracking.By ensuring that even the smallest clamping particles 42 are distributed beneath the surface 52 of the litter and are large enough to fill the gaps between and beneath adjacent non-clamping particles 46, even the smallest clamping particles 42 are rapidly wetted and swelled by the urine of cats using the litter 40, filling the gaps between adjacent non-clamping particles 46, trapping urine on or near the surface 52 of the litter, and activating the clamping material 44 of the clamping particles 42 to rapidly form clamps on or near the surface 52.

[0078] In another preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that (a) the size of the largest agglomerating litter particles is at least 40%, preferably at least 45%, more preferably at least about 50%, smaller than the size of the smallest non-agglomerating litter particles, and (b) the size of the smallest agglomerating particles is between about 4% and about 10% of the size of the smallest non-agglomerating particles, thereby configuring the litter 40 to be the low-tracking litter of the present invention having a tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch, and also forming reduced-shed agglomeration clumps having a retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%. Such low-shed-shed agglomeration clumps can have, preferably have, a compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0079] In at least one of the preferred embodiments described above, the low-tracking litter 40 has aggregated particles 42 composed of (1) extruded starch-based aggregated pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded-modified starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) base particles coated or plated with an extruded starch-based aggregated material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded-modified starch-based water-soluble binder, which absorb at least 5 times, preferably at least 6 times, the weight of the extruded starch-based aggregated material of the pellets or particles of urine or water, which are advantageous as they swell more rapidly when wet with urine to more quickly fill the gaps between adjacent non-aggregated particles 46, trapping urine on or near the top surface 52 of the litter 40, more quickly activating the water-soluble binder of the extruded starch-based aggregated material of each wet pellet or particle, which are advantageous as they rapidly form litter aggregates on the top surface 52 of the litter 40. The use of agglomerated particles 42 comprising (1) extruded starch agglomerated pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) base particles coated or plated with an extruded starch agglomerated material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder, is advantageous in forming detachment-resistant agglomerated lumps that are harder, stronger, and do not crack, crumble, compress, or otherwise detach when scooped from the top surface 52 of litter 40. Such detachment-resistant lumps have a lump retention rate of preferably at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, and a lump compressive strength of at least 40 pounds / square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds / square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds / square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds / square inch.

[0080] In yet another preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that the particle size of the largest agglomerating particles 42 is between 30% and 50%, preferably between about 35% and about 45%, of the size of the largest non-agglomerating litter particles 46, so that even the largest agglomerating particles 42 are sufficiently smaller than the largest non-agglomerating particles 46, and the agglomerating particles 42 are distributed well below the surface 50 of the litter 40, between and below adjacent non-agglomerating particles 46, so that the agglomerating particles 42 are not picked up by a cat's paw stepping on the surface 50 of the litter 40 while the litter box 50 is in use. This ensures that the litter 40 has or is configured to have tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. This embodiment also preferably produces litter agglomerates having a retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%, which have advantageously reduced shedding properties. This embodiment can and preferably produces agglomerates having agglomerate compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch. The largest agglomerating particles have a size of 2000 microns or less, preferably 1800 microns or less, and more preferably about 1700 microns or less. The largest non-agglomerating particles 46 have a size of 5000 microns or less, preferably 4850 microns or less, and preferably about 4750 microns or less.

[0081] In yet another preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that the size of the smallest agglomerating particles 42 is between 4% and 15%, preferably between about 4% and about 10%, of the size of the largest non-agglomerating litter particles 46, to produce a low tracking litter 40 having a tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch, and / or the litter 40 is configured to have such tracking effectiveness. The largest non-agglomerating particles 46 have a size of 5000 microns or less, preferably 4850 microns or less, and more preferably about 4750 microns or less. Such litter 40 preferably forms a detachment-reducing clamp having a clamp retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%. These clamps may have a clamping compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0082] The smallest aggregated particles have a size of 200 microns or more, preferably 250 microns or more, and more preferably about 500 microns or more. The largest non-aggregated particles 46 have a size of 5000 microns or less, preferably 4850 microns or less, and more preferably about 4750 microns or less.

[0083] In yet another preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated such that (a) the particle size of the largest agglomerating particles 42 is between 30% and 50%, preferably between about 35% and about 45%, of the size of the largest non-agglomerating litter particles 46, and (b) the size of the smallest agglomerating particles 42 is between 4% and 15%, preferably between about 4% and about 10%, of the size of the largest non-agglomerating particles 46, so that the litter 40 is a low tracking litter with a tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. This embodiment also preferably produces low detachable litter aggregates with a retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%. The aggregate may have, and preferably has, a compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0084] In at least one of the preferred embodiments described above, the low-tracking litter 40 has aggregated particles 42 comprising (1) extruded starch-based aggregated pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) substrate particles coated or plated with an extruded starch-based aggregate material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder, which absorb at least 5 times, preferably at least 6 times, the weight of the extruded starch-based aggregate material of the pellets or particles of urine or water, and advantageously swell more rapidly when wet with urine to more quickly fill the gaps between adjacent non-aggregated particles 46, trapping urine on or near the top surface 52 of the litter 40, more quickly activating the water-soluble binder of the extruded starch-based aggregate material of each wet pellet or particle, and advantageously rapidly forming litter aggregates on the top surface 52 of the litter 40. The use of agglomerated particles 42 comprising (1) extruded starch-based agglomerated pellets containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder, and / or (2) base particles coated or plated with an extruded starch-based agglomerated material 44 containing at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15%, is advantageous in forming harder, stronger, and detach-resistant agglomerated masses that do not crack, crumble, compress, or otherwise detach when scooped out of the litter 40 with a litter scoop. Such detachment-resistant aggregates preferably have an aggregate retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, and an aggregate compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch, when subjected to aggregate retention tests and / or aggregate compressive strength tests according to the corresponding test procedures described in more detail herein.

[0085] At least one of the embodiments of the litter 40 described above can be formulated to contain, and is preferably formulated in, (a) at least 20%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least about 30%, and (b) 45% or less, preferably about 40% or less, of the weight of the litter. At least one of the embodiments of the litter 40 described above can be formulated to contain, and is preferably formulated in, (a) at least 20%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least about 30%, and (b) 80% or less, preferably 75% or less, more preferably about 70% or less, of the weight of the litter. In at least one preferred embodiment, the litter 40 is formulated to contain (a)(i) at least 20%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least about 30% of agglomerating litter particles 42, and (ii) 45% or less, preferably about 40% or less of agglomerating particles 42, and (b)(i) at least 20%, preferably at least 25%, more preferably at least about 30% of non-aggregating litter particles 46, and (ii) 80% or less, preferably 75% or less, more preferably about 70% or less of non-aggregating particles 46, relative to the weight of the litter.

[0086] In at least one of the embodiments of the litter 40 disclosed above, the larger non-aggregating litter particles 46 preferably have a particle size of at least 3000 microns, preferably at least 3250 microns, and more preferably at least about 3350 microns, and the smaller agglomerating litter particles 42 preferably have a particle size of 2000 microns or less, preferably 1850 microns or less, and more preferably about 1700 microns or less. In at least one embodiment, the smaller agglomerating litter particles 42 preferably have a particle size of at least 300 microns, preferably at least 400 microns, and more preferably at least about 500 microns.

[0087] In the aforementioned embodiments of the litter 40 disclosed above, at least one non-aggregating litter particle 46 preferably has a non-aggregating litter particle size distribution between 3,000 microns and about 5,000 microns, or has a non-aggregating particle size in the range of 3,000 microns to 5,000 microns. In the aforementioned embodiments, at least one aggregating litter particle 42 preferably has an aggregating litter particle size distribution between 200 microns and 2,000 microns, or has a particle size in the range of 200 microns to 2,000 microns. In at least one preferred litter formulation embodiment, (a) the aggregating particles 42 have a particle size distribution between 200 and 1,800 microns and / or have a particle size in the range of 200 to 1,800 microns, and (b) the non-aggregating particles 46 have a particle size distribution between 3,250 and 4,850 microns and / or have a particle size in the range of 3,250 to 4,850 microns.

[0088] In the aforementioned embodiments of the litter 40, at least one non-aggregating litter particle 46 preferably has a non-aggregating litter particle size distribution between about 3350 microns and about 4750 microns, or has a non-aggregating particle size in the range of about 3350 microns and about 4750 microns. In the aforementioned embodiments, at least one aggregating litter particle 42 preferably has an aggregating litter particle size distribution between about 250 microns and about 1700 microns, or has a particle size in the range of about 250 microns and about 1700 microns. In at least one preferred litter formulation embodiment, (a) the aggregating particles 42 have a particle size distribution between 250 and 1700 microns and / or have a particle size in the range of 250 and 1700 microns, and (b) the non-aggregating particles 46 have a particle size distribution between 3350 and 4750 microns and / or have a particle size in the range of 3350 and 4750 microns.

[0089] In a more preferred embodiment of the low-tracking litter 40 of the present invention, at least one of the litter 40 formulations comprises (a) at least several, preferably at least several pairs, i.e., at least three non-aggregated particles having a non-aggregated particle size range, and (b) at least several, preferably at least several pairs, i.e., at least three agglomerated particles having an agglomerated particle size range, wherein the ratio of the particle size of the non-aggregated particles 46 to the size of the agglomerated particles 42 is in the range of about 2:1 to about 14:1, thereby configuring the litter 40 to have a desirablely low litter tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. Such litter 40 also produces a detachable clamp that can preferably have a clamp retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, more preferably at least 97%, and can have a clamp compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0090] In one such preferred embodiment, the ratio of the smallest size non-aggregating particles 46 to the smallest size agglomerating particles 42 is in the range of about 7:1 to about 67:4 or about 16.75:1, for example, when the smallest size non-aggregating particles 46 are about 3350 microns and the smallest size agglomerating particles 42 vary between 200 microns and 500 microns. In another such preferred embodiment, the ratio of the largest size non-aggregating particles 46 to the largest size agglomerating particles is in the range of 19:6 to 19:8, for example, when the largest size non-aggregating particles 46 are about 4750 microns and the largest size agglomerating particles 42 vary between 1500 microns and 2000 microns.

[0091] Figure 2 shows another preferred but exemplary cohesive litter 40' that forms aggregate clumps when wet with urine, this cohesive litter 40' being composed of litter particles 42a, 42b, 46a, 46b of at least one non-cohesive material, the non-cohesive litter particles 46a, 46b having a particle size significantly larger than the particle size of the litter particles 42a, 42b of at least one cohesive material, and the cohesive litter 40' being configured to have very low litter particle tracking effectiveness, thereby producing low-tracking cohesive litter 42 according to the present invention. When tested according to the litter particle tracking effectiveness test described in more detail below, litter 40' preferably has a litter tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch, preferably 90 particles or less per square inch, and more preferably about 60 particles or less per square inch. The aggregates formed using litter 40' are configured to have or have an aggregate retention rate of at least 90%, preferably at least 95%, and more preferably at least 97%, thereby reducing shedding when removing aggregates formed of litter particles 42a, 42b, 46a, and 46b from litter 40' in the litter box. The aggregates using litter 40' are preferably configured to have or have an aggregate compressive strength of at least 40 pounds per square inch, preferably at least 60 pounds per square inch, more preferably at least 100 pounds per square inch, and even more preferably at least 200 pounds per square inch.

[0092] In the preferred low-tracking agglomerating litter embodiment shown in Figure 2, the litter 40' may (a) have a plurality of different non-aggregating litter particles 46a, 46b, each preferably composed of a different type of non-aggregating material, and each of the non-aggregating litter particles 46a, 46b may have a particle size that is different from each other, preferably falling within one of a plurality of different size ranges, and (b) may have a plurality of different agglomerating litter particles 42a, 42b, each preferably composed of a different type of agglomerating material, and each of the different agglomerating litter particles 42a, 42b may have a particle size that is different from each other, preferably falling within one of a plurality of different size ranges.

[0093] The present invention also relates to aggregated cat litter that minimizes litter tracking when a cat leaves the litter box, preferably minimizing the shedding of soiled litter from the clumps during removal, while ensuring the formed clumps are of high quality and simultaneously maximizing the absorbency of the litter particles.

[0094] Referring again to Figure 2, the cohesive litter 40' comprises cohesive litter particles 42a, 42b of at least one cohesive material, preferably several different cohesive materials 44a, 44b, and non-cohesive litter particles 46a, 46b of at least one non-cohesive material, preferably several different types of non-cohesive materials 48a, 48b. In one preferred embodiment, litter 40' may include a blend of non-cohesive calcium bentonite and cohesive sodium bentonite, and may include an extruded starch-containing cohesive material or another cohesive material that may contain it, which preferably swells when it absorbs urine and activates an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder cohesive agent. More preferably, the cohesive litter comprises a blend of non-cohesive calcium bentonite forming non-cohesive litter particles 46a of one type of cohesive material 48a, cohesive sodium bentonite forming cohesive particles 42a of one type of cohesive material 44a, and a swellable material which is an extruded product, for example, preferably a blend of high-pressure extruded grain, which preferably contains at least 5%, preferably at least 10%, more preferably at least 15% by weight of an extrusion-modified water-soluble binder flocculant to form cohesive litter particles 42b of another type of cohesive material 44b. The high-pressure extruded grain cohesive particles 42b are preferably in the form of extruded pellets, which are activated with water and swell when they absorb water. While at least partially dissolving, the extruded flocculated particles 42b swell upon rapidly absorbing the urine that wets the particles 42b, at least partially dissolving the extruded modified water-soluble binder flocculant in each wetted particle 42b, substantially simultaneously forming and / or releasing a flexible, fluid adhesive glue that conforms to any shape as it flows and gels, adhering, bonding, and / or preferably even binding to any other components in the litter 40', including adjacent litter particles 42a and / or 44, with which the fluid adhesive or glue comes into contact. These spheres of fluid adhesive or glue can be detached, preferably detached, by the urine flow, which advantageously fills, preferably occludes, downstream voids in the litter 40', rapidly increasing in viscosity to form a gel, which then solidifies to capture urine on or near the upper surface 52 of the litter above it.This also favorably causes aggregates of litter particles 42a, 42b and / or 46a to form on the upper part 52 of litter 40'.

[0095] This cat litter formulation differs significantly from conventional litter formulations in terms of particle size range and weight percentage of each component. More specifically, the non-aggregated particles 46a and / or 46b have a larger particle size and size range than conventional agglomerated litter, with larger particle sizes at each range boundary. The particle size range of this litter 40 or 40', the sizes of agglomerated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b and non-aggregated particles 46, 46a, and / or 46b may vary, as long as the agglomerated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b are sufficiently small compared to the significantly larger non-aggregated particles 46, 46a, and / or 46b, and the smaller agglomerated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b are substantially entirely located below the surface 52 of the litter 40 or 42' and are away from contact with the cat's paws stepping on the surface 52 of the litter during use of the litter 40 or 40'. The particle size range of the litter 40 or 40', the sizes of the agglutinated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b and the non-agglutinated particles 46, 46a, and / or 46b may vary, insofar as the agglutinated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b are sufficiently smaller than the sizes of the non-agglutinated particles 46, 46a, and / or 46b, and the smaller agglutinated particles 42, 42a, and / or 42b form a matrix that, when wetted with urine, produces agglutinations that are firm, have good aggregate integrity, and have a high aggregate retention rate of greater than 90%, preferably greater than 95%, and more preferably greater than 97%. This configuration makes the smaller agglomerating particles 42, 42a and / or 42b small enough to be contained within the voids of the much larger non-agglomerating particles 46, 46a and / or 46b, and the non-agglomerating particles 46, 46a and / or 46b large enough relative to the size of the much smaller agglomerating particles 42, 42a and / or 42b, allowing the agglomerating material containing the flocculant of the urine-soaked agglomerating particles 42, 42a and / or 42b to fill the channels formed by the voids between adjacent non-agglomerating particles 46, 46a and / or 46b.This prevents non-aggregating particles from preventing the agglomerating particles from forming a linking matrix generated by the release of a flocculant in the agglomerating material of the agglomerating particles 42, 42a and 42b, preferably the extruded agglomerating particle 42b, preferably a starch-based water-soluble binder modified by extrusion, which encapsulates both the agglomerating and non-aggregating particles 42 and / or 46 or 42a, 42b, 46a and / or 46b into a moist / moist ball-shaped mass. To facilitate this result, preferably there is no more than 10% overlap in particle size between the particles 42, 42a and / or 42b, 46, 46a and / or 46b of the agglomerating and non-aggregating materials 44 and 48 and / or 44a, 44b, 48a and / or 48b by weight. Most preferably, less than 5% of the particles 42, 42a, 42b, 46, 46a and / or 46b of the cohesive and non-cohesive materials 44 and 48 and / or 44a, 44b, 48a and / or 48b overlap in particle size.

[0096] In one embodiment of the present invention, all particle sizes of the non-aggregating particles are larger than the particle sizes of the agglomerating particles. As a result of this configuration, agglomeration occurs where smaller agglomerating particles fill the larger voids between and around the non-aggregating particles. Because the particle size distribution of the non-aggregating particles is different from that of the agglomerating particles, the agglomerating particles are small enough to fit into the voids formed between and around adjacent non-aggregating particles. When urine enters the litter box 50, this causes the flocculant of the agglomerating particles to swell immediately, preventing the urine from moving downward through the litter 40 or 40' to the bottom of the litter box 50. This flocculant from the urine-soaked agglomerating particles flows into the urine flow, blocking the holes and voids between and around the non-aggregating particles, preventing the urine flow from flowing downward and trapping the urine on or near the surface 52 of the litter 40 or 40', resulting in the formation of agglomerated clumps on top of the litter 40 or 40'.

[0097] With respect to Table 1 in Figure 5, the weight percentages of various agglomerating materials 44a and / or 44b, and the weight percentages of non-agglomerating materials 48a and / or 48b, are shown for six formulations of low tracking litter products formulated according to the present invention, where each formulation contains non-agglomerating particles 46a of non-agglomerating material 48 such as calcium bentonite 48, or non-agglomerating particles 46a of calcium bentonite 48a and The blend comprises about 70% by weight of non-aggregated particles 46b of aluminum shell 48b, and about 30% by weight of a blend of aggregated particles 42a of extruded starch-based material, such as lightweight natural grass / extruded grain 44b, consisting of aggregated particles 42a of an extruded material 44 such as sodium bentonite 44, or aggregated particles 42a of sodium bentonite 44a, and aggregated particles 42b of extruded starch-based material, such as lightweight natural grass / extruded grain 44b, which comprises at least 5%, preferably 10%, more preferably 15% of the pellet weight of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder flocculant 44b. In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, the non-aggregated pellets 46a and / or 46b and / or their non-aggregated materials 48a and / or 48b constitute about 60-70% by weight of the low tracking litter mixture, blend or formulation. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, non-aggregated particles 46 or 46a of calcium bentonite 48 or 48a constitute about 70-80% by weight of the low tracking litter mixture, blend or formulation, while in other embodiments, non-aggregated particles 46a and 46b consist of about 30-40% by weight of calcium bentonite 48a and about 30-40% by weight of walnut shells 48b, respectively. In a particular embodiment, the aggregated particles 42a and 42b consist of about 10-15% by weight of sodium bentonite 44a and about 10-15% by weight of extruded grains, while in other embodiments, the agglomerating material is about 5-15% by weight of sodium bentonite and about 15-25% by weight of extruded grains 44b, preferably an extruded starch-based material consisting of an extruded modified starch-based water-soluble binder flocculant in an amount of at least 5%, preferably 10%, and more preferably 15% of the pellet weight.In yet another embodiment, the agglomerated particles may also include or consist of guar gum plated onto base particles, such as non-aggregating and / or non-absorbent particles, by the method described above, and have a particle size or group of particle sizes smaller than the non-aggregating particles 46a and / or 46b used in litter 40 or 40'. The specific particle size distributions of these agglomerated particles and agglomerating materials, as well as these non-aggregating particles and the non-aggregating particles of low-tracking litter product test numbers 1 to 6, are included in Table 2 of Figure 6. The particle size distributions of the agglomerated and non-aggregating particles of each formulation test number 1 to 6 of the present invention are such that the low-tracking litter 40 or 40' of the present invention is formulated such that about 70% or more of the surface area of ​​the upper surface 52 of the litter 40 or 40' in the litter box 50 is exposed to the paws of cats using the litter, and consists of non-aggregating particles 46a and / or 46b having a particle size larger than 1700 microns, which are too large to adhere to the cat's paws and be tracked from the litter 40 or 40' outside the litter box 50.

[0098] While functioning as an effective cohesive litter, this litter formulation has the additional advantage of being lighter than conventional cohesive litter. For example, cohesive particles 42b, which are composed of or preferably composed of high-pressure extruded grain granules containing at least 5%, preferably 10%, and more preferably 15% of the pellet weight of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder cohesive agent 44b, have a bulk density of about 1 / 5 of the sodium bentonite 44a used in cohesive particles 42a and 1 / 3 of the bulk density of the non-cohesive materials 48, 48a, and / or 48b used in non-cohesive particles 46, 46a, and / or 46b. Therefore, by increasing the proportion of non-aggregating particles 46 or 46a of calcium bentonite 48 or 48a, the weight of litter 40 or 40' is reduced compared to conventional agglomerating cat litter with a higher proportion of sodium bentonite litter particles. This is achieved by using an extruded starch-based material containing cohesive particles 42 or 42a made from high-pressure extruded grain granules, a starch-based water-soluble binder cohesive agent 44b modified by extrusion in an amount of at least 5%, preferably 10%, more preferably 15% of the pellet weight, and a calcium bentonite litter.

[0099] Despite the lightweight nature of the low-tracking litter test formulations 1-7, each formulation yields good quality agglomerates, as reflected in the drop test results for each test formulation number, shown in Table 3 of Figure 7. As shown, for each litter formulation test number of the present invention, two agglomerates were formed and weighed. Subsequently, agglomerate drop tests were performed at 10-minute and 30-minute intervals, after which the agglomerates were weighed again and compared to their weight before dropping. The agglomerate retention rate was then calculated. These results are comparable to those of existing commercially available agglomerating litters, which are considerably heavier than low-tracking formulations 1-7 produced according to the present invention.

[0100] Furthermore, as shown in Table 4 of Figure 8, each of the six low-tracking litter formulation test numbers exhibited superior tracking characteristics, embodied by the respective litter particle tracking effectiveness values ​​in Table 4. These values ​​were significantly lower, typically half, compared to several commercially available conventional cohesive litters similarly listed in Table 4. This is because the cohesive and non-cohesive particles, as well as the size and type of materials, used to produce the blends of formulation test numbers 1–6 were selected to maximize the amount of voids filling around the larger calcium bentonite particles 46a. Such low-tracking litter formulations, with voids filling around the calcium bentonite particles 46a, result in reduced migration of all litter particles 42a, 42b, 46a, and / or 46b. In other words, such a low-tracking formulation achieves this by minimizing the amount of deflection of particles 42b, 46a and / or 46b when a cat steps onto the surface 52 of litter 40 or 40' in the litter box 50, thereby minimizing the amount of tracking of particles 42a, 42b, 46a and / or 46b from the box 50.

[0101] The moisture content of a cat's paw pads can also affect the amount of tracking. Wet paw pads are more likely to track aggregated particles 42a and / or 42b, composed of aggregated materials 44a and / or 44b, out of the litter box 50. Therefore, the amount of tracking of litter particles 42a, 42b, 46a and / or 46b from the litter box 50 can be further reduced by increasing the weight percentage of non-aggregated materials 46a and / or 46b, such as calcium bentonite 46a and / or walnut shells 46b. Furthermore, static charge, which is common because cat hair often generates an electric charge, can also affect the amount of tracking. Since calcium bentonite 48a and walnut shells 48b are favorably non-electric, particles 46a and / or 46b of these non-aggregated materials 48a and / or 48b generally do not adhere to cat hair based on the charge of the hair. As shown in the data in Table 4 of Figure 8, all six low-tracking litter test formulations prepared according to the present invention have fewer particles present on the pad compared to commercially available conventional litter blends. Typically, they track less than half the number of litter particles as these commercially available conventional litter blends.

[0102] Furthermore, while the foregoing description and drawings detail and illustrate one or more preferred embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that this disclosure also suggests various modifications, configurations, and alternatives, as well as different embodiments and uses, all of which are intended to fall within the scope of the present invention, for those skilled in the art to which the present invention relates. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. Low-tracking solidification litter consisting of a mixture of solidifying litter particles made from a solidifying material and non-solidifying litter particles.

2. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 1, wherein the non-coagulating particles have a particle diameter larger than the particle diameter of the coagulating particles.

3. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 2, wherein the low-tracking litter has litter particle tracking effectiveness of 100 particles or less per square inch.

4. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 3, wherein the low-tracking litter has litter particle tracking effectiveness of about 90 particles or less per square inch.

5. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 3, wherein the low-tracking litter has litter particle tracking effectiveness of about 100 particles or less per square inch attached to the outer litter particle capture surface of a low-tracking litter particle capture pad that is in contact with the low-tracking litter.

6. The low-tracking litter particle capture pad comprises a fibrous pad attached to a backing layer and at least a handle for supporting the fibrous pad, wherein the outer litter particle capture surface of the fibrous pad is pressed against and removed from the upper surface of the low-tracking litter contained in the litter box, and the number of non-coagulated and coagulated litter particles held on the fibrous outer surface of the pad is counted, as described in claim 5.

7. The low-tracking coagulated litter according to claim 6, wherein, in order to obtain the litter particle tracking effectiveness of the low-tracking litter, the number of non-coagulated litter and coagulated litter particles held on the fibrous outer surface of the pad is removed and counted therefrom.

8. The low tracking solidification litter according to claim 2, wherein the non-solidifying particles have a non-solidifying particle size range consisting of non-solidifying particles having a plurality of particle sizes, and the solidifying particles have a solidifying particle size range consisting of solidifying particles having a plurality of particle sizes smaller than the particle size of the non-solidifying particles in the non-solidifying particle size range.

9. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 2, wherein the non-solidifying particles have a non-solidifying particle size range consisting of non-solidifying particles having a plurality of particle sizes, the solidifying particles have a solidifying particle size range consisting of solidifying particles having a plurality of particle sizes smaller than the particle sizes of the non-solidifying particles in the non-solidifying particle size range, and the solidifying litter has an upper surface consisting of larger non-solidifying particles, and the smaller solidifying particles are arranged below the upper surface of the solidifying litter.

10. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 9, wherein the solidifying litter is further configured to comprise a packing arrangement comprising (a) a plurality of pairs of non-solidifying litter particles defining a plurality of pairs of voids between adjacent non-solidifying litter particles, and (b) a plurality of pairs of solidifying litter particles, and (b) a plurality of pairs of solidifying particles arranged in the voids between adjacent non-solidifying particles in each of the adjacent layers of non-solidifying particles.

11. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 10, wherein the ratio of the lower limit of the non-solidifying particle size range to the lower limit of the solidifying particle size boundary is about 2:1 or more, and the ratio of the upper limit of the non-solidifying particle size range to the upper limit of the solidifying particle size range is about 14:1 or less.

12. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 10, wherein the ratio of the particle size of the non-coagulating particles to the particle size of the coagulating particles is in the range of 2:1 and 14:

1.

13. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 1, wherein the solidifying particles are composed of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder containing a solidifying material, and the non-solidifying particles are composed of one of calcium bentonite and crushed walnut shells.

14. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 1, wherein the solidifying particles are composed of one of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder containing a solidifying material and sodium bentonite, and the non-solidifying particles are composed of one of calcium bentonite and crushed walnut shells.

15. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 1, comprising coagulation particles composed of an extruded starch-based water-soluble binder containing a coagulation material, coagulation particles composed of sodium bentonite, and non-coagulation particles composed of calcium bentonite.

16. Furthermore, the low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 15 comprises non-coagulating particles composed of crushed walnut shells.

17. At least a plurality of non-coagulable particles have a particle size that falls within the non-coagulable particle size range defined by the lower boundary non-coagulable particle size and the upper boundary non-coagulable particle size, and at least a plurality of coagulable particles have a particle size that falls within the coagulable particle size range defined by the lower boundary coagulable particle size and the upper boundary coagulable particle size; The ratio of non-coagulable particle size to coagulable particle size ranges from approximately 2:1 for non-coagulable and coagulable particles having particle sizes at the respective lower limits of the corresponding non-coagulable and coagulable particle size ranges to approximately 14:1 for non-coagulable and coagulable particles having particle sizes at the respective upper limits of the corresponding non-coagulable and coagulable particle size ranges; and The low tracking litter effectiveness is such that the number of particles adhering to the low tracking litter pickup pad that comes into contact with the low tracking litter is 100 or less per square inch. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 1.

18. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 17, wherein the low-tracking litter has a litter particle tracking effectiveness of about 90 or fewer litter particles per square inch.

19. The low-tracking solidifying litter according to claim 17, wherein the solidifying particles are composed of an extruded starch-based, water-soluble binder-containing solidifying material, and the non-solidifying particles are composed of one of calcium bentonite and crushed walnut shells.

20. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 17, comprising coagulation particles composed of extruded starch-based water-soluble binder-containing coagulation material, coagulation particles composed of sodium bentonite, and non-coagulation particles composed of either calcium bentonite or crushed walnut shells.

21. The low-tracking coagulation litter according to claim 20, comprising non-coagulating particles composed of calcium bentonite and non-coagulating particles composed of crushed walnut shells.

22. Approximately 70% by weight of non-solidifying clay material, Approximately 30% by weight of solidifying material and A low-tracking coagulation litter composed of, The litter is a low-tracking, coagulating litter that forms a removable mass when urine is applied.

23. The lightweight solidifying granular litter according to claim 33, wherein the solidifying material comprises one or more of sodium bentonite clay and cellulosic materials.

24. The lightweight, coagulating granular litter according to claim 23, wherein the cellulose-based material is high-pressure extruded grain.

25. The lightweight solidifying granular litter according to claim 24, wherein the non-solidifying clay material is calcium bentonite clay.

26. The lightweight, solidifiable granular litter according to claim 25, wherein the high-pressure extruded grain has a lower bulk density than the sodium bentonite clay and the calcium bentonite clay.

27. The lightweight coagulating granular litter according to claim 25, wherein the sodium bentonite clay particles and the high-pressure extruded grains swell and adhere to the calcium bentonite particles when urine is applied to them.

28. The lightweight solidifying granular litter according to claim 25, wherein the average particle size of the calcium bentonite clay is larger than the average particle size of the sodium bentonite clay and the high-pressure extruded grain.

29. The lightweight solidifying granular litter according to claim 28, wherein the particle size distribution of the litter minimizes the amount of the non-solidifying clay material and solidifying material carried out of the toilet container.

30. The lightweight solidifiable granular litter according to claim 22, wherein the solidifiable material particles are between approximately 250 microns and approximately 1680 microns.

31. The lightweight solidifiable granular litter according to claim 22, wherein the solidifiable material particles are between approximately 250 microns and approximately 500 microns.

32. The lightweight solidifiable granular litter according to claim 22, wherein the non-solidifiable material particles are between approximately 1680 microns and approximately 4760 microns.

33. The lightweight solidifiable granular litter according to claim 1, wherein the solidifiable particles have a particle size between approximately 250 microns and approximately 1680 microns.

34. The lightweight solidifiable granular litter according to claim 1, wherein the solidifiable particles have a particle size between approximately 500 microns and approximately 1680 microns.

35. The lightweight coagulating granular litter according to claim 1, wherein the non-coagulating particles have a particle size in the range of about 1680 microns and about 4760 microns.

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