1 00:00:01,320 --> 00:00:04,240 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class, a production 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: of iHeartRadio. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Holly 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:18,919 Speaker 1: Frye and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. Tracy, you're a pet person. 4 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,680 Speaker 1: Uh huh. Many of our listeners are pet people. We 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: know because they set us pictures of their adorable animals. 6 00:00:26,680 --> 00:00:29,120 Speaker 1: So if you step into any pet store today, you're 7 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: kind of inundated with so many clever products to make 8 00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: caring for your animals easier or to improve their well being. 9 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: But this is actually a pretty new industry. The idea 10 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:43,840 Speaker 1: of a pet store didn't really exist until the late 11 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:47,400 Speaker 1: nineteenth century, and that was when Victorian England started to 12 00:00:47,400 --> 00:00:50,479 Speaker 1: be more and more interested in keeping animals in the 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: home instead of as livestock were like an outdoor collection. 14 00:00:55,280 --> 00:00:59,720 Speaker 1: And then from there this idea of companionship pets as 15 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: sort of something to be acquired spread to the US 16 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,160 Speaker 1: and the rest of the world. But even so, those 17 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 1: early shops were really about selling the pets themselves, with 18 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: a few care products like that you would need to 19 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: support that thing to live. So the idea of a 20 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: store filled to the brim with merchandise that's engineered expressly 21 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: for use with pets did not really happen until the 22 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,039 Speaker 1: mid twentieth century, and perhaps the most well known story 23 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 1: of an invention intended to help pet lovers and make 24 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 1: their lives easier is kitty litter. This one has some 25 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: problems in modern thinking that we will talk about, but 26 00:01:38,480 --> 00:01:41,200 Speaker 1: kitty litter, it could be argued, was what kicked off 27 00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: an entire new industry. So today we are going to 28 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: talk about the origin of cat litter, as well as 29 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: other products that many of us probably have in our 30 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: homes right now. And we're going to start by talking 31 00:01:52,640 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 1: about the man who is credited with the invention of 32 00:01:55,000 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 1: kitty litter, and that is Ed low So Henry Edward Lowe, 33 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: who who went by ED, was born on July tenth, 34 00:02:02,840 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty in Saint Paul, Minnesota. When he was still young, 35 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: his family moved to Marcellus, Michigan. Ed was not a 36 00:02:11,800 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: good student. He'd had to repeat the fourth grade. He 37 00:02:15,160 --> 00:02:18,320 Speaker 1: later attributed this to not being interested in his coursework. 38 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: Ed's father was a serial entrepreneur. That's seer ial. In 39 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,720 Speaker 1: case you think we're about to talk about breakfast food. 40 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,280 Speaker 1: ED learned to value the idea of figuring out ways 41 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: to make money for yourself rather than working for someone else. 42 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: This was something that Ed embraced early on as a 43 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 1: way to have money for his own purchases, and so 44 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:43,000 Speaker 1: he found all kinds of ways to generate an income, 45 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:48,920 Speaker 1: including newspaper delivery, scrap, metal sales, and pest control. And 46 00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: then as he got older, he worked in his father's businesses. 47 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: As a young man, Ed served in the Navy during 48 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,920 Speaker 1: World War II, and when the war ended, he returned 49 00:02:57,919 --> 00:03:01,040 Speaker 1: to Michigan and started working at his father's company in 50 00:03:01,080 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: the town of Cassopolis. This was a business that sold 51 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: sawdust and wood shavings for a variety of industrial absorbency uses, 52 00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:13,880 Speaker 1: so things like absorbing oils, spills, and machine shops, et cetera. 53 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: There are multiple versions of the story of how he 54 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:22,360 Speaker 1: invented kitty litter. According to the most common one, cold 55 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,399 Speaker 1: January day in nineteen forty seven, twenty seven year old 56 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:29,360 Speaker 1: Lowe was working at his father's shop and a woman 57 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: named Kay Draper came in. She had an indoor cat, 58 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: but according to this story, the sand filled litter box 59 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,760 Speaker 1: she used for this cat had frozen. She hoped to 60 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: purchase some sawdust from low to use as a litter 61 00:03:44,480 --> 00:03:48,200 Speaker 1: box substrate. Okay, if you're like me, the frozen sand 62 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:52,120 Speaker 1: story immediately brings up questions, But there may be an 63 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,360 Speaker 1: answer if we look at the state of litter boxes 64 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 1: at the time. One a lot of people were not 65 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: yet keeping their cats indoors with the litter box, so 66 00:03:59,320 --> 00:04:02,760 Speaker 1: it was kind of a new thing. Using plain sand 67 00:04:02,920 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 1: and sawdust was pretty standard at this point for those 68 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: rare houses where people did keep their cats inside, So 69 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:13,160 Speaker 1: none of those substrates were clumping. So a box that 70 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:18,360 Speaker 1: used sand or sawdust could potentially retain liquid and freeze 71 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: if it were in a cold enough spot. It is 72 00:04:20,880 --> 00:04:23,440 Speaker 1: very possible if it were kept somewhere like a garage 73 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: or a utility room, that it could easily get cold 74 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:30,279 Speaker 1: enough in Michigan in winter to freeze. In any case, 75 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 1: Lowe later claimed that he had a bolt of inspiration 76 00:04:34,279 --> 00:04:37,640 Speaker 1: in the face of Draper's dilemma. For a long time, 77 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,040 Speaker 1: his father had offered bags of sawdust for soaking up 78 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:45,279 Speaker 1: oil spills in places like mechanics garages, but the company 79 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,599 Speaker 1: had just introduced another material that did the job better, 80 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:52,200 Speaker 1: and that was granulated clay. This was clay that had 81 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,719 Speaker 1: been dried in a kill to the point that it 82 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 1: would crumble, and with all the moisture removed from the 83 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: naturally porous clay, it became really absorbent. This was great 84 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: at handling oil, so Ed thought that it might also 85 00:05:05,040 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: work for k Draper's cat. She took a bag of 86 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: it and went home. Then, according to this version, a 87 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,680 Speaker 1: week later, Draper was back asking for more of that clay. 88 00:05:16,200 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: She found that it worked way better than sand or 89 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,800 Speaker 1: wood shavings, and she wanted to switch her cat over 90 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: to it completely, so Low sold her another bag, and 91 00:05:25,560 --> 00:05:29,040 Speaker 1: then he decided to try selling more bags to see 92 00:05:29,080 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: if other people liked it. He loaded up ten sacks 93 00:05:32,440 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: with the granulated clay labeled them. Sometimes this is written 94 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,120 Speaker 1: as or described as him using like one of those 95 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,840 Speaker 1: oil crayons that get used for marking things in shops 96 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: and labeling it as kitty litter. And then he tried 97 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:49,160 Speaker 1: to get a local pet store to carry these bags, 98 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:52,440 Speaker 1: and the store was not interested, so Low asked if 99 00:05:52,480 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: maybe they would be willing to give them away to 100 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: customers to try, and those ten customers were the start 101 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: of his new business. Uh I didn't find any claims 102 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:03,640 Speaker 1: as to the number of how many of that ten 103 00:06:03,760 --> 00:06:06,039 Speaker 1: returned to the store asking more of the clay litter. 104 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,560 Speaker 1: But according to a story that Low told many times, 105 00:06:09,720 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: enough of them wanted more that he figured out how 106 00:06:12,279 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: to launch a division of the family business around it. 107 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,679 Speaker 1: Another story came up in a newspaper from nineteen fifty five. 108 00:06:20,520 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: That article, published in the Kalamazoo Gazette, was all about 109 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:28,039 Speaker 1: how low had expanded his business beyond cat litter. But 110 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,320 Speaker 1: that article also includes this excerpt, which makes it sound 111 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 1: like a lot less of a scrabbly spur of the 112 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:38,960 Speaker 1: moment idea quote. Lowe's kitty catering all started because some 113 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: friend of his wife's asked him to crawl under the 114 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 1: front porch in the dead of winter and get sand 115 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:48,320 Speaker 1: for her beloved cat's box. I got it, but I 116 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: did a lot of thinking afterward. I knew there must 117 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: be a better product than sand for that job. There was. 118 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:58,240 Speaker 1: It was a clay once used to filter impurities out 119 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 1: of petroleum products. Low and his chief assistance, Tony Friesel 120 00:07:03,040 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: and Bob Bollett started bagging it by hand. We called 121 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: it kitty litter at the time. We had to almost 122 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: give it away. Now there is a big demand we 123 00:07:12,400 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: have about ten men strip mining the stuff for us 124 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:19,680 Speaker 1: near Perry, Tennessee, and it's all packaged automatically. I'm not 125 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:22,520 Speaker 1: sure if that's really supposed to be Paris, Tennessee, where 126 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:26,240 Speaker 1: there is some mining in the area. But Perry is 127 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 1: what it says in the article. Yes. In a nineteen 128 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: eighty five version of the story that appeared in the 129 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: La Times, the details were once again a little different. 130 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: This one stated quote in nineteen forty seven, a neighbor 131 00:07:39,240 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: asked him for a cat box filler. She had been 132 00:07:41,960 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: piling ashes in her cat box and was tired of 133 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,200 Speaker 1: a house full of sooty paw prints. She asked for sand. 134 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: He suggested the absorbent clay quote more to get rid 135 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: of her than anything else. So that sounds very different. 136 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: But from there his story was its more or less 137 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: the same as the one in which he said he 138 00:08:02,680 --> 00:08:05,120 Speaker 1: labeled the ten bags of clay himself and took them 139 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: to a pet store. Then one more story, which appeared 140 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:13,080 Speaker 1: in the Washington Post in twenty fifteen. That version states, quote, 141 00:08:13,120 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: one day in nineteen forty seven, his father received a 142 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 1: sample shipment of a new clay product, but he was 143 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:22,679 Speaker 1: already loyal to a different brand, He would have nothing 144 00:08:22,720 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 1: to do with this order of clay and left it 145 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 1: in their storage garage. It sat around until one of 146 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: Edlow's acquaintances, Kay Draper, asked him if he knew of 147 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: any good absorbents for pet waste. So, according to this version, 148 00:08:36,320 --> 00:08:39,040 Speaker 1: the problem was not a frozen box of sand or 149 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:42,560 Speaker 1: ash footprints. It was silica dust because Draper's cat was 150 00:08:42,720 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: tracking the dust all around the house, and Lowe suggested 151 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:48,319 Speaker 1: that she could use the fuller's earth that his dad 152 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: had not been interested in using. So, regardless of which 153 00:08:52,640 --> 00:08:55,840 Speaker 1: of these stories is accurate, and it's possible none of 154 00:08:55,840 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: them is actually how Low's invention happened, Kitty Litters start 155 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: did not last long. Ed started driving around with stock, 156 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,160 Speaker 1: taking it to pet stores and attending cat shows as 157 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: an exhibitor, and then over the course of several years, 158 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: his business grew to the point where he actually needed 159 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:17,560 Speaker 1: a warehouse in a distribution process as a wholesaler. He 160 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: acquired that warehouse from his father's company. In a nineteen 161 00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: forty nine write up in the Delaware County Daily. There's 162 00:09:24,880 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: an interesting writeup that cites another man that we mentioned earlier, 163 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 1: Robert Follett, who I think was called Bob in the 164 00:09:31,760 --> 00:09:34,480 Speaker 1: article that Tracy mentioned just a moment ago, and this 165 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 1: article mentions him as being Lowe's partner. The men are 166 00:09:38,160 --> 00:09:41,120 Speaker 1: listed together in that nineteen forty nine write up as 167 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:45,640 Speaker 1: originators of kitty litter. It's a bit unclear what happened 168 00:09:45,679 --> 00:09:48,439 Speaker 1: to that relationship, but the two gave a joint statement 169 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: to the paper at that time saying quote, all we 170 00:09:51,280 --> 00:09:55,199 Speaker 1: need is good business, science, write, promotion, and the cooperation 171 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,640 Speaker 1: of a few million cats. The cats definitely seemed to cooperate. 172 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,679 Speaker 1: Kitty litter was available in supermarkets by nineteen fifty four 173 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: by the time that nineteen fifty five article that we 174 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,480 Speaker 1: cited earlier was written, so just a little more than 175 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,520 Speaker 1: eight years after its invention, kitty litter sales were expected 176 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: to top one point five million dollars. Even so, it 177 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:21,520 Speaker 1: was still a new enough product that ads continued to 178 00:10:21,679 --> 00:10:26,120 Speaker 1: explain what it was. One in nineteen fifty five stated quote, 179 00:10:26,240 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: kitty litter is a specially produced material which provides a 180 00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: new and better solution to a problem confronted by owners 181 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,559 Speaker 1: of cats. In short, it does away with the daily, unpleasant, 182 00:10:37,720 --> 00:10:42,360 Speaker 1: messy sandbox routine. Unlike sand, it dries and deodorizes, and 183 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: unlike sand, it is not harmful too or pets, and 184 00:10:45,800 --> 00:10:50,079 Speaker 1: it's inexpensive. Lo soon recognized that if people were willing 185 00:10:50,120 --> 00:10:53,080 Speaker 1: to spend money for kitty litter, they were probably willing 186 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: to spend money on other items for their cats. And 187 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,000 Speaker 1: we'll talk about how he expanded his business based on 188 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:11,440 Speaker 1: that idea after we pause for a sponsor break. In 189 00:11:11,480 --> 00:11:15,760 Speaker 1: the mid twentieth century, cats were not generally pampered in 190 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 1: the ways that are very commonplace today. Once cat later 191 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:22,880 Speaker 1: caught on quote, we made a list of every conceivable 192 00:11:22,920 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: item a well groomed cat could use and rated them 193 00:11:25,920 --> 00:11:29,079 Speaker 1: as to importance. We keep our cats at the local 194 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: veterinarians and test each product on them first to determine acceptance. 195 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:38,920 Speaker 1: Lowe also cited one particular cat as the true determiner 196 00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: of whether a product moved forward from testing to production. 197 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: Though there was a group of cats cared for by 198 00:11:45,920 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: a veterinarian, there was also a cat at the low offices. 199 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: Those offices were run out of a home that had 200 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:55,520 Speaker 1: been converted to business use, and that cat, a red 201 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: Point Siamese named Impi, got to test and approve a 202 00:11:59,640 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: lot of the innovations that are probably in your home 203 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:06,080 Speaker 1: if you have a cat. Mp tried out cat toys, catnips, 204 00:12:06,120 --> 00:12:10,160 Speaker 1: scratching posts and cardboard scratch pads, and other potential products. 205 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 1: By the mid nineteen fifties, thanks to IMPI's hard work 206 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:17,040 Speaker 1: as a tester, Low had introduced his own dry shampoo 207 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,160 Speaker 1: for cats, flea powder disposal trays, and something called a 208 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,760 Speaker 1: kitty castle, which was not a multi tiered cat condo 209 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: like the name seems like it might be. It was 210 00:12:27,679 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: a small, cozy, decorated box for a cat to curl 211 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,320 Speaker 1: up in. All of this was apparently in line with 212 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: Low's own adoration of cats. A reporter in nineteen fifty 213 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:41,000 Speaker 1: five claimed to have been riding in a car with 214 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: Low when a stray cat wandered in front of the vehicle, 215 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,440 Speaker 1: and said that quote Low came to a quick halt, 216 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,679 Speaker 1: hopped out, and escorted the feline across the road. By 217 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty five, sales of kitty litter and cat accessories 218 00:12:54,200 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: through Low's company hit one hundred million dollars. At that time, 219 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: his Low's branded kitting litter had twelve point six percent 220 00:13:02,360 --> 00:13:06,080 Speaker 1: of the market share. Tidycat had surged passed it to 221 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 1: twenty two point five percent, but that still put ed 222 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:13,559 Speaker 1: Low on top. Because he also invented Tidycat, it was 223 00:13:13,640 --> 00:13:17,079 Speaker 1: launched as a supermarket brand, while he kept Kitty Litter 224 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,360 Speaker 1: as a brand for specialty pet stores. But he was 225 00:13:20,400 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: also willing to spend money on research and promotion. He 226 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: started spending a reported four million dollars each year in 227 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: research and development alone. That budget was used to both 228 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: develop new products and refine the cat litters that the 229 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: company already sold from the time competitors entered the market 230 00:13:39,200 --> 00:13:42,839 Speaker 1: with their own versions of kitty Litter, Ed worked diligently 231 00:13:42,920 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: to make sure his outperformed any others. This included building 232 00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: a research facility that employed a full team to test 233 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:55,240 Speaker 1: litter for oder management, absorbency, and weight. He also built 234 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:57,880 Speaker 1: a cattery with a full time population of one hundred 235 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: and twenty cats to use all of the products while 236 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:03,520 Speaker 1: they were monitored and cared for by a team of 237 00:14:03,600 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: veterinarians and behavioral researchers. In that La Times article we 238 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:12,000 Speaker 1: cited already, Ed stated that all of his expenditures and 239 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: the expansion of his product line were parts of a 240 00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: long term business plan with massive goal stating quote Low's 241 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:23,360 Speaker 1: will not be sold. Low's will go on forever. Low's 242 00:14:23,440 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: will become a billion dollar company. We know that we 243 00:14:26,760 --> 00:14:32,000 Speaker 1: can't become a billion dollar company as a cat box filler. Surprisingly, 244 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:36,200 Speaker 1: five years later, he sold the company. On September thirteenth, 245 00:14:36,320 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety, the New York Times ran a brief statement 246 00:14:39,280 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 1: about the company changing hands, which read quote Edward Lowe Industries, 247 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:47,440 Speaker 1: the maker of kitty litter catbox Filler, agreed to sell 248 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: its marketing and manufacturing operations to an investment group. Terms 249 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,640 Speaker 1: of the sale were not disclosed. The buyer is a 250 00:14:54,680 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 1: group led by the Good Capital Company of New York 251 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: and night Spreads Incorporated of Chicago. Philip L. Smith, the 252 00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: former chairman and chief executive at Pillsbury and General Foods, 253 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:08,600 Speaker 1: will become chairman of the new company, which will be 254 00:15:08,680 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: known as the Golden Cat Corporation. Edward Lowe, who invented 255 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: kitty Litter in the nineteen forties, said he would retire 256 00:15:15,560 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: from day to day operations, but retain an equity interest 257 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: and be a director of Golden Cat. Later on, it 258 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: was revealed that Lowe had sold the company for two 259 00:15:25,720 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: hundred million dollars plus stock in the new company. It 260 00:15:29,760 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: was eventually acquired by Ralston Purina before being purchased again 261 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:38,560 Speaker 1: by Nesley. Preceding the nineteen ninety sale of the company. 262 00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: It seems as though Edlow's personal life got a little 263 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,960 Speaker 1: bit complicated. The year before his interview in which he 264 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:47,560 Speaker 1: said he would never sell the company, he and his 265 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:51,680 Speaker 1: children had a massive falling out. He had four kids, 266 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: and all of them plus three of their spouses, had 267 00:15:54,200 --> 00:15:57,240 Speaker 1: been working for the company for some time, and in 268 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: the early nineteen eighties they started to claim that his 269 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:05,040 Speaker 1: behavior had become erratic. Low grew up poor, and once 270 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,400 Speaker 1: he was successful, he beat up for lost time by 271 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: spending his money as he wished, sometimes on relatively impractical 272 00:16:11,600 --> 00:16:14,240 Speaker 1: things like at one point he bought an entire town. 273 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,560 Speaker 1: But his kids claimed that he had become more than 274 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:21,560 Speaker 1: just impulsive, and they attributed the behavior to alcohol misuse. 275 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: Low in response denied those accusations and accused his kids 276 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:29,080 Speaker 1: of trying to steal the company from him, and he 277 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:33,120 Speaker 1: fired them all. So this whole family was estrange for years, 278 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 1: but they did eventually make up. After he sold the company, 279 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: ed started the Edward Low Foundation in Big Rock Valley, Michigan. 280 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,320 Speaker 1: This is an organization that offers education and seminars for 281 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:48,560 Speaker 1: entrepreneurs that are past the startup phase and need to 282 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,600 Speaker 1: build their existing business. Ed died in nineteen ninety five, 283 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 1: but the foundation continues. In addition to its original mission, 284 00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:00,640 Speaker 1: the Foundation now also leads programs to research the best 285 00:17:00,680 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: ways to manage land stewardship. In the last several decades, 286 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: there has been increasing concern about the long term viability 287 00:17:09,040 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: of clay based cat litter. According to the American Veterinary 288 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 1: Medical Association, as of twenty twenty four, there were seventy 289 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,439 Speaker 1: three point eight million cats kept as pets in the US, 290 00:17:21,080 --> 00:17:23,480 Speaker 1: and while not all of them are indoor only cats 291 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: with litter boxes, a lot of them are. And that 292 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:30,199 Speaker 1: has made cat litter a multi billion dollar market. But 293 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: where is all that clay coming from and what happens 294 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: to it after it's used. Well, there are eleven states 295 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 1: that have open pit mines that extract clay for cat litter, 296 00:17:41,480 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: and that clay is a finite resource. And there's an 297 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:50,120 Speaker 1: additional issue. Seventy five million tons of Fuller's earth, which 298 00:17:50,160 --> 00:17:52,920 Speaker 1: is the clay used for cat litter and other absorbent 299 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:56,439 Speaker 1: applications was mined in twenty twenty four. According to the 300 00:17:56,520 --> 00:18:01,040 Speaker 1: US Geological Survey, that clay gets us once and then 301 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:05,080 Speaker 1: thrown away, which would theoretically mean that it was returning 302 00:18:05,119 --> 00:18:08,440 Speaker 1: to the earth. But usually these clays have been treated 303 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,000 Speaker 1: with chemicals to help them clump and resist odor, and 304 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: things like fragrance have also been added, so all of 305 00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,000 Speaker 1: that is just going into the nation's garbage jumps. Per 306 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,159 Speaker 1: a twenty fifteen Washington Post article about it quote, the 307 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:25,600 Speaker 1: rise of commercial cat litters may even explain why indoor 308 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: cat populations grew so quickly, to the point that felines 309 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:33,879 Speaker 1: have overtaken canines is America's most popular pet. At the 310 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,600 Speaker 1: same time, cat litters made consumers dependent on a supply 311 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,400 Speaker 1: chain that converts a natural resource to waste. Aside from 312 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 1: environmental concerns, one of the lasting legacies of the invention 313 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: of cat litter is that it helped expand the number 314 00:18:48,840 --> 00:18:51,520 Speaker 1: of households that were willing to keep cats as pets, 315 00:18:52,080 --> 00:18:56,399 Speaker 1: and that opened the door to other inventions. The next 316 00:18:56,440 --> 00:18:58,720 Speaker 1: one is brief because there's not a whole lot of 317 00:18:58,760 --> 00:19:03,240 Speaker 1: information about the enter readily available. But on January eleventh, 318 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: nineteen sixty eight, a man named Frank L. Crow filed 319 00:19:07,240 --> 00:19:11,040 Speaker 1: a patent for the first cat tree. His patent, which 320 00:19:11,080 --> 00:19:14,719 Speaker 1: was granted on November twenty fifth, nineteen sixty nine, starts 321 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,199 Speaker 1: with the following quote disclosed herein is a cat tree 322 00:19:18,520 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: embodying a plurality of cat landing stations or platforms carried 323 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,240 Speaker 1: by a sectional pole adapted to be mounted in a 324 00:19:26,320 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: vertical position in a selected room of a dwelling, with 325 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: a base engaged against the floor to hold the tree 326 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 1: against rotation, with a spring loaded plunger engaged against the ceiling, 327 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,120 Speaker 1: and with the platforms covered with a rough textile material 328 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: which provides a scratching claw sharpening surface. Crow's patent notes 329 00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,680 Speaker 1: that his invention is designed to solve two primary problems, 330 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:55,480 Speaker 1: cats ruining furniture by clawing it and cats climbing the curtains. 331 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 1: He notes that his cat tree is a decorative accessory 332 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: as well as a function, and that it can be 333 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: matched with any decor. I have thoughts on this that 334 00:20:04,680 --> 00:20:07,000 Speaker 1: any cat person that owns a cat tree might be 335 00:20:07,040 --> 00:20:10,679 Speaker 1: having as well. We'll talk about it on Friday. The 336 00:20:10,800 --> 00:20:14,879 Speaker 1: application that crofiled touted the ease of assembly and how 337 00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:17,840 Speaker 1: much this tree could be customized to fit the space 338 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:21,120 Speaker 1: and needs of a cat, including the addition of dangling 339 00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 1: toys to the platforms. The platforms, per Crow's design, were 340 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 1: intended to be replaceable, so you could update worn out 341 00:20:28,840 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: pieces without having to buy a whole new cat tree 342 00:20:31,720 --> 00:20:35,439 Speaker 1: each time it showed wear and tear. Crow also wanted 343 00:20:35,440 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 1: the placement of the platforms to be thoughtful to enable 344 00:20:38,880 --> 00:20:42,680 Speaker 1: rapid movement by a house cat from one to the other. Quote. 345 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: The invention is characterized in that the cat landing stations 346 00:20:46,280 --> 00:20:50,920 Speaker 1: or platforms are of crescent shape or equivalent non circular configuration, 347 00:20:51,119 --> 00:20:56,240 Speaker 1: and are arranged and angularly displaced steps succession, such as 348 00:20:56,280 --> 00:20:59,600 Speaker 1: to facilitate ascent and descent from one platform to a 349 00:20:59,640 --> 00:21:04,320 Speaker 1: six platform. A preferred shape being a crescent shape developed 350 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: by a scalloped cutaway of one side of a circular 351 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: platform so as to attain a maximum aesthetic effect in 352 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: the assembly and cass rejoiced. Coming up, we're going to 353 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: talk about another invention that became hugely popular very quickly, 354 00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:23,920 Speaker 1: in helping people deal with pet messes. Dog people were 355 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:26,360 Speaker 1: coming for you. But first we're going to hear from 356 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:38,520 Speaker 1: the sponsors that keep the show going so the last 357 00:21:38,520 --> 00:21:41,240 Speaker 1: inventor we'll talk about today was like the first, we 358 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: talked about, a man of many inventions who did very 359 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:49,159 Speaker 1: well for himself in the pet products industry. In nineteen sixty, 360 00:21:49,359 --> 00:21:52,160 Speaker 1: Alan Simon opened a chain of stores in Brooklyn called 361 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,639 Speaker 1: Puppy City, and like most modern pet stores, these sold 362 00:21:55,680 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: food and pet accessories and also offered grooming services. But 363 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: then in nineteen seventy, Simon decided he didn't just want 364 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,239 Speaker 1: to sell pet products. He wanted to invent them, and 365 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,000 Speaker 1: he invented a lot of them. But one of his 366 00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,800 Speaker 1: original set of inventions became hugely popular and really served 367 00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: as the corner stone for a new business, and that 368 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 1: was the Wei Wi pad, similar to the way sand 369 00:22:20,320 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 1: was supplanted by kitty litter. Alan Simon had noticed that 370 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: while working in the pet retail business that the newspaper 371 00:22:27,400 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: that people often used to keep accidents off the floor 372 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: while house training a puppy was not all that effective. 373 00:22:34,960 --> 00:22:37,960 Speaker 1: In an interview he gave in twenty nineteen, he said 374 00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:40,960 Speaker 1: the dogs would urinate on the newspaper. So one day 375 00:22:41,040 --> 00:22:44,639 Speaker 1: I got the idea of using a hospital pad, and 376 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: we chemically treated a hospital pad, and I came up 377 00:22:47,680 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: with a seven pack and we had a TV ad 378 00:22:50,040 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 1: for ten seconds. It was free house breaking Wi pads 379 00:22:53,760 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: with every purchase. So it went from a seven pack 380 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:00,159 Speaker 1: to a fourteen, to a twenty five, to a fifty, 381 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: to one hundred, and then it went to like twenty 382 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: five million dollars in we Wei pads. Simon's invention did 383 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: make cleanup from housebreaking puppies a whole lot easier, and 384 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,840 Speaker 1: soon it was used for a lot of other things too. 385 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,080 Speaker 1: People use these absorbent pads under litter boxes, under food 386 00:23:18,119 --> 00:23:21,240 Speaker 1: and water dishes, in carriers, and the list goes on. 387 00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 1: Their utility in so many uses helped boost their steady 388 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: adoption among people with pets. Simon often gave interviews to 389 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: the press in which he summed up his impressive business 390 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:37,119 Speaker 1: history succinctly, but also making it clear that he had 391 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: achieved a lot. And a quote he gave to DuJour 392 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:43,600 Speaker 1: magazine while talking about the launch of the newest business, 393 00:23:43,640 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: he said, simply quote, I manufactured and invented over two 394 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: hundred products, including the original and world renowned we Wei 395 00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: pads and the Alan Pooper Scooper. Over the years, we 396 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:58,240 Speaker 1: grew into one of the largest manufacturers in the pet industry. 397 00:23:59,280 --> 00:24:02,159 Speaker 1: To manufactur make sure we wee pads, Simon founded a 398 00:24:02,200 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 1: new company called four Pause, which also made the other 399 00:24:05,640 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 1: pet products that he invented. He held so many patents 400 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,919 Speaker 1: for various items. One of the interesting things about a 401 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: lot of his patents is that they are completely void 402 00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 1: of the florid language and over explained design and function 403 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: that we often see in patent application documents. Most of 404 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: them follow a very simple template style of writing, with 405 00:24:27,240 --> 00:24:29,520 Speaker 1: a very basic name for the invention, and then a 406 00:24:29,560 --> 00:24:32,200 Speaker 1: description and a claim that basically add up to just 407 00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:35,080 Speaker 1: look at the pictures. They didn't all go that way. 408 00:24:35,359 --> 00:24:39,120 Speaker 1: One particular invention was an improvement on an automatic pet 409 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: food dispenser, and it had a lot of supplementary writing 410 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,600 Speaker 1: to explain it. It started out by explaining the pet 411 00:24:45,680 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 1: food dispensers that preceded it by noting quote. A typical 412 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:52,840 Speaker 1: device of this type includes an elongated serving tray which 413 00:24:52,880 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 1: is adapted to rest on a flat surface, such as 414 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:59,199 Speaker 1: the floor. A hollow storage container is secured to the 415 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,040 Speaker 1: tray at once end of the tray and is raised 416 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,359 Speaker 1: above the bottom wall of the tray. An opening is 417 00:25:05,400 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: provided in the bottom wall of the storage container to 418 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: permit a dry or liquid pet food placed inside the 419 00:25:12,040 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: container to drop down into the serving tray by force 420 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: of gravity. As the pet consumes the food from the tray, 421 00:25:18,880 --> 00:25:22,160 Speaker 1: it is replaced by fresh food from the storage container. 422 00:25:23,119 --> 00:25:26,080 Speaker 1: But to Simon, the problem here was that you couldn't 423 00:25:26,160 --> 00:25:30,120 Speaker 1: take the apparatus apart, and as his patent application goes 424 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 1: on to explain, loading it was a messy process. His 425 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:37,200 Speaker 1: dispenser could be taken apart, and it had a screw 426 00:25:37,240 --> 00:25:40,159 Speaker 1: top lid for filling the food reservoir. These kinds of 427 00:25:40,200 --> 00:25:44,480 Speaker 1: auto feeders are still common today. I have one. In 428 00:25:44,560 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: nineteen ninety three, he received a patent for a new 429 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:50,880 Speaker 1: type of cat litter scoop. This is simply called scoop 430 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,840 Speaker 1: for cat litter, and the claim section simply reads the 431 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:56,680 Speaker 1: ornamental design for a scoop for cat litter as shown 432 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: and described. So this is more like what I was 433 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: talking about. How there of them tend to be like? 434 00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:03,960 Speaker 1: None of that's none of that's spending time writing a 435 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:07,840 Speaker 1: long descriptions. This cat scoop is unique because it has 436 00:26:07,920 --> 00:26:10,360 Speaker 1: prongs on its underside, so the part that would touch 437 00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:14,160 Speaker 1: the litter boxes, you're scooping, presumably to help dislodge any 438 00:26:14,160 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: clumped material that might stick there. One from two thousand 439 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: and eight is simply called dog toy, and the claim 440 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: and description are almost comedically brief. They read quote the 441 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,040 Speaker 1: ornamental design for a dog toy as shown and described. 442 00:26:27,119 --> 00:26:29,160 Speaker 1: Figure one is a front view of the dog toy 443 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 1: in accordance with the invention, the rear view being identical 444 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: there too, and figure two is a top plan view 445 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,879 Speaker 1: of a dog toy according to the invention, the bottom 446 00:26:38,920 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 1: plan view being identical there too. The toy that's not 447 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,960 Speaker 1: really being described here is a ball. It's common enough 448 00:26:46,960 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 1: to find in a pet store today. It looks like 449 00:26:48,560 --> 00:26:51,600 Speaker 1: a round knot of multiple strands of some kind of material, 450 00:26:51,680 --> 00:26:54,959 Speaker 1: presumably plastic. I had to say presumably, because that's not 451 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: outlined in the patent doesn't really say. Another that he 452 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 1: applied for in twenty ten, but which wasn't issued until 453 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:08,760 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen for some reason, was a bristled grooming glove. 454 00:27:09,200 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: As the name implies, it is a glove with spines 455 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:14,320 Speaker 1: on it to groom and animal using a pet motion, 456 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: so sort of a glove and a brush had a baby. 457 00:27:17,040 --> 00:27:20,879 Speaker 1: Simon's version because others had invented similar things, but his 458 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:23,439 Speaker 1: had a closure band around the risk to keep it 459 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,560 Speaker 1: securely on the groomer's hand. This and the others that 460 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,159 Speaker 1: we mentioned are just a handful of the hundreds of 461 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,040 Speaker 1: designs and inventions that he came up with and manufactured. 462 00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:37,639 Speaker 1: From the start of Four Paws, Simon was able to 463 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,560 Speaker 1: grow the company to a business that made thirty million 464 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: dollars in revenue each year. It also acquired other companies 465 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:49,640 Speaker 1: that made pet products, including Cosmic Pet and Mustang Pet Products. Then, 466 00:27:49,680 --> 00:27:52,879 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety seven, he sold Four Paws to Central 467 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:57,560 Speaker 1: Garden and Pet for fifty five million dollars. In twenty fourteen, 468 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: Alan Simon launched a new venture, Pet Products dot Com. 469 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 1: This was an online aggregator that connected small local businesses 470 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: like his first pet store, to customers online. The company 471 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: also has directories so people could find veterinarians in their area. 472 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,120 Speaker 1: One of the reasons the company cited for its business 473 00:28:17,119 --> 00:28:20,720 Speaker 1: approach is that while large online retailers had driven a 474 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 1: demand for consumer convenience, when it comes to pets, people 475 00:28:24,640 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: still need a local resource they can turn to for 476 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:30,159 Speaker 1: care and community, and there was a recognition that some 477 00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:33,920 Speaker 1: of those small local businesses were going to struggle if 478 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:36,719 Speaker 1: there was not a way for them to simultaneously have 479 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:41,400 Speaker 1: online sales offerings. Watching interviews with Alan Simon and they're 480 00:28:41,440 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: a number you can find online. He was very obviously 481 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: a straightforward New Yorker. Uh. He has exactly what you 482 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,440 Speaker 1: think of in your head when you think what does 483 00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 1: a guy from New York sound like. He reportedly was 484 00:28:53,360 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: very generous. He gave both to charity and just to 485 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,800 Speaker 1: individuals who needed a hand. He is also quoted as saying, 486 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:03,320 Speaker 1: with determination and hard work, anyone, even a kid from 487 00:29:03,360 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: Brooklyn like me with a learning disability, can be successful 488 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,680 Speaker 1: and make their dreams come true. Alan died on January sixth, 489 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:13,200 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two. It kind of seemed like he worked 490 00:29:13,280 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: right up to the end. And that is our discussion 491 00:29:18,360 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: of pet products today. I have listener mail, sort of. 492 00:29:23,480 --> 00:29:25,480 Speaker 1: I tried to read this listener mail and I cried 493 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: too many times. So you're going to get an abbreviated, 494 00:29:28,360 --> 00:29:32,000 Speaker 1: abridged description of a listener mail from our listener erin 495 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:35,320 Speaker 1: and I just wanted to acknowledge Aaron, your email is beautiful. 496 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:40,520 Speaker 1: I am sorry for your loss. That's literally all I 497 00:29:40,560 --> 00:29:42,720 Speaker 1: can say, because I keep falling apart. So just know 498 00:29:42,840 --> 00:29:45,800 Speaker 1: that I have read your letter and it touched me deeply. 499 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: Then Aaron says, thank you so much for all you 500 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 1: do to entertain and educate. You keep me company on 501 00:29:52,200 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: my runs and my way to work. It makes me 502 00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: miss my history classes at college. When I dreamed of 503 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: being a teacher, life had other plans. As a pet, Ta, 504 00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: I give you Sailor, my dad's dog, but he loves 505 00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:05,479 Speaker 1: me best. He's a nine year old Standard Schnauzer that 506 00:30:05,520 --> 00:30:07,800 Speaker 1: loves to play catch, can jump straight up and down, 507 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:12,800 Speaker 1: and is just a good boy. Thanks. This dog so cute. Listen, 508 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:17,400 Speaker 1: Schnauzers can be so much because they are very high energy, 509 00:30:17,960 --> 00:30:21,480 Speaker 1: and I think Sailor is the same. But they also 510 00:30:21,680 --> 00:30:26,200 Speaker 1: are some of the sweetest, silliest dogs with just the 511 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 1: most beautiful little faces. So thank you, thank you, thank you, Aaron. 512 00:30:29,640 --> 00:30:32,600 Speaker 1: I'm sorry I could not read your email too much 513 00:30:32,640 --> 00:30:35,480 Speaker 1: for my little heart, but I really appreciate you sending it. 514 00:30:35,560 --> 00:30:37,960 Speaker 1: If anybody else wants to send an email and make 515 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,120 Speaker 1: me cry, it isn't that hard, but I beg you 516 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: be gentle. You can do that at History podcast at 517 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:48,360 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio dot com. You can also subscribe to the show 518 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you listen to your 519 00:30:51,080 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 1: favorite shows. Stuff you Missed in History Class is a 520 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:02,880 Speaker 1: production of ihe art Radio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 521 00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 522 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.