Clumping action, ho!

Mom: You know, we didn't even have kitty litter, when you kids were little. We used shredded newspaper for our cats.
Me (not really listening): Mmmm.
Mom: So when kitty litter was invented—wait, not invented, that's the wrong word—when it was discovered—
Me (snapping to attention): Mom, kitty litter was invented. There was no discovery of kitty litter.
Mom: Right, of course. Right!
Me: I mean, I'm pretty sure prospectors never sifted any kitty litter from the California rivers.
Scott (from the other room): There's odor-control crystals in them there hills!
Mom: You're going to write about this, aren't you.
Me: It hadn't occurred to me. UNTIL NOW.

Comments

[HouseofJules]

Like all discoveries, kitty litter was named after the person responsible: Sir Edmund Freshstep.
Jules
House of Jules

[Kizz]

And God Bless Sir Edmund!

[Esther]

My husband is always asking me that. "Are you going to blog this?"

[Brian]

Tell Scott out west it's "them thar" hills. I believe the "them there" hills are actually located in Ontario.

[suburbancorrespondent]

Oh, great - I bet you're going to tell me KoolAid wasn't discovered, either? At the Fountain of Youth, say?

[Dre's Sweet Life]

Who do you think it was that discovered kitty litter works well in the garage, too?

[Carrie]

But, I think it IS mined or something, no?

Well, ok, upon consulting Wikipedia, I'd say that it is made from things that are mined. So I guess it was invented. Not really that much of an invetion, tho, was it? More like a good idea.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_litter

[just beth]

sitting here, sucking down a diet coke, got to the part about the odor crystals and almost died. There is now diet coke all over the front of my shirt and on my baby, who had the misfortune to be sitting in my lap at the time. thanks.

xo

b.

[Ally]

You know that stupid way that people sometimes giggle...and then stop...and then giggle again...and it keeps continuing? Yeah, I'm doing that now.

[Ree]

Your mother knows you so well. ;-) Of course, I did take pictures of my husband's ugly feet after he cut grass. And he knew just what was happening with that picture!

[OvaGirl]

And I believe there are still rich seams of kitty litter in them hills just waiting for some enterprising folk with a plastic rake and a tray...

[Beth]

Seriously, you need to stop talking to MY mother. I swear I've had this EXACT same conversation with my own mother - or at least something strikingly similar. I know she's not dumb, but really? Logic? Where is it?

[Hip Mom's Guide]

Invented, discovered...it's just semantics, right? This cracked me up-thank you!

[Christie]

I printed this and put it on our fridge: we have two cats, and my little girl and I have had this very same conversation!

[Elizabeth]

Yeah, what happened to Just Beth when she read Scott's comment about the odor control crystals? Happened to me too. Diet Coke-->narrowly missed laptop keyboard. Too funny!

[falwyn]

The REAL question: what's newspaper?

[Tammy]

Stop the depletion of the nation's kitty litter reserves!!! A newspaper for every cat (No Kitty Left Behind.)

[George]

I'm pretty sure this is what "Treasure of the Sierra Madre II" was about.

[You can call me, 'Sir']

Did you just call your mom a ho?

[Sus]

Hahaha! I am going to be giggling about this all morning.

[Why Mom Drinks Rum]

You know, I don't think owning a cat would have been worth it in your mothers time. EW!

Hubby tends to utter the "you're going to blog about this aren't you...." as well. Poor people.

[Pretty Rambo]

Brian, I'm absolutely certain I did say "them thar." What happens to my words once Alice lays her mitts on them is her magical business alone.

I also know for a fact I'm not the only guy to whoop and hollar like Yukon Cornelius upon finding a full box of cat treasure. (I do, however, stop short of giving my implements the verification lick, thanks to the early rap community's excellent work promoting toxoplasmosis awareness. 'Member "Git the Scoop"? Totally worked.)

[Jen]

Poor family members. My parents now have to insert a disclaimer before they tell me any news, "Please don't write about this." I never listen.

[SparklieSunShine]

Scott's comment totally made the story.

[Mrs. Schmitty]

Our poor families...the way we take their less than stellar moments and blog about them. HA!

[Geo]

I wish I was sitting on my own fresh tray of kitty litter right now, since I'm about to pee my pants.

[HeyJoe]

Dearest Alice,

Don't mothers make the most wonderful blog fodder, EVER?

Dissingly,
Joe

[Dawn]

Heh! Odour crystals in them thar hills. HA!

Luckily, no diet Coke was harmed in this reading of the blog post. Some orange juice very nearly got injured, though.

There are 3 cats in this household. Kitty Litter is no laughing matter. Oh no! No laughing about the kitty litter around these parts. A few desperate sobs from time to time maybe.

[Mauigirl]

This was hilarious, and so are the comments! It actually has sparked a thought which I may post about and of course give credit where credit is due!

[CJ]

You and Scott are hilarious! Thanks for the laugh!(Your mom sounds fun, too!)

[CJ]

You and Scott are hilarious! Thanks for the laugh!(Your mom sounds fun, too!)

[Joanna Schmidt]

ho. nice. it sounds like you hijacked my mother. Again.

[jenB]

Your house sounds so much more funner than mine.

[jess]

Ha, I knew I moved to California for a reason!

To Do List for tomorrow: Mine for oder-freshening crystals in the backyard.

[dianne]

My mother would have gone on about how, in her day, they couldn't AFFORD cats ... or such frivolous uses of newspaper (much more utilitarian as blankets ... or clothing). The elitist "odor-freshening crystals" of which you speak would have been dinner.

[BOSSY]

So who discovered that kitty litter absorbs oil spills in driveways?

[Thotlady]

Yeah I remember those moments. When my mom and sisters are sitting around talking and my mom utters "I never said that", and my sisters would confirm, yes you did, you told me the same thing.

Huffing and puffing, my mom would say, "I did not". Okay, crazy woman, think what you want, but we were all there. I have witnesses. Sisters count don't they?

[heyjoe]

For post above on which the comment section is annoyingly closed.

Dearest Alice,

I have yet to give birth, but if ever I do you’ll be the first to know. Well you and the father I suppose. And please, let’s try to ease up on the self-congratulatory drivel, what do you say; my God, the ego of some people. Do you have some sort of special pulley system to hold up that huge melon?

Leg pullingly,
Joe

[chicklet]

My husband's always doing the same thing - "you're going to write about this aren't you?". And I always do. It's much more fun when it's not just me laughing at him.

[Jerri]

My Mom who has yet to believe that I blog about 'the trivial', says the same thing. 'You're not going to write about this are you?' I swear the best stuff comes from these wacky conversations we all seem to have with our friends and families.
BTW: I seriously had a vision of a gold miner sifting for gold, and exclaiming something about finding blue crystals in the bottom of the river. Oh boy.