The Kitty Litter Capital Of The U.S.

It's called the Peach State. It is well known for sweet onions and pecans, but not many people know Georgia is also the country's leading producer of the clay used to make cat litter.

The clay litter industry pumps millions of dollars, $100 million, to be exact, into the state economy and employs hundreds, but industry leaders understand why the state borders aren't lined with signs that read "Welcome to Georgia: Cat Litter Capital of America."

"You have to put it in proper perspective," said Clark Fisher, who manages the Wren plant for A&M Products Manufacturing Co., one of the seven Georgia companies that produce cat litter and oil absorbents. "It's dirt in a bag."

Technically, it's fuller's white clay in a bag. Not as good for industrial applications as kaolin, the other white clay found abundantly in Georgia. But fuller's white clay makes up for its lack of versatility with an ability to absorb liquid. The mineral can soak up more than 95 percent of its own weight in liquid.

The deposit in Wren and another that stretches across south Georgia are the largest in the state. Combined, they produce 750,000 tons of the chalky white material each year more than twice the total output of Mississippi.

Companies have been mining Georgia's fuller earth deposits for more than 50 years, since traditional clay cat litter was introduced. The industry has grown along with the popularity of cats, said Lee Coogan, executive vice president of the Absorptive Minerals Institute, an industry organization in Washington, D.C.

"The cat has passed the dog as the No. 1 U.S. household pet," Coogan said. "The average family owns more than one cat. The litter market continues to grow because it's an inexpensive way to control animal waste."

But there was a major shakeup in the industry 10 years ago when companies introduced a new formula that makes easily disposable clumps when it gets wet. The so-called "scoopable" litter is made not with fuller's white clay, but primarily with a sandy aggregate called bentonite.

Even though it's twice as expensive as regular clay litter, scoopable litter now accounts for more than 55 percent of all litter sales. Though some cat owners are resisting the trend. There has been controversy surrounding the safety of clumping litter, especially with kittens.

It seems some cats like to eat scoopable litter, others simply lick off what sticks to their paws. As a result, veterinarians have reported cases of life threatening intestinal blockages caused by cats ingesting clumping litter.

Those consumers who are switching to scoopable litter might be behind the recent slowing in Georgia's fuller earth industry. At A&M, for example, production has dropped 20 percent in 18 months.

With the country enjoying record economic growth, consumers may be able to buy the more expensive scoopables with their...uh...disposable income.

"Times of prosperity may not be the best time for trditional litter," A&M manager Clark Fisher said.