Self-clumping cat litter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9266089-B2
Application number	US-201313868073-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 22, 2013
Priority date	Sep 11, 2012
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A litter and litter making method producing cat litter from a carbohydrate starch-containing cereal grain, e.g., corn, based admixture extruded from a single screw or twin screw extruder forming pellets having a clumping agent formed during extrusion composed at least in part of carbohydrate polymer binder. Each pellet is extruded under conditions that cause formation of carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent at least some of which is water soluble. One preferred method of extruding cat litter causes starch dextrinization to occur such that at least some of the carbohydrate polymer binder clumping agent in each pellet is formed of dextrin. Each pellet can be coated such as with a smectite that preferably is bentonite. During use, pellet extrusion formed clumping agent in a pellet wetted with urine dissolves and flows in between and along adjacent pellets causing them to clump together without the presence of any clumping agent additive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-clumping cat litter comprising:
(a) at least 40% starch by weight of the cat litter, and
(b) at least 5% water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent by weight of the cat litter formed from starch during making of the cat litter sufficient to cause the cat litter, without the presence of any clumping agent additive in the cat litter, to clump when wetted with urine forming a flowable liquid adhesive that flows from the cat litter during clumping the cat litter.

2. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the cat litter is comprised of at least 0.1% dextrin by weight of the cat litter.

3. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder is comprised of at least 1% dextrin by weight of the cat litter.

4. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder is comprised of an amylopectin starch-based carbohydrate polymer binder.

5. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the cat litter has between 5% and 15% water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent by weight of the cat litter.

6. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the cat litter is used uncoated to absorb urine.

7. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 6 wherein the cat litter is comprised of a plurality of uncoated extruded pellets extruded substantially completely from at least one cereal grain and wherein the water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder is formed of starch of the at least one cereal grain during extrusion of the uncoated extruded pellets sufficient to cause the uncoated extruded pellets of the cat litter to form a flowable liquid adhesive that flows from the litter when the cat litter is wetted with urine clumping the cat litter.

8. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 7 wherein the at least one cereal grain is comprised of one of corn, maize, rice, wheat, triticale, amaranth and sorghum.

9. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 7 wherein the cat litter is comprised of a plurality of uncoated extruded pellets extruded substantially completely from whole grain sorghum.

10. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 7 wherein the uncoated extruded litter pellets each have a porous outer surface.

11. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 10 wherein the porous outer surface of each one of the uncoated extruded pellets is comprised of water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent that dissolves when wetted with urine forming flowable liquid adhesive.

12. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 11 wherein each uncoated extruded pellet has a water absorbency of at least 0.7 grams per gram.

13. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the cat litter is comprised of a plurality of uncoated extruded pellets extruded substantially completely from at least one starch-containing cereal grain and a cellulosic fiber and wherein the water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent is formed from starch of the at least one starch-containing cereal grain during pellet extrusion sufficient to cause the uncoated extruded pellets of the cat litter to form a flowable liquid adhesive that flows from the litter when the cat litter is wetted with urine clumping the cat litter.

14. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 13 wherein the carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent is comprised of at least 0.1% dextrin by weight of the uncoated extruded pellets forming self-clumping cat litter comprised of uncoated extruded pellets used uncoated as cat litter to absorb urine.

15. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 13 wherein the water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent is comprised of at least 5% dextrin by weight of the uncoated extruded pellets forming self-clumping cat litter comprised of uncoated extruded pellets used uncoated as cat litter to absorb urine.

16. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the litter is further comprised of a cellulosic fiber.

17. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 16 wherein the cellulosic fiber is comprised of at least one of a hay, a pulp, and a wood.

18. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 17 wherein the cellulosic fiber is comprised of at least one of an oat, alfalfa, wood and beet fiber.

19. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the litter is further comprised of a cellulosic fiber and a bentonite outer coating.

20. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 1 wherein the cat litter is comprised of a plurality of uncoated extruded pellets extruded substantially completely from at least one cereal grain comprised of at least one of corn grits, cornmeal, corn starch, corn flour, rice grits, rice meal, rice starch, rice flour, wheat grits, wheat meal, wheat starch, wheat flour, triticale grits, triticale meal, triticale starch, triticale flour, amaranth grits, amaranth meal, amaranth starch, amaranth flour, sorghum grits, sorghum meal, sorghum starch, and sorghum flour.

21. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 20 wherein the water soluble polymer binder clumping agent is comprised of at least 1% dextrin by uncoated extruded pellet weight formed in the extruded pellets during extrusion sufficient to cause the uncoated extruded pellets to clump when wetted with urine.

22. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 20 wherein the uncoated extruded pellets have an outer coating comprised of a smectite applied to the uncoated extruded pellets after extrusion of the uncoated extruded pellets.

23. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 22 when the smectite is comprised of a bentonite.

24. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 23 wherein the bentonite comprises sodium bentonite.

25. A self-clumping cat litter comprised of a plurality of uncoated liquid-absorbent extruded pellets, each uncoated extruded pellet is comprised of (a) at least one cereal grain comprised of starch, (b) an outer surface having a plurality of pairs of pores, (c) a plurality of pairs of internal voids within the pellet, and (d) a water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder litter clumping agent formed in the pellet from starch during pellet extrusion comprised of at least 5% water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder by uncoated extruded pellet weight sufficient to clump the uncoated extruded pellets together when wetted with urine forming a flowable liquid adhesive that flows from the pellet along and in between adjacent pellets binding pellets together clumping the pellets together producing a self-clumping cat litter comprised of uncoated extruded pellets used uncoated as cat litter to absorb urine; and wherein the porous outer surface of each uncoated extruded pellet is comprised of water soluble carbohydrate polymer binder that dissolves when wetted with urine.

26. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 25 wherein the at least one cereal grain is comprised of sorghum.

27. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 25 wherein each uncoated extruded pellet is extruded from whole grain sorghum.

28. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 25 wherein each uncoated extruded pellet has a water absorbency of at least 0.7 grams per gram.

29. The self-clumping cat litter of claim 25 wherein the at least one cereal grain is comprised of at least one of ground or comminuted corn, maize, rice, wheat, triticale, amaranth and sorghum.

Assignees

• Pioneer Pet Products Llc

Inventors

• Lipscomb John M
• Repinski Scott

Classifications

• A01K1/0152

  Litter · CPC title

• B01J20/3007

  Moulding, shaping or extruding · CPC title

• B29B2009/166

  Deforming granules to give a special form, e.g. spheroidizing, rounding · CPC title

• B29C48/0022

  combined with cutting · CPC title

• B29C37/0025

  Applying surface layers, e.g. coatings, decorative layers, printed layers, to articles during shaping, e.g. in-mould printing (moulding on preformed layers as inserts B29C70/68; applying fluent material to surfaces in general B05) · CPC title