Every year, I make the rounds of pet-industry trade shows and veterinary conferences, and every year I at least glance at thousands of new pet-care products.

While a few are truly innovative, many are just variations on a theme as companies work to mimic top sellers as closely as they can without getting sued.

Whether any new product will catch on is anyone's guess, though few will reach the level of those that truly have changed the way we live with our pets.

I recently mentioned five such products for dogs. Now, here's equal time for cats, with a handful of items that have changed the world for cat lovers:

Litter

While the idea of keeping a box inside for cats to use as a potty was around for a while, it never really took off until Edward Lowe happened upon what he called "kitty litter" in 1947.

His dad owned a company that made industrial cleanup materials, and when someone asked him to suggest something for a cat box, he filled up a bag of fuller's earth, a kind of absorbent clay. When Lowe sold his Kitty Litter company decades later, he was rich beyond his wildest dreams, and cats had become more popular than dogs as pets. Today, more than 80 percent of cat owners have litter boxes in their homes, although clumping litter is used in most of them now, not the material on which Lowe built his company.

Scratch posts, cat trees

Clawing is natural, normal and very satisfying for cats. While cat lovers may understand the normal and natural behavior, they're not on board with the satisfying when the shredded objects include the furniture.

No one knows who first came up with the idea of providing cats an approved place to scratch, but the idea was a great one for both cats and people. While scratching posts used to look like DIY fright shows covered in dreadful colors of leftover 1970s shag carpet, today it is easy to find cat trees and other related items that keep cats happy and divert attention from the corner of the sofa.

Microchips

Cats are notorious for roaming, even if they have to slip out against an owner's wishes to do it. They're also pretty good at slipping out of their collars, since cat collars are designed to give way if a cat gets caught on something.

Problem is, a cat with no ID tag is unlikely to be reunited with its family, and shelter workers sadly note that many "strays" turned in are obviously lost pets.

The microchip betters the odds of a reunion, since most shelters scan lost pets for such ID. The size of a grain of rice and easily implanted at a veterinarian's office or shelter, the microchip is the best insurance you can buy to help your cat come home when lost.

Cat fishing toys

Cats love string, but string can be a problem for cats. Young cats and kittens sometimes swallow string, and that can lead to a crisis that requires surgery.

That's why whoever first thought of tying one end of a string to a pole and the other to a cat toy deserves a nod for coming up with what may be the best cat toy ever. You can find all kinds of variations on the cat fishing toy, and you can even make your own.

It's all good – and it keeps your cat busy, you amused and the claws on the end of the string. Runner-up: Laser pointer, and second only because you can't make it yourself.

Catios

While many cats still come and go as they please, owners who let them out expose them to the risks of being hit by cars, eaten by coyotes, poisoned or trapped by cat-hating neighbors, and more.

The inside life isn't perfect, either: Many indoor cats are bored and overweight, and the latter is a problem that leads to some serious health issues.

Cat patios, or catios, can help by offering cats some safe outdoor space to enjoy. While these can be purchased ready-made, they're also a pretty easy DIY project that can easily be made from scrap lumber and some inexpensive screening.

That's my list! Feel free to drop me a note with your favorites for cats, dogs or others pets, to petconnection @gmail.com.

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Pet Connection is produced by a team of pet-care experts headed by veterinarian Dr. Marty Becker and journalist Gina Spadafori. The two are also the authors of several best-selling pet-care books. Email them at petconnection@gmail.com or visit www.petconnection.com. Back columns: www.sacbee.com/spadafori.

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