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Kitty Litter Lawsuit's Claim: "Cats Do Not Talk"
By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 6, 2011
Modified Jan 6, 2011
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jan 6, 2011
Modified Jan 6, 2011
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A cat fight has broken out between makers of kitty litter! Arm & Hammer is suing Clorox because the Clorox brand "Fresh Step" claims that cats prefer "Fresh Step" to Arm & Hammer's "Super Scoop." The suit says an "independent study" is flawed, "The Clorox advertisements are unambiguous that the judges of whether Fresh Step is superior at eliminating odors are cats, not people. But cats do not talk, and it is widely understood in the scientific community that cat perception of malodor is materially different than human perception. It is not possible scientifically to determine whether cats view one substance to be more or less malodorous than another substance."
The study involved eight cats and two litter boxes, which Arm & Hammer thinks it too few ("It is well known that inter-cat behavior can impact cats' use of a particular litter box in ways that have nothing to do with cat preference for or rejection of a particular litter"). According to the Daily News, the lawsuit, filed at Manhattan Federal Court, "seeks to stop the commercial - called 'Cats Jump into Boxes' - and demands an unspecified amount of damages, saying the ad 'intentionally misleads, confuses and deceives consumers.'"
And did you know the commercial features the amazing Japanese cat Maru?
Tagged
arm & hammer
cat
cat litter
cats
clorox
fresh step
kitty litter
maru
super scoop
talking cat
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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