A pelletized, environmentally friendly animal litter. The animal litter includes birch bark waste in pellet form that is mostly hydrophobic to allow liquid waste to quickly pass therethrough while trapping a small amount of waste therein that adheres to the surface of the pellet and is then absorbed over time. The litter is used in a litter box system that includes a base, a drawer slidably received therein for capturing waste in a preferred absorbent pad and a removeable grate suspended thereover for retaining the litter thereover. The drawer defines a container of sufficient volume to receive all of the litter when a standard amount of litter is used to fill the box which improves ease in changing litter by removing the grate and allowing the litter to drop into the drawer.

A pet container includes: a housing comprising a fan for creating an airflow; electronics for operating the fan; and a door configured to transition between a closed position and an open position for ingress and egress of a pet. The pet container defines a pet containment space, and the pet container comprises ducts through which the airflow created by the fan flows into the pet containment space for blowing air onto a pet. The fan preferably is an impeller and the at least one of the duct preferably is defined at least an interior passageway that is formed in the housing. The pet container further preferably includes a heater for heating the airflow; an aromatherapy diffuser; a light, laser, or array of LEDs for emitting infrared or near infrared light into the containment space with a wavelength of between about 620 and about 1000 nanometers for providing photobiomodulation.

Methods, platform and receptacles, such as a composting and retail platform facilitating multipurpose use of receptacles, characterized in that the platform manages cat litter sales, uses multipurpose receptacles for shipping of cat litter, for composting, and for an additional use when filled and readied for composting.

Animal litter comprising composite particles formed from renewable components where the composite particles include starch and dextrin agglomerated together. The dextrin may be included in an amount of from about 10% to about 50% by weight of the composite particles and the starch may be included in an amount of from about 50% to about 90% by weight of the composite particles. The composite particles may optionally include powdered activated carbon. The litter may advantageously be free or substantially free of non-renewable mineral components, and may exhibit a clump retention of at least about 90% and/or a clump strength of at least 1,000 g.sub.f.

The invention relates to apparatus for dispensing feed and/or bedding material for animals. The apparatus includes a body mounted on a base and the body includes a hopper for the said material and a rotor assembly to dispense the material from the hopper, said body movable with respect to the base and/or said rotor assembly movable with respect to the hopper to allow the condition of operation of the apparatus to be selected between a condition for best dispensing feed material and a condition for best dispensing bedding material. The apparatus is typically mounted on a transport vehicle. The selective movement of the body and/or rotor assembly, and typically other control functions can be controlled by a person operating control means which communicate with the apparatus via a wireless communication system and the apparatus can include a power supply to allow the same to be powered to operate independently of the transport vehicle and said power supply may be charged by operation of the rotor assembly.

Platform for particular use as a pet bed includes a foam core having an upper surface, a lower surface on an opposite side of the foam core from the upper surfaces, and at least one side surface between the upper and lower surfaces along a periphery of the foam core. Artificial turf extends over the upper surface and alongside each side surface. Elongate connectors extend through the foam core between the upper and lower surfaces and have opposite end regions projecting out of opposite sides of the foam core. These connectors may be rods or dowels with threaded end regions that pass through apertures in flaps of the artificial turf. Fasteners are screwed onto the threaded end regions of the dowels with the artificial turf inward of the fasteners to thereby cause the artificial turf to be urged toward and secured to the foam core.

An at least partially floorless semirigid poultry enclosure configured to flex and/or adjust to accommodate undulating terrain during movement across a field. The semirigid poultry enclosure may comprise a semirigid foundation. The semirigid foundation may include one or more flexible joints disposed between two or more rigid structural elements. The semirigid poultry enclosure may include multiple wall barriers coupled to the semirigid foundation. The semirigid poultry enclosure may include a roof barrier coupled to one or more of the multiple wall barriers and/or the semirigid foundation. Multiple wheels may be coupled to the semirigid foundation to facilitate movement of the semirigid poultry enclosure, wherein poultry within the semirigid poultry enclosure have access to the field from within the enclosure.

An at least partially floorless semirigid poultry enclosure configured to flex and/or adjust to accommodate undulating terrain during movement across a field. The semirigid poultry enclosure may comprise a semirigid foundation. The semirigid foundation may include one or more flexible joints disposed between two or more rigid structural elements. The semirigid poultry enclosure may include multiple wall barriers coupled to the semirigid foundation. The semirigid poultry enclosure may include a roof barrier coupled to one or more of the multiple wall barriers and/or the semirigid foundation. Multiple wheels may be coupled to the semirigid foundation to facilitate movement of the semirigid poultry enclosure, wherein poultry within the semirigid poultry enclosure have access to the field from within the enclosure.

Systems, devices, and methods including a base; one or more perimeter walls attached to the base; a grass mat, where the grass matt is contained within the tray by the one or more perimeter walls; and one or more removable splash guard walls, where the one or more removable splash guard walls are connected to the one or more perimeter walls.

Antimicrobial animal bedding includes a base textile material and a halo active aromatic sulfonamide compound of Formula (I):

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wherein the variables M.sub.2, X, and M are disclosed herein. The resulting animal bedding product maintains antimicrobial properties over extended time periods.