In recent years, an increasing number of Chinese pet enthusiasts have chosen to raise cats. To support the trend, some companies in a county in northern China have found their niche in cat litter production.

In a laboratory, Wang Xiaoli and his colleagues have been developing low-dust mineral and lightweight cat litter using bentonite, an absorbent clay. In their workshop, they can produce millet-sized litter by inputting the mineral ore into a green production line, where it undergoes a series of automatic manufacturing processes.

Such a scene offers a glimpse of the research and production of Chifeng Menghong New Materials Co, a cat litter producer based in Ningcheng county, Inner Mongolia autonomous region. "We introduced new technology and functional materials to increase bentonite litter's clumping and odor absorption function so that cats can live healthily in a low-dust environment," said Wang, a technician at the company.

The county has an annual cat litter production output of 1.5 million metric tons, with an output value of 900 million yuan ($126 million) and a tax revenue of 70 million yuan, according to authorities. Some 1,100 people were engaged in the industry last year, they said.

Over the past two decades, Ningcheng has seen rapid and innovative development in the cat litter industry.

Zhang Yongsheng, general manager of Ningcheng County Chongai Pet Products Co, said it used to make chemical fertilizer but shifted gears after a Japanese client reached out to the former factory manager in 2002, seeking locally sourced bentonite for cat litter production.

The manager saw potential in the idea, leading to the establishment of the county's first cat litter production line.

"It is a good business, as bentonite here is of high quality. It forms solid clumps and is easy to scoop and clean up," Zhang said. "Since then, we have made efforts to research and develop more cat litter products."

Now cat litter with fruit fragrance fills the air in his lab, and many of the company's products have been exported to Japan, South Korea and other countries and regions. There are currently 32 cat litter companies in the county. These companies are active in research and have enlarged sales channels, improved manufacturing quality and complied with international standards, among others.

"These companies are able to produce custom-made cat litter of different varieties and odors," said Zhang Haixuan, head of Ningcheng county. "Bentonite products, including cat litter manufactured in the county, have been exported to 106 countries, including Finland, Russia and Malaysia."

Dong Wenjun, a professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Science and Technology Beijing, said, "Cat litter produced in Ningcheng has been transforming to products with higher added value, with features such as lighter weight, water resolution and diverse scents."

According to an industry report, the urban pet (dogs and cats) consumption market in China grew to 279.3 billion yuan last year, up 3.2 percent year-on-year. The scale of the cat market increased by 6 percent, and the number of pet cats sold saw 6.8 percent growth in the same period.

Zhang Yongsheng said more and more young people have become pet owners, and they pay more attention to their pets' health and comfort. "We are trying to provide our customers greener and healthier products and ensure their cats have a better quality of life," he said.