Seven Inventions Inspired by Dogs and Cats
At the time someone dreams up a unique way to solve a problem, it isn’t always seen as a useful invention profitable enough to manufacturer on a large scale. Many times, an inventor sold the rights to their invention for peanuts. Case in point; the multi-purpose safety pin. Walter Hunt invented the modern safety pin in 1849 so he could pay off a $15.00 debt to J.R. Chapin. After creating the handy pin, Hunt took out a patent, and sold the rights for $400.00 to Chapin who cashed in on Hunt’s creative idea. The concept of the safety pin had been around for centuries and wasn’t new when Hunt invented it. But, he made it better. The quote, “Necessity is the mother of inventions,” is attributed to several people, but no one knows who the true author is. But, where there’s a need, someone will find a solution, often times in unlikely ways. Sometimes inventions were, and still are, inspired by dogs and cats.
A pain free thumbtack (push pin)
Biomimicry is a new science that studies nature to find solutions to problems. Mother Nature has had plenty of time to create efficient solutions to provide plants and animals with what they need to survive. Edwin Moore is given credit for creating the map pin in 1900, and the push pin in 1903. An English inventor, Mick Clay, developed the drawing pin (thumbtack) that same year. German clockmaker, Johann Kirsten, invented the flat head thumbtack in 1904. The concept of the thumbtack is pretty straight forward, but a designer, Toshi Fukaya, looked to nature to make the thumbtack safer and avoid getting pricked fingers while getting a tack out of the box. His inspiration for his invention – the claws of a cat. Felines have their own natural sheaths that shield their claws until they’re needed. The new innovation in thumbtacks has a hollow silicone sheath that holds the pin inside until it’s pressed into a board, wall, or other hard surface. When the tack is removed, it withdraws back into the silicone sheath.
Cat litter
Cats have been living with humans for centuries, but cat litter is a 20th century invention. In the old days the available cat box filler options were ashes, cinders, sawdust, shredded paper, sand, or dirt. They were dirty, didn’t control odor, and easily tracked around the home by the cat. After serving in the U.S. Navy, Henry Lowe went to work at his father’s company selling industrial absorbents used in factories, garages, and machine shops to soak up grease and oil. The absorbents were sawdust, sand, and granulated clay. One day in 1947, Kay Draper stopped into the store looking for something her cat couldn’t track all over the house. Lowe didn’t think he had anything new to offer her that was different, and gave her a bag of granulated clay out of frustration, forgetting about it until Draper returned two weeks later for more. Word spread quickly, and soon more people were asking for the new deodorizing litter. The invention of kitty litter was accidental, but it was inspired by a soot tracking cat and a woman who grew tired of finding sooty kitty tracks in her home.
Velcro
In 1941, Swiss engineer and avid outdoorsman, George de Mestral, took his dog hiking in the woods. When he got back home, his dog and clothes were covered with burrs. As he pulled them off his dog, he wondered what made the burrs stick to fur and clothes, and decided to learn more about them thinking he might be onto something useful. He studied some carefully under a microscope and discovered they were covered with tiny hooks. Eight years later, after a lot of research and development, Mestral created Velcro, another example of biomimicry. The word Velcro is a combination of two French words “velours” and “crochet”, which is “velvet” and “hooks” when translated to English.
Doggles
When Doggles first came out, it was ranked number 6 on a list of most useless inventions. One day while playing Frisbee with their dog, Midnight, Roni and Ken Di Lullo noticed he was squinting. His eyes were sensitive to the sun. Roni decided to alter a pair of sports goggles to fit him. Not only was it cute, but Roni had stumbled upon an idea that turned out to be very useful. She and Ken consulted with eye wear manufacturers to develop a prototype. Doggles has become a multi-million dollar business with sales worldwide. Besides blocking UV rays, the tinted shades made specifically for dogs also protects their eyes from dust, wind, and other debris. The goggles provide protection for dogs with dry eyes and other eye problems, and can even be custom fitted with prescription lenses. Search and rescue dogs and military dogs are often seen wearing Doggles to protect their eyes while they work.
Doggy/Cat door
Isaac Newton was a brilliant mathematician, physicist, and philosopher. He is considered one of the greatest scientists in history with discoveries in math and science that influenced modern day science. Newton is also the person given credit for inventing the doggy/cat door, inspired by his cats who would scratch on the door to his workroom and interrupt his work when they wanted in. He had two holes cut into the door, one for a mother cat and a smaller one for her kittens. He apparently didn’t realize the kittens would just follow their mom through the larger opening. It’s been debated by historians whether Newton actually had pets, but there is documented proof in the form of two plugged holes in the door in his home where he worked that are the right size for adult cats and kittens.
Cat eye road deflectors
On a foggy night in 1933, Percy Shaw was driving along a dangerous stretch of road near his home in Boothtown, Halifax. What made it so perilous was a sheer drop off to the right of the road. Normally drivers could tell where the edge of the road was when their headlights reflected off of tram tracks, but the tracks had been removed. As Shaw strained to see through the blackness, he noticed a cat sitting by the side of the road when his car lights reflected off of her eyes. An idea began to form in his mind to replicate how a cat’s eyes reflect light to make dark and dangerous roads safer for drivers. Shaw began manufacturing his reflective road markers in 1935. Today, they are found in countries around the world.
AC current
Nikola Tesla began his career working with Thomas Edison, but they had a falling out over which was more efficient and safer, direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC). Edison thought DC current was better, and Tesla championed AC current as more affordable, efficient, and safer. Tesla was right and was ahead of his time in his research on electricity, and we have him to thank for how electricity is used today. We can also thank a cat Tesla had as a kid for inspiring him to want to learn more about electricity. He was an animal lover, and one day while petting his cat, Tesla was zapped with static electricity. That incident is what put him on the path to becoming one of the world’s most revolutionary and forward thinking scientists of all time.
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