Our Story
We’re Melissa and Rick, founders of Forever Litter Trays, and this is our story.
Many people don’t know that the Forever Litter Trays story started with cats. Both of us have had cats in our lives since we can remember. In mid-2005, our beloved Junior, who’d been with us for over seven years, mysteriously disappeared one day, never to be found despite extensive search efforts.
Later that year, a friend contacted us regarding a couple of cats (brothers from the same litter) who had been “dumped” in her backyard. We didn’t feel emotionally ready to adopt again so soon, but as these were both black kittens (people are superstitious) and about six months old (people want to adopt cuddly baby kittens), no rescue center would take them as it was clear that they were going to be put down—so we adopted them.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Jack and Stan have been a huge part of our lives ever since and can be credited as the co-founders and original models and test cats for Forever Litter Trays. They’re the reason our company logo features a black cat.
Like many cat owners, Rick started researching easier ways to manage the litter box and discovered the Scoopfree system. The only downfall was the soggy and leaky cardboard trays, which were also expensive and not environmentally friendly.
An engineer by training and a tinkerer at heart, Rick made the first Forever Litter Tray out of PVC sections in his garage at home. It worked great! He then made a couple more to give to friends to try out (our first “test market”), and they loved theirs as well. So he then made another 50 by hand in the garage in his spare time and put them on eBay. They were snapped up almost immediately—proof of concept!
In early 2007, a friend introduced us to another friend who runs a company that manufactures plastic goods in China and is one of the top suppliers of Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas plastic “stuff” (costume items, masks, snowmen, etc.) to Walmart, Target, and Kmart. We took delivery of our first containerload that year and were terrified.
Over the years, we did our best to find ways to improve the design, and we continue to do so today.
Put in the most diplomatic way possible, since 2005, we have been under constant and intense pressure from the original Scoopfree company to “go away,” as our idea to help people save money and save the planet was not part of their business model.
When they failed, they started producing their own reusable tray.
Fast-forward to 2024, and we’re happy to report that we’ve found a U.S. factory, one of our goals since we started. Our newest version, the FLT4, incorporates some cool and innovative design improvements (at least Rick thinks so) to make the tray easier to use and clean.
We’re real cat owners just like you, with Stan, Bruce, and now young Larry as our cat family. Sadly, our sweet Jack passed early in 2024 after a long, happy, and very active life, but not before he taught some naughty behaviors to young Larry!
If you have any questions (even questions about our cats), please send us a note via [email protected]. You’ll hear back from an actual, U.S.-based human being within 24 hours—and someone who knows cats!