The winter of 2019 in Toronto was long and harsh, just like every Canadian winter. Windows remained shut for months.

We were a couple with 3 cats in Toronto, and like thousands of Canadian cat parents, we were stuck with two impossible problems:

On one hand, in our sealed apartment, the litter odor wouldn’t go away — the ammonia smell from a multi-cat household lingered throughout the apartment even with daily scooping. Opening windows in winter meant freezing the entire home within minutes. We had to endure it.

On the other hand was what broke our hearts the most: Our eldest cat, Ollie, had respiratory sensitivity since kitten hood. After trying over a dozen brands of litter, he still sneezed and teared up every day. Our CVMA-certified vet explained that the culprit was dust in the litter — those invisible particles that cats inhale daily were quietly harming his respiratory system.

We tried everything:

• Odor-control litters had harsh artificial fragrances that made Ollie hide

• Good-clumping litters created dust clouds like fog, leaving white residue everywhere

• “Eco-friendly” litters either didn’t biodegrade or clogged toilets

• Even imported premium brands didn’t consider Canadian winters — in sealed spaces, their odor control lasted barely 3 days

Walking out of the vet clinic that day, holding Ollie, we suddenly thought: Why isn’t there a cat litter truly made for Canadian cat parents?

One that handles winter-sealed apartment odors, protects cats’ sensitive respiratory systems, meets our environmental standards, and most importantly — is made by people who truly understand and love cats.

PurreFresh’s story began with this simple wish.