While I feverishly prepare a cigar review for the weekend, I thought I’d share an odd little exposé courtesy Bloomberg.com. The following headline caught my eye:

Tobacco Firms Save $1 Billion With Kitty Litter in Cigars

The article claims that tobacco companies are using a “legal loophole” to avoid federal and state taxes on cigarettes and small cigars. The author cuts to the chase:

Their secret: Using fillers such as the clay found in cat litter or stuffing the products with more tobacco to tip the scales in their favor.

Kitty litter has a myriad number of uses due to its  granular composition, deodorizing properties, and weight (not to mention its designated role in feline hygiene) but I would think that its pyrolytic properties are less than optimal for inclusion in cigars. I’m making some assumptions here about kitty litter and clay, I admit. I have no empirical evidence to offer, but I don’t think it burns very well.

But wait.

It looks like there is one company using clay filters in a cigarette-like product in order to make the weight class necessary to avoid the tax. There is no use of kitty litter “fillers”.

That’s a weight off my shoulders. I was about to prepare Fluffy for the new kitty litter tax.