Swanson Hut - A little known fact
by A.F. Langly

A "Swanson Hut" refers to an enclosed structure that is used to encapsulate a litter box that is used by a cat. The name "Swanson Hut" originated during World War II when American GIs serving in Europe built  enclosures out of fifty-five gallon drums - that were cut in half - to be used as enclosed litter boxes for the stray cats that were often found and kept as pets. These enclosures resembled a small version of the well known "Quonset Hut" and legend has it that the soldier who came up with the idea was named "Swanson".

The reason that these "Swanson Huts" were needed was that the sleeping areas for the soldiers on base were not known for their spaciousness and the material that was used for cat litter was not very effective for keeping the odors under control. One needs to remember that the soldiers in Europe (and the other theatres as well) were lonely and finding and keeping a pet was something to help remind them of home. It is estimated that the average Allied base camp contained 50 - 100 cats and dogs which were kept as pets, so the "Swanson Hut" was an innovation that was necessary to keep the smell tolerable.

Today, one can see the modern version of the "Swanson Hut" at any of the larger pet stores. They are usually a two piece enclosure made of plastic in which the cat enters via a small doorway into the "litter area". Because the litter area is enclosed, the odors emanating from the litter box are controlled to a greater extent than using a "open" style litter box. Besides drastically reducing the odors, it also provides the cat owner with a means of controlling "cat litter expense" because the owner can go a longer period between litter changes because the smell is masked by the "Swanson Hut". However, your cat might not feel the same way.

This story was told to me by my grandfather who served in Europe during World War II. The event that triggered this conversation was a visit to my home where he saw the enclosure and I told him that we just bought this "new" type of litter box for our cat. Evidently this is not true and now you know the true story of the "Swanson Hut". It is a shame that the actual name never caught on and is now nothing more than a footnote in history.

The information on this page is reproduced with the author's permission.