DAS Katzenstreu: why we’re challenging the German dictionary

Die Katzenstreu? Somehow that just feels wrong.

First, a quick German lesson – don’t worry, it’s about cats. Every German noun has a grammatical gender: masculine (der), feminine (die) or neuter (das). The German word for cat litter is Katzenstreu.

According to the Duden, Germany’s standard dictionary, it’s feminine: die Katzenstreu. The reason lies in the second half of the word. Streu (litter) is feminine in standard German – die Streu – going back to Middle High German strewe or ströu(we) and related to streuen, to scatter.

So far, so correct.

Then real life happens. People in Germany ask: “Welches Katzenstreu benutzt du?” (Which cat litter do you use?) or “Kannst du das Katzenstreu nachfüllen?” (Can you top up the litter?). Hardly anyone calls out from the bathroom: “Darling, die Katzenstreu is empty!”

A small, non-representative poll on the German Q&A site gutefrage.net shows the gap: 72 percent of 18 participants chose das Katzenstreu, only 22 percent die Katzenstreu. Scientifically robust? No. A perfect match for how it feels to us? Absolutely.

That’s why we at LucyBalu have decided on a small grammatical revolution: in German, we now write das Katzenstreu.

Yes, we know the Duden currently disagrees. But maybe the Duden isn’t quite finished with cat litter yet.

Language isn’t a cat tree made of concrete

Before any German teachers start waving their red pens: we’re not claiming that das Katzenstreu is correct by today’s standard. It isn’t. Not yet.

But language changes through use – and German is surprisingly flexible when it comes to gender. The Duden itself lists words that can take more than one article: die and das E-Mail are both correct. Virus can be der or das. Even Streusel (crumble topping) can be der or das.

And then there’s the final boss of every article debate: Joghurt. The Duden accepts der, regionally das and in some dialects even die. Three articles for one breakfast. Germany can be very tolerant – as long as cat litter isn’t involved.

According to the Duden, around 1.5 percent of the nouns in its spelling dictionary can be used with two articles, and about 50 words even with all three.

So why should cat litter never be allowed to move?

Our instinct offers a plausible explanation: today, cat litter is seen as a product in its own right – like das Granulat (granules) or das Material, both neuter. That the shorthand das Streu is officially die Streu makes it all the more charming.

Language isn’t only made in dictionaries. It’s made on the sofa, in the supermarket, in homes with cats – and, it seems, quite often right in front of the litter box.

Our proposal for the Duden 2030

So we’d like to give something back to the German language. Completely unauthorised and with maximum grammatical confidence, here is our future dictionary entry:

Kat·zen·streu, die or das

noun, feminine or neuter

Meaning:
Absorbent material for litter boxes; ideally clumping, odour-binding and so pleasant that the cat still scatters half of it in front of the litter box.

Grammar:
die Katzenstreu – standard, traditional, Duden-approved.
das Katzenstreu – very common, simply sounds more right to a suspicious number of cat people, and is used by LucyBalu with remarkable consistency.

Example sentence:
“Wer hat schon wieder das Katzenstreu im ganzen Bad verteilt?” (Who spread the cat litter all over the bathroom again?)
Answer: cat unknown. Investigation closed.

Until this entry becomes reality, we’ll take the linguistic risk. In German, LucyBalu now consistently says das Katzenstreu – from classic litter to our plant-based TOFU cat litter.

And this is where you come in.

Do you know German speakers who automatically say “das Katzenstreu”? Then share this article with them. Send it to cat people, word lovers and, if need be, to your old German teacher. Maybe together we can achieve what yoghurt managed long ago: official freedom of choice.

Our goal: die or das Katzenstreu.

Duden, the ball is in your litter box.