I recently adopted a new kitten. (Don’t worry, a picture thread is forthcoming.) Today, I bought some OUT! brand Pet Stain and Odor Remover to help recover from the aftermath of some recent confusion per the differences between the litter box and my bed. (Because this is the Dope, I feel obliged to point out that the confusion was on the part of my kitty, not me.)
Anyway, I looked at the ingredient list on the bottle of OUT! and discovered that it contains “non-pathogenic bacteria” as the primary ingredient after H[sub]2[/sub]O.
I have to say, I am mightily impressed. Enzymes have been in these products for a long time, but the last time I had a baby animal to clean up after, I’m pretty sure there were no microorganisms in OUT!
Talk about living in the future! Microscopic artificial organisms bred specially to eat up my cat’s wee-wee–how incredible! Can this be true? Are these actually engineered bacteria like the ones that clean up oil spills? What other products have bacteria as the active ingredient (besides yoghurt)? What does the future of bio-engineered household products look like? And when do I get my nanites that will keep me perfect health, upgrade my memory, and allow me to assimilate alien races at will?