Harry Siluo “adores” his pet cats Melon Bear and Bobby. But for years, there was a daily inconvenience the pet-owner “dreaded” about having animals in the family home: the daily litter tray clean-out.
It was an annoyance he shared with his wife, Junyan “Chris” Li, a former nurse and fellow pet-lover.
“Every clean-up felt unpleasant,” Harry, whose official name is Qinghua Siluo, told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“The dust, the strong smells, the tracking through the house.
“I remember standing there one evening after scooping and thinking, ‘Why does something so fundamental to caring for a pet feel so outdated?’
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As the conundrum persisted, the Melbourne man began mulling over one question.
“Why hadn’t cat litter meaningfully evolved, despite how much we care about our pets today?” he recalled.
The question became a starting point for a fledgling business idea, which was to design a high-quality, eco-friendly cat litter that improved the lives of pets and their owners.
“For decades, cat litter relied on mining-based materials and chemical additives, with little consideration for long-term health or environmental impact,” Harry said.
“We wanted to challenge that thinking and ask a different question. What if cat litter could be truly safe, plant-based and environmentally responsible?”
Enter a surprise ingredient — tofu.
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How tofu helped Harry create his empire
It became the cornerstone of Harry’s new product, Michu Wonder Litter.
“Tofu wasn’t chosen because it was trendy — it earned its place through testing,” he told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“We researched extensively and trialled different materials, always thinking from a cat’s point of view: safety, comfort, texture, and smell. Tofu kept outperforming everything else.
“It’s food-grade, biodegradable, naturally absorbent and far gentler than traditional clay.
Hary was determined to make a product that would make cleaning up cat litter a better experience. Picture: Supplied
“Once we saw how quickly it clumped, how little dust it produced and how well cats accepted it, the decision was clear.”
There was another benefit, too.
Tofu was fully biodegradable and flushable, helping reduce landfill waste and environmental strain.
After investing his savings into the idea, Harry got some trial batches of Michu Wonder Litter produced.
“We tested relentlessly. Pellet sizes, absorption levels, clumping strength – and every version was trialled with our own cats,” he said.
“It was hands-on, repetitive and often exhausting, but it gave us complete confidence in what we were creating.”
Breaking into a market like cat litter was no small task
By April 2022, Harry had a product that he believed in, but launching it was a challenge.
Michu was entering a category that had been dominated by a handful of large corporations for decades.
“The cat litter market is notoriously difficult for new brands to break into,” Harry said.
“Established players control manufacturing, shelf space and traditional retail channels, which meant that in the beginning, we simply didn’t have access to mainstream supermarkets or pet stores.
“That was one of our biggest challenges. We had a great product, but very limited ways to reach customers.”
Undeterred, Harry relied heavily on the power of social media to directly reach the right audience.
“Online platforms allowed us to bypass the traditional gatekeepers and speak straight to pet owners, telling our story and explaining why Michu was different,” he explained.
The hard work finally started to pay off
Soon, it was proving a winning approach, with influencer-led videos of the cat litter in action going viral online.
In time, Harry said social recognition became “impossible to ignore”.
“Eventually, that momentum translated into something powerful and retailers began approaching us,” he said.
“What started as an online-first brand grew into a presence across both digital and physical retail, with online and in-store channels now reinforcing each other’s growth.”
When Michu Wonder Litter made it onto the shelves of retail giants like Petbarn and Pet Circle, it accelerated growth of the brand even further.
Harry plunged his savings into the product that he believed would be a hit. Picture: Supplied
“Online and offline started feeding into each other – customers discovered us on social media and bought in-store, or saw us in-store and later joined our online community,” Harry said.
“That transition from a purely online challenger brand to a recognised name in both digital and physical retail was one of the most rewarding moments of the journey.”
Harry’s idea is now pulled in an eye-watering amount of money
Today, Michu Wonder Litter has amassed more than $30 million in revenue, having sold more than six million bags globally.
Michu was also named the top company in the 2025 Smart50 Awards, an annual program by SmartCompany that recognises Australia’s fastest-growing small-to-medium-sized businesses.
Customers, meanwhile, continue to snap up its eco-friendly litter in a variety of pack sizes, choosing between scented and unscented in the process.
Social media remains what Harry calls the “engine”, which allows his brand to “earn trust, gain momentum and compete with much larger, more established players”.
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Michu has even expanded beyond its core product into a “comprehensive brand for cats”.
“That said, everything we design ultimately centres around one key behaviour: how cats use the toilet,” the entrepreneur explained.
“Wonder Litter sits at the heart of the brand, and all surrounding products are created to support and enhance that experience.
“Our litter boxes, for example, are designed specifically to work seamlessly with our plant-based litter, while our broader range reflects a deep understanding of cats’ habits and daily routines.”
You can shop the Michu range here.
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