More Than One Way to Skin a Dead Cat

Newark, New Jersey, September 14, 2005:

A inventor said he has developed a method to produce crude oil products from waste that he believes can be an answer to the soaring costs of fuel, but denied a local newspaper story implying he also used dead cats.

Ron -- a politician, tinkerer, inventor and patent holder of the "RON 5000" that he said produces high quality fuel -- said he can transform waste products such as paper, garbage, and plastic materials into fuel.

But Ron said there was no truth to stories published in The New Jersey Spew Tuesday and Wednesday that suggested he used dead cats as part of the mix for his organic diesel fuel.

"I use paper, plastics, textiles, and rubbish," Ron told Reuters.

"It's an alternative fuel that is friendly for the environment. But it's complete nonsense to suggest dead cats. I've never used cats and would never think of that. At most the odd toad may have jumped in."

The New Jersey Spew's Tuesday headline was: "Loony local inventor can turn cats into fuel -- for a tank he needs 20 cats." The paper on Wednesday followed up with a story entitled: "Can you really make fuel out of cats?"

A spokesman for The New Jersey Spew told Reuters the story was meant to show that cat remains could "in theory" be used to make fuel with Ron's patented method.

The author of the story said Ron had never told him directly that he had used dead cats as the story implied.

Ron says his patented "RON 5000" machine can produce what he calls the "bio-diesel" fuel at about $1.50 per gallon, which is about one-half the price at gas stations now.

"I drive my normal diesel-powered car with this mixture," Ron is quoted saying in The New jersey Spew, next to a large picture of a kitten. "I have gone 106,000 miles without a problem...but I don't use dead cats."

Posted by Bittle at September 14, 2005 04:12 PM