Cat litter does not make for very solid evidence. Conan stated quite clearly that the type of cat litter found on the carpet was made from paper, which easily stuck to the cat's hairy paws. Why, then, couldn't it have just as easily gotten stuck onto the man's pants when the cat brushed up against him, and accidentally tracked into the house?
When Richard first points at the criminal who commited murder, there's an automatic commercial break. But after the commercial, viewers find out who he points at.