When you get to questions, I have one… with so many cats in the house you must have to deal with their water dishes in some way. Do you wash them weekly or something? I have a neighbor who told me her dog gets bladder infections if she waits too long between dish washings. On the one hand I thought this was weird, as the bacteria would have to survive the intestines without causing harm, then cross the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and pass through the kidneys without causing harm, which all seems pretty unlikely (water they drink doesn’t just go straight to their bladder!). On the other hand I’ve had three unexplained bladder infections in the past three years so I wondered… I use a water additive to help with teeth so I don’t necessarily dump out all the water super often, and I have to use big heavy casserole dishes because I have too many dabblers and spillers.
I don’t know enough about bladder infections to know whether she’s making a correlation that doesn’t exist or not, but it certainly doesn’t hurt to wash their dishes regularly. All of the dishes I use – food and water – are dishwasher safe, and I have extras, so while I don’t have a strict schedule, I would guess that everything goes into the dishwasher every 5 days or so. That includes the water fountain.
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That toy [the Cat’s Meow] does get some bad reviews, but we bought some for our shelter cats, and they all enjoy it. My dad bought one for his cat, tied a lightweight feather on the tip….and it was the cat’s meow!
A while back everyone was talking about their favorite litter scoopers. I didn’t know the name of mine….I have had it for YEARS. I think it has been slightly modified since but looks mostly the same. The DuraScoop Cat Litter Scoop’s handle is rubber covered (mine is black) and it has never torn or anything. LOVE IT. It is made of aluminum and the handle is metal all the way up, so for those who complained about their handles busting through the cover because it wasn’t full core, here is your solution. The only complaint someone had was that it pitted and broke up. HOWEVER, it appears that they soaked it in a bleach solution. Bleach + aluminum = a NO-NO. ANYWAY, they now make it in colorful handles, I just ordered my second one Jet.com and it is retro-green. (Am buying a second one to keep up in my little cabin in the mountains.) I paid $11.47.
Now, for free shipping, I bought Precious Cat Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Scented Scoopable Multi-Cat Cat Litter, 40 Pound bag. The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. SOOOOO, I bought three bags and ended up paying $13.98 a bag! Compare that to PetSmart ($16.99 a bag), baby!!! (And it is $23.68 a bag on Amazon and $16.69 on Chewy.)
Also, for new customers, there is a Welcome15 coupon code that you can use for your first three orders that takes off an additional 15% (prices above reflect this, I do believe.) The Triple15 expired Jan 1st. I have a new email account as I was a victim of the Yahoo email hacking, and Jet still accepted me as a new customer!
Thanks, GD! I can attest that the DuraScoop is a good, solid scoop. That was my go-to before I discovered the It’s the Scoop scoop.
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While we’re posting about cat deals, Coupaw.com has those great wool cuddly caves for cats on sale for $37.95! That is as low a price as I’ve seen for the wool caves.
Thanks, Amy! I’ve been meaning to mention those. And let me helpfully provide a link to those caves with my referral id so that anyone making a first-time purchase at Coupaw through that link earns me a $10 credit (to use at Coupaw). π
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Thought you all (or is that y’all) might like this video someone sent me. It’s from a cat rescue and amateurish, but that’s why I love it.
I love that video – I’ve watched it twice so far, and I’ll probably watch it several times more!
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Yay Willa! Was this the quickest adoption of your foster, Robyn?
I think itβs a tie β Ralph from the Grocers was adopted within an hour of arriving at Petsmart!
The interesting thing is that two different people expressed interest in Willa beforehand, but the people who actually adopted her were neither of those!
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will you ever nickname him Dewey Decimal?
We certainly might! Right now I’m calling him Dewbs and sometimes Dewbers (and occasionally I sing “Dewby Dewby Dew, where are you? It’s time to take our nap now! Come on Dewby Dew, ‘Fonnie too, climb up in my lap now!”) and Fred’s calling him Dewber, Dewbird, and Dewberg (and he likes to walk around the house singing “Mr. Dewbird on my shoulder.”)
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Aw, Dewey! I love that name; it reminds me of Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle.
I think that part of what makes the name so perfect for him is that he reminds us more than a little, in looks and personality, of Angelo from the Players, whose nickname was Dewey – after Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle.
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So which perms hang out over the cabinets now? I still think of that as sacred Stinkerbelle space, though I know some ventured up there when she was was with us. π
Alice, Kara and Jake are the ones who spend the most time up there – more Alice than anyone. Newt likes to go up there and pass out just far enough back that we don’t immediately see him. Then he snores, and we walk around the kitchen saying “What is that noise? Do you hear it?” Very occasionally we’ll see Archie up there and sometimes Dennis. Joe Bob only goes up there if he’s inside and a stranger (or really anyone who isn’t me or Fred) enters the house. No one has been on the platforms in the front room in ages.
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Did you not have any births in your house in 2016? The newest kittens looks to be the Fakers? You had two fake pregnancies and no births!
NO births β and I was DYING to have kittens born here, but nooooo. What are the chances Iβd get two not-pregnant pregnant cats in one year? Iβm a little bitter about that. The Fakers were SUPPOSED to be born here, but the guy didnβt get them delivered to the rescue fast enough. (At least they finally made it here!)
I kind of feel like the universe owes me a pregnant cat.
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The last of the Willa pics!
Is she one gorgeous girl, or what?
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He clearly considers Fred’s bed his safe place – hopefully he’ll expand that to include the rest of the house!
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“Why is it cold outside, lady? Why? Make it warm again!” Poor Joe Bob.
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Previously
2016: Shelton and the Deep Thoughts (would be an excellent name for a band!)
2015: Then she sat there, looking very very pleased with herself.
2014: “I yam large and in charge!”
2013: No entry.
2012: Poor Jax. Who will ever adopt such an ugly boy?
2011: No entry.
2010: (2) We DO NOT need any more cats! (Now that Iβve said that, weβll probably have, like, six more before the end of the year!)
2009: Girl kitties on the bed.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: βOh. Were you gone?β
2005: No entry.
So, a question for next week (or whenever)-what IS the criteria for keeping a foster? It seems like “a good napper” is one of them because Dennis and Dewey are both quality nappers. π
I’ll save this for Friday – but I’m not sure I have a clear answer. π
Oh my starts!!! That video is fabulous!!!
Robyn, what makes you like KKat Innovations It’s the Scoop better than DuraScoop? Didn’t people complain that it hurt their hands? Inquiring minds want to know. (And I don’t want to miss out on a great product.) π
I like that you don’t have to do any work – you don’t have to actually sift, just push to the bottom of the litter and pull up. There’s no shaking it back and forth for the litter to fall through. Some people mention in the reviews that the handle hurts their hands; I don’t have that issue, but I’m more than a little surprised that KKat Innovations hasn’t adjusted their design to make the handle more comfortable.
I always remember the scene from Malcolm in the Middle where the parents wake up in the morning, all “I feel like we forgot something last night…”, and it turned out they had forgotten they’d sent poor Dewey to the corner to “think about what he’d done”, and he ended up standing there all night. Not that it has anything to do with the Dewbers, but his new name has made me think about it. (Oh yeah, and when Dewey needs a new schoolbag, and ends up grabbing on of his Mom’s purses…).
Ok, enough, lol.
I just love Joe Bob’s pink nose!
Haha – I remember that episode!
Bahahahahahahaha “I need about tree-kitty”…. I’m such a dork. (http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/tree-fiddy for those who don’t know the origin)
you do realize now that you have said the universe owes you a pregnant cat that you are going to get another faker, right???
THANKS so much for putting up the information on Faelynn!!!
Yes, I’ll probably never get another pregnant cat again!
(And I was glad to share!)
hey, OT, but somebody mentioned this actor last night, and it seems like a perfect name for a future kitten (if you haven’t already used it!)
drumroll…
Randolph Mantooth!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544168/
Oh, I know who Randolph Mantooth is (I ADORED him on Emergency! when I was small) – and I agree, it’s a great kitten name. π
I love your question round-ups, they’re always so useful π
And I have a question myself, for any of the other readers that may have dealt with what I’m going thru… my oldest (and tiniest) cat has begun to be urine incontinent due to her kidney disease (which is unfortunately progressing). I have tried several brands of disposable pet diapers, and tried some cloth ones I found on Amazon, but no matter what, she always leaks, either through the tail hole, or just because she overwhelms the diaper with urine.
Does anyone have any recommendations for what I could use. She is about 4.8lbs, and thus just barely fits an X-small disposable pet diaper (10″ waist).
I don’t have any suggestions myself, but I’ll share in next Friday’s post, hopefully someone will have a good suggestion!
Aww, Willa! I sure will miss that cute face. I’m glad she gets to go home, though!
I am sure that if you get another pregnant cat, you’ll have to wait for ever and ever to have the kittens. I would love for you to have a pregnant cat though because I too am feeling kitten-deprived. I thought that the slow-down in winter was due to the cold, but I found out recently that cats need 10 hours of sunlight a day to be fertile. Isn’t that fascinating?
I just rediscovered the video Fred doling out ham to the permanent residents (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBXUU3RH0YE) and I LOVE IT. I just adore Alice’s squeaky little “Yes, I WOULD like some ham, would you care to toss some this way?”, the way that Stefan looks all surprised when the ham flops on his face, Stefan trying to join in with Alice (Ham? Ham here please? This is where the ham goes, in case you were wondering) and then Loony Jake casually stalking in (“Oh… nothing going on here… just seeing what toys are in the pie bed… YES I HEARD THERE WAS HAM? :loonyface:)
That video cracks me UP!
Just now noticing Willa’s perfect little heart nose.
Isn’t it cool?
You have no kittens?
Correct.
http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com/slime-in-dog-water-bowl/
https://www.trendypet.com/blogs/news/what-is-that-invisible-yucky-slime-in-your-pet-s-water-bowl
and.. are you still selling Jelly?? π