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Cat Grass; Part II

The Cat Ladies Organic Cat Grass Kit

Cat grass is a staple in my house.  This is mostly because it helps reduce hairballs and my cats just generally like it.  It’s a calorie free treat!  For anyone that purchases or grows cat grass on the regular, you know that it only lasts so long and has a tendency to get moldy (usually when over watered) or die out when it has run it’s course.

My dedicated followers know that I’ve already written a post on the why’s and how’s of planting cat grass already but this is about and ease of use.  Let’s quickly recap a few of the cat grass growing options:

Box o’ Grass

This is just a plastic bin, potting soil and cat grass seed.  The box was big enough for the cats to lay in, which they did, so it required a good spot.  At the time the cats had a large second floor porch all to themselves, so this was the perfect solution and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Catit Senses Grass Planter

This comes with it’s own seed and medium to grow the cat grass in.  This also was easy, smaller than the box o’ grass and had a grate on top to help prevent the cats from making a mess if they like to pull the grass out by the roots, which mine do.  I liked this for it’s tidiness.

Pet Greens Pre-Grown Grass

This is all about convenience.  Buy it, bring it home, put it out and the cats can chow down.  Simple as that.  However, I’m not sure if it was me or the grass but it always seemed to get moldy after a certain amount of time.  It’s possible I never mastered watering it but I followed the directions.

The Cat Ladies Organic Cat Grass Kit

The Cat Ladies Cat Grass Kit
The Cat Ladies Cat Grass Kit

This was actually given to me as a gift so I had to try it out.  This comes with it’s own compact dirt ‘disc’ and organic cat grass seeds.  This is interesting because adding water to the dirt makes it puff up and fill the mug, in a way that’s fun to watch.  The grass grows quickly and the mug doesn’t take up much room and possibly because of it’s size, the cats didn’t make a mess of the grass and dirt.

The Cat Ladies Organic Cat Grass Kit
Day 4

After the grass ran it’s course, this was easy to clean and start all over again.  The dirt comes out in one ball, which I threw into the garden and I rinsed out mug and put it in the dishwasher.

The Cat Ladies Organic Cat Grass Kit
Day 6

The ease of use along with the inexpensive cost of the refill kits, especially compared to other refill kits, has made this my new favorite cat grass.  It is as convenient as it gets, the grass grows quickly and at ~$4 per refill, this is more cost effective than purchasing pre-grown grass from the store.  This also makes a great gift for any of your cat lover friends!

 

 

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If My Cat Had A Dating Profile; Tinkerbell

If My Cat Had a Dating Profile; Tinkerbell

Basic Information

  • Name: Tinkerbell
  • Nicknames: Tink, Tink-ro-bell (her robot alias), Sweet Pea, Mama Cat
  • Sex: Spayed Female
  • Breed: Domesticate Short Hair/Barn Cat
  • Eye color: Green
  • Fur type/color: Short haired tuxedo
  • Sign: Leo
  • Siblings: Yes, one brother, one sister, both younger
  • Microchipped: No

My Self Summary

The first thing others notice about me is that I’m very laid back, likely asleep at any given time.  So laid back that I don’t wake up for loud noises or interruptions of any kind and sometimes not even for mealtime.  I’ve been like this my whole life.  I know what you’re thinking, this sounds like I’m a catnip addict.  Although I am a catnip enthusiast, it actually makes me feisty.  I am just naturally more laid back than the average house cat.

I am an indoor cat but I do enjoy the outdoors and try to get out at every opportunity.  I often get outside and make a run for it and lay down under the neighbor’s deck where no one can get me.  This is why I have a custom made harness and leash that is sometimes imposed upon me.  Being outside automatically puts me in a good mood and makes me purr.  When I’m not running away, I like to graze on grass like a cow in a pasture.

Other things I enjoy are the occasional game of laser or string but mostly I like to watch TV and snuggle under the covers.  I invented Netflix-and-chill.  My favorite shows are Friends, I Dream Of Jeannie and Gracie and Frankie.

Other things I enjoy are freeze dried treats, kibble that is small and round in shape, tennis balls, bath puffs,

If My Cat Had a Dating Profile; Tinkerbell
Snuggling a freshly laundered bath puff

scratching the furniture to make a point, giving kisses, playing with packing paper, laying in front of heat vents, bathing in the sun, my red velvet collar, big dogs (probably from my early days of living as a barn cat and being co parented by a golden retriever) and chin scratches.

My dislikes are baths, fish oil added to my wet food (it’s good for my shiny coat and dry skin in the winter), loud noises, small dogs that bark a lot and going to the vet.

One thing I wish people noticed about me is that I am a sweetheart.  People often don’t see this side of me as I am very weary of some strangers, it’s really hit or miss with no rhyme or reason, but I like those with stinky feet the best and sometimes fall asleep with my head in their shoes.  The smellier the better. Seriously.

If My Cat Had a Dating Profile; Tinkerbell
Just lounging…

If you hang out with me, expect an extremely well mannered, delicate, laid back couch potato.  I may beg for your  food, mostly bacon, cheese and smoked turkey but I’ll do it in the cutest, sweetest way possible.

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How To Keep Your Kitty Hydrated; Water Fountains For Cats

Gherkin & Water Fountains For Cats

We all know that drinking water is essential not just for us but for our best fur friends as well.  Pets should have clean water available to them at all times.  When I first brought Tinkerbell home, I made sure she had a dish for food and a dish for water.  As time went on and we added another kitty to the lineup, I thought maybe there was a better way.  After reading that cats are attracted to moving water because in nature stagnant water could harbor parasites and bacteria.  This is the reason water fountains encourage increased water intake and why I ventured down the rabbit hole of looking into water fountains for cats.

A Few Things…

Just a few things to keep in mind with all fountains.  First, they all require regular cleaning that takes a little more time and effort than just a regular bowl.  There are usually a couple pieces that come apart to be cleaned and then have to be put back together.  The second thing is that all of the fountains I’ve seen have a filter or two.  All of the below fountain have a charcoal filter that needs to be replaced regularly and some included a foam filter that can be cleaned are reused.  With that said, let’s discuss actual fountains.

Fountain #1

The first water fountain I bought was fairly inexpensive and made of plastic.  I think I spent around $30 and ended up returning it at least twice before returning it for good.  The pump was extremely loud and it generally didn’t do a great job.  Additionally, I don’t like drinking out of plastic, so why should my cats?

Fountain #2

Tdibit & Water Fountains For Cats

The second fountain I bought was a much nicer fountain.  I opted for the Petsafe Pagoda fountain which is made of ceramic, a larger size and a nice quiet pump.  This includes a charcoal filter and foam filter around the pump.  This setup is pretty straight forward and easy to clean.  I have also found the water pump online, so if need be, the only wearable part would be easily replaceable, which is a bonus.  Overall, the maintenance on this (filters, pump if needed) is fairly low cost so I expect this fountain to last a long time with minimal additional cost.

Fountain #3

The third fountain was the American Valley Nature Spa fountain.  I saw this advertised somewhere and thought it looked nifty.  This one had a separate reservoir to keep the fountain full and claimed to have UV purification.  It looked cool with the blue light and the sound of the water was very soothing.  After using this for a while, I took it apart and found it extremely difficult, essentially impossible, to clean and the UV purification (which I think is just an LED light) didn’t seem to help keep the internal tubing clean, that is inaccessible.  When we added Gherkin to our family, our third cat, the fountain just seemed to always be empty, despite opting for the larger reservoir.  Also, Tidbit would knock the reservoir off or into the fountain and end up getting water everywhere.  This fountain seemed like a great idea but for several reasons but just isn’t practical for us.

For All Water Fountains For Cats

With every fountain, I found the following:

  • Cats generally enjoyed it, sometimes playing in the water stream a little
  • The sound of the water running is relaxing
  • All fountains required some upkeep with cleaning and changing of filters
  • They volume of a water fountain was generally more water than an average water bowl
  • The fountain does seem to encourage more water intake

The Final Decision

In the end, I went back to our Petsafe Pagoda contain for a few reasons.  I like that it was made out of ceramic, versus plastic.  The fountain itself held a good amount of water and was relatively easy to clean, which was ultimately the deciding factor.  The fountain is just simple and straight forward to use and clean.  Of course the kitties all like it and continue to drink lots of water and dip their paws in the stream now and then.

Tinkerbell & Water Fountains For Cats

What To Look For

If you’re going to make the leap to get a water fountain for your cats, I would say to look for a few things:

  • good quality materials, for me this is ceramic rather than plastic
  • easy to take apart and clean
  • low maintenance cost of filters and possible parts
  • adding an absorbent mat under the fountain helps contain splashing from anyone playing in the water

The Pagoda cost a little more upfront but is worth it in convenience and knowing that I am able to give the whole fountain a good cleaning ensuring my kitties have fresh water, was ultimately the deciding factor.

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How to Make A Bed; A Cat Bed

Cat Bed

Occasionally, in my spare time I enjoy a little knitting and might make myself or my husband a scarf or hat.  My grandmother taught me to crochet when I was young and then a little later taught me to knit.  (Her first attempt at teaching me to knit was a total failure because I just wasn’t catching on!)   I am by no means nimble with yarn and patterns are like reading Greek for me.   I can count on my hands the number of things I’ve ever knitted or crocheted.

With that said, every time I go to the craft store I see the over sized yarn and think ‘it’s so cool, what could I ever do with that?’  Then I saw a cat bed made from jumbo yarn, I had to make one too!

What You Need

I watched a number of YouTube videos and settled on this video.  The woman in the video is thorough and goes at a good pace.  Don’t feel bad about watching and re-watching the video, I did too!  I used two bundles of this yarn.  This is “arm crocheting” so no additional crocheting tools are needed.  I also used a binder clip to keep track of my beginning stitch, I found this extremely helpful in minimizing the confusion.

Ultimately, below is the “pattern” (using the term loosely since I can’t read patterns, I certainly don’t know how to write one) I used, consider them my notes, after using the video as a guide.  I made the bed larger to accommodate my bigger kitty, ~13lbs and possibly still growing.  The first version of the bed was way too small for Gherkin, luckily this is easy to unravel and try again.  Last thing anyone wants is a cat bed that no one can fit in!Cat Bed

The Pattern

  • Row 1 – 3 straight stitches
  • Row 2 – 3 double stitches (total stitches: 6)
  • Row 3 – 6 double stitches (total stitches: 12)
  • Row 4 – alternating 1 single stitch, 1 double stitch (total stitches: 18)
  • Row 5 – alternating 2 single stitches, 1 double stitch (total stitches: 24)
  • Row 6 – alternating 3 single stitches, 1 double stitch (total stitches: 30)
  • Rows 7+ – single stitch until desired completion

The whole bed took maybe 45 minutes and that includes starting over once to make the bed larger.  Once it was done, Gherkin could not wait to hop in and do what kitties do best, take a nap!  Tinkerbell and Tidbit also enjoyed the new nap spot!

Cat Bed

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What To Do On Giving Tuesday

custom cat collars

For most of us holidays are filled with the hustle and bustle of trying to see all your family, shopping, eating, drinking and generally being merry or at least giving it your best shot!  It starts on Thanksgiving, maybe even the day before for some, and the holiday marathon goes straight through until New Year’s Day recovery.  With the hustle and bustle aside, let’s talk about Giving Tuesday.

I personally like the holidays, I love seeing all the lights and decorations and I appreciate getting into the spirit of things with holiday activities and a few traditions.  Most of the time I don’t even mind shopping.  This year I think my favorite activity will be participating in Giving Tuesday.  Although Swanky Kitty donates a portion of proceeds all year round, I will be participating in Giving Tuesday as well.

There are a number of organizations that I wholeheartedly believe in.  I wanted to specifically mention the organizations that Swanky Kitty supports.

Organizations we support:

This year I am choosing HEART Animal Rescue because they gave us our little Gherkin!  What a great job they did raising this little boy until we were able to give him his forever home.  These are all great organizations and I hope you too participate in Giving Tuesday!

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What To Do When Your Cat Won’t Listen To You; Cat Training

The argument of cats vs dogs is always a lively debate between the two populations.  No secret to my friends and family, I’m a cat person through and through.  Why are cats awesome?  Well, they don’t bark, jump on you, track mud through the house (my cats are indoor cats) and generally smell better, no one ever said “that smells like a wet cat,” amongst other things.  One of my favorite rebuttals is “you can’t train a cat!”

To that I would had to admit defeat.  They seem to be trained when they hear the refrigerator open or the crack of the cat food can opening but other than that I struggled with some ongoing behavioral issues.  Tinkerbell, my first and fabulous kitty (and you’ll notice, my sole problem child) had a bag of tricks that I couldn’t break her of.  Some of her favorite antics: scratching the couch and walking on the counters despite knowing only she found this acceptable.

After YEARS of cohabiting with my furry darlings, I have pain painstakingly tried a number of behavior modification tactics.

Tried (and failed) cat training strategies:

  • Repetition.  Where I say “no” (without yelling because that apparently hurts a cat’s ego and makes them act out more) and to stop the unwanted behavior.  Result:  A LOT of effort on my part, not a lot of results.
  • Water bottle.  After sweet, sweet Tinkerbell was well on her way to destroying couch #1, I tried spraying her with water.  Result: This worked exactly three times, after that she sat there and let me spray her with water.  There was also the constant worry that I may accidentally spray her face or eyes.
  • Deterrent sprays.  There are products out there that use scents to deter cats from scratching your furniture.  I sprayed this on my couch.  Result: Money wasted.
  • Tin foil.  This was used to keep adorable Tinkerbell from walking on the counter.  I would line the edge of the counter with foil.  Result:  She would jump over the tin foiled area.  So unless I was willing to live in a tin foil kitchen, this was not helping anything.
  • Loud Noises.  I read that making loud noises will act as a deterrent.  Result:  You can’t believe everything you read.

Then one day, while I was at work, on the phone with a coworker whose spouse is an animal behaviorist, she tells me that there is a gadget that is motion activated and will give out a puff of air when the cat jumps on the counter.  This supposedly scares the cat.  I think, is it really that simple?  My cats do not like when I clean my keyboard or my husband lets air out of his bicycle tire.  Will a regular can of air work?

Successful cat training strategy:

Can of air.  Whenever my kitties are acting out, I pick up a can of air and shoot air into… well, the air.  Result:  They immediately stop, drop and disperse.  This has been a life changer in our house.  I can use this tactic regardless of behavior, scratching, counter walking, in fighting and not worry about shooting water at their eyes, all my furniture smelling weird or covering all exposed surfaces in foil.  I don’t have to yell or be disruptive or rush over to stop them, I just calmly pick up a can of air (which I have a half dozen strategically placed throughout the house) and press the nozzle.  It has become so effective that most of the time I just pick up the can and they stop, proving that you can, after all, train a cat.

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What To Say When The Furballs Are Getting Bigger; Cat Fur Management

Cat Fur Management

Let’s talk cat fur management, often a losing battle!  Luckily, I found it in the form of the Roomba!

At first, I hesitated to buy a “gadget” that vacuums my house at the touch of a button.  Luckily, we have wonderful neighbors that not only lend us a cup of sugar when we need it but let us take home and test drive their Roomba, who they’ve named “Sonny”, for a week.  It may be true that we kept “him” for longer but that is unconfirmed.

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Cat In The Hole; A Cat Door For Everyone!

When we recently moved into our new home and we knew that we wanted to put the litter boxes in the basement.  Not that we don’t love our furry girls, we just don’t love seeing the boxes, plus they get a little added privacy while doing their business (and who doesn’t want their privacy).  The new house has a door at the top of the basement stairs and obviously, our kitties (usually) can’t open doors for themselves, despite their best efforts (if they could, then I’d be writing a different story!).  I scoured the web for a solution finding a plethora of exterior pet doors.  Finally, I found the cat door by Cathole.  Reviews on a few websites only sang praises for this product, so I immediately added it to my online cart and within a few days, it was at my door.

Continue reading Cat In The Hole; A Cat Door For Everyone!

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What To Do When It’s Hotter Than Hot; Keeping Your Cats Cool

Keeping Your Cats Cool - cat collars

During the summer months, keeping cool isn’t only a priority for us but also for our furry loved ones.  Since I currently don’t have AC, (gasp!) I do get a little worried for my girls when the temperature starts to creep up.  So, a few things that I found helpful for keeping my cats cool and comfortable:

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When Cat Food Is Fresher Than Fresh; Refrigerated Cat Food

Cat Food

One ordinary day, during an ordinary shopping trip to the local wholesale club, I found something interesting; refrigerated cat food!  It caught my attention because, well, anything cat related catches my attention, but will I deem it good enough for my girls?  They’re on a grain free diet, for no reason other than it seems to be the healthiest choice, so my first reaction is always to read the ingredient list.  Holy tamole!  Not only is it grain free but everything on the list is ‘real’ food and the ingredient list is broken down by ingredients and vitamins &minerals and claims to be lightly cooked and not processed to preserve the integrity of the nutrients.  Let’s give this a try!

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