Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category

May 29th, 2010 Cats, coupons No Comments »

Review of Maxx Scoop Small Spaces Cat Litter

product_maxx_scoop_small_bigAs I mentioned in a previous post, we received a coupon to try out Maxx Cat Small Spaces (actually any Maxx Cat Litter, but since we have used the Green and Blue tubs of it, we gave small spaces a try)

We actually pay a lot for Cat Litter, I am a huge fan of World’s Best Cat Litter (WBCL) – its natural, corn based so biodegradable and lasts a long time, so the (quite high for a clay based litter) price tag of Maxx Cat didn’t shock me to begin with.  However, having used (well not personally, the cats used it) this litter for a few days reminds me of why I don’t think World’s Best is all that expensive – this stuff doesn’t last nearly as long as it.  That being said, WBCL has some issues in summer – it is great at absorbing cat urine, it is also great at absorbing humidity of which we have had lots of so we usually switch to an alternative in the summer.

The cat’s do not seem at all bothered by the litter, with the exception of one orange fluffy monster who likes to clean the clay dust off the sides of the box all day and night, all you hear is wipe, wipe, wipe but the litter is less dusty than many litters so he is just being fussy.

It does seem to have a great scentguard without being overly scented itself (which is great because who wants a strong fake lemon scent not covering poop scent – note to self, don’t ever buy that stuff again) so it is definitely great for small spaces where you are more likely to have the boxes in your immediate living spaces, but unless that is the case, I would stick with their regular blue bins of litter.

I always use the tubs afterwards for a litter pail, keeping a liner in it and scooping 2x a day into the pail so I am not throwing away a liner every time I scoop so it was useful to get a new pail too

May 27th, 2010 Cats, coupons, food & drink, freebies & competitions, Real Life, Savings & Product Reviews, work stuff No Comments »

A Week In Review

I have been bad at posting this week, must be the heat getting to my head – that and I don’t feel like leaving to shop when its 30c outside.

freebiesmay27This week’s freebies are

Maxx Scoop Small Spaces Cat Litter (I just changed their boxes last night to it so review will follow on this one shortly, the others I will probably pick up on the weekend.

Multi Grain Cheerios

Dove Damage Therapy Hair Product

Mars product from a Random Act of Chocolate

A box of chocolates from a coworker (she works in an office alone and said if she opened them she would gain 100lbs lol so gave them to me to share with coworkers but they are going away for meetings and leaving me all alone for a few days so they are mine!)

AND a cup of steeped tea from Tim Hortons at work, I let someone in a hurry for a meeting downtown cut in front of me and he paid for my tea!

When I was shopping on Tuesday (well, picking up the litter and a few essentials) I also found some great coupons including 75c off any D’Italiano product (my fave ‘regular’ bread), $1 off Bick’s pickles as well as Lay’s chips coupons and Tetley tea – so there will be savings on the weekend’s grocery shop.

and now my little rant… Canada Post

Late last night I received an ‘out for delivery’ tracking update for a vistaprint.ca order I made for cards with my username for use on forums etc (plus I received SwagBucks for my order helping me to get to a $5 Amazon gift certicate – by tomorrow I will be at $20 in gift certificates for the month).  So I was stalking the front door listening for the mailman this morning.  Not only does he not bring me my vistaprint order but he brings me a card for a package he ‘attempted to deliver’ on Tuesday when I was home when the mail came then too.  So I assume I will get a card for my vistaprint order some time next week.  Why ship anything expedited if Canada Post will just leave it at the post office and not attempt delivery?

May 13th, 2010 Cats, freebies & competitions, Photos, Real Life, Savings & Product Reviews 1 Comment »

Quincy and the Cat Food Scandal

I have been trying to find a food that all my cats like, will eat (some food they just like to play with) and do well on.  Between my little princess who is just a fussy eater when it comes to catfood, and nervous about eating in general to another who throws up many foods, this is not an easy task.  I have a senior and a growing 1 year old, an overweight and an underweight but heaven help me if someone gets a different food than another ones does.

Rather than spend a fortune buying and returning bags of food they will hate, I contacted the companies of the foods I was interested in and asked them for samples, which they were all happy to provide.  Yesterday I came home from meeting the SmartCanuck ladies to find a ripped open package from Holistic Blend Pet Foods including several samples of their foods as well as a cute save my pets in case of fire sign – we have one here and I was wondering where to get a new one as we are planning on moving so YAY.  Anyway, back on track, the older cats have been fed Holistic Blend before, but we stopped when dealing with diabetes and obesity issues with another cat, Scully, who has now passed.  So I was hoping they would not have changed the formula much and the newer cats would like it (which they did, another YAY).  But one of them likes the new Grain Free All Life Stages so much he decided that I was taking too long to get home and feed it to them that he would help himself.  (I say he because chances are it was Quincy, but my princess would never, ever rip apart mail – it is just so un-princess-like and the others are boys so…).  He had left some in the little packet so I gave some to the others as treats and they really seem to like it.

Then today, a second package came in from WellPet – this time nicely secured in a bubble envelope where it wasn’t so easy for the brat to open it – but my thoughts on last night’s package thief was confirmed.  I opened the package and looked at the contents, leaving it on the table beside the recliner.  It should be safe there, they like to sit on the back of the recliner but not the seat of it.  Well I was wrong, because I got out of the shower to this:

Once again, he had chosen the Grain Free Formula (in this case, this is called CORE) and he wasn’t giving this one up for the world, he actually growled at me for trying to take it.  I swear he thinks he is a dog.

I sent the picture into WellPet in response to the email they sent me saying they would send me samples, I am sure it is nice to get something back rather than the usual complaints customer service have to deal.

They also sent me samples of Indoor Health (yellow bag) and Complete Health (blue bag) which the cats all seem to like but not enough to open the bags themselves this time.

Visit the links for more information on each of the foods (all high quality cat foods that are healthier for your pet than supermarket brands, although usually only sold in pet food stores)

May 8th, 2010 Cats, freebies & competitions, Savings & Product Reviews, Websites No Comments »

Win a Loving Pets Bella Bowl with Sweeps4Bloggers

Sweeps4Bloggers is hosting a Loving Pets Bella Bowl giveaway.

Bella Bowls are beautiful! They’re made of stainless steel and have a poly-resin coating on the outside. Each bowl has a cute paw print and bone design on the outside and comes in 10 different colors to match your decor. The different colors also help keep things straight when you have multiple pets with different dietary needs. There are several sizes available and these are the color choices:

Little Miss Autumn would love to win a Paparazzi Pink bowl to counter the blue bowls the boys have (not that you can see the outside of theirs in the raised feeder but, hey, she knows they are blue!

Enter here to win (check out the extra ways to earn bonus entries)

May 6th, 2010 Cats, Shelters and Rescues No Comments »

Foster garbage

I recently read a reply on a post by House of the Discarded that surprised me.  We read a lot of the coverage on Toronto’s new garbage laws as the legislation was debated by City Council but the comment was something I had not thought of (perhaps because we don’t have limits here so I don’t ‘see’ the amount of litter we go through – just the hole it burns in my wallet).

Beth, the writer of the blog, was in search of a foster home for a litter of six kittens at a local high kill shelter, and a reply came into her blog that someone was willing to foster, but couldn’t as they were already over their one bag limit of garbage.  I don’t know the fate of those kittens, they were not mentioned in subsequent updates so I don’t want to ask (another post I think) .

We were all so caught up in the dumping aspect of the legislation that I didn’t even think about the impact this could have on rescue based groups (most shelters have commercial pickup), despite being involved in animal rescue and on many rescue lists.  I hadn’t seen it mentioned but I imagine that it is affecting more than just the person who replied to the post.

Hopefully, someone will supply tags for the rescues to keep doing the great work they do

May 5th, 2010 Cats, Savings & Product Reviews No Comments »

Dematting Magnum

I have no idea where I bought this, I bought it a while ago and after using it, lost it and could not find it anywhere. One of my cats is not great at grooming himself, and despite regular grooming, often gets matted fur in some areas. This has been a real problem over the last few months since he has taken a real disliking to grooming but likes baths so he tends to cement in the matted fur playing in water.

I have tried numerous dematting tools on him but none worked as well as the tool I knew I had somewhere at home (shown on the right on the image here)

It is hard to see from the image, but these dematting rakes are not straight edged like many, but curve under making it easier to get the matted fur and giving you a small area between the skin and the matted fur to hold as you work the rake through the matted fur.

This obviously hurts him less than many of the other tools we have tried with him, we can use it for a good 15 minutes before he starts hissing at us, with many of the tools, he would hiss almost as soon as we touched him with it. After two 10-15 minute sessions, we have dematted one whole side with no real pulling leaving bald spots as happened with another brush and he seems much happier minus the matted fur and enjoyed his furminator grooming this afternoon. Hopefully now we found the brush again (and I blogged it so I can remember who made it this time, walking into a pet store and saying it had a nice soft handle and a curved blade and is blue and grey did not find me my favourite tool) we can keep up on the matts before they get bad again.

These comfortable grip, extremely durable grooming tools are perfect for in-home and/or professional use. Softly cushioned non-slip handles provide cushion and control while absorbing pressure and reducing fatigue. These tools have been carefully designed to minimize effort and maximize efficiency. The durable ABS plastic reduces breakage. All ComfyCare Products are packaged for resale. Razor sharp, serrated blades tackle unmanageable mats and tough tangles quickly and efficiently while maintaining coat length. Non-slip handle for more comfortable grip. Allows greater control for safe, effective mat removal with minimal effort.

Edit: now I know the brush name, it is sold at Ren’s Pet Depot for less than $9

May 2nd, 2010 Cats, TCS 1 Comment »

Not all created (or made?) equally

It takes a lot to be a feral caretaker, to find home for strays or work in any kind of rescue.  It really is not for those who get very emotional, but unless you have that emotion there – you would never get into rescue/caretaking.  It really is a fine line you have to balance.

I have met some great caretakers over the years, some a little kooky but their hearts and heads are in the right place.  Having found and shared resources with these caretakers, maybe I am lucky in my experiences.  I have seen bad rescues but never a bad caretaker – all of the ones I know practise TNR along with feeding.

However, a recent posting I read (and banged my head against a wall replying to several times and trying to help the person find a rescue to help her) just made my blood boil.  The kinds of people who half-heartedly rescue/caretake are those who give the rest of us a bad name and cause the disconnect between the different groups.

This person rescued a stray cat and took it to her home, where she has several unneutered toms (she called them feral but said they were completely approachable) and several (if not all) strays and pets are FeLV+.  Said stray went into heat (you know being Spring and surrounded by intact males will do this) and the person was overwhelmed by dealing with it.  She did find a home for the stray but after the stray was exposed to FeLV and stressed her own cats out by doing so and was upset that she didn’t find more support amongst the rescue community online.

I realise that not everyone will ever use the best practises, but there does need to be a level of common sense used as well as knowing what will put you over your emotional and financial limits in order for this disconnect in the rescue world to stop

April 10th, 2010 Cats No Comments »

PawTV

A while back, we tried the Cat Sitter DVD with very little interest from our older cats, so I gave it away to someone else whose cat also was not that interested in it but would watch it for a few minutes.  I was checking out websites for canuckpet today (I really need to update it more often) and one had a clip of catsitter 3 on it, well Quincy and Autumn went crazy for it so I am off to buy a copy.

In the mean time, I downloaded a clip from catsitter 1 and burned it to DVD to check out their reaction (no point buying one if they get bored in 10 mins and never look at it again).  Well I obviously need to dust my TV screen more often – how did it get so dusty since Thursday anyway? – because it is covered in paw prints from them trying to catch the birds and mice on the screen.

April 8th, 2010 Cats, Photos No Comments »

The Many Faces of Quincy

My 1-year-old cat, Quincy, cracks me up.  He absolutely hates the camera and gets this fierce face on every time the camera is out.  Probably not the best characteristic for a cat living here, likely to have a camera shoved in their faces several times a week.

Typical of I have really had enough and told you several times to stop taking my photo look, but I think he was actually hissing at his sister in this one

It is my catnip ball and I am not sharing now get that camera away from me

yes, I am just yummy looking

and so is my catnip ball

oooh there is a birdy out there, let me out, let me out… I will throw myself at the screen door until I get brain damage, really I will

I hate you, and I don’t want my sparkle ball either.  I want the birdy and you locked me in here away from the screen door, you witch

ok, you can have one (and I mean just one) nice picture of me to show your friends

March 27th, 2010 Cats, random stuff, TCS No Comments »

A Virtual Vacation

Over the many years I have been a member of TheCatSite.com, I have heard people talk of ‘the great vacation thread’ that was lost when the site crashed back in 2004, before I was a member.  I recently offered to organise a new one, given that people still mention the thread over 5 years later.

We have quite the schedule organised with stops in California, Colorado, New Mexico, Rhode Island, NYC and lots of other US states as well as Toronto, Niagara Falls, Vancouver and Montreal for Canada and England, Prague, Warsaw, Paris for Europe and a quick stopover in Isreal and Australia in between all of the other fun places.

Join us for the vacation, and sign up to TheCatSite to talk about your cats