Comments on: Week 22 Results: 10.2 oz of plastic

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Don’t know how old the cat is now, but we taught our cat to do its thing on the toilet. Not an easy task, other cats didn’t take to it, but his stuff got flushed only after we added ours to hers.

By: Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank

Beth in the Fake Plastic Fish Tank — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:12:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who left cat-care info! I feel like an expecting mother and can use all the help I can get at this point.

We are seriously considering taking two kittens instead of one. I think two cats will be happier together when we are not home than one cat alone.

By: Ellen in Connecticut

Ellen in Connecticut — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:04:00 +0000

hair spray – I use the suds from washing my hands, and run my hands lightly over my hair. When my nephews were spiking their hair, they used gelatin in some way, or sugar syrup. For the die-hards, perhaps. Some East Indian women use baby oil to keep down the fly-aways.

By: terrible person

terrible person — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 18:46:00 +0000

I just hope it won’t bite us too much. But then, I should remember what Harry Truman said: “If you can’t stand the teeth, stay away from the kitten!”

By: Green Bean

Green Bean — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:07:00 +0000

Ditto on what some of the other readers said. You cannot flush cat poop down the toilet and are even supposed to clean it up outside and put it in the regular trash. Here’s a link.

http://www.coastandocean.org/coast_v22_no4_2007/articles/Otters_01.htm

We like the wheat litter and are still going round and round on which cat food is the most green. Enjoy your new kitten!

By: Cynthia

Cynthia — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:57:00 +0000

Boy, lots of issues! I have worked at a cat's only vet for 13 years and have 9 cats of my own (now that's crazy). There are a couple of things I would like to add to the mix.
Litter: I buy premium choice cat litter at Pet Supplies plus, in a 40 lb paper bag, but they also sell it in bulk. I would be a little cautious with the wheat litter. I know a lot of cats don't care for it. Ditto for the shredded newspaper. Cats like a substrate that mimicks what they would use in the wild, so ideally the closest to dirt you can get. (Maybe use dirt!) Oh, lots of cats are offended by the addition of baking soda too.
Food: Canned food does not harm a cat's teeth, and is beneficial to them in many ways. A kitten especially should be offered plenty of canned food since they have sometimes have trouble eating dry and many times don't drink enough.
Second: if you provide a homemade diet, be sure to find out about the additional minerals that cats must have, like taurine, and include them. Check with your vet for a recipe, but remember there is a lot of cooking involved. Cats are obligate carnivores, so don't be tempted to feed a veggie diet.
I know of a couple of cats who have gotten really bad disease from raw food.
I think there are lots of good commercial diets out there, and I find quite a few available in paper bags.
By the way, why not get 2 kittens? They are usually better cats in the long run if they can run and play and roughhouse with someone their own size! Good company for each other while you are gone too.
Sorry for the cat lecture! Nothing gets people in your business faster than saying you are getting a pet (or having a baby!).

By: kat

kat — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:31:00 +0000

Here’s a few links to “green” pet supply products and stores:
http://www.everydaystudio.com/
http://www.onlynaturalpet.com/
http://www.worldwise.com/smartykat1.html

In Oakland, both Pet Vet (Broadway near 51st) and Lisa’s Passion for Pets (17th and Madison) are locally-owned independent pet supply stores. Pet Vet provides sorta-affordable vet services one day a week, too.

Kittens are babies, so you’ll have to baby-proof the home (and think about it from the perspective of an extremely active, foolhardy climber and jumper who’s still a little…clumsy). They’re so much fun, but more work than you think! :)

Pets don’t actually take a lot of stuff. I use re-glued broken bowls for cat food, larger chipped bowls for water (one per cat–they won’t share). Litter box, cat carrier (very scary!!!), collar, cardboard scratcher (plus the side of the couch–sigh), and a scattering of toys. Catnip on special occasions. Instead of cat grass, they sneak nibbles of my arugula (curses!).

Even if you buy them a cat bed, they’ll find their own places (always the warmest in the house), so I don’t bother with one anymore.

More than anything, I guess, be open to the idea that your home is about to be the cat’s home, too. They’ll figure out how they want to live in that space, and if something they’re doing causes you a problem, figure out a way to redirect their behavior into something less annoying.

One example–my cats LOVE sleeping on my laptop. Now I always put lightweight uncomfortable things (mini-stapler, etc.) on top when I turn it off. No more cat-naps on the computer!

Congratulations, and good luck!

By: axelle

axelle — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 21:21:00 +0000

How do you folks who use shredded newspaper as kitty litter dispose of it? I foster kittens and go through pounds and pounds and pounds of litter each month. I dispose of soiled litter by wrapping it in newspaper & putting it in a newspaper-lined plastic bin. I used to use flushable litters (Wheatsworth, World’s Best K Litter, etc.) but apparently it harms wildlife (saw a notice re this at a vet’s office) so I went back to nonflushable stuff.

By: terrible person

terrible person — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 18:30:00 +0000

That seems like a good idea, to use newspaper as cat box filler. We certainly have enough newspaper around, with what I bring home from work, or pick up for free. I quite like the idea of having the cat go on the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, or the SF Bay Guardian.

As for food, it would be cool if our fish wouldn't just survive, but reproduce, so we could feed them to the cat. I wonder if we have any mice around.

By: har mar

har mar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:43:00 +0000

yay you're on your way to becoming a crazy cat lady (im allowed to already call you a crazy anti-bag lady, yes?).

as for the hair stuff...boyfriend buys the african american pomade Murrays and he's used it for years and years and years. for one...it comes in a tin. for two...it's cheap...like $2 a tin. and three..one tin will last him months. he LOVES it. since it comes in a tin (and no excess packaging of any kind) maybe it's an option for you?

when can i come play with your crazy anti-plastic kitten?

PS we forgot about the costco cards while you were here!

PPS..i was in oakland this weekend to go to the golden lotus for lunch. wow. so GOOD! i will most likely be there every weekend for lunch. you MUST try it.