Comments on: Naughty kitties pass the test, as does our drinking water!

By: allisonlindsay

allisonlindsay — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Another round of support for nail clipping. We trim every two weeks or so; takes some doing the first few times, but if you work it into the grooming schedule, the kitties should take to it.

We've tried all manner of litter. Feline Pine was an utter mess. It disintegrated and tracked all over the house (of course, we have two longhairs, so that could have been part of the problem). We finally settled on Good Mews, manufactured in Oregon out of post-consumer paper. It's flushable, but it does come in a plastic bag. Perhaps you can find another recycled-paper litter in CA, however. Best of luck.

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 03:21:00 +0000

Our cat doesn't bother my houseplants, as long as he has his own cat grass to nibble. He prefers the oats on their own, over a barley/rye/oat blend. However, we didn't get him until he was 2 years old, and probably past much of the kitten/chewing phase.

As for making a cardboard cat carrier: Mother Earth News has directions.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 13:54:00 +0000

With the non-clumping Feline Pine (I’ve never tried the clumping, having never seen the need), you just scoop out “the solids” and can flush. You’re not actually flushing more than a teeny bit of sawdust. I don’t actually flush it all that often — our bathroom is upstairs and the litterboxes downstairs — but if our ancient plumbing doesn’t have a problem, I think you’ll be fine.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 05:04:00 +0000

Here’s one more recommendation to spray, spray, spray, spray, spray. Have a sprayer in every room and USE it. I call all my sprayers Mister Sprayer. Re kittens chewing cords, I tape to the wall and floor as much of the cord as I can. Tape can be utterly fascinating to kittens, but Mister Sprayer puts a damper on that real fast. Aside from what Julia’s mom does with her plants, I have found NOTHING that will keep kittens out and off of plants except Mister Sprayer. I completely agree with Anonymous who wrote, “…a kitten is a kitten is a kitten”.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 04:14:00 +0000

I like feline pine in the pellets, hate feline pine in the clumping. Does not clump and tracks all over the house. I did not like the wheat or tea leaves for the same reasons. I do not like the sand clumping because the dust is not great for kittens eyes or my rescued persian. I do lots of fostering and have lots of them with URIs and the dust bothers them. Also, cant deal with the cement left at the bottom of the box. For the crazies and into everything I think you will just have to wait that one out. A kitten is a kitten is a kitten.

By: Ruthie

Ruthie — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 03:17:00 +0000

Silly person. Please trim your kitties nails, especially the dewclaws, as they can become an ingrown mess if you have an indoor cat.

I use feline pine but it always comes in a plastic bag. :( I've used shredded paper in a pinch, but is totally not smell absorbing.

By: Sunny

Sunny — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:19:00 +0000

I hated Feline Pine. Also, the water bottle has worked well for me. My cats seemed to out grow the plant chewing thing after a year or two. Depends on the cat though. Also, to help with fecal/urine odor. You need to make sure you have at least two litter boxes. I use (granted plastic) totes that are about 4 inches deep and bigger then cat boxes. My cats seem fine with it. More litter, easier to clean and less odor. I really only like the clay litters and not the ultra cheap ones. It is however not something you want to flush. Really shouldn’t flush anything but TP. Those of us who grew up in the country had that pounded into our heads.

By: Rejin L

Rejin L — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:10:00 +0000

Hillary, I just checked the Culligan website. It seems like the free test they have is for water hardness. Maybe the hardware store/$9.99 one is more thorough.

By: might I add...?

might I add...? — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 23:03:00 +0000

First, about cutting the cats' nails... should be fine, I've been doing it for ages. Maybe the person who was against it got confused and thought you were planning to have your kitties declawed, a completely different (and horrible) thing.

Secondly, about the water tests. You may want to have a full test done on your water. There are many things in the water these days which can be harmful, not just lead like in the old days. Tests can be done for E coli, arsenic, radon and lots of other stuff. Depending on your water source, these tests can be vital.

Interesting website! I just found you today (via Dave at 365 Days of Trash).

By: Hillary

Hillary — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:01:00 +0000

I was just on Culligan’s website and they will send you a water test kit for free! Do you suppose this is the same one that’s for sale in hardware stores for $9.99?