What does it mean when your cat’s poop suddenly turns red? Could be some terrible disease. Or could just mean your cat’s been eating her red blanket and explains why she’s not hungry anymore. I’ve been so worried about poor little albatross chicks consuming pieces of plastic out in the North Pacific Gyre, while here at home under my own nose my kitty’s been chowing down on polar fleece. Look at all the holes!

This is the blanket the kittens came with. I put it in Arya’s cage while she was healing, thinking it would be familiar and comforting. And I guess it was. Comfort food. (Plastic blanket, and god knows what kind of dye it’s got in it.)

Little Hobble had her sutures out on Friday and is getting back to her normal spirited self, which is a little worrisome because her bones will take a while to completely heal. So we still have to keep her in the cage — sans fake plastic blanket!

So, here’s this week’s tally. Plastic items used this week but purchased before the plastic project began:

• 1 85 oz bottle Sun Light gel dishwasher detergent and cap.The main reason this stuff has lasted so long is that we bought it when we first moved into this apartment three years ago and then rarely used the dishwasher. Only recently did I figure out that washing one load of dishes per week in the dishwasher is actually more efficient for us than handwashing. So, we’ve finally used up this bottle and have now switched to powdered detergent in a cardboard box.At the moment, we are trying Ecover Automatic Dishwasher Powder ^[1] because it’s non-toxic and also because it seems to have the most environmentally-friendly packaging. The box is made from recycled cardboard AND the spout is also cardboard rather than metal, like those of Seventh Generation and Whole Foods brands. Fewer types of materials means better recycling, right? The Ecover web site mentions a polypropylene cover, but I’m wondering if that is referring to some other product because our box of detergent has no plastic cover.

  Apparently trace amounts of dioxane ^[2] have been found in its products, but it seems to only apply to the liquid dish soap, not the powder. It remains to be seen how effective this stuff is. Do you guys use dishwasher detergent and if so, what works best for you? Oh, and does anyone have tips for the best way to load the dishwasher? Neither Michael nor I grew up with one, so we’re doing the best we can.

  And yes, I’m sure we could be super efficient at handwashing and skip the machine. But the fact remains that we are not. Let’s just leave it at that. :-)

And the new plastic waste:

• 1 chewed up red polar fleece blanket. Already fully described above.
• 1 plastic seal from around the neck of a jar of Fudge Is My Life fudge sauce. It’s almost gone. I heard back from one person who won a jar a few weeks ago and mailed it off on Friday. Haven’t heard back from the other two: Small Change and Bobbi ^[3]. If you want your fudge, email me ^[4] before it’s gone!

Only 4 items this week. Not bad!

Tomorrow, I’ll report all about the ridiculous search for plastic-free water at the the Outside Lands Music Festival ^[5] on Friday, and the Radiohead ^[6] show that pummeled me with its exquisite noise and left me breathless with hope for humanity. (What a world where guys can make sounds that take over my whole body and soul and cause me to weep with amazement no matter how many times I hear them.)