Sunday, March 11, 2018

A review of cat furniture and "play areas" (cat hotels)

There are five areas for the mental health of cats: 
1.  Walkways
2.  Peaceful, quiet and calm "special spaces"
3.  Timely rubs
4.  Correct food
5.  Clean litter
and ..."other" forms of providing mental health
 Mental health is perhaps the overall reason we give them food, rubs and other perks.   Yes, food could be any food, but this category is call "the correct food."   I include mental health as a catch phrase so that we don't think that giving the other five parts is "enough."   [See the discussion below of "should we allow cats to go outside?"]

Timely rubs means "when the cat asks," not "when we decide to give the rubs."

Clean Litter means, "when I hear the cat scratching, digging and covering up, then I'm up and I remove the poop."       
the category of "Mental Health:  Other" suggests that there are other methods and procedues that don't fall under quiet, walkways, rubs, food and special spaces.

Special spaces might be connected to walkways and walkways can turn into a special space.   After all, look at Tomas, our cat, who sits on a high walkway and makes his spot on the walkway into a destination.


This review covers three "special spaces" that we found on Amazon.    Each of these "hotels" has spaces that are the right size and feel for a typical cat.   Some cats will avoid the special space, but look what Sweet Pea does on her Cat Hotel space.





The Hollypet Cat Activity provides a place to sit, an arch to climb, a place to hide.





PET PALACE 62" Cat Tree Kitten Activity Tower Condo with Hammock, Deluxe Scratching Posts, and Rope, cold be called a "cat tree."    It goes up and sideways.


 







 "Should we allow cats to go outside?"   
Look at the search results of this phrase

Should I Let My Cat Outside — Ever? - Catster

www.catster.com › Lifestyle

Jun 28, 2016 - The risks are high and come from many sources. Let's weigh those against some of the strongest reasons people let their cats go outside.

6 Reasons You Might Let Your Cat Out, And Why Not To | Petfinder

https://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-care/6-indoor-outdoor-cat-myths/

Many people let their cats outdoors, often with misplaced good intentions. Check out the six most common reasons people let their cats outside, and safer, indoor alternatives.

Should You Allow Your Cat to Go Outside? - The Spruce

https://www.thespruce.com › Pets › Cats › Cat FAQs

Apr 4, 2017 - Indeed, this debate seems to be more prevalent in the United States, as in many other countries, cats are allowed free access to the outdoors. Admittedly, I came from the "old school" of thought about cats: that they are creatures who love the outdoors, and that it is natural for them to be able to go out 

Catster

Petfinder 
It is clear that there are good solid pieces of evidence taken from scientific research to support "keep cats indoors."   So why not find the moderate point?

If you decide to let your cat outside or if you are committed to keeping your cat inside, why not add the "cat hotel" to your home?  Either way, when your cat(s) are inside, there is a special safe place for them to lounge on.
The Middle Way
We have five cats.  One stays indoors all of the time (she was rescued from under a car, so she prefers the safety of a roof).  Three others are sensible and usually come in when it is dark.  The last, Sweet Pea, is featured on this video channel with a Loc8tor radio device (reviewed here) 




Cat with a Radio attached to a Cat Harness




The middle way
A teaching material in Ashikaga Gakko (Japan) to teach students the importance of moderation. The cup is inclined when it's empty. When you pour water into it, it goes upright. If you pour more water, it becomes inclined again.
photo by Masayuki (Yuki) Kawagishi - originally posted to Flickr as The Yuza-no-ki
This is a teaching material to teach students the importance of moderation. The cup is inclined when it's empty. When you pour water into it, it goes upright. If you pour more water, it became inclined again. Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan.

Monday, February 26, 2018

How to feed wild cats (feral cats) without feeding ants

Yes, those dots floating in the water are dead ants
But dozens of ants found a way to get into the food.

Note how the edge of the smaller bowl touches
the edge of the larger bowl.
I did not make a good innovation
How can we keep ants away from the food that we put out for feral cats?   Sweet stray cats like Cheinha, Cara Meia Branca and Rosie have to fight ants when they eat the food that we put out for them.

One way is to take two bowls.   The larger bowl is filled with water.  The other bowl sits in the water and we hope the ants stay away.   The results from the experiment were not good.  See the photos at the top of this review.
Look at this REMARKABLE "wiki how" article


The other way is to buy a bowl with a "water moat" around it.  Here is an image from an Amazon product.

Here is a question and answer from the review of this product 
Question:
Answer:
Hi - I am glad to answer. Each side holds either 1 cup of dry or 1 5oz can of wet food. I hope that helps. I really love this bowl. I actually am going to buy two more for the two feral cats I feed outside.
By Carolyn Williams on June 7, 2016



This is an interesting tip:

on February 1, 2018
I had a bowl like this before. Years ago. I put a small amount of dish soap 
in the moat and them put the water in the moat and filled it to the top. 
Yes, in hot weather it dries up fast so you just keep an eye on it 
and put more water, but it's still soapy in the moat. 
Cleans up pretty good also with the dish soap on the bottom.

GOOD TIP!  Add liquid soap


Here is another review
September 6, 2017
Color: Blue Pet Bowl|





Here is another tip

on October 24, 2017
when the moat has an appropriate deterrent such as dish soap 
or vegetable oil or even a bit of diatomaceous earth with a 5% Sevin garden dust 
included this dish is very helpful. For my needs however the size is small









Sunday, February 25, 2018

Catwalks can create special spaces for cats to roam

Here is an example of using catwalks to improve a room... so that cats have a superior place for watching over us.



The wood came from two pieces of furniture that I no longer use.  The star, Tomas, likes to explore high places.   The minimum space from walkway to ceiling should exceed 12 inches.   The distance to the ceiling in this video is 13 inches and Tomas was close to the ceiling.



Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Saturday, February 3, 2018

It matters what we eat (we are what we eat), so it matters what they eat. -- "They all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast,"

"For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. Who knows that the breath [spirit] of man ascends upward and the breath [spirit] of the beast descends downward to the earth?Ecclesiastes 3:19-21

Cats and Dogs are People, too.   

That's why I like to think about the comfort of animals.  Our cats eat Nutra Max Cat and their coats are remarkably softer than when they ate cheaper brands.

Here's a story about Rosie, the stray cat.  She wants to live "free" but her hips looked weak and her coat was flat.  After three weeks of switching to Nutra Max Cat (salmon flavor), her coat looks smoother and shiny... and she cries out stronger.  She's not as weak as she was ...  For that special cat in your life, even the street cats, think about giving them Nutra Max Cat.

This is why we feel good when we feed animals -- they are innocent.  Let's read that again:
They all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. All go to the same place.

Does your pet run away? Use a Loc8tor to find your pet with a radio signal


For months we have put a harness on Sweet Pea, a naive black cat who is friendly.  She's so friendly, we assume that we will walk across the street and wander into a car and ride away. 


We heard about TILE (the bluetooth device) and we heard about radio beams for finding a pet.   Here are two observations:

The TILE is heavier.  A light cat doesn't need a heavier device.

The Loc8tor is lightweight.  Although the battery runs out after three weeks, we prefer the lighter device.

You can see in the video how we have used the Loc8tor.  Sweet Pea has started running back home as soon as the device starts beeping.





Here is a video to show you how the Loc8tor's battery is replaced and how the device beeps on the cat, too.