Search Results for: blog how to pick the purrfect litter box

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Cat Box Terrorist

There is a saboteur living amongst us in the Team Pryor household. A messy, smelly, ornery rebel who likes to drop bombs aplenty. (When she’s not partaking in other cat box terrorist maneuvers.) That’s right, I said “she.” As in Tabby. Not Mr. Meow, the creepy cat, who you might expect to be the culprit. Nope. Instead it’s my beautiful, sweet (most times, except when it comes to the cat box), precious baby girl. What is a “Cat Box Terrorist?” A cat box terrorist sees opportunity for terror in something that should be scared: the litter box. Cat box terrorists … Continue reading →

The Pets Blog Week in Review for Oct 15-21

October’s speeding along at a frightfully fast pace. Before you know it Halloween will be here. If you’re having a heck of a time keeping up on everything, including the Pets Blog, let me be of some assistance with this week’s Week in Review. Here’s what Aimee and I covered on: Monday, October 15 Aimee’s been doing a good job covering all things fish this month. Today’s installment was More Common Freshwater Diseases. I reported on the dog days festival that Murph, Wayne, and I went to. Tuesday, October 16 Aimee explained that cloudy aquarium water is not normal and … Continue reading →

How To Pick the Purrfect Litter Box

I guess I’ve got a bit of a poop theme going this week. Earlier I wrote about the different kind of pooper scoopers, which applied more to the dog walking set of Families.com readers. But what if you belong to the cat crowd? Well, I also recently had to buy a new litter box for Tabby. The experience made me realize not all litter boxes are created equal. Your Cat’s Needs Obviously your cat needs a place to “go” when the urge hits, but which box will suit your cat best? Here are some things to consider for their comfort: … Continue reading →

The Things We Do for Our Cats

If you’re the kind of doting cat mama that I am, you do more than just clean litter boxes and take them to the vet for their annual checkup, don’t you? When you go on vacations you fret about their wellbeing and miss them like mad. (Even though no doubt you’ve either placed them in a great cat B&B like the one Aimee works at or with a trustworthy pet sitter.) Heck, you might even plan it so they can come along. Their safety is always first and foremost on your mind. When you have to take them in the … Continue reading →

What a Hairball Looks Like

It looks a lot like poop, doesn’t it? For the first six years of living with Mr. Meow, every time I found one of these piles I thought he’d had an upset belly and hadn’t made it to the litter box in time. It wasn’t until 2005 that I learned what it really was: a hairball. “That’s a hairball?” In 2005, shortly after we moved to Nashville, the neighbor across the street befriended us. Her little boy loved Murphy and always begged her to stop by so he could say hi. Usually in the afternoons after they came back from … Continue reading →

How Annie and Cujo Learned to Use the Cat Door

You may or may not remember Annie and Cujo from the night Moose, Lally, and I slept over at my friends’ house. Annie and Cujo are a pair of rescued cats that belong to some very good friends of mine. Those friends decided it was time to reclaim their spare room. Since they moved into their new home, one room has been a catch-all for boxes, stuff they didn’t know what to do with, and the litter boxes. Months passed. Eventually, they wanted their spare room back! My friend Jen is quite the home improvement diva — she designed and … Continue reading →

Teaching Cats and Dogs to Live Together

It may not be easy to teach your dog and cat to live together peacefully. The difficulty will lie largely in your dog’s prey drive. Your pets’ personalities can make things go quickly or slowly. Cats tend to be independent — much more so than dogs. Most cats aren’t going to obey commands, so you’ll probably have to focus on training the dog how to act around the cat. A dog wants to fit into the pack hierarchy, and obeying commands is a part of that fit. One thing you’ll find especially useful in teaching your pets to live in … Continue reading →

Prevening Worms in Pets

Worms can be dangerous to pets and to people. Here are some things you can do to protect your pets and your family. Remove feces from the litter box and/or the yard regularly. Dog poop should be cleaned out of the yard at least once every week. Follow instructions on your cat litter for litter box cleaning, but it’s best not to let feces sit for too long. (At the cats only boarding facility, we change the litter box twice every day for each cat, but we’re pretty fanatical about cleaning!) Keep a close eye on your child’s sandbox — … Continue reading →

Chaotic Cat Chronicles: The Potty Pact

Back in the dark days of this year when poor Tabby harassed Mr. Meow every chance she got even litter box time wasn’t sacred. There was one time, before her pregnancy hormones kicked into high gear and she got so nuts she’d attack him every time she saw him, that was kind of funny though. She decided to be a booger and planted herself in front of Mr. Meow’s potty box and didn’t budge until I moved her. (I wrote about it in Tabby Time: Adjusting to a New Family Member under the “Pottytime” heading.) But for a few months … Continue reading →

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Cleanliness

Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. The bulk of my hours at the cat boarding facility are taken up with cleaning. The first thing I do in the morning is empty the litter pans. Each guest room has a separate, private area for the litter pan. Spray the nook down with a cleaning solution, wipe it clean, and put in a fresh pan and fresh litter. After all the litter pans have been emptied, I take the garbage out. A bag full of last night’s litter and waste can be pretty heavy! Then I sweep the whole room to gather up … Continue reading →