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that cat life
Reasons Why I'm A Cat Person
2/16/2020
Why is it socially acceptable to say you hate cats, but not dogs? On behalf of the cat kingdom I say: "Hey! Not fair!" I wasn't a cat lady until I had a cat, but before that dogs were never my cup of tea. I loved my childhood dog (obviously), but that was different as she was always more of a sister to me than an animal. Cats are my spirit animal. They're all or nothing, a saint or sinner, but always so cute. Here are the many ways I love them.
Loyalty
Say what you will about kitties and their way of showing love, but once they love you, you're their favourite person on the planet. No one else will do. I appreciate that kind of dedication in my life.
Cat Paws
I mean, Google image them. Eeek, so squishy!
Easier To Entertain
You just need a laser and a little twitch of the wrist. You can do that whilst laying in bed, watching a movie cuddled on the couch, or even as you eat pizza with the other hand. Don't get your exercise, kids!
Noses
They have the cutest noses of the animal kingdom, don't @ me. Look at this adorableness. Untouchable.
Space
Cats know how to leave you alone for a few hours, which is something all pet owners need at times. A cat has their independence and that's something I can respect. They're like mini humans, only more saintly.
Exercise
A more serious one for me personally, but I really appreciate not having to walk our cats like you do a dog. I have a chronic illness and some days I can't even contemplate going on a decent walk due to pain. Cats are fairly low maintenance in that regard. They just want to play, which as mentioned above, can be done from a couch or bed.
The Way They Lick
You probably think I'm reaching by now, but watch this and then disagree with me.
What do you love about cats? #CatPeopleUnite
Side-note: This post is quite obviously for fun, don't set the dogs on me.
I've now owned three cats in my lifetime. Two of which have had some weird separation bond with me.. great, cool. Do I just magnate weirdo little felines, or are cats just weird AF? Those are questions that need an entire dedicated blog post. (Not really.. *cue that blonde woman GIF of going 'wait, no, well, maybe' with her face*) Though I'm honoured with how much my pets care for me, it can set one up for the ultimate betrayal when you inevitably have to leave them for a trip home/vacation. I'm blessed in the way of both cats live with me and other members of my family. One with my mum, one with my husband. So not having to board them or leave them with someone unfamiliar is great, and not a problem we've had to face. Though in their eyes the entire notion of me leaving is a problem. I'm now semi knowledgeable with softening the blow to their precious little hearts, so here's a post of my tips and tricks to make the separation a little easier on them. I have yet to discover the secret to not being miserable ourselves, but ya know, one step at a time. #MomGuilt
As a cat owner you probably already know that they're huge scent fiends. You put any item of worn clothing on the floor and they're instantly claiming it as a new bed. They'll nuzzle into your hair as you sleep, knead you like a pin cushion in a bid to claim your blood as their own (too far?), and will get your pillow covered in fur by curling up on it the moment you get out of bed. A huge help for my older cat, Bruno, is having articles of lightly worn clothing when I'm not there. According to the very reliable source that is Google, my scent being around him and not wavering proves to him that I will return. True? No idea, but it's definitely proven to calm him down when I'm away for long periods of time. Sadly it does mean that all my cardigan's are now 70% fur.
This one is entirely up to your cat to figure out if they like it, but face-timing has proven to be a good source of comfort for my younger cat, Dresden. On my first trip away from them, my husband said that the little guy seemed to relax a little after a Skype session and/or hearing me through a phone. Whereas Lea, my other little one, and Bruno can't seem to grasp the concept of a phone and will immediately begin to search for me with a plan that rivals the Dad's from Taken. So, maybe try this tip when you can immediately return home to them. Just at the off chance that it makes them crazy.
If you think your cats are going to struggle when you're gone, be sure to stock up on their favourite food. Bruno took on a starvation tactic when I first left him for two nights, but maybe he'd of been swayed if he had his favourite Hilife freeze-dried chicken pieces. Whereas Lea eats her feelings when I'm not there, so.. this isn't really a problem she has. But it's best to be prepared, especially in a bid to help whoever has sole custody when you aren't there.
Speaking of those first two nights, Bruno did not handle that well in the slightest. He continuously vomited, refused water or food for the entire three days, and worked himself up into a state of severe anxiety. You can purchase natural plug-in diffusers to help calm your pets down during traumatic events such as firework night, big changes, parties, new houses, or hell.. taking them on a trip. However I think this would be a great thing to have if your cat gets themselves into a bad state when separated from you. They're completely harmless and quite effective (our dog, Jess, used to need one on constantly during firework season. Which, by the way, can we ban home fireworks? So unnecessary). Not cheap, but worth it if you think it'll help them. Amazon or your local chain pet store have a good selection.
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I adopted kittens was not preparing them for life without me. Dramatic, yes, but also true. I'm housewife and spend 95% of my time indoors with the cats running circles around me. So when I finally got my green card and could travel home, they weren't prepared in the slightest. If you don't have a full-time job, try getting out of the house more often especially during the lead up to your trip. Which leads me onto..
Show them that you always come back. When you're reunited with your kitty, it can seem impossible to leave them again, even for an supermarket trip. They may follow you around everywhere while simultaneously giving you the stink eye and refusing to be touched, but you have to get them back into the mental realisation that you'll always return. I try and go outside for at least an hour the day after I return, which though makes them a little angsty, helps in the long run. They quickly stop being so clingy whenever I put on shoes, and thus take me for granted again. Lovely.
In a similar fashion, be sure to have their favourite treat to gift them when you come home. It can help sway their hatred of you and it gives them a little spark of joy. They don't know why you left, if you were coming back, and were likely broken-hearted. You have a lot of sucking up to do, my friend. Best to start straight away.
Most importantly, this is just going to take time. For both you and your fur baby. They may slowly grasp the concept of you leaving with time, armed with the knowledge that you'll come back. Or you may have to implement all of these tips and tricks for each trip. It's a trail and error process, but you'll both get there. If Bruno can chill out, any cat can.
As a wedding gift, a family friend gave me and my husband a gift card to Bed Bath & Beyond. Knowing that one day we would use it toward something special (and necessary), we set it aside. Cut to a year later and we spent it on a litter genie. Okay, kidding, kind of. We got a handheld vaccum but it happened to be on sale so we had a couple gift card bucks spare. Now, we could've gotten something practical like wooden spoons so we could retire out half melted plastic ones, but who needs that kind of common sense in life?
Having recent issues with our own litter system, we took the plunge and got the Litter Genie Plus. At a shocking $14.99 (expensive for a piece of plastic that you literally put cat poop in), we crossed our fingers and hoped for a miracle. Here's our review.
What's Included?
- Litter Genie
- Scoop
- Scoop Holder
- x1 Convenience Odor Control Refill (Bags made boozy, basically)
The method to this madness goes as follows: Scoop your kitties "treasure", lift the black flap and drop it in, pull the black bar handle to deposit into the lower half of the genie, and voila. You're done. To empty, lift the upper half open (by merely lifting it up), slide the bag through a cutter that it is already attached to, tie and throw away. Pretty darn easy. This was a major upside as we half expected it to be overly complicated.
We have two young cats, Lea and Dresden, and one of our main concerns going into this "investment" was whether it'd be suitable for two cats. We didn't want to have to change it every few days, as that seemed tedious. Since trailing for over a month I can happily report that for us personally it needs changing once a week. So if you're blessed with one singular cat who doesn't happen to chase it's sibling around the house at 4am, this ought to only need changing every fortnight or so. Not too bad.
The next question I would personally want answered would be the so-called 'odor control'. Though cats are great pets as you needn't walk them so they can go potty, they can leave a rather unpleasant smell. It's to be expected, after all, their version of a flush is us. The Litter Genie is odor free. It helps lock in the smell surprisingly well. If you want further insurance, perhaps let it air out for an hour after each bag change. It can't hurt and could add to the lasting ability, speaking of...
This isn't something that is going to last for a lifetime, but if treated well, it can very well last you for years. The system is foolproof. However, it is down to two tiny screws to keep this entire potty together. You open by lifting the top half of the genie back, but if you accidentally forget that and lift the entire thing by simply picking it up via the handle or upper half, I'm pretty darn sure it could just break in two. Plastic snaps way too easy, so it doesn't seem overly sturdy.
The other quim would be the bags, otherwise known as the Litter Genie Ultimate Cat Litter Odor Control Refill, 14 Foot. These are a waste of plastic, no doubt about that. And for a mere two refills, it equals the price of the potty. The upside of this is that you don't necessarily need the bags for the system to have the same effect. Your only loss would be the snazzy bag cutter and perhaps the ability to throw away the bag without getting icky. I can't yet comment on how long each refill lasts, as we're still in the process of using up our free one. But still, if you'd be interested in the refills, it's definitely something to consider.
All in all, I think this is worth the price tag if you're either struggling with your current litter system or are limited with space and would prefer something sleek and less icky than your current litter trash. My only question would be the durability but that is something that can only be answered with time. I'm happy we got this, and I would 100% recommend a friend to buy it. Is it a necessary with a cat? No absolutely not. Does it make life easier? Undoubtedly.
Have you tried either the litter potty or the diaper potty? Let me know your thoughts! Have any further questions? Don't hesitate to ask! Drop me a question here, on Twitter, or on Instagram!
Disclaimer: I allowed my darling son Bruno to write up a post for you all. Now, I truly believe that you'll be safe in his paws but if things get aggressive toward birds or he goes on a tunangent (get it? Tuna + tangent? No?) I cannot be held responsible.
Yo, my kitty homies. Have you tried this? Hilife chicken is my favourite thing in the world. Well except for myself, obviously. And Mama. Her and chicken are like equal. It's succulent pieces of freeze dried chicken that are so yum they'll make your tail stand up. Every week when Mama goes Bruno shopping I ask for 10000001 packs but does she deliver? Nope. Big fat nope. She says Tesco nor Asda sell it anymore (whoever they are) but I think she just can't count to that many. Sometimes she gets that strange human who gives us paper and boxes to play with to bring some to Bruno, but it doesn't always get delivered. When we do have some, I ask for it multiple times a day and she does give it me when she understands, she's just a bit oblivious sometimes. Like, I'll be sitting right next to the cupboard that holds my food, treats, bowtie and chicken - you know, the necessities to keep Bruno alive - but she just comes and gives Bruno some lovin' and doesn't give chicken, even when I'm asking REALLY loudly. I blame my good looks. She gets so distracted by me. It's difficult being a kitty stud. It's yummy though. Trust me, cats, tuna is so pase. Hilife chicken is the future.
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