rainy days

ohmygosh! Wish I could have snapped a picture of Charlie taking a nap the other day. He falls asleep in the funniest positions. This time, though, his little pink tongue was sticking out between his teeth and when he woke up, he popped his head up and looked right at me with his tongue still sticking out. Too much :) And my poor Porter... it has been thundering and lightning the last 24 hours or more and he really is so scared of it all. He was so happy that I came home and wanted me to let him in the bedroom so he could go to his "safe place"... behind the washing machine :)

Independence Day

March 23rd, 2011... Independence day (for my cats).
They have been cooped up in our bedroom ever since Friday morning. I set up their scratch posts, toys, food and water, and the (new!) litter box in our bathroom. I raised the blinds on the windows so they had plenty to look at during their incarceration.


Friday after work I came home to greet two confused cats. Why were they left in the room all day and what is that super scary noise out there?


See, we have been doing some work on the house and with everything going on it hasn't been safe for the cats out in the living areas of the house. There was wood floors being scraped, concrete being grinded and strange people in and out. Porter is really sensitive to changes so I made sure to give him Lysine powder in his food to keep any sickness at bay while he is so stressed. I guess when cats get stressed it suppresses their immune system and then they are very susceptible to an upper respiratory viral infection. We almost lost Porter last summer when he became gravely ill during the whole introduction of baby Charlie.

Monday and Tuesday nights the boys had to spend the night alone in the bedroom without us there. When we came home in the mornings to check on them they wanted so badly to get out of that room. I felt so bad having them trapped, but it was for their own safety.

This morning I checked and the floors were done and dry and they were finally able to be set free! The boys very cautiously walked out into the living room and sniffed around. They kept looking at me as if to be sure they were really allowed to be out there.

I have some pictures of them modeling on the news floors, and will post them when I get a chance.

it works!

So, this has to be a quickie post, but I wanted to share the new box I made was a success! Much less litter and by much less I can't be accurate but I would say 80-90% less mess! Woo hoo :)

positive association... food! (minus litter, or course)
slow 4 day transition from living room to bathroom then into tub and then added litter
I won't be showing any pictures of the cats using the box (you are welcome) but I wanted to share in case anyone was tired of the mess like I was, this really works, was really cheap, and was easy! What more could you ask for?!

cheap fix

I am so excited right now! What is all the fuss about? A litter box. No, seriously... a litter box!

So, let's get personal... here is one of my bathrooms. It is the designated "cat bathroom"

can you see the litter box? No, but you can see the copious amount of litter we keep around! Litter is a big deal with cats. I won't lie- it can be a pain. It is not pleasant to deal with and it gets everywhere. I have a long rug down on the tile floor to help trap the litter before they reach the hallway. Where is the box?
Behind the curtain in the bathtub! And, yes, they still get litter everywhere. Just like little boys sometimes they miss their target and they can be a mess. I have been doing everything I could to keep it clean.
So today I came up with a brilliant idea for a new litter box. And then I came up with a cheap fix that I could actually implement now. To my credit I came up with the second idea and sketched it out and while searching the internet found it already exists... but it ain't cheap!

Their box is about $35!!!

My box was $5.99 from Target (18 gallon plastic tote with high sides) and I am going to cut a hole in the top, although larger than the small round one they have. I thought about the traction benefit they have built into their lid, but if I can get the cats to really use the box there is all sorts of solutions to that! So.... I am going to go cut a hole in the lid tonight and just have it in the living room to see how they interact with the box.... if they jump inside then I will slowly transition them into this box. I really hope this works because I will feel like such a genius :)

and for your viewing pleasure... a few more of the boys ;)

The boys were very curious as to what I was doing to their litter area (taking pictures)... they had to inspect Porter scratching and stretching
Charlie refusing to pose for a picture
I will be sure to update on the success of the box!

oh, can't resist the kitty

I know, I know... two posts in a day!

But, I cannot resist sharing the cute cat stuff I found:

Kitty Wallet

Cat Tape Dispenser

Tooth Paste Dispenser

Cat Scratch Post (cats attack!)

Cat Teepee (every cat wants one of these!)


Ok... I will stop now :)

eco friendly alarm clock

Have you ever had the power go out in the middle of the night only to find out you slept late because your alarm did not go off? Do you hate the harsh beeping noises your alarm makes and would prefer a more gradual wake up experience? Look no further than your nearest pet shelter!!

A cat is a great alarm clock. They start around 7am by sitting next to you and purring softly. They may progress to pawing at your hair/face. This is followed by walking across your body, including all the sensitive parts, which is almost guaranteed to wake you up! If this doesn't work, around 8am they go all out by lightly nipping your nose and meowing in your ear. If you risk a peep by slightly opening your eyes you see they are sitting right next to your head and are looking for any signs of life. If they see you peeking but you still will not get up, the last phase is a running head start as they pounce on your stomach.

"Good Morning, Mommy! Feed us!"

Mark never allows this when he is home. We sleep with the bedroom door closed. But, when it is just me I cannot resist letting the little foot warmers in the room with me. They really do help me get up on time for work :)