Shelly's Product Reviews

Hey guys. I've missed you! I'm not avoiding you but I just hate the computer. I'm online all day long at work for a high-tech online database company and after an hour commute I don't even want to look at a computer when I get home. Well here's what I've been up to lately besides crocheting 3 baby blankets.

About 3 weeks ago, I tried clipping my 8 yr old Chow's black nails. I don't know what happened. I didn't think it was too short but as I clipped it her nail seemed to disintegrate and before I knew it blood was everywhere. I have clipped the quick before but never have I seen this much blood. I used cornstarch to stop the bleeding but it just opened back up later. The cornstarch would work for a while but the wound would open up again about 3 more times. My sister in law is a vet tech and told me to use super glue... yes SUPER GLUE and it worked great! So if you ever clip the quick so bad that nothing stops the bleeding use super glue.

Koko's nails are so long and I'm afraid to clip them now. She has a vet appt later this month and I'll ask them to clip her but I really need a way to clip her myself. Have any of you heard of Peticure? Instead of clipping the animal's nails you sand them. I already ordered the dremel attachment and I'm waiting for it to be delivered. I think it will work for my Koko Puff.
http://www.peticure-grooming.com/Peticure-Safe-Guard_p_0-14.html

Our kitties are easy to clip. I use just regular nail clippers. My husband holds the cat so that they lie on their back against him while he's sitting on the couch. He holds their paws up and they seem pretty relaxed this way. I do one paw and then he lets them go & they get a treat. They walk around and come back on their own 5 or 10 minutes later and we do another paw and let them go again. It works great and I think they actually like it. I'm sure the treats help. :)

About 2 months ago, I bought the large Pet Mate Deluxe Fresh Flow for the kitties. They loved it. It was kindof expensive about $36 at the Little Critters pet store but I had $10 off for spending over $200 dollars there over a year. I'm definitely glad I got the large one. The reservoir is large enough that you only need to clean & fill it about twice a week. The charcoal filter (kinda like what you use in fish tank filters) I had to throw away because my brat cat, Eleanor, pokes her paw into the hole and rips apart the filter. Not only does brat cat rip the filter but she is fascinated by water and paws at the reservoir until the top comes off. Easy solution for this though.. it first I tried putting a big elastic band around it to cat proof it but silly me that didn't work. Brat cat destroyed the elastic too. What does work is duct tape... I duct tape the top of the fountain in place every time I clean it and it is now cat proofed! One tip if you get one of these fountains... be sure to pull out the pump each time and rinse it out and remove the cat hair. I always have cat hair in my pump.

Another great product I found is the Hoover Nano Lite. I absolutely love this cute little vacuum. I only spent $50 on it at Walmart over a month ago and I now don't dread vacuuming anymore. Koko sheds all year long and my old Dirt Devil bagless Swivel Glide vacuum was over 10 years old which I purchase for over $200 and it was heavy and smelled like Koko fur even if I replaced the hepa filter. The Hoover Nano Lite is a dream it's cute, small, light, great on carpets, and it's even bagless! It doesn't work that great on bare floors, the suction hose for the tools is too short and the power cord isn't that long but for $50 who cares. I love it.

Do you have any product recommendations?

happy cats & a happy house

I have huge news. I decided to go back to a regular litter box two days ago. That's right I quit toilet training!

The entire house is now breathing a sigh of relief.
- No more kitty litter on the bathroom floor
- No more cleaning & scooping & cleaning the toilet 4+ times a day
- No more listening to my poor kitties crying each time they need to go potty
- No more accidents to be cleaned
- No more special diet
- No more expensive kitty litter
- I can actually use my toilet & not have to clean the seat or move the setup!
- The rugs can be on the floor again
- Doors to other rooms can be open
- Scooping kitty litter from a litter box isn't so bad after all
- No more worrying about how the Yahoo CatsT-Training Group feels about online blogs
- and the most important... my cats are happy again

I don't want to deter anybody else's efforts though. I believe it can be done.

• It is easier if you have more than one toilet
• It is easier if you have just one cat
• Join the Yahoo CatsT-Training Group. They are the only ones with the most information.
  
• If you have an online blog- keep it private or never post anything you have seen or read or resembles anything that you've seen or read from the Yahoo Group. This is my first blog & it was a great experience for me. It helped me keep track of my progress and I met some great online friends. And remember to PLEASE be careful of your blogs if you are part of the Yahoo Group. Two of my good friends have been kicked out of this group because of their blog. This was one of the reasons that I quit toilet training because I use my blog as a tool in my training and I don't want to worry each time I post if I made a faux pas that might get me kicked out of the Group.
  

Good luck to you all & I'm very happy now that we're back to the good old litter box.

#1 issues with Sunshine

I've found that Sunshine has been having pee issues & this starting happening BEFORE my newest setup. I found the two pee spots in the computer room on the carpet when the old yucky setup was being used (maybe last sat or sun). I cleaned them up and put their cardboard scratcher over the spot. Monday morning I had the brand new setup but Sunshine ended up peeing on top of the cardboard scratcher in the same spot. I cleaned the area again & threw out the cardboard scratcher. I put a rectangular storage container that I keep their treats in over the no-no spot and this has worked. However, this morning Sunshine went #2 in the setup and then later I heard scratching in the bathroom and found that she reached my towel hanging from the wall and pulled it down and peed on MY towel! Oh MY! I brought her over to the T even though she didn't need to go anymore & threw my towel in the tub and cleaned up the floor.

I'll have to watch Sunshine like a hawk from now on.

On a positive note, the new setup is SO easy to clean. Even when Eleanor scratches out almost all the litter & goes #2, I scoop out what I can to flush and slide the usable litter onto a newspaper & then clean out the RP and put the old litter back & throw in a scoop of new litter. Presto!

I love the new setup!

Yesterday, I was cleaning up the old setup with the triangle shaped milk container & I noticed something gross. Their pee was seeping underneath the dam and staying inside the duct tape underneath. YUCK! I later found two pee stains on the computer room carpet (luckily we plan on taking out that carpet in the future). I think it may have been Eleanor. I don't blame her for going pee on the rug. I found out how nasty their old setup was when I pulled apart all the duct tape holding it together. It stank so bad! EEEWWHH

So I was forced to create their next setup.
#1 - find something to reinforce the RP bottom.
#2 - find something for new litter dam
I use things from around the house.
So I cut out a piece of hard plastic from an old litter box lid.

Again, something from around the house. Litter dam = soda container

If using a RP - you MUST reinforce! Notice my rulers & hard plastic.

Bottom side all duct taped & ready to go.

New setup on the T.

New setup with lid down

So far the new setup is a hit. Yesterday one of the kitties used it for #1. I don't know which one but the water was yellow! Last night & this morning Sunshine used it to go #2. Eleanor just used it for #2 & hers even went straight into the water.

still chugging along

Things are going well. No changes to the setup. Still using the milk container for my litter dam which is working well because it's easy to clean. I also like that it has a triangle shape. I began feeding their moist food at night before I go to bed. This ensures that if they don't go potty during the night time then they will when I wake up. Sometimes I don't catch them but when I see they've used the potty I'll give them a "treat" anyway which is just some Iams regular kibble. I praise & treat even though I don't know for certain which one it is. However, I am getting good at telling the difference. For example, Eleanor has to dig...dig...dig so there's usually lots of litter down the T if she used it. Eleanor also has a more chunky #2 that she covers. Whereas Sunshine's is smaller and wetter & she usually doesn't cover it. I figure that the "treat" won't hurt and will just make them happier to be around the T. There are also times that wipes just aren't enough for cleaning up & you can't flush them anyway. So I've been using and old tooth brush for any real yucky cleanups on the dam. I even have a tiny spray bottle that I've filled with rubbing alcohol that comes in handy when cleaning the seat.

Happy Valentine's Day

Here's a new pic of the kids!

Two days ago the duct tape holding together the litter dam disintegrated & it was pretty smelly so I assembled a new litter dam. It's a little bigger about 5" even though you can't read the measuring tape.

Here's what it looks like with the seat down. Most of it is in the back.

So up until yesterday, the cats have been doing great. The block of wood on the sink did the trick. Yesterday, Sunshine was sick again though. She had another bout of diarrhea actually I'm not sure what you'd call it because it's only tiny squirts of clear liquid. She had some left over sauce from chicken pot pie the night before. I also ran out of the yummy Merrick moist food and was using 9 Lives again. I'm going to ask my sister in law what she thinks as she's a vet assistant and her vet takes care of our pets. Anyway there is no more extra 'meals' (like chix pot pie) and I bought more Merrick and they had that this morning mixed with water.

I'll let you know how it goes. TTFN.. I hear a kitty calling!

covered my sink & got rid of cardboard boxes

This morning while I was getting breakfast ready for the animals, Sunshine decided to go pee in a cardboard box by the trash. I heard her scratching on the floor and I turned around from the kitchen counter and saw the mess. I carried her into the bathroom and placed her on the toilet. I'm sure that didn't do anything. She already went! I was in the process of cleaning up the floor with bleach and Eleanor kept jumping on the kitchen counter to eat her moist food. Looking back it was quite funny. I get Eleanor off the counter and go back to clean up cat pee and Eleanor's back up on the counter again. After 3 times, I finally put Eleanor in the 'cat room' (computer room with cat tree-- where kitties eat & used to use their old litter box).

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've started cleaning the RP & T with rubbing alcohol instead of bleach. We've also been doing clicker training but the huge change was switching their moist food.

They are now eating Merrick 3.2 oz cans of moist food. Boy the ingredients are so yummy I almost want to eat it myself. Each morning they each get half a can & I still mix it with a tiny tiny bit of pumpkin and mix with a little water and then put it in the microwave for 10 seconds.

Check out the ingredients! They love this stuff & I think it's helped with TT.

Merrick Cowboy Cookout
Beef, Beef Broth, Beef Liver, Fresh Sweet Potato, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Snow Peas, Fresh Whole Granny Smith Apples, Potato Starch-modified, Dried Egg, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Olive Oil, Flax Seed Oil (for Omega-3), Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Tricalcium Phosphate, Choline Chloride, Natural Carmel color, Salt, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Glucoheptanate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Surf & Turf
Beef, Beef Broth, Beef Liver, Salmon, Lobster, Shrimp, Fresh Yukon Gold Potatoes, Fresh Carrots, Fresh Zucchini, Fresh Golden Delicious Apples, Dried Egg, Beef Stock, Olive Oil, Dried Blueberry, Dried Cranberry, Tricalcium Phosphate, Cassia Gum, Carrageenan, Potassium Chloride, Choline Chloride, Natural Carmel Color, Salt, Taurine, Mixed Tocopherols, Vitamin E Supplement, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Amino Acid Complex, Iron Amino Acid Complex, Manganese Amino Acid Complex, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Copper Amino Acid Complex, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Acetate, Niacin, Lecithin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Glucoheptanate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Sodium Selenite.

Sunshine has been using the sink to go #1 so at first I blocked the hole with some cardboard but she could still move it around. Yesterday, I found a hunk of wood to put on top of the sink. Hehe-- she can't move that! Must be why she used the cardboard box this morning.

Here's a pic of the hunk of wood on top of the sink. Sunshine doesn't look too happy about it!

I don't plan on increasing the hole any time soon. We need to get back on track with Sunshine going #1 & #2 consistently in the RP. I might even back track. Now that the sink is covered & all cardboard boxes gone hopefully Sunshine will use the RP.

I've been played!

This morning, I found Sunshine squatting over our shoes. I picked her up and brought her into the bathroom. I found that Eleanor had just gone pee so I cleaned it out and coaxed Sunshine to go potty. She finally went #2. I was cleaned her #2 out of the RP and found her squatting on our shoes again. I brought her back to the bathroom and filled more litter in the RP and found her squatting on top of the empty bag of litter. And by squatting I mean she is just squatting but nothing is coming out YET.

Friday night she had a diarrhea episode. She went a soft #2 & then kept squatting with tiny squirts of clear liquid. When this was happening she couldn't stay on the toilet seat and would just squat where she ended up so I got another roast pan and filled it with old non-flushable litter and gave her some fur ball medicine and eventually it passed. I put the alternative litter pan in the closet to save in case another episode happened.

So today when she kept having more squatting issues I thought maybe she had another bout of diarrhea so I gave her the litter pan and she went but it was #1. I forgot that she usually goes #2 and then #1 right after each other. Boy did I feel stupid. She so played me.

On Sat I replaced the cardboard litter dam because it was getting gross with one made out of a milk container. I also replaced all of the litter. I even started clicker training this weekend.

Here's a picture of the milk container litter dam.

#2 accident -- oh no!

My husband called me yesterday on my way home from work. He said Sunshine went #2 in the sink and in the dog bowl on the floor! Shawn wasn't happy because he had to clean it since I wasn't home. The RP already had a #2 and #1 in it. Shawn's usually really good about scooping when he's home. He just missed this one. Sunshine must of really had to go because on days were both me & my husband are working I find that the cats usually hold it if the RP isn't up to par. Then I come home & clean up their RP and walla they usually go potty within the hour. Also this morning, I found half of Eleanor's #2 on the toilet seat. She's still having a difficult time with positioning.

I'm not making any changes to the RP setup anytime soon.

Several things I want to do:

• get black light for pee finding
• start clicker training
• get a better laser light for playing
• fix Eleanor's positioning problem

My little Sunshine!

Here's my Sunshine, my star pupil. I swear she gets bigger every day. When we got her last year she was just skin & bones. She's now a healthy weight and I think she's still growing at 2 yrs old with part Maine Coon in her.

Sunshine taking a nap in her fav chair

Sunshine went outside in the snow the other day!

Oh no.. I found an accident

So yesterday, I was going to a baby shower and was rummaging through the gift wrap that is in one of those gift wrap plastic containers that is made to roll under your bed. I found the gift wrap shriveled up and dry with old cat pee. EEWWHH! The last time I used the gift wrap was around Christmas time and I left the lid open on it. I remember Eleanor being really curious about it during that time & we also had many house guests during that time period. Eleanor still hasn't been adjusting to TTing as easy as Sunshine. I think I should get one of those black light pee detectors.

4" hole as of yesterday morning

Here's some pics of the new litter dam. I used a huge 4" wide cardboard tube that we had lying around. I had to use a hack saw to cut through it & then lots of duct tape to attach to RP.


Here's my first attempt at a video below with our new fancy Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS. Does your cat do this? Eleanor makes these "fake attempts" at trying to go potty. She jumps up scratches around and sometimes even tries to get in position and then jumps down without going. She'll go do something else and come back later & do it all over again. Eventually she will go but boy is she a weird one!


Earlier today, Eleanor went #2 but didn't position herself properly. She ended up going #2 with her behind over the side of the toilet seat. It landed on the seat and rolled onto the floor. YUCK! Luckily I was there and as soon as I saw what was happening I was able to reposition her. I really need to work on her positioning. Afterwards I put her on the toilet and put her in position and praised her verbally with 'good kitties'. I did this about 3 times. I doubt she got it though. I'll have to watch her like a hawk for now. Sunshine on the other hand is doing great! She's got positioning down and is fine going potty. She doesn't do fake attempts like Eleanor... she does the real deal. I'm really want to try clicker training.

Oh yes, today I noticed the toilet flushing VERY slowly. Not good since we have a septic system. Anyway I used the plunger and it's back to normal for now. SWEAT flushable litter does say that it's safe for septic systems.

Pics of new litter dam & tub treads

Here's a picture of my new litter dam using a Fruit2O container & I put some tub treads on the toilet seat. I cut the litter dam too short again and had to improvise with duct tape (love that stuff).


Eleanor jumped onto the toilet yesterday before I could put the seat down and peed in the RP but it went all down the sides of the toilet and onto the floor. She's a little sneak! Eleanor rushes to use the litter box anytime a human is using the toilet. She has also peed in the RP while it was on top of the sink. Little stinker! I added the tub treads because I think they need more traction. BTW I guess the aiming thing was just luck. They haven't gotten it in the hole since.

They're actually aiming for the hole!

Now that the hole is bigger, I've been finding most of their #2 already in the toilet. Yippee! Oh BTW I haven't used vinegar in the toilet yet. I just put the RP back in place before flushing. That way the cats don't play inside the toilet anymore. I also want to get some tub decals and put them on the toilet seat. I'm using a soft toilet seat and the cats have clawed it up a little and it still seems slippery. I figure I can put some tub decals on it to help them during training and once they graduate we'll get a nice wooden seat. My husband is in the middle of a shift change. He's a Ford mechanic on the 3-day shift and doesn't go back to work until Thursday. That's why I increased the hole the other day.

New litter dam - 2 3/4" wide Fruit 2O bottle

I decided today was a good day to increase again. There's been no accidents. Every now & then I'll find #2 all over the seat but that's just because they're either stepping in it or having trouble with their foot placement. I'll get pics soon.

new pics of my kitties

Here's my cute little Sunshine. Isn't she silly?
Here's Sunshine & Eleanor both doing the 'hen'.

Lately I've been mixing their moist food with water and a little bit of pumpkin. I mix it all up and put in the microwave for 10 seconds. It looks like gruel.. They love it.

New litter dam - 2" wide Dannon Light yogurt container

I cut the yogurt container too short. Oops! I felt like shouting when I watched Eleanor scratching half of the litter down the toilet. So I got the duct tape out and folded it almost in half and stuck it around the yogurt container

The kitties have been doing great. I've been sick for a little while so hence no recent posts. The old litter dam, the toilet paper roll, was getting soggy and ready to cave in. Today I just started using a yogurt container that has a good lip around it so it's easy to duct tape. I'll get some pics and post.

So far so good!

New reinforced RP with ledge

Okay I played MacGyver. I had some extra wooden rulers and old linoleum tiles and duct tape and scissors. I first taped the underside of the rulers to the side of the RP and then placed 3 strips above the ruler at the ends & in the middle. I also cut some linoleum to size and then duct taped it to the ruler & RP. Here's some pics below.

Time for some changes

This morning I was cleaning their RP and needed to replace their 1/2" toilet paper roll litter dam. That's when I decided to go a little larger and did the full diameter of a regular toilet paper roll (1 1/2"). I filled it back up with their old 'good' litter and added some yummy new litter to the top. I'm also thinking of ways to support the left and right sides of the RP better. I have some extra wooden rulers that I might try attaching to the sides. About a week ago the one of the side of the old RP caved in & fell in the toilet. It's because it's just a smidgen too short on the left & right sides. It fits but over time it weakens with the cats' weight. I'm also thinking of creating some type of ledge for them to use for their feet. Sometimes they step in their own poo. Most of the time they try to get 3 paws up on the seat but I see them struggling.

Baby Monitor update: It's helping a bunch. Now if I hear noises I can look at the monitor to see if it's coming from the bathroom. I can also put it in my line of vision to the tv or pc monitor and if I see it light up then I know to check it out. One downfall is that if the cat is quiet and only scratching lightly in the litter it might not pick it up. So far it's definitely worth the money. I'm catching them in the act more than before so it's a plus!

Pumpkin: I only mixed a little in Sunshine's moist food this morning and she did eat some. The dog & Eleanor seem to like it. Yes, I decided my dog could benefit too.

$19.97 for Safety 1st Safe Glow Baby Monitor at Walmart

Okay my husband thinks I'm really nuts now. We went to Walmart Saturday and I snagged a baby monitor for the cats. I did some research online first and ended up picking up the Safety 1st Safe Glow Baby Monitor. There was a cheaper one for around $17 but for a couple of dollars more this one included lights that lit up too when it detected noise. I'm still testing it out but I'll let you know how it works out for me. I've noticed that there are times the kitty is so quiet that it doesn't pick up their sounds.

KITTY UPDATE: The cats are getting better at aiming & less messy with #2's. Sunshine hates pumpkin. I must have mixed too much in her moist food this morning cuz she wouldn't touch it. Tomorrow I'll mix only a tiny bit and slowly work my way up. Eleanor though LOVES pumpkin.. she'll even eat it straight out of the can.

Pumpkin rocks!

So I found out from that awesome Yahoo Cat TT group that pumpkin is great for both diarrhea & constipation. Eleanor will eat it right from the spoon but Sunshine on the other hand won't eat it unless it's mashed in her regular moist food. The cats both went #2 within an hour or two of feeding it to them. AWESOME-O!

Last night, one of my kitties went #2 but I found the RP inside the toilet. The RP was getting flimsy and must have caved in on the poor cat. Luckily I had a back-up RP. I'll have to stock up on RP's. They're cheap enough.

never thought I'd be so concerned about cat poop

I'm concerned about Sunshine. A couple of days ago, I think it was New Years Day, Sunshine had a bout of what I'd call diarrhea. She did a normal #2 & she got down & I treated her but then she got back up & did a tiny squirt of watery stuff. She then jumped down and jumped back up again for another squirt & then she tried to go on the carpet (yes the previous home owners put a tiny strip of carpet in the BR.. yuck.. it's on our project list) so I shooed her over to the toilet and she jumped back up & went again. This went on for a while. I found out that she ate some spicy human food so that may have caused it. My sister who pet sat may have fed her something or my husband is notorious for it as well. Also, Sunshine herself may have eaten a non-food item.

I read the diarrhea & constipation stuff on the Yahoo group & checked out some other web sites & I'm pretty freaked out. There are some sites out there that list a bunch of problems that your cat can have eating some of the commercial foods out there. So now I'm trying to remember if Sunshine went #2 yesterday. I pretty sure I scooped two of them so I think she did but I'm not positive. I normally feed them each a 1/4 can of Friskies wet food & their dishes have Purina Cat Chow Complete Formula (we've only been using this brand for a couple of months) throughout the day. So this morning I fed them each 1/2 can & mixed it with some water and I also gave Sunshine a good amount of 8-in-1 Hairball Remedy. My cats love this stuff & I found out that it's just the 8-in-1 stuff that they like.

Eleanor beats up on Sunshine. When they eat their moist food in the morning, Eleanor wolfs hers down & before she's even finished she goes up to Sunshine's perch (I feed them in the cat tree my husband made) and Sunshine will just jump down and let Eleanor eat her breakfast. If I'm around to witness this I'll intervene and Sunshine will get to finish and I'll make Eleanor leave the room. This morning though I saw Sunshine in the kitchen only minutes after I fed her so I checked the cat tree & Eleanor was in her own spot still. I guess Sunshine doesn't feel like eating. That's when I gave her the Hairball Remedy & then brought her back to her food & she ate a good amount.

So now I'm playing the waiting game. I hope Sunshine goes #2 soon & it's a normal one.

Secure your litter dam!

Ok I found out the hard way. My sisTER was pet sitting for us New Years Eve. I gave her the run down about TT the cats. I showed her where the extra roast pan was just in case something weird happened to the current one. When I came home the new RP was in the toilet. She said that the original RP had a hole in it. HAHA! I let her know that it was supposed to but there should have been a toilet paper roll in the hole. I grabbed the old RP out of the trash and found the TP roll and replaced it. I woke up this morning and the TP roll was missing again and this time a WHOLE bunch of litter was in the toilet. Not Happy! I scooped out as much litter out of the toilet as possible. It's supposed to be septic safe but I didn't want to chance it. This time I secured my TP roll by cutting some slits in it and fanning them out and duct taping the bottom.

I LEARNED ... SECURE YOUR LITTER DAMS!