Why oh why?

When attending the vet recently I thought I’d purchase some of their clumping cat litter. I have a pal who uses it and gets on ok with it. I DO NOT know how. Terrible stuff. I should have listened to myself and gone to Bitiba as I usually do and invested in a decent quality litter. I have since done so and await its delivery. May it please arrive tomorrow so I can change it out at the earliest opportunity. Why do I do this to myself? I frequently go in to feed and scoop her boys when she goes away. I know her litter is rubbish quality. Lesson learned. Mind you, I do enjoy experimenting with litters. With varying results. 

Before Floozy I could happily use eco type corn or wood litters (always the clumping kind!) but Floozy is not keen. I very much like Tigerrino Fresh, a clumping silicate litter however, the grains are very fine and because our cats have very deep footpads it does travel with them despite top entry trays & litter mats etc. I’m currently using some multicat fine grained clay litters. They are due to the clay however quite heavy which with my back is a problem so I will likely go back to Tigerino. Scented litters are a gimmick  - maybe in a single cat household they are noticeably fragrancing or a smaller room might concentrate it a bit more. I look for tight clumping litter & advise litter is kept deep. This way, you can scoop under & lift a tight ball of soiled litter leaving very little break off. Silicate is said to seal the chemical that makes urine smell inside allowing the water content to evaporate and this antibacterial and also this works to petrify the poop. Not that it remains in the tray long . I try to keep right on top of it - which with (currently) 7 poopers, one of whom has a colitis issue (Floozy) means that I am kept rather busy especially at the two top entry trays currently in use. True to form, as soon as they are able to get up and into them (& back out) the kittens choose to use these too. When the new litter arrives I will add a third top entry tray there and will remove the open tray. The side entry one is visited now only when someone can’t wait and there’s a queue! The only thing that haven’t learned is how to go in /out of a litter tray door flap. I remove these as they are difficult for small learning babies to get to grips with amd by the time they would be big enough they’ve chosen the top entry trays anyway! 

A previous family who took 2 kittens in 2019, Karma & Lux a blue and black pair for the same litter (same parents as the current litter) where trained to use the toilet. It is something I’ve considered embarking on . You buy a kit with a system of rings that sit on the toilet seat, first moving the litter tray to the bathroom as close to the loo as possible, you then put litter in the full cover ring on the toilet seat and encourage the cats to use this. You progress through a series of rings about 3 more rings each with larger central holes thereby the cat is encouraged to learn to balance on the toilet seat squatting over the toilet. They can’t however lift a lid, nor can they flush! A Geberit toilet with a flush sensor might work which normally a person could trigger a flush by passing their hand in front of. Positioned well the cat passing it could do the same perhaps? 

This couple did a great job of removing the need for a litter tray, buying litter and scooping - that was until the man came home one evening with a tiny foundling kitten who of course needed a litter tray… the cats started to use the tray again. I believe this is because it’s instinctual to dig. Just before starting kittens onto their weaning I put a shallow litter tray in with them and they dig and squat with no training at all despite still being toileted at that stage by mum (& aunts), so the training they had undertaken was undone and the cats by choosing again to exhibit their natural behaviour had exhibited a choice. 

I’ve an auto scooping tray too. I used that with one cat but no way is it able to be cleaned just once a month. The idea is that the cat used the tray and a sensor knows they’ve exited. After a pause it rakes the (non clumping silicate) litter while raising a hopper lid into which it deposits poop before the rake returns again. The raking is “stirring” the silicate litter which is as you’ll recall designed to allow water in the urine to evaporate while keeping hold of and grabbing the amonia. I just didn’t find it that great. The cartridges are disposable which is meant to mean you never need scoop or touch the litter but they are expensive and don’t last a month. I bought a lm accessory allowing me to refill a plastic tray. It made it cheaper but I still needed to empty and clean a tray. For me it wasn’t a win. There are a couple of other auto trays which do get good reviews ~ the litter robot is one, and the litter genie is another. The genie you plumb into your toilet waste system. It has plastic beads as cat litter which are washed and dried at every use. Of them all this appeals to be most however, it does require an electrician and plumbers and space beside your toilet. The worrying aspect for me is that the plastic beads won’t all be permanent. Some will be stuck to poop and be flushed away. This has an oceanic environmental impact that I just can’t live with, despite never needing to buy regular cat litter (only “top up” beads).

The other kind of tray I had was one you manually rolled. A mechanism inside would as you turned it (once) filter out solids into a lined hopper draw leaving the cleaned litter after a rotation. The hopper could then be regularly changed. Hmmmm, looking at the mechanism which in it’s resting position is now over the top of kitty’s head, this was not a particularly clean system.  No. 

It’s the experience of that manual one that’s stopped me seeking out a robo litter box since this works by the rotation method. 

What about the litters that are flushable? I did use these for a time, following instructions I checked it was ok to do so and I duly began flushing. That was great. However, pretty soon the drainage outside was not doing so great and it become blocked. Despite carefully doing exactly as was prescribed.  That episode proved expensive. I don’t flush. 

So, of all the trays I’ve bought and tried,  I’ve gone back to standard scooping & the only adjustments I’ve stuck with are the top entry trays which satisfies the cats desire for privacy and to dig, looks attractive (I have Modkat in White & in Black and I have the cheaper and more utilitarian Savic as well). And I’m not using cheap litter again either. No. No and No.

On a more pleasant subject, there’s the fact that a certain two kittens have learned the sound of the auto food dispensers I use for Noodle & Floozy. Prune has a microchip feeder and is very good at eating in moderation however, Noodle, once spayed is prone to weight gain & though she had a microchip feeder too, and she also had diet food after a year on that she still gained weight. She has no self regulation. While I’m sure that we can all sympathise with that, she had become a wide load & I needed to do more to help her. I did this with the help of my first auto feeder. This allowed me to control when, how often and how much she ate. Finally she lost weight. A little too much and I’ve allowed some to be put back on. I need to reign that back again slightly which I’ll do over the winter. I added a second auto feeder to manage Floozy who has no off switch and is a very greedy madam. Again, I sympathise, but my job is caring for their health. She is on steroids and this makes her extra hungry so, the inability to have food all the time afforded by these is vital. These units allow you to record your voice (some models can be controlled via an app! ). I’ve tried to synchronise the two to go together but I’ve not quite got it right. This means that food drops in one, then about 29 seconds later, the recoding saved in the other plays before it dispenses. The sound of the food dropping to the stainless steel bowl is all the invitation Floozy needs. From wherever she is, before the last nugget has fallen she is there! Now she is joined by two other hungry hippos Humphrey and Grogu who as you can see, tuck in beside her. Dear Noodle, she sits out of the picture as she knows that here kittens eat first (though doesn’t realise that this means for their food not hers!) . So these to chaos are eating Natures Menu and a small quota of Orijen too! What a cheek! 

Yes, well spotted, unfortunately the water is right next to the food and this is not the correct textbook set up. Food and water should not be together. Sadly, I’m limited by the availability of electrical sockets. Sound familiar? 

A busy few days doing not a lot!

The cats n kittens of Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire have been  busy these last few days, though mostly it’s been in filling & refilling their bellies & playing.

One of our lovely new families has a daughter called Rose who commented that “Basil is always eating” and she wanted pictures of his actual face. Always keen to oblige any requests, I fulfilled her wishes right away with a short video clip. However, right at that precise moment the chaps  were in full breakfast request mode & increasingly frustrated with me for the delay. First, there was no food in the actual kitchen, so they all ran after me to the hallway cupboard , promptly charging inside as I hauled out a carton of 4 boxes. Since they’d now all gone in and under the shelving I knew I’d not got a hope in hell of rounding them up and reclosing the door, so I left it open & returned to the kitchen, whereupon I’d lost Humphrey who must have stayed in the cupboard to explore, then stopped off to relieve himself n the way back. So, when I then began to video a short cli it was very much as case of  “hurry up, and stop faffing just open the pouches” . 

Im fully programmed to obey a demanding kitten, so promptly dispensed breakfast, standing guard as always to ensure that they get to eat it rather than the ganets, (oops I mean girls!). Humphrey had by now shown up and all four tucked in. Just for fun, I made Rose another video clip which by now featured my two dainty eaters Basil & Vincent (the harvesters Grogu & Humphrey having departed to playland). They might be dainty eaters, but they had very messy eating habits with food falling from their mouths. Chew it boys! 

Daughters are pretty awesome (if cheeky!) and there is a daughter in one of my other new families too, this one named Willow. She is busy on a project of making a memory scrapbook of Grogu’s little life collecting video & photos right from his arrival into the world. It’s heartwarming & fabulous just how much these handsome boys are loved by all of their new families already.  

Last night, the cats big & small all had their baths. It’s quite a mission doing 7 but as I’d had to cut the kittens claws a few days before (my legs were getting torn up a bit) that part was not needed for them again quite yet. Additionally, as I can do the little lads baths in the kitchen sink my back is able to cope a little better! Unless they somehow get themselves into any big mess, this was the last but one bath I will be giving these chaps too! Yikes, where is the time going??? 

The gents all behaved very well - not too wriggly. I’ve got a good routine going, filling a large bowl and the sink itself,  I can wet, then soap up using the draining board if necessary to ensure I can massage shampoo into every litter nook and cranny, then they go back in to the sink to rinse off most of the soap before receiving a final rinse in clean water to ensure no reside remains. I’m using Johnson’s baby shampoo (other brands are available) so it’s unlikely to irritate, but better to be safe. Next they are snugged up into a towel to dry before being made in a dry one into a tasty kitten burrito ready for the ear cleansing ritual to begin. Finally, though claws were already clipped, a baby wipe was is used to make sure all the little folds and creases under the claw sheath were free of clogged up oils that can’t be done easily in the bath. 

Next it was the turn of the girls, but they had already cottoned onto this fact. Now, I’m used to having to capture & wrangle Noodle & Prune, knowing all of their hiding places as they try to outsmart me. By now the chaps were either snoozing or playing & as I passed by the lounge I stoped to watch as two kittens played I spy in the cardboard box fort. Wait, what’s that???  Did I just spot the glint of large eye back there lurking in the darkness beyond the fort doorway? Reaching my arm in I found Prune who I then had to skilfully manoeuvre to extricate. Not easy but I won. The box was still heavy though! Oh, now I wonder why? 

I gave Prune her clean up. I use my wet room for the adults, sitting on the floor is much easier on my back than leaning over a bath trying to keep a hold of slippery cats (even with exfoliating gloves on they can be difficult to keep a hold of!) . Shampoo, rinse, towel burrito, nail cleanse and claw clipping then she was set free. Now for the next one… who would I capture first… silly Noodle, she has remained in the box, obviously not realising I had worked out it’s weight could only be her. The only mystery was how she got her big ol’ bottom in through the door in the first place! I reached in again. This extraction was harder than catfish tickling, but I got her and we began the process again.. Noodle used to grudgingly accept a wash but as she’s aged, and actually since the 4 month hiatus in bathing caused by my ankle break last year, she has been much much less accommodating unfortunately. Her nails are always frightful. Prune & Floozy keep theirs pretty clean but my goodness the congealed oils this girl accumulates deep in her nail beds and folds is unbelievable! Finally, her bath done, it was the easy capture of Floozy as she’s far too nosey ever to hide away! I do make the process as “pleasant” as possible treats (known here as kisses, I’ll tell you about that at some time!) come after a bath, and find it far batter to do the entire routine as one rather than bath one day, ears another, claws another still. Claw clipping some people do when their cats are sleeping but cleaning would defo rouse them (especially Madame Noodle who needs a full on spa level pedicure).

After their baths the two collared boys Basil & Vincent  were given brand new collars to wear then the entire selection of cat bedding (& mine) was changed to take advantage of their newly pristine status (& mine since I showered after becoming a wet in the process)

Vincent rather likes the washing machine and spends a lot of time being hypnotised by it. Just as well as there were now four new loads to go through. 

I have a guest bathroom (sounds posh, but isn’t!) which is where I dry my laundry, in winter it’s always really toasty in there and its all hidden away (who has guests nowadays?) The door is always kept closed so, what I want to know, when I went to hang towels this morning, is how and when exactly this happened ?

I know Prune is keen (yes she is still wondering about with toy mice!) but seriously, this is ridiculous!

Noodle says I don’t feature her shots nearly enough, so here is a couple of her… you won’t be surprised to see someone else getting in on the act though! 🤣🤣🤣

Oh Pru! & Leading a cat to water & helping it to drink

I deliver dinner twice a week to my son & his family. It’s an arrangement that’s occurred partly as a result of covid & partly due to my having triply broke my ankle in April 2020. I used to do one meal a week plus a day of childcare. Covid & shielding has prevented the more hands on Grannying I used to enjoy, but at least I can feel useful to the family in making their meals plus I generally get two little slices of time to spend dedicated to them when dropping off dinner. It’s precious time & I will never take that for granted. 

While I cooked today, after an almost 6 pouch breakfast between them at 9:30 this morning, I was cooking at about 3:30pm when Vincent showed up at my feet demanding food. I fed him until he wondered off surprised that no one else came. I had just dished it all out, lids on ready to wagon roll at 4:40pm when kittens appeared ready to eat. Sorry boys, I cannot stop now but I’ll be back soon!

Well, soon was a tad later than anticipated (I did get to hug & snug with my grandbabies) so I’d imagine the scene at home during my absence was of 3 or 4 demanding boys insisting that since she can’t drive & was there, their mother needed to tide them over. And I’d add the suggestion that they were very, very demanding!

Admittedly I did get back later than I’d expected and as I did, 20 limbs stampeded toward the kitchen (4 kittens and Floozy!) Noodle came slowly after to ask where did I think I’d been and while I’m at it, things smell good, was there any leftovers (no Noodle, no left overs ever - but good try!) but wait! Where in the world was Pru???

Only on top of the fridge/freezer - Officially the highest point in the apartment she could be in! 

I quickly got the pouches opened - they were so eager to satisfy those hungry hippos tummies! Only later did Prune decide to venture down from her perch & since then she’s been carrying around mice calling her sons to eat ever since! 

Yes Clair, you are right, I am always feeding them. Actually it’s hard to believe looking at them now that this time last week their skeletal frames were so visible under their skin as they had all but stopped eating. Happily they’ve set about making up for lost time. Inevitably though I must follow the “always feeding” with with always scooping too - thankfully the after-effects of the antibiotics is slowly righting itself. Pro- Kolin advance has been giving them the help needed to firm up stool & to replace the lost good gut bacteria they need! 

I don’t know who it was but as I’ve been typing away someone has been heard playing with water. I could hear splash splash splash as a paw was bounced on the water, I’m guessing in the pool of the fountain. I didn’t go to investigate at the time because I’d have been heard coming and spoilt the game. Certainly whomever it was would have scarpered and the only way to tell who would have been capture and carry out paw checks! They quickly see there’s a system of capture and release afoot and make it very hard for me to accomplish. It sounded like an adult paw (though Humpty”’s are big!) so it might have been one of them with a game of enticement to mischief. There’s only one little monkey 🐒 I can think of ! It wasn’t Bing Crosby crooning away with his umbrella all a-twirl, so can you guess who? 

Do you use a fountain for your pets? There are several on the market. Often they’re made of plastic and often they feature replaceable filters requiring constant re-investment.

If you’ve read my book you’ll have read my words of wisdom about not using plastic bowls & dishes. This is not advice meant solely for Sphynx cats but is especially important to them. Your bowls, dishes, fountains should be made from stainless steel, from glass or from ceramic. Food dishes, particularly those feeding pouches or raw should ensure that they are cleaned in hot soapy water & rinsed well each feed. Bowls manufactures from those materials & hygienic practices will protect them from feline acne as well as from bacteria. Cats will avoid eating at all if dishes are not clean. 

Grogu’s mum Danni & I had a conversation this week about fountains and having been looking she asked me which I used. I was able to advise her right away that it’s not strictly necessary to have one at all however, it’s important to know that cats do need to drink water - more especially if having dry food diets or grazing. Often don’t drink enough and cats can be prone to urinary or kidney (particularly commercial diet fed animals so it’s important that you watch your cats fluid intake and take steps to encourage drinking as much as possible. Cats are known to be fastidious & they are keen on running water. I’ve known owners who say that their cats will only drink from a running tap - Noodle definitely likes a tap too - actually she is a good household monitor of water quality. If I don’t refresh the water bowls daily she is soon jumping up into to my kitchen sink or bathroom basin licking from inside the taps or asking me to switch the tap on for her. In hot weather she will often want tap water - I assume preferring it’s chill.  If a fountain is more your thing, I can suggest you have a look at the ceramic fountains sold at Miaustore. They have a large one with 8 different drinking surfaces/areas so is sure to appeal to whatever you cat prefers or they also now do a mini version. Both use the same pump - which I noted when visiting this week has been updated since I bought my fountain. There’s a 2 year warranty on that. There is an option to purchase a guard to fit to the pump. This is rinseable (no filters to replace). It’s purpose is to capture pet hair or food particles to prevent them being sucked into the pump. No hair kitties won’t shed hair into it snd, if you follow my advice to have water & food separate (cats prefer this) you won’t get food in their either. Another new feature on the large version is opting to have engraving (I like this!). The large version also offers an option to purchase a 10 year parts cover (all parts including the 4 ceramic elements), but I note that neither of these options are offered on the mini - a design made as one piece. Replacement parts are easily purchased including extra/replacement tubes and pumps or top pieces which can be bought in clear, black or anti microbial sterling silver. Each fountain comes in the same selection of colours, this matching dishes and a “cup” in which you can grow cat grass. Yikes there’s a 24ct gold decorated version of the large fountain too - who would be buying that! 

Accessories:  in addition to those mentioned already other add-ones or accessories include a USB extension cable, useful if your plug socket is too far away from there you’d like to site the fountain, theres a sensor which will switch the fountain on when a cat comes within 1.5m. Benefits of this are that it saves electricity (though the pump uses minimal electricity to run) and switching it off will help to prolong/extend the life of the pump. However, imho, the idea of a fountain and its usefulness at keeping water fresher over several days before changing/refilling is needed , relies on it constantly moving and oxygenating the water and so it being switched off for the majority of the time (excepting for the few moments when the cat comes to drink), is just not enough to keep it fresh and therefore using this energy/pump saving measure would only serve to make the water less desirable to your cat! In which case just use a bowl and change it daily/twice daily. For me personally, I’d rather pay the small amount it costs to run 24/7 and if necessary buy a new pump (currently priced at £11.90) if it breaks down (or if you opted for the 10 year additional warranty have it replaced). 

Other add on items are waterproof mats offered in a few colours and two sizes Oddly, they’re the same look & texture as some older style litter tray mats. They will do the job of preventing the unit scratching your floor if you’ve placed it on a hard floor, and they will contain any water drips which is definitely vital if you’ve got carpet but a lot of water, say if someone somehow knocked it would be a devil to dry from it simply because of its design/how they’re made. I have mine stood on Lino and on a wipe clean place mat that I bought at a local pet store but, if it were on carpet?then I’d look for  a melamine or plastic tray perhaps.  

Another add on item is a cleaning kit. Included in the kit are a couple of extra pump tubes (there can also be purchased as spares) but overall I feel that the kit is rather a lot of money for what it is. As well as the tubes, the thin brushes it supplies and which are used to clean the inside of tubes and the inner parts of the pump are “cheap as chips” to buy on sites such as eBay/Amazon etc. You surely already have a small cross-head screwdriver (not needed the old style pump). Perhaps the most useful part of the kit is the large cleaning brush supplies to clean the outer snd inner surfaces of the ceramic parts. A washing up brush would cost loads less though would not be soft. I make use of a microfibre cloth or use sponge - you could use anything that’s non abrasive. If you happen to have large hands though a long handled brush will be important. 

On its website miau has thoughtfully provided video demos showing how to set up your fountain - there’s an order in which you must place or remove the towers in the large model. There’s vital video demonstrations for both the old & new style pumps showing of how to disassemble, clean & reassemble each which is essential to do regularly to ensure there is no interruption to flow of water or turning off the pump. There’s also lots of other informative content relating to water & your cat so it’s a site that’s well worth a visit even if you ultimately decide not to purchase a fountain there.

If I recall correctly the units are shipped from Spain. In correspondence with miau this week, as I asked lots of questions & asked if they might kindly supply me with a discount code to give to my new families their representative has said that some colours are currently in short supply and they also advised that due to Brexit and the issues Covid has caused with there being a lack of haulier drivers, their deliveries are taking longer than usual. 

Unfortunately they were unable to offer me any discount code but did inform me that there’s an active Facebook page and Instagram channel and that they offer discounts there from time to time so this might be worth a follow! 

If ceramic is not for you, or the styles at miau are not to your liking. I’ve seen some attractive looking stainless steel fountains about online though as I don’t possess those I cannot personally recommend them. What I have noted looking at what’s currently out there is that often the stainless steel part - the area where the cat would take its drink from is there only stainless steel element while the reservoir/bowl holding the water is made of plastic. Yes, it’s design does keeps the face & mouth away from the plastic but it won’t do a thing for water quality. 

Kittens raised at Naked Sphynx Cat Hampshire are offered ceramic glazed bowls & the miau fountain as their water sources & so, when they leave to go into their new families they are able to accept & use bowls or fountains to drink from. 

Always have a cats water, it’s food and their litter trays in separate spaces.