A real gale force running through here

It is a real windy night. It's amazing how the weather can change on a dime here. I just never get used to it. I had to take out some recycling and bags of litter for the Thursday pickup. We could barely walk in the hallway with all the bags filling the floor of the hallway. I also had to run some errands today and the weather was real nice that I only wore a long sleeve tshirt over a short sleeve one, But now there is such a strong wind blowing threw our driveway, it does not seem believable that it just turned so suddenly. I got my mom's meds, some groceries and pet food. I was loaded up on my scooter and bags kept dropping off as I was trying to get home. But I finally did. The social worker came by too, thankfully she had the monthly cheque in hand. It will help defray against the cost of the groceries, meds and the pet food. Mostly.

I wish I could get a Dyson. Every time the commercial comes on. Maybe I will. I don't know. On Consumer report, the hoover seemed to fair better. But the Dyson is famous for not losing suction that with all these cats in my home, it is real tempting.

I am also excited about the cat enclosure getting installed on Wednesday. I hope between now and then, my mom will be okay and she does not have to go back to the hospital if her leg does not heal up properly.

Anyway, I am going to tuck in now with my new library books. Most of them Cookbooks, but one a mystery and the other a cat behaviour book.

Meow for now....

Bissell Pro 2x clean shot did not disappoint.

I finally used the Bissell pro 2x cleanshot that I bought at Costco. I took out even the most stubborn stains with the hand tools. No wasting of cleaning solution as it has a seperate tank. I went through the bottle of cleaning solution plus a big bottle of Zep carpet cleaning solution that I bought at home depot. It really performed well and I was very happy. I have a wall to wall in my very large bedroom. It is a bit of work having to refill the solution and pour out the dirty water and refill the hot water but it is amzing how much dirty wwater there was. Since it has a seperate tank for the clean water, it worked out really well. I hope to use it on my mom's carpet upstairs. Now I am debating about getting the Dyson animal as the hoover windtunnel upright right now seems to be gettng tired and the bissell picked up alot of hair that the vacuum cleaner did not.

Anyway, I am happy with the results and will probably give my carpet a good cleaning at least once a month. With a large multiple cat household it is really hard to stay ahead. It also works on floors so I would like to see how the Bissell cleans my ceramic tiles, the grout really can get dirty.

Meow for now....

a treasure trove of books I found at the value village

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”

― Charles W. Eliot


Yesterday I took a quick trip to the value village near my home. I always find some great books at bargain prices. They are always in good condition. I love to read of course and add them to my library so when I run out of library books to read, I read from my own collection. I really should go through my books and give away the ones I have read and do not plan on reading again to make room for the new additions.

The titles I found are:

The Lake of Dead Languages, Carol Goodman
The Murder Room, PD James
Vets Almighty, James Herriot
Drowning Ruth, Christina Schwarz
Love in the time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I have already started reading the Lake of Dead Languages. It seems really good so far.

Meow for now...

Snappy Tom, the new flavour for my kitties triple mix

At the All About Pets show on Friday, I bought 4 small bags of the new dry food Snappy Tom. It has these little fish shaped kibble inside and it smells good. I got a bag in my last donation and wanted to buy some when I had a chance. The cats all gather around when I lug their big bags of cat food to refill the food bins. Dry food here last 6 days approximately, sometimes more, sometimes less, but usually six days. I use Chicken soup for the cat lover's soul and Taste of the Wild, which I found out is also made by Diamond foods. They also make/distribute the feline fresh litter line I use. I normally do not putt all my eggs in one basket with regards to product line, but they are a good food and litter. Then I add the choice kitty mix from Petvalu. That is my triple mix but this time I added the snappy tom. The kitties still had food from when I refilled their bowls before I went to sleep, so I just topped it up. The way they gather around food bowls or watch while I am filling the bins, it's like they are starving. Cinnamon even likes grabbing a helping right out of the bin. Just climbs right in.

I just heard the roar of thunder. No more sunny days. Rain and now I have to go and let a few of the cats in. I have 3 that like to go out. They do not stray far. They just stay in the backyard and come when I call them back in. I made sure to microchip and collar them anyway. Smokey Joe is much happier and he loves to cuddle on me when I am outside having my coffee and cigarette.

All the cats are safely inside now. Beauty, Smokey Joe and Sawyer. The Satellite even went on the fritz and now it's okay. I guess it was the thunder.

My mom is sleeping upstairs, after I made her coffee, egg and toast. She is in palliative care at home and my sister and I are the primary caregivers. Her Brother and his friend are probably now in the air on the way back to Spain. They spent about 6 days here and now my mother is missing him, maybe that is why she was in a bad mood again this manner.

Now that I have done the litter boxes, refilled the dry food and let the cats in, I am going to watch the rest of Fringe, which I am woefully behind and then get a few episodes in of CSI. I am just dead tired from taking my uncle around yesterday and with the rain I can't take out my scooter anyway.

Meow for now.

Dirt begone!

When you have a not so feline zoo how do you keep it clean? What kind of products do you use? Do you buy biodegradable, organic or just the regular cleaning stuff. When you have little paws who live, eat, walk, sleep close to the ground like they do, you need to make sure it is safe. I try to buy petsafe products but I also need to use stuff that best economizes my time and budget. I buy what's on sale and buy it in bulk so it lasts awhile. Rather than use a mop, I use the swiffer wetjet. They say it is safe as it dries very quickly. I just find it too useful to ignore. I realize I am adding more garbage since they are disposable pads but they do their job. I don't have to worry about running out of washable pads like I do with my steamer or using dirty water like with a mop and pail. I don't have the luxury of a laundry sink so I would have to dump my dirty water down the bathtub and then have to washout the bathtub each time. So what is worse, wasting water or having more garbage? I recycle just about everything, compost just about everything and use natural pine litter which is biodegradable. It flushes but given that I have had plumbing problems in the past due to roots in my pipes from the neighbouring trees, I could no longer afford our toilet clogging up. So I take out my litter with the compost and no more worries.
I have started using natural and biodegradeable washing detergent and use products like Method for my cleaning supplies. But one day I will have to get rid of my wall to wall carpet in my room. All the other rooms in my home are vinyl tile or ceramic tile. Having so many cats in my home, given it is a rescue and sanctuary has it's challenges. There is always hairballs, some cats not using the litterbox for their poos and pees and dry food that scatters on the floor. Keeping the litterboxes clean is also a challenge since I am not the only one doing them. There is an art to doing the litterboxes and no-one is ever going to do them the same way. But I like to remove every little lump and clump so that it looks like a fresh new box.

But the best cleaner by far is a mixture of white vinegar, water and baking soda and by far the cheapest. It's all purpose and can be used on floors, counters, appliances, wherever your four legged friends like to walk or jump on.

anyway, today is laundry and cleaning day so I need to get cracking.

Meow for now....

Do your cats love to climb the walls?

then this is perfect!! If they ship to Canada I would love to get one. I still have a few more doors I can hang it from. Just got back from the pet store. The owners were kind enough to donate some more food for my Not so little feline zoo rescues. My cats at feeding time, act like they have not eaten. They sure love their canned food. The donated stuff is the real deal too, Felidae, lots of it.

Meow for now.....

One4pets All-in-One Portable Cat Activity Tower is a welcome addition for my feline rescues

At the One4Pets exhibit at the All About Pets show at the International Centre in Mississauga I bought the All-in-One Portable Cat Activity Tower and it's a hit!!!

My cats really like it and it was not hard to assemble. It saves on floor space and is much sturdier and nicer than the one made by kittywalk systems. I decided to try this activity tower instead of buying a climber as I am lacking in floor space. Kitties love to hide so it is perfect. Even my Starbuck who is shy to come out at the best of times, I found him hiding out in the tower.

Check out this activity centre and other neat stuff at http://www.one4pets.com/portable-cat-activity-tower/