This may have been done before, but I wanted to let cat owners know about a product I just purchased (disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this company). Our cat loves to be outdoors, but for a variety of reasons, it’s just not a good option for her. In addition to the obvious things like pests and cars, she’s a fighter. She also has a tricky elbow that can become dislocated, making her easy prey. If we’re outdoors, she sometimes will stay close, but has disappeared in the past and come back limping. So no more free outdoor time.
Like most cats, she tolerates a collar, but absolutely hates any form of leash or harness, so that’s out. So I was looking for something that would allow her to be outdoors with us, but be unable to disappear from sight.
After a lot of searching I found this enclosure, which arrived yesterday. It’s all mesh, with a mesh floor, and measures about 6’ x 5’ (collapses to about 30" and stores in its own carry bag). It set up in about 30 seconds, which is astonishing, as most of these types of things are a real PITA. This will also work for when we are on an extended RV trip (coming up soon).
I set it up in the house just to see if she would go near it, and she jumped right in to explore.
So: what other great products do you swear by for your dog or cat?
Quiet Spot Pet Tag Silencer. If your dog’s (or cat’s, I guess) collar has several tags, and you find the jingling annoying, you get this tiny nylon bag, stick the tags in them, and wrap the Velcro strips across the top. We didn’t buy them for that – we got them because the aluminum tags tarnish our dog’s nice white ruff. Now she stays spotless. If your dog has a grubby front, get these. https://www.itzadog.com/quietspot.cfm
These come in various brands: We bought the Gulpy. Water bottle for dogs, with a fold-up dispenser. I don’t think we have ever had anything that more people have asked us about – concerts, picnics, hundreds of times, it’s WHERE did you get that!?! One of those things you wish you’d invented. Genius. http://www.thedogoutdoors.com/gulpy-pet-water-dispenser-portable.html
Kong dog toys - the classic rubber ones. Even a determined K9 with a will to shred it will have a big job ahead of him, and JO the Belgian mal still hasn’t managed to eat his extreme Kong (the black rubber one.) Not cheap, but less expensive than replacing lesser toys every month or two.
And the 4Health dog food (Tractor Supply Company’s house brand) is surprisingly high quality for the price. We switched about 2.5 years ago from a much more expensive brand due to budget concerns - trying to save money without compromising nutrition - and all of the dogs actually seemed to do better on 4Health Chicken & Rice kibble than on their previous brand that cost almost twice as much.
And for double coated dogs, the Oster undercoat rake is a godsend. It’s the best tool I’ve found for grooming my Pyrs or my mom’s late Newfoundland. I’m just sorry I didn’t discover it when I had my corgi! (I swear, at 30 pounds, he created as much hair as my 120# Pyrenees!)
ETA: Note to self - get Gulpy for JO. That’s absolutely perfect for the conditions he faces on the job!
The Furminator. We acquired another cat after using it for just five minutes… Or at least we thought we did. Just wow!
The Turbo Scratcher. My cat LOVES these things! She’s an indoor girl so it’s about the only good exercise she gets. We have 2 and have had to replace the cardboard multiple times. But she’ll use it without it too, and without the catnip too. She plays until she’s so exhausted she has to lay down next to it and slowly bat the ball with one paw until she falls asleep. I wish I had a video.
One of my favorite gizmos is as much for me as for the critters: The Latch 'n Vent
I have one on the laundry room door and it keeps the door open enough to allow the HVAC system to draw properly and the cats can get to the litterbox, but the dogs stay out and the noise of the washer/dryer/AC/ is damped down.
I splurged and got my herd o’ cats a their own yard: Purrfect Fence
Nine cats, two dogs and two humans in a 1500 sq ft house can get a bit cramped, and my guys love their outdoor time now. I’m pretty rural but the road is straight so while not super busy, people drive like hell on it. Plus no-one contains their dogs and there’s a fairly robust feral cat colony next door. I feel much better with my kits safely contained. I put up 100 linear ft of fence, and I’m stashing cash away to expand it a bit.
Those are both pretty slick. We usually have to close the BR door at around 4am because that’s when miss cat believes all thinking beings should be up and about. It gets pretty stuffy in there with the door closed, even with the window open.
I like the idea of the Latch n Vent! We’re about to move to a house where we can’t install a catflap and I’m trying to think what the best solution is.
I bet you could use that for mosquito-free camping.
Can anyone recommend a good, quiet pet trimmer? We have a Maine Coon and I’m tired of finding her hair all over the house. I tried using scissors a coupla times but it’s… ummm… not a good look.
I tried a smaller ramp with sandpaper grip for my dog, and it didn’t work. My 90-lb dog with hip problems didn’t trust it.
Then we got the PetStep ramp and it’s the best! She’s been using it for about 4 years now. The raised rubber strips allow her to grab on with her claws, and the material is never slippery so it’s fine after a swim. It’s more expensive than other ramps and maybe a little heavier, but it’s been worth every penny to keep the dog from having to jump.
The other thing that’s REALLY paid for itself is the Booster Bath I got maybe about 9 years ago. As the dog got older, bigger and stronger I could no longer wash her while on my knees with her in the bath tub. She liked baths ok but when she was done she was done, and would just walk over top of me to exit, dripping wet.
When I got my new house with a basement, my mom’s housewarming gift to me was the Booster Bath. I set it up in my basement with a drain hose going right to the floor drain. It’s next to the wash tub so we get warm water. The dog is elevated and strapped in, so she’s not going anywhere. And she loved it! Hops right in! We’ve saved a ton of money not having to go to groomers all the time (she does go on occasion, in the winter) and I can take care of her whether she’s just due for a bath, or if she got into the black ditch water, or got sprayed by a skunk, or anything. Love it!!!
I’ve mentioned Easy-Walk harnesses a few times. Our rescue basenjis had little experience on the leash, and what they had had conditioned them to pull against neck pressure. This is a difficult problem to train away, so we tried the harnesses, which have the leash clip on the front, and distribute leash pressure around the shoulders and chest. Instant success! We still use them today, mostly out of habit; their leash walking has improved so much we could probably walk them on a flat collar.
The World’s Best Cat Litter does indeed live up to its name. It’s made from corn. Has NO odor, except possibly a faint straw-like scent. Clumps well. Lasts a long time. I have three cats (indoor-outdoor) and two litter pans in my only bathroom, and yet the room is still habitable by humans. I scoop the pee balls into the trash, but use the scooper to shake off the turds, which will only have a few grains of litter sticking to them and flush them as soon as they show up throughout the day. Best system I’ve had in 40 years of cat ownership.
Fellow Belgian (Groenendael) & former Pyr owner here too! We only have the Belgian currently. (Owned a Pyr about 20 years ago.)
Kong toys & Nyla bones keep my dog entertained for a good while too.
She’s a chaser & loves the frisbees more than anything. One she loves to fetch & the other she loves to shake & prance around with.
We have 1 of those genius kong toys that we stuff a biscuit into every now & again to keep her entertained.
The breeder we got her from fed her on Diamond chicken & Rice from TSC (not the extreme athlete one) so we feed her that. Good to know about 4Health in case we should need to switch for any reason.
In addition to so many neat products & ideas, (mesh cat tent especially), we’ve had good luck with Thundershirt.
Our dog gets a bit anxious in thunderstorms & has some separation anxiety issues & this helps surprisingly.
The World’s Best Cat Litter is also dust-free. I’ll take a look at Blue Buffalo. Can’t have too much good cat litter on hand!
In my former house I had one extra bedroom that was kind of my “junk” room. I kept the litter pans in there, three of them, in a big plastic, child’s wading pool. Eventually the whole room became coated with the dust from regular clumping cat litter. Blech.
Greenie’s pill pockets. I bought Greenie’s bones when they first came out and when my cast iron stomach dog regurgitated green slime I never bought them again. But the pockets eliminate struggling with my dog, so I won’t be without them now.
I bought a huge bucket of Tidy Cat Lightweight litter today and wow is it truly much lighter! I always bought a small bag because they were so heavy but this is great!
Also, I want to mention I found a cool way to trap the ammonia smell in the litter box and easily empty it. I buy these disposable litter box things and set one inside my regular plastic litter box and then put litter into the paper one. The urine wicks through the paper but the water evaporates out of it trapping the stink. I can’t believe it works as well as it does! Then when it’s time to empty, just slide a trash bag over the plastic box and flip the whole paper one into the bag. No messy bag liner that they always shred to pieces and there’s no need to clean off the plastic box. They’re about $4 apiece but well worth it!
My cat is both an indoor and outdoor girl. I installed a SureFlap Microchip Cat Flap into the door that leads from the garage to the back yard. This cat door reads the microchip that is under her skin between her shoulder blades, meaning no collars to fall off or choke the cat. It works as advertised. Think of it: my cat has the only key to her very own door. No other cats or other animals can pass through. Brilliant. Got it on amazon.
