I scoop a lot of boxes. Most people put too much litter in their boxes--2 inches is plenty. Cats are not diggers--they simply want to cover their business. If it is packed too tight, it makes their job harder & they may go elsewhere. Little tip. Cats despise perfume & anything citrus smelling. If your cat is not using the litter box, and has a favorite wetting spot, spray that area lightly with cologne to discourage the cat from going there. Don't use citrus air freshners in room where litter box is kept. I have recently found that spraying "ALL" Fabric Refresher (Citrus Breeze) on fav spraying spots will deter them! Replace boxes 2X/year or wash monthly with diluted bleach & water. Never use amonia as it mimics cat urine & they will react negatively. And NEVER, EVER clean a litter box or cat area with anything that ends in SOL (pinesol, lysol, etc) These contain phenol which can cause serious illness even death to a cat. SOL is banned from Purrever Ranch as it is most shelters & sanctuaries.
Please take your cat to Vet to make sure your cat does not have a UTI or something even worse. If kitty has an infection, she may associate the litter box with pain. So it is imperative that your Vet give your cat an exam to rule out any physical problems before treating any behavior problems. Inappropriate elimination should be treated as an emergency & kitty should be taken to Vet ASAP when problem first arises. It is sometimes a symptom of serious even fatal illness.
Once physical problems are ruled out, I strongly recommend the following:
Feliway reduces or completely stops stress-related behavior including urine marking, vertical scratching, loss of appetite or reduced desire to play or interact. It helps comfort cats in stressful situations such as moving to a new home, visitors to the home, new pet, adjusting to a new environment or multiple cat households. Feliway mimics the natural comforting facial pheromone found in cats. Purrever Ranch uses both the plug-ins & spray (for new stress or trip to vet/etc).
A flower essence is a form of Homeopathy, which means it is a vibrational medicine. The “essence of” and “vibration of” a flower has been captured in, or suspended in, or melded with water. Purrever Ranch uses the "Territorial Rescue," and the Multi-Cat Rescue." I am constantly amazed of how this product works!
Cats are naturally clean creatures. It goes against their nature to make a mess. Something is usually wrong with the cat if it is not using his box. Physical or Emotional. Cats don't cope well with change at all. In fact, stress is the leading cause of illness & death in cats. Keep kitty calm & stress free. Not always easy & often a constant effort...I know too well...
Animal Communicators are becoming more of the norm in treating behavior problems. I use one & highly recommend Gayle at www.gazehound.com I have "known" Gayle for a few years & will vouch for her credibility. It is a very private session--between you , your pets & Gayle. She can give you a reading via email--you simply send her a picture. Cost is $25. I have found her services priceless.
CAT POOP COOKIES
Here is the recipe for the infamous disgusting cookies that look like cats poops (rolled in grapenuts, which makes lovely fake kitty litter.) Last warning - many of you may not want to read this!
There are two flavors: chocolate (dark brown), or gingerbread (light brown).
The author seldom measured carefully, so the amounts may need adjustment, especially on flavoring.The cookies are dense and not very sweet, this is necesssary so that they will keep their shape during baking.If you use white flour or sugar, they may be tastier but they won't look like cat poop.
Chocolate ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
2/3 cup (1 and 1/3 stick) butter, margarine, or lard
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla or peppermint extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
grapenuts(tm) cereal
Gingerbread ingredients:
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2/3 cup(1 and 1/3 stick) butter or margarine, or lard
1 egg
2 and 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
spices: ginger, cinnamon, cloves to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp each)
grapenuts(tm) cereal
Mix-ins (optional):
Coconut = tapeworms
Chocolate chips = poop chunks!
Butterscotch chips = diarrhea!
Peanut butter chips = diarrhea!
Cooked spagetti or ramen noodles = roundworms
Corn = self explanatory!
Peanuts = chunks
M&Ms = decoration?
To make:
Microwave the honey till it bubbles (about 1 minute). Add the butter, (I've been told using lard makes for a more realistic texture and softer cookie) and the molasses, if any. Add the egg, mix well, then mix in all the other stuff. Add mix-ins of your choice to some or all of the batter.
Chill 1 hour in the freezer or several hours in the fridge. Roll dough logs of random length and the diameter of cat poops. Roll logs in grapenuts and bake at 350 degrees till done (about 20 minutes, but this varies so watch them.)
Serve in a disposable cat litter box on a bed of grapenuts, with a cat litter scoop.I hear you get lovely effects by decorating the box and scoop with melted chocolate or pudding.
Brown sugar might work as a substitute for the new clumping litters... Mixing brown sugar with the grapenuts "sweetens up the cookie a bit while still looking truly hideous."
This recipe worked especially well at the halloween party where the table was already decorated with plastic flies.
These tips were provided by the American Kennel Club and the ASPCA, because Halloween could be a very scary experience for your pet if you don't take precautions.
- Keep your dog away from the door during trick or treating hours.
- Don't leave your dog outside where it could become a prankster's prey.
- Walk your dog early in the night, before it gets dark.
- Be sure that if your dog wears a costume, it does not constrict his/her movement.
- Get your dog used to wearing his/her costume before the actual date of Halloween.
- If your dog doesn't want to wear the costume, and manages to get it off, don't FORCE him/her to wear it.
- Never give your dog candy.
- Keep your dog away from lighted pumpkins.
- Warn the children in your neighborhood not to pull pranks on dogs they may see.
- Beware of the temperatures. (This one goes for dogs and children!)
The active ingredient in chocolate harmful to dogs is theobromine. Milk chocolate has the lowest concentration of theobromine — 44mg/oz. A toxic dose for a 50-pound dog would be 50 ounces. The second highest concentration is found in semisweet chocolate. It has a concentration of 150 milligrams per ounce. The toxic dose for a 50-pound dog is 15 ounces. The highest concentration and the most dangerous is baking chocolate. The concentration is 390 milligrams per ounce. Toxic dose for our 50-pound dog is five ounces!! Please read both articles for a better understanding of this subject.
Make sure all pets are inside during the night the youngsters are Halloween trick'r-treating, especially black pets, to avoid the heartbreak of hideous "pranks." In fact, during the entire month of October, all pets especially black pets should be kept indoors. The safest thing for both you and your animals is to keep them indoors unless you are supervising their outdoor activities with them on a leash.
You know you have too many cats living in your house when…..
Every time you open the bathroom door, a little furry creature races past you and perches on the toilet seat for a drink before you get there. (If there is more than one perched, you are really in trouble)
Your refrigerator door has its own groupies.
When you open the doors to your house, the cats coming and going resemble the famous Bull Run of Pamplona.
The rooms in your house are segregated for cats with good behavior, bad behavior, and I just don’t get along with anyone.
Your dogs are humiliated time, and time again because the cats keep rubbing their scent onto the dogs’ fur with their little whiskery faces.
One of your dogs has a pet cat.
When you do laundry you can’t open the dryer door to get the clothes out before a cat is parked on the dryer door, in the dryer itself or already sleeping on the clean clothes you just folded.
You can’t use the can opener or open a can without suddenly feeling like a giant foot and legwarmer has just engulfed you. (You certainly can’t try to turn around in the kitchen at this point without breaking a leg)
You can’t eat anything at all ever without your cats looking at you as if they are auditioning for a poster pet for a third world country.
In the farthest corner of your house and the most unlikely place to find it, yes, you find tiny grains of cat litter.
You hear so much hacking from cats trying to throw up fur balls, you think you have gone to an asthma clinic.
Walking from the kitchen to the living room with a bowl of ice cream, you muster your adrenaline because you know you will be running an obstacle course as your cats’ fling themselves in your path to the sofa.
You never watch television, work on the computer, or read a book without a furry creature inserting its little body in front of, on, or around you or the object of your attention.
You have an expense account to buy those roller brushes to remove pet hair from your clothes.
And, last but not least, you know you have too many cats in your house when you never feel unwanted, unloved, or alone at anytime day or night.
Happy Paws To All! Wishing everyone a very safe & happy October. Just a reminder, CPS is booked for Thanksgiving but can squeeze in one or two 1X/Day pet sits. Christmas has ONE opening for 2-3X/Day and a few 1X/Day spots open. CPS will be closed Tue-Thur Nov 16th thru 18th. For a complete listing of closings, click HERE.
Should you need a referral for another sitter or kennel, please contact me. Kiss your babies for me!
Purrever Ranch has some very exciting news to share. We are now working with FOCAS & THE HOUSE OF MEWS, taking in their geriatric rescues. Our newest resident is Babette. FOCAS rescued her after a family found Babette begging for food , shelter and love. FOCAS had her vetted & groomed. Babette is an approx 15 yr old Torti Persian. She was matted so bad that she needed to be completely shaved.
Babette is an extremely loving old gal and deserves a happy ending to her life. Who would abandon such an angel! One of the goals of Purrever Ranch is to make sure elderly cats spend their last moments on this earth knowing they are cherished. Someone must take care of them & I feel blessed to share their loving company. Thank you for your donations to help keep these dreams...and cats alive.
There are many items needed on a daily basis for Purrever Ranch on our WISH LIST
Purrever Ranch would like to thank Jim & Sandy Gehringer & Chuck & Kris O'Kelly for turning a dream of a screened porch for the cats into a reality. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Y'all made the cats purr...very loud. HAPPY CAT DANCE!
Purrever Ranch has 3 baby girls we have been fostering for CAS that are available for adoption. They are approx 7 weeks old & we have been fostering them for the last 3 weeks. A woman found them underneath her house & brought them to the shelter. These three girls were softball sized lions when they came home with me. Now they are purr machines so sweet so cuddily. If you are interested in pre-adopting them, please contact me asap 850-5919. The girls (Bubbles, Baby Doll & Lollipop) will get spayed next week & have their 1st set of shots & will be ready to go home with their purrever humans.
