Tips for Cat Owners: How to Clean the Litter Box

Housecleaning Tips for Cleaning Outside the Box
People with cats are often in need of housecleaning tips when it comes to the litter box. Some cats are neater than others when using the privy. The neat ones saunter in, do their business, cover up and move on. The not-so-neat ones toss litter around until half of what was in the box is on the floor in front of the box. Older cats can be especially messy, as they often lose sight of the fact that while the head and paws are inside the box, the "business" end may not be.

To keep the area around the litter box clean, use a separate broom and dust pan to sweep wayward litter. (The broom you use to sweep cat litter and errant feces is NOT the broom you want to use in the kitchen, dining room or bedroom.) You can also use a handheld vacuum, but make sure there's no urine in the area. And, just as you wouldn't vacuum up a nail, screw or other heavy object, do not vacuum up cat poop.

Dog Haiku for September 29, 2010

As winter comes my
human needs the heavy coat
I use as a bed

Baron
Director of Dog Stuff
WhiskerGifters.com

Why Do Cats Shred Paper?

As an expert on cat behavior and lunacy, I am often asked why cats shred paper. Before I answer this question, let me just say that I, for one, have never engaged in this type of anti-social, psychotic behavior. I am extremely well-behaved. I never do anything that makes my humans mad, like sleeping on the kitchen counters or snatching a chicken leg off a dinner plate. Seriously. (I prefer white meat.)



My little brother, however, is another story. You may remember Sheppy J. from a previous post, A Cat's Fourth Amendment Rights. He is a very, very naughty cat. Not only does he lose his toys regularly, he shreds paper like it's going out of style. Paper towels, tissues, newspapers, magazines, even library books. Oops...maybe I shouldn't have written that. Scratch that. HA! No pun intended. Before our humans hid the toilet paper in the cabinet under the sink, he would unroll it, shred it and leave it all over the bathroom.

While humans are more focused on trying to understand why cats shred paper, I think it's more important to focus on why cats don't clean up the paper after they've shred it. The answer is so obvious it's painful: We have taken our cues from plumbers, painters and appliance installers. Let's look at the similarities: They track mud from room to room, we track cat litter from room to room. They leave giant gobs of caulk smack dab in the middle of the floor, we leave giant gobs of hairball barf smack dab in the middle of the floor.

If you want your cat to get a job, hire him out as a plumber, not a mouser. He's probably more than qualified.

Jester
Director of Cat Stuff
WhiskerGifters.com

How Much Does a Dog or Cat Weigh on Mars?

Has your human insinuated that you've put on a few lately? If so, move to Mars!

Let's say you're a dog of average weight, about 40lbs or so, right here on Earth. If you lived on Mars, you would only weigh 15lbs! How's that for a quick weight loss program? OK, so travel time might be a little more than four months, and no one's sure if there's water there, but isn't that better than snacking on carrots and celery indefinitely?

If you're a 12lb cat, which means you're probably big-boned, because it doesn't matter what planet a 12lb cat lives on, that's still a big cat, you would only weigh 4.5lbs on Mars.

Baron and I are both looking to book our flights soon.

To see how much you weigh on Mars, or any of the other planets, enter your weight in the Your Weight on Other Worlds calculator.

See you there. Or, maybe on Pluto, which is still a planet in my book.

How Old is Brett Favre in Dog Years?

More than ever before, dogs in fantasy football leagues are wondering how old Brett Favre is in dog years. Even cats, who are not known for wearing NFL jerseys during Monday Night Football, are wondering how old Brett Favre is in cat years. Let's face it. The guy is kind of old to be an NFL quarterback, even in human years.

Whether you're a dog or cat, enter Brett Favre's age (40 as of this posting - but enter 41 after October 10, 2010. Happy Birthday, Brett!) to see how old he is in dog and cat years. You can enter your human's age too, but be sure NOT to put that number of candles on his or her birthday cake this year. That could be a disaster.

Have fun!
Baron and Jester

dog years calculator

cat years calculator

Many thanks to CalculatorCat.com for providing the calculators. If you need to calculate your BMW, I mean BMI, or find a prime number, check them out!

A Timeless Battle: Cat vs Watermelon

For thousands of years, cats have been engaged in the epic Battle of Watermelon. Some historians believe the Battle of Waterloo actually started as the Battle of Watermelon. Then Napoleon arrived and the rest, as they say, is history.

Pet Care Ebooks

Dear Cats and Dogs,
Baron and I have received numerous emails from cats and dogs requesting we provide information to their humans about pet care ebooks.  It seems that humans, well-intentioned though they may be, are in serious need of help when it comes to learning about:

• How to Get Rid of Fleas
  
• Housetraining a Puppy (Or a "poopy" as we like to call them.)
  
• Training a Cat (Yeah right.  Like that can happen.)
  
• Dog Grooming
• And many other pet care ebook topics
  

Here's an email we received just last week.

Dear Jester and Baron,
Could you please explain to my humans that it is in my nature to jump up on kitchen counters?  Thousands and thousands of years of genetic programming have made me this way.  No matter how many times my humans yell, "MOVE AWAY FROM THE SALMON!!!!" I won't move.  I just can't.  Now, if they were to squirt me with a water bottle, that might be another story.

Buffy L. - Indianapolis, IN
P.S.  Go Colts!

We hope you can convince your humans to take a look at these pet care ebooks.  But, remember.  All we can do is provide the links.  You can lead a human to an ebook but you cannot make him read.  Good luck and let us know how it goes for you.

Sincerely,
Jester, Director of Cat Stuff and Baron, Director of Dog Stuff at WhiskerGifters.com.

How to Build Your Own Cat Condo

Learning how to build your own cat condo is as easy as "1-2-3 I'm moving into my own crib" with the "Best Cat Trees" ebook.  If your human significant other has insinuated that you've become a cover hog during the unprecedented cold this winter, or if he or she is upset with your use of the chair for your weekly mani-pedi,  now is the time to purchase this book.  While the purchase of cat condo plans and the actual building of your cat condo may not qualify you or your human significant other for the $8,000 first-time home buyer federal tax credit, it doesn't hurt to try.  You can always write to your congressperson and request that this inequity be taken up in the next session of congress.  But I digress.

Whisker Gifters Tuesday Treat Haiku - Merrick Flossies

Is that a Merrick
Flossie in your pocket or
are you glad to see me?

OK, so my haiku is one syllable too long.  But, Merrick Flossies ship FREE at WhiskerGifters.com.  Happy chewing!

Baron
Director of Dog Stuff
WhiskerGifters.com

Birthday Parties for Dogs

If you're thinking of throwing a birthday party for yourself or a friend, be sure to read my "Five Tips for a Great Dog Birthday Party" first.  They're sure to help you have the best dog birthday party possible.

1) Birthday Parties for Dogs: Preparing the Guest List
As a dog birthday party planner, I’m often asked to help prepare the guest list.  It should come as no surprise that I always recommend inviting friends with money since they usually bring the best gifts.  If you and your human significant others are considering inviting children, my advice would be not to.  Children are noisy.  They will also compete for attention and may try to eat your cake.  If someone is trying to convince you to invite cats to your birthday party, my advice again would be no.  I’ve heard too many horror stories of catnip-spiked bully sticks.