Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

Hello everyone.  We are finally home.  Oh what a long two weeks this has been.  But Granny M is doing well but has a lot of work to do still.  I know she can do it, but at this time she is not too sure of it.  She has had to quit smoking.  After 50 years that is a really hard habit to break.  Also she had to come home on oxygen.  That makes her feel old old old.  I know that it is a step but just that a step.  It may be something she has to have for now on or just for the time being.  We do not know about that just yet.  In a couple of weeks she will be doing cardiac rehab too.  That will be a challenge for a lady who has not exercised for many many years.  I know she can do all of this but she is worried.  So continue prayers of personal strength and healing for my mom please.  Your prayer support has been a God send and I do appreciate all that so many of my friends and followers have done to help out.  It is amazing to experience. 

In the mean time College Girl was taking care of the home front for us.  And in doing so she wanted to share the following with every one.  So please read on and know I have an amazing 23 year old girl who has taken the job of a house on her shoulders for two weeks.  She did great! You can visit College Girl's blog here.   Okay, College Girl, the blog post is all of yours now.

Rain and cold weather go hand in hand, especially because they make our pets go crazy. When it's cold out, the cats can't decide whether they want to go in or out and every time the dogs come in from outside, they're hyped up and full of energy. When it's raining, everyone goes stir crazy from being cooped up inside. Since Texas winters don't see much in the way of snow, we tend to get a lot of rain. Thankfully, we now have TunaTreats to help keep the kitties calm.

TunaTreats are dried flakes of 100% pure bonito fish. The first time the container was opened, the cats went wild. The pieces, thinner than paper and light enough to blow away if you're not careful, came out of the container in manageable clumps. Next thing I knew, five cats were swarming me, looking up and meowing, trying to climb my chair. I had a captive audience! What I didn't expect was the moment the dogs joined in.

TunaTreats are completely healthy and a good "anytime" treat. Our kitties get a good-sized pinch of their new favorite TunaTreats a couple of times each day. With this, they stay nice and calm as they munch. They've also learned to eat all their TunaTreats - our dogs are just waiting for a cat to leave a little bit behind!

We wish to thank Citi Kitty for sending us this wonderful treat.  The cats would follow them on twitter and facebook if they knew how to use this computer.  But since they can't, we will let you do it instead.

The Crazy Cat Lady

Image via WikipediaI have an adorable friend that was ever so kind as to "adopt" me as her home away from home mom.  You know what an honor that is don't you.  She is 19 going on 67 if you ask me.  Why?  Well at 19 she has moved 1/2 way across this big ol country all by herself...has her own apartment...works full time and begs for more and more hours way past what she should be doing...and is mature beyond her years.  Ok that only makes her 19 going on 40 right? But no that is not all.  She is also the Crazy Cat Lady.   Yeah that is the extra 27 years right there.  Wants all the kitties she can handle.  And currently I think the count is 4 in a one bedroom apartment.  Oh wait, I did not tell you this is in the one and only 'high rise' there is in this town.  So the sweet Meowers do not get to go outside at all.  Only perch on the windows and watch the pigeons on the window sills.  (Oh how hard is that one!)

Image via Wikipedia
Now they have their litter box and it is cleaned daily.  Not a issue.  But The Crazy Cat Lady (CCL) had some very ill kittens for a short time being.  Short...well they were really sick and just did not make it.  Had come from a litter that was never healthy to begin with.  And these lil kittens messed up the place pretty bad.  Yeah you can imagine.  The carpet was awful.  CCL cleaned it with soap and water.  Nope.  She tried vinegar and baking soda.  Nope  She did the pet cleaners from the store.  Nope.  All a lil better but not good enough.  So she came to Mom (aka Me) and asked what to do.  I passed on my Resolve Deep Clean Powder and Resolve Pet Stain Cleaner.  I have found it to be one of the better products out there.  Oh and I gave her a scrub brush!  LOL
Well I waited a week to give her time to get to work.  She told me that she started off with the spray.  And with some of the spots she was down on her hands and knees making sure to get the spot scrubbed up.  Next she blotted the place with a white towel (they bleach out).  This way she could see the stain coming up and out of the carpet.  Blot, turn towel, blot, turn, blot.  Till all of the stain is gone.  Granny M said she would use a low heat iron on the towel to help lift a stain too.  After it was all dry then she used the wet powder to clean the complete floor.  Vacumn it all up and then she was done.Image via Wikipedia

I waited a week so she would have time to do it all.  Then popped by for a visit.  You know what she was so excited.  Told me she was the CCL with a beautiful apartment!  And no odor either.  The cats where happy to have another lap to sit on too.  So now she is dropping in age...we all know that CCL tend to have smelly apartments.  I think my new 'daughter' is now in her 20's again!

DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary bottles of Resolve to facilitate this review. No other compensation was provided.

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Tidy Home

As you all know I have pets....lots of them.  10 to be exact.  5 dogs and 5 cats.  Yet my house does not smell of them.  Whew!  I am so glad.  But that does take some doing on my part to keep it that way.  I wanted to share some tips on how to help keep your house clean and still have your pets. 

1. Clean your house from top to bottom every week, but instead of spending one whole day working your tail off, do one space every day starting on Monday and working your way to Friday. That way by Friday the place is spic and span, just in time for the weekend!  There are things I have to do daily though.  Every day I rake the dog yard of those pesky "bombs".  I also sweep and mop (or vacuum if you have carpet) all common rooms.  This cuts down on pet hair big time.  Also the cat box is cleaned every morning too.
2. Making cleaning a game makes it, well, a little more fun. Sure, you love a clean house but the cleaning of it, is not one of your favorite things. So make a game out of it! Get out your kitchen timer. Set the timer for 20 minutes and get cleaning; you’d be surprised how much you can get accomplished in that time frame!  I find I can clean any room in this amount of time.  Start at the top (ceiling fans) and work your way down to the floor.  Keep a basket that you can place things in that go to other rooms.  That way you are not running from room to room but staying put in the one room your working on. 
3. It is important that your home smells fresh and clean. But, many chemicals are unsafe for pets. Instead, try using essential oils. Specifically, try the terracotta lamp oil rings that you put around light bulbs. You just put a few drops of the scented oil on the ring, turn on the light and the scent emanates naturally.  Thankfully I am in a beautiful state and can keep the doors and windows open almost all year round.  This keeps my house smelling very fresh. 
4. Try to have plenty of seating in my home. Having plenty of comfortable chairs is better than having a few sofas. The number one rule of thumb is for every seat, you need a place to set a drink!  I also have old blankets and towels for the seats.  I keep these there so the pets can lay down.  When I am having friends or family over, I wisk off the covers, toss them in a basket and viola'!  All is ready to have company.
5. When trying to purge unwanted things, ask yourself three questions: Do I need it? Do I love it? Could it make me money? If I answer no to all of those questions, get rid of the item.  I have a tote for things that are in good condition.  If I am going to purge these items I place them in the tote.  Once it is full I take to donate at the local community store.  Now the broken items go straight to the trash.

Image via WikipediaI wanted to share this information in celebration with Tidy Cats.  Tidy Cats is announcing the Purina® Tidy Cats® “Search for America’s Most Welcoming Home” Contest that invites multiple cat owners to showcase their tidy, inviting, clean and comfortable homes. Cat owners can enter the contest at www.TidyCats.com from Oct 5 through November 16, 2010.  Pop over and see if you want to enter. 
One Grand Prize Winner will receive...

• $5,000 cash.
• A special Welcoming Home Party catered by a celebrity guest chef.

Short Essay: (200 words or less)
From the point of view of one of your cats, describe why your home is the most welcoming home in America including at least one example of how your home is kept Tidy, Clean, Comfortable, and/or Inviting.

Photo: Picture must include you and at least one of your cats in your favorite room in your welcoming home. You must own two or more cats to be eligible.

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Sweet Scents from the Litter Box

This last weekend our neighbors had a birthday party. Their in-laws were driving across the state just to attend. Of course my friend wanted the house to be at it's best.

Now did I mention that she owns 3 very large dogs? And that they love to stay in the house all they can? And that they sometimes have accidents? Hey, it happens to all of us. Well she asked what we used to keep odor down. You see, we have 5 dogs and they are in the house the majority of the time too!

So I let her borrow Clear the Air Pet Odor Eliminator. This is a all non-toxic product that we are currently using in our litter box. We have a new kitten and oh yuck.....the smells that come from that litter box. Earth Care Products was kind enough to send me a can of their Pet Odor Eliminator just the week before. So I was happy to share with our friends.

Now when I first opened the can I was not too thrilled by the scent. Of course I am use to those

Image via Wikipedia

floral and cinnamon fragrances that we find in most carpet fresheners. This is not the same thing though. Actually this is not something that covers up scents but instead it removes the scent. I cleaned the kitty litter and then sprinkled in some of the Clear the Air Pet Odor Eliminator. Guess what.....nothing.....yeah nothing......that is right nothing......I do not smell anything at all. And it has been a week. Wait....oh no, since I did not smell anything.....I FORGOT TO CLEAN THE LITTER BOX. Hang on just a sec folks, okay....be right back!

Well, ok that lil job is done now. Oh and about my friends and the party. Well when I attended the celebration, I ate in the living room. And you know what? I did not smell the dogs either. Now where is the Pet Hair Eliminator?