Herd your cats here

[Larimar]

OrangeGuy also likes TV. He'll jump up and sit right in front of the screen. Twerp likes TV too, to a lesser extent. Calico likes to climb on my lap and purr while we're watching TV, but she often arrives only shortly before the show is ended.

As for HerMajesty, she is above such things.

[mamselle]

Thought balloon over Ninja's head....


   "Someday I mi-i-i-i-ght understand them...."


M.

[citrine]

I am sure I told this story on the old fora, but the cat Advent calendar story made me think of it. The shelter where I volunteer sometimes has cats at one of the Big Box Pet Stores, and I used to do a volunteer shift there. One day on my shift, one of the sales reps for a boutique pet food line came up to me and said that she'd just bought back the entire line of their product that the store carried to replace it with their new improved line, and that she'd love to donate it to our shelter. (It was still unexpired and in the original packaging, which is all the shelter requires for donations.) I thanked her profusely and we fit about seventy five pounds of various foods and treats in the trunk of my car which I dutifully brought to the shelter.

When I did my shift at the shelter proper, I was so excited to give the cats some expensive boutique treats. I remember one was "duck and quinoa" flavor. Now, my shelter feeds "whatever we get donated" to all the animals unless the animals really need a special diet, and a lot of the shelter cats are picked up as strays and are happy to get meals brought to them on a regular basis instead of having to hunt them themselves. Most of them tuck in like they haven't seen food in days when they get their breakfasts. So you'd think they wouldn't be picky.

Every single cat turned up their noses at the fancy schmancy treats and begged for ones from the usual treat jar of "meat" flavored treats instead. It was hilarious.

[the_geneticist]

I am sure I told this story on the old fora, but the cat Advent calendar story made me think of it. The shelter where I volunteer sometimes has cats at one of the Big Box Pet Stores, and I used to do a volunteer shift there. One day on my shift, one of the sales reps for a boutique pet food line came up to me and said that she'd just bought back the entire line of their product that the store carried to replace it with their new improved line, and that she'd love to donate it to our shelter. (It was still unexpired and in the original packaging, which is all the shelter requires for donations.) I thanked her profusely and we fit about seventy five pounds of various foods and treats in the trunk of my car which I dutifully brought to the shelter.

When I did my shift at the shelter proper, I was so excited to give the cats some expensive boutique treats. I remember one was "duck and quinoa" flavor. Now, my shelter feeds "whatever we get donated" to all the animals unless the animals really need a special diet, and a lot of the shelter cats are picked up as strays and are happy to get meals brought to them on a regular basis instead of having to hunt them themselves. Most of them tuck in like they haven't seen food in days when they get their breakfasts. So you'd think they wouldn't be picky.

Every single cat turned up their noses at the fancy schmancy treats and begged for ones from the usual treat jar of "meat" flavored treats instead. It was hilarious.

Hah!  That is great!
I bet you got a lot of "What is this?  This is not food!" looks too!
I bet you would have had more luck re-branding the fancy treats as some sort of paleo/keto snack and selling them to people.

[mythbuster]

Fora! I need your input on kitty litter. We are planning to expand our cat family soon. With our previous cats (RIP) we used Arm and Hammer clumping litter, but had issues with the level of dust leading to me developing sinus/respiratory irritation as a result.  Now that we are again thinking cats and we want to find a better clumping option. Anyone here use "The World's Best Cat Litter"? It's corn based, rather than clay and very highly rated in several surveys. Or other brands to consider? I'm looking forward to your input.

[pringle]

I use The Worlds Best Cat Litter! It was the first brand I tried (so I can't really make a comparison), but it's been working great for us.

[OneMoreYear]

Fluffygirl (RIP) HATED World's Best Cat litter; she refused to use anything but TidyCat. But, she also had significant peeing outside the box issues. So, we stuck with TidyCat for Ninja and Ricochet. But, I don't think that would solve your dust problem. We have a (very) unfinished basement where the cat litter boxes are.
Congrats on expanding your cat family!

[Puget]

Fora! I need your input on kitty litter. We are planning to expand our cat family soon. With our previous cats (RIP) we used Arm and Hammer clumping litter, but had issues with the level of dust leading to me developing sinus/respiratory irritation as a result.  Now that we are again thinking cats and we want to find a better clumping option. Anyone here use "The World's Best Cat Litter"? It's corn based, rather than clay and very highly rated in several surveys. Or other brands to consider? I'm looking forward to your input.

I use paper pellet litter (there are several brands) because there is no dust or tracking. It isn't clumping, but I just change it all out every 3-4 days (you use a fairly thin layer). Top-entry litter boxes also help with keeping it all contained.

[the_geneticist]

Fora! I need your input on kitty litter. We are planning to expand our cat family soon. With our previous cats (RIP) we used Arm and Hammer clumping litter, but had issues with the level of dust leading to me developing sinus/respiratory irritation as a result.  Now that we are again thinking cats and we want to find a better clumping option. Anyone here use "The World's Best Cat Litter"? It's corn based, rather than clay and very highly rated in several surveys. Or other brands to consider? I'm looking forward to your input.

We use a "dust free, multi-cat, clumping" litter and buy whatever brand is the cheapest.  Thankfully, ours cats are very non-picky about litter brands.  Nature's Miracle, Lucy Cat, and Lovesome all make some version of it (and probably many more).  I had to get a dust-free version for Buddycat (RIP) when he was recovering from surgery to avoid contaminating his incision site. 

[mamselle]

Yea, new kitties!

I have had no experience with litter for awhile.

But I'm happy to hear of new baby fluffy things joining any household.

M.

[Larimar]

Fora! I need your input on kitty litter. We are planning to expand our cat family soon. With our previous cats (RIP) we used Arm and Hammer clumping litter, but had issues with the level of dust leading to me developing sinus/respiratory irritation as a result.  Now that we are again thinking cats and we want to find a better clumping option. Anyone here use "The World's Best Cat Litter"? It's corn based, rather than clay and very highly rated in several surveys. Or other brands to consider? I'm looking forward to your input.

We use a "dust free, multi-cat, clumping" litter and buy whatever brand is the cheapest.  Thankfully, ours cats are very non-picky about litter brands.  Nature's Miracle, Lucy Cat, and Lovesome all make some version of it (and probably many more).  I had to get a dust-free version for Buddycat (RIP) when he was recovering from surgery to avoid contaminating his incision site. 

"Dust free, multi-cat, clumping litter" here too. We use Special Kitty, and our crew all seem to be fine with it.


Larimar

[citrine]

We switched to pine pellet bedding for litter at the shelter a year ago and it's been great. Minimal dust, much lower cost. You can line with puppy pads or newspaper if you need to, but they're super absorbent.

[Harlow2]

Ulysses likes the no dust fresh step unscented just fine.  Not cheap, though it lasts well.

[onehappyunicorn]

We order our cat litter from Chewy, they deliver free on orders over $50. Getting 150lbs of cat litter at a time without having to lug it out of the store, into the car, and then into the house is totally worth it. 

[apl68]

A staff member here reports that one of her cats brought her a mouse.  Not so unusual--except that this mouse was still very much alive!  When it got loose inside the house, her other cat seemed at a loss what to do with it.  It eventually helped the boss lady to corner the mouse so that she could dispatch it.