From Green Earth Pet Food, a cornucopia of ideas,
thoughts, recipes, resources and whatever else springs
to mind, mostly pet related, all organic and sustainably
raised.
It's that time of year ... spring cleaning! And now we have one less hour to get it done (thanks a lot, daylight savings!).
This year, make sure you get all your spring cleaning done in a non-toxic way. Here are 3 articles detailing eco-friendly cleaning - including inexpensive & easy homemade recipes:
And the last article is an excerpt from the book "Homemade Living: Home Dairy with Ashley English" written by our wonderful local author, Ashley English, which gives a simple recipe for homemade yogurt.
It hits you when you least expect it. Maybe you saw a picture in Critter Magazine. Maybe you stopped at the pet store to pick up some treats and they were having an adoption event. Maybe your child is going off to college and is putting the screws to you to take care of Fluffy while she is away. (Spoiler alert...Fluffy never leaves!) However it happens, when love pounces you just have to go with it. So let me be the first to say:
Congratulations on your new kitty!
Here are a few things that you’ll need for the transition to having a well-adjusted family member.
Food – A good quality, high moisture meat-based diet is essential for your new cat’s health and happiness. An ideal feline diet contains a variety of canned or raw food. Kittens need frequent feeding for the first six months of life to support their growth and development. Introduce an assortment of tastes and textures while young so your cat won’t become a finicky eater.
Food Bowls – Cat food bowls should be shallow and wide, like a saucer, to accommodate whiskers, and made of ceramic, glass, or stainless steel. No plastic food bowls– they can harbor bacteria or cause chin acne.
Water bowl or fountain – Water is crucial to feline health and cats are often poor drinkers (they naturally do not have a strong thirst-drive). Make a water station somewhere away from their food (cats instinctually avoid water where they eat) or set up a water fountain such as the Drinkwell where the moving water will encourage drinking. This can head off urinary problems caused by chronic dehydration. But don't be alarmed if your raw-fed cat rarely drinks water – raw food contains approximately 70% moisture so your kitty won’t need to drink much water.
Collar and Tag – A breakaway collar and ID tag will identify your cat if she gets lost.
Litter, Box and Scoop – A high quality litter will help keep your house free of unpleasant odors. See our recent posts on Natural Cat Litter to learn about the variety of litters made from non-toxic, sustainable materials. The litter box should be large and deep to keep the litter inside. A large strong slotted scoop such as the Litter Lifter will make your chores go faster.
Stain/Odor Remover – Bring this home before an accident happens. Anti Icky Poo is a great enzymatic cleaner that dissolves the source of stains and odor from carpets, floors, bedding, and clothing to insure your kitty won’t be drawn back to the same spot. Take it from me, this stuff works!
Grooming Tools – Brushing is a great way to bond with your new kitty. Besides stimulating the skin, it removes loose hair and dander. Use a pin brush or a stainless steel comb for long-haired cats, and a FURminator, slicker brush or Zoom Groom rubber massager for short-haired cats. Use a scissors-style nail trimmer to keep nails short. Always have a jar of styptic powder on hand in case you nick a quick. A flea comb is an essential (and non-toxic!) tool for finding fleas and removing them.
Scratching equipment – Scratching is an essential feline function. It provides exercise, marks territory and removes the outer sheath of their claws. Channel their scratching behavior to a scratching post or cardboard scratcher in your house. More is better! They can be inexpensive and will save your furniture. Posts can be simple or elaborate and provide climbing opportunities for indoor enrichment.
Beds – Cats will always seek something soft and warm. Give your kitty her own place and protect your stuff from cat hair with a soft washable throw, mat or bed. Molly Mutt beds come with a removable cover for easy laundering. Kitty Caves are especially popular with kittens and shy cats for a safe and quiet refuge.
Toys – Keep your cat happy, interested and active with a variety of fabulous toys. Anything with fur, feathers or movement will elicit his hunting instinct and contribute to his rich fantasy world. Wand toys let you interact with your cat, alleviating boredom and preventing obesity. Laser toys are very amusing – cats will chase the little red dots until their paws fall off – but always end a laser play session with a toy your cat can actually “capture” so he doesn’t get frustrated. Catnip toys are great too; about 60% of cats respond to catnip, and kittens take time to become sensitive to it. When my cats were kittens, they loved to chase all those little pieces of plastic detritus that collects in our homes--milk carton lids, the tin foil off a yogurt container, a wad of paper. Throw it on the floor and see what works. Or make your own Whack-a-Mole like this one.
Treats – Cats love treats, and will actually come to the shaking of the treat jar. The best and healthiest treats are dehydrated meat or fish bits. They add high quality protein to your cat’s diet and won’t put on weight like carbohydrate-based treats. There are many to choose from: Pure Bites Shrimp, Grandma Lucy’s Just Treats, Catswell Treats and many others made from beef, chicken, lamb, liver, tuna, mahi mahi and turkey. Just make sure none of the treats say “Made in China” – check the fine print on the back of the box or bag.
Speaking of cats coming to the shaking of a treat jar, train your cat to come inside by rattling something every time you feed your kitty. I put pennies in an empty can with a cover on top. Every time I fed the cats, I very softly shook the can. Like Pavlov’s dogs, they now associate that rattling with food and come running whenever I shake the can.
Carrier – A sturdy carrier is necessary for trips to the vet. Plastic carriers are inexpensive and easy to tote and will make your cat feel and be safer if you have to take her out of your home.
You're all set, then. Above all, have fun with your kitten, and I wish your drapes "good luck!"
It's a fruit theme this week! After reading an excellent book on permaculture called Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, I've been obsessed with planting more "permaculture" type plants, i.e., perennial plants that provide food, wildlife value and/or soil enrichment. And the best part about permaculture gardening ... Less Work! More food plus less work ... what's not to love about that?
Or one of my favorite antioxidant-packed fruits: Blueberries
And a fruit with multiples uses, such as supplying yummy food for us, feeding wild song birds, and deterring deer when grown in a thick hedge: Raspberries
My mouth is watering just thinking of all these delicious, healthy, fresh picked fruits I'll be eating this summer!
It's beautiful outside today which has gotten me in the mood for gardening!
I've found a few links that discuss how to attract beneficial insects. I've been working on attacting and keeping beneficials around for quite a few years now with some definite "good bugs" sticking around. Just a couple years ago I found a few tomato hornworms carefully hiding on my tomato plants (they are excellent at camouflage ... the best way to find tomato hornworms is to see their frass (aka little "poops") on the leaves or ground below the tomato plants. But I didn't worry about killing those hornworms because I knew they would die soon anyway because braconid wasps had laid their little eggs in the hornworms and would soon devour and kill them. Here's a picture I took:
Braconid Wasp Cocoons on Tomato Hornworm
I have also been "raising" praying mantids for many years which are not exactly the best "good bug" since they will also catch and eat other "good bugs," such as bees and butterflies. But they are fascinating. Here they are coming out of their egg case in spring - hundreds of them - and a picture of a full-grown praying mantis hiding in my morning glories:
Time to start planning your garden to include all these wonderful flowers, ground covers and other plants to attract wonderful "good bugs" to your yard!
So the theme for this week's articles turns out to be food and cooking. I'm pretty sure it was brought on by the cold weather we've been having recently here in the Western North Carolina mountains. Nothing says "keep warm and cozy" like a freshly baked apple crisp or pot of homemade soup - yum!
This first article discusses 6 simple ways of old-fashioned cooking, such as making meals from scratch ... a lost "art" that has been making a comeback ... especially if you're pinching pennies (and who isn't nowadays?): Old Fashioned Cooking Tips
Look at those buns!
The second article discusses how to care for cast iron cookware (definitely a basic for any "old fashioned" cooking)! I currently only have one large cast iron frying pan, and will soon start scouring thrift shops to find more. I've been working on "seasoning" my cast iron pan for a year now, and used it just the other day to make pancakes for the first time and those pancakes did not stick once! I made them with thinned yogurt to replace the buttermilk I did not have, and then smothered them with real organic maple syrup = heaven for my taste buds! Cast Iron TLC
Classic Cast Iron
And the last article is sort of a "call to arms" to promote and continue eating organic food. It's amazing to me that anyone can say organic is not better food ... for the health of us, our pets, and our planet! What Healthy Really Means
