cats Archives - MomStart

Imperial Cat Scratch ‘n Shapes

December 5, 2014 by Jessie Leave a Comment

Sample provided.

For this deceivingly innocent looking cat, Scratch ‘n Shapes Kitty Scratchers by Imperial Cat are just what the doctor ordered.

For years I have battled Pumpkin, my fat, destructive orange kitty and his claws. In South Korea, he totally destroyed the fake wood trim, wallpaper, chairs, and just about anything he could get his claws on. Now I know why people charge a pet deposit… When I came back to my old farmhouse in the states, no refinished antique post, trim, or wallboard was safe. He completely destroyed all our hard work to fix up the house in less than a year.

When I moved to New York, I knew something had to be done. I got them a giant cat condo and I started keeping their nails trimmed, but I found that Scratch ‘n Shapes were the real answer to my problem. I should have known this because: 1. The animal rescuer who gave him to me told me to leave out old boxes for him to scratch on, and 2. He destroyed and opened every moving box I packed as I packed it. Pretty determined for an old fat cat.

When we arrived in our new apartment we had a Scratch ‘n Shapes waiting for us. PUMPKIN LOVED IT. He rips at it all hours of the day and it was getting pretty well worn in when we received our new Cheese Wedge Scratch ‘n Shapes from Imperial Cat. Immediately I was swarmed by all the cats. They usually don’t care when I get a package, which speaks a lot for both the product and the potent catnip they packaged with it. After I opened the box and sprinkled a half table spoon of catnip on the scratcher, I had a bunch of zonked out, drooling cats chillaxin’ around the ‘wedge. And I’m not joking about the drool.

After 3 months and 1 scratch ‘n shapes scratcher, I have no damage to any walls, sofa, or other surface. It has been amazing. The only thing he wants to scratch is our Scratch ‘n Shapes toys! Even my cats who aren’t destructive enjoy clawing on this simple cardboard toy. Coupled with monthly toe nail clippings and the Scratch ‘n Shapes, my kitties all have soft, gentle rounded claws. I’m so happy to have another Scratch ‘n Shapes cat toy, but I am definitely going to have to hide the ‘nip.

With Imperial Cat Scratch ‘n Shapes toys around my house I have completely perfect walls, an undamaged sofa, a happier kitty and a happier me. If only the Scratch ‘n Shapes could keep Pumpkin’s brother from peeing all over the floor…

You can find a wide selection of kitty scratchers and toys on Imperial Cat. Definitely check it out, especially if you’re looking for some potent, potent catnip or are battling with kitty clawing problems.

Spring Naturals Pet Foods

December 4, 2014 by Jessie Leave a Comment

Samples provided.

Meet Pudding, Pinkerton, Pumpkin and Squash.

These are my hungry, hungry cats. They love food. And when they decide they want to eat, they let you know. Loudly and persistently.

I like trying different foods with my cats, especially because I don’t always have access to high-quality cat foods in my neighborhood. They get what is available and what I can afford. Unfortunately, the healthier brand of cat food I normally buy for them isn’t available here and for the last few months we’ve been eating a popular brand name food that causes them gastrointestinal distress, usually all over my bed. Or carpet. Because as you know, cats have a knack for finding the most inconvenient and difficult to clean places to let it all go.

We’ve been using Spring Naturals dry food for about a week and I’ve noticed a change in my cats. I give them a little more food than I normally would, but not once have we had a revisitation of partially digested food on my pillow. Interestingly enough, the cats, although eager to eat, often leave part of their portion and snack throughout the day, rather than wolfing it down like Kitty McDonald’s with a side of fries. I can only assume this is because Spring Naturals food contains healthier, natural ingredients without the filler and grain you find in typical cat food. I think it actually leaves my kitties feeling fuller, and more satisfied so they don’t just keep eating even though they’ve already eaten too much.

I’ve also noticed that the cats enjoy the Spring Naturals wet food as much as any other wet food, but I feel more confident feeding them Spring Naturals knowing that it has wholesome ingredients. I often opt for a can of tuna as opposed to a typical can of wet food, but with Spring Naturals, I feel like I can give the kitties a different treat without worrying too much about what is going in their bodies.

I like that Spring naturals is grain-free but I also found it interesting how they put in other kinds of foods that you don’t often read on the back of a kitty food bag. For example my bag of Grain Free Chicken Dinner includes a medley of whole berries, garden greens such as parsley, spinach, and alfalfa, as well as real poultry, or fish, eggs and chickpeas. When you open the bag of dry food or even a can of wet food, you can smell the difference in the product. It reminds me of that nice, sweet, smell of alfalfa and berries, as opposed to the greasy, heavy smell of your typical cat food.

In the long run, a better food means a longer and healthier life for our loved ones, so we should really be putting more thought into what we feed our pets. Spring Naturals makes that choice easy.

Check out the Spring Naturals website and find a Spring Naturals retailer near you.

Swheat Scoop Cat Litter: One Month Update

November 15, 2013 by Beeb 7 Comments

Complimentary cat litter coupons were received!

Last month, I introduced you to Swheat Scoop Natural Cat Litter, a litter made from wheat. I gave this to a friend who has many cats (Some of them fosters), and she had some mixed results with the cats getting used to it. Our pals at Swheat Scoop offered to send over a few more free coupons so that she could give it a more long-term test and see how the cats adjusted to it with a little more time.

I tucked the coupons aside and, the next time my friend stopped by, I mentioned that I had more coupons for this brand to give her. She said “Oh! You know, I actually bought a bag of that after the last one ran out, because I liked how much lighter it was to lift than normal cat litter.” So ladies and gentlemen, unbeknownst to me, she had decided to purchase this litter on her own after I gave her the free sample. I think that says a lot right there! So naturally, she was very pleased to have some coupons for more bags. She told me that she thinks the reason it wasn’t clumping as well for her is due to the number of cats she has – Swheat Scoop has a Multi-Cat formula, FYI, but our coupons were for the Original variety, hence that was the one used – so due to the amount of constant moisture coming in, the litter was really up against it. Since she is currently fostering a multitude of abandoned kittens that quite literally showed up on her door, she thought this would be good to use in their box as it should work better with less “Fluid” coming in, if ya know what I mean.

So there you have it, cat lovers! To pick up a bag of Swheat Scoop, visit SwheatScoop.com for the store locator and more product info. And if you’d like an adorable kitten to go with your litter, email my friend. 😉

Purr-Fectly Natural Cat Litter From Swheat Scoop

October 9, 2013 by Beeb 5 Comments

Complimentary cat litter was “Purr-vided” for review!

I have a friend who calls herself “The Crazy Cat Lady”. She’s always had cats as pets, and in the last few years ended up adopting/fostering some cats in need that showed up at her door. With 6 cats, she has a lot of litterboxes to deal with, so I try to save cat coupons for her whenever I can. So when I received a voucher for a free bag of Swheat Scoop Natural Cat Litter, I knew this would be “Purr-fect” for my BFF and her cat army!

I popped in to Petco, one of the retailers that carries this cat litter brand, and opted for a bag of the unscented Original Formula. Swheat Scoop is so named because it is made from naturally processed wheat – when I gave it to my resident cat litter expert, not only was she pleased to have a big bag of cat litter to take home, but she also mentioned that someone recently recommended she try a similar cat litter made from barley. She’d never tried a grain-based litter before so she was curious to see what it would be like!

Swheat Scoop had some pros and cons for my cat expert. She liked that the litter was light, and enabled her to fill up the catbox without breaking her back; it’s also more friendly to her yard than clay. However, it also didn’t clump as well for her as clay does, and her cats didn’t know what to make of it at first; apparently, the cats decided to relieve themselves in her bed over the catbox after the new litter came into play. The naughty kitties are getting a bit more used to it now – I wonder if perhaps Multi-Cat Formula might work better for her?

If you’re having cat trouble – say, with cats using your bed as a potty! – Swheat Scoop has partnered up with Dr. Jessica Vogelsang, DVM, to provide tips and hints to feline lovers. You can check out Dr. V’s advice at PawCurious.com and can learn more about wheat-based cat litter, including where to buy, at SwheatScoop.com.

Cat Lovers

November 7, 2008 by Momstart 3 Comments

I’m not big on cats just because my husband and I love dogs more.

Cats have so much personality if you get the right cat. We haven’t had much luck with cats, but when I was in college I had a wonderful cat named Lucky. He was WILD. But I thought he was so funny.

My roommate in college had a cat well she still has him. His name is Indy. He likes to play in the sink and he was toilet trained for a little while. He is a very interesting cat.

Well, share your cat stories with me today. I need some writing inspiration. My posts have been a little on the light side lately and I really want some interesting material. Maybe I should use some more meme’s.

Share with me today.