TIME AND MONEY SAVING METHODS FROM MY KITCHEN

Over the past three years, now going on four, on this island in the Atlantic ocean called Prince Edward... I have developed certain methods to s-t-r-e-t-c-h both my $ and my time to make my supplies last a little longer. 

Presenting; a few of them for the benefit of my readers.

1. This was the result of an experiment. I was curious what would happen... You buy green onions at the store and they are expensive enough but I found a way to use the 'green' part of the onions indefinitely using this method.
The white part with the roots is always cut away and tossed;

Instead of doing that, one bunch of onions always goes into the drink to re-grow. Clean and cut off as much green as you are going to use then put the rest into a glass with an inch of plain water and set in natural light. Change the water every two days.

 One week later, you will have this to use again:

If you have a garden, instead of planting green onion seeds, plant green onions for the same result.

2. Although its preferable to make my own stock, in a pinch I have had to rely on store-bought. Several points about doing this I don't care for; the sheer amount of sodium, the chemicals added and the pure lack of flavor. When I have no choice I always want to cut the sodium in half by cutting the broth with an equal amount of distilled water as I don't use tap; for added flavor I rely on spices and flavorings. 

 3. Those tiny cans of tomato paste that you, more often than not, need only a tablespoon of, what do you do with the rest? Here's what I do:

Pop the can into a ziploc bag and freeze until the next use. Although its not a good idea to 'store' food in open cans, freezing the food does not allow for any unwanted interaction between the food and the metal container.
4. In the above picture you will also note what I do with butter ~ I buy several when on sale or I can at least get it for a decent price and freeze it. Butter freezes very well and the consistancey is not changed. 
5. I do the same thing with cheese I buy on sale and in bulk, margarine and cream cheese.

 6. You will note the multitude of Ziploc Freezer Bags... these are full of meats. Whenever I purchase meat I never freeze them in the original packages. Rather I toss the thin plastic wrap that is not suitable for the freezer and the styroform that is very unhealthy, portion the meats and into ziplocs they go. 
7. Now we come to one of my favorites, I buy whole milk and turn it into skim to make it go further and I use heavier juice containers to mix and store it in. 

One bag of whole milk = 4 cups; pour two bags into the container and add 4 cups of distilled water. If the container is not completely full, repeat in a second container and add to the first to fill it. Using this method I gain two things, the milk does not change flavor and I get an extra jug of milk free. 
8.  We are in the habit of throwing things away that can and should be reused. Because one box of Glad Ziploc bags costs over $3, I soap then lightly bleach water all my ziploc bags to sanitze and reuse them; this I do at least four times before tossing them. I also re-use aluminum foil if its not stained in cooking by simply wiping it clean, folding and storing it for the next use. I bake using parchment paper instead of oiling my pans; this saves on oil and doesn't add still more to what is being baked or oven cooked.
9.  For a cat treat I occasionally mix a half can of cat food with a handfull of dry kibble. It makes a nice change from the daily venue and my kitties don't harrass me for treats.
10. To saute vegetables or anything else for recipes, I use a veggie cooking spray instead of oil. This saves on oil and puts a lot less calories into the food. 

I hope you've found something useful in the shortcuts and savers I've been using; from my kitchen to yours...

Catspaw 

  

Innovative Ideas For Cat Treats

If you have as many cats as I do; I have four and one who adopted us as his owners, plus a variety of dairy cats that drop in from day to day... Then having a trick or two up your cat treat cupboard isn't a bad idea. 

I started out buying the little packages of Temptations, Purina Luvs and Friskies Party Mix. 

Unfortunately while my cats love them and look forward to their treat time with them, its a very small amount of treat when compared with the price so I don't buy them in the department stores and I certainly don't shop pet stores. Dollarama and other Dollar Stores that stock them is my place to shop for treats. When I started adding up my pennies, I was none too impressed with what I was spending -  

over $2 for a 60 gram pack of Luvs or Party Mix

and well over $2 for Temptations!!!   I don't think so anymore.

It was time to take action and make some innovative changes to their treats and my pocketbook!

So, what do you do?

In the past I have experimented with making my own feed for them but frankly, to do it right will cost you more than buying these treat packs. Cats are meat eaters, not vegetarians; after the research I did searching out professional vets and other people who are into the whole 'natural food' thing for cats and dogs, like catching rabbits and using them as a base food for cats because they are closest to their usual prey... Well, I found the pricing of the ingredients I would need to purchase (off island, no less), was just too expensive to even contemplate, not to mention the storage I'd have to maintain. Nor was I in the mood to set tiny traps around the house in a vain attempt to catch, then do I don't know what with, the mice and other critters that might be trapped. Besides, it would be very time consuming and if they weren't deceased I'd have to get my husband to do the deed and it would just get far to messy in the long run.

I point this out because I've reviewed many a video on Utube of people who are doing this at home and feeding their animals the most unsuitable concoctions and calling it 'homemade cat food'. Like humans, they need a certain diet that cannot and should not be 'played around' with. Its a good thing cats digestive systems are highly adaptable, otherwise they'd likely become extinct!

And yes, I do have some recipes for homemade cat treats though I have yet to discover an ingredient combination that my furry friends won't turn their pert little noses up at. So far, I've had little success in this area as well. I quickly decided against the homemade cat food and cat treat ideas in favor of re-inventing the wheel a little bit here and came up with a workable solution. 

And --- Here it is... simple, straightforward and friendly to both my feline friends and my wallet! Heck, it even works with Bluejays in a pinch.

 Look familiar?   Is you're cat like this?  Mine too.

And thus, it gave me an idea - (LIGHT BULB anybody)! I figured out the cost between the pack of treats and a bag of a little higher quality cat food and worked out that it would cost me far less to purchase a bag of the stuff than splurge on tiny packs. What an idea! If great minds think alike... I've tried several different varieties of cat foods to see which are the preferred favorites.

A 500 gram bag of Whiskas Meaty Selections works but they tire of the same old, same old. So off I went with the different varieties of Friskies Sensations, to everyone's happiness. Today I decided on something a little out of the way and purchased a 3.5 pound bag of Special Kitty Cuisine; 2 actually... worked like a charm when I got home. 

All I can say is that its worked better for us and them and if you are caught between the cat bowl and the treat dilemma, give this a try and see how it works for you. 

Catspaw 

(How To) ~ Save On Kitty Treats ~

If you're anything like me, cat food is an expense in itself and its hard to replace with something that is healthy enough to be adapted as an alternative or a replacement for bagged or canned cat food. 

I've tried several recipes from online sites and so far have found little to nothing that is suitable. What I have found to be suitable is not within my price range to buy and prepare. Course the other consideration is the cats themselves, it may be the healthiest alternative since sliced bread but if the animals won't eat it, it becomes a huge deficit to the budget that most of us simply cannot afford.

That doesn't mean you give up altogether.  In testing to see what my cats will eat, I found they like chunks rather than the puree most people make and they like meat above everything else. Well, cats are meat eaters! So I'm looking at different ways to alternate, which is pretty tough when meat is on my list for us and its so expensive to buy (and share). 

I decided to start with their kitty treats. Usually I buy Whiskas Temptations and Purina Luv brands from Dollarama; stores charge wayyyy too much for these pet products and I'm not interested in spending a 1/4 of a paycheck on cat treats!! 

$2.99 In some stores!

Up to $2.50 in stores!

To compensate for buying these products only once in a while now; I purchase a 500 g bag of Meow Mix Cat Food or whatever other brand I can find on the shelf at my local Dollar Stores and use it as Cat Treats for my cats. It doesn't taste the same and they know it, but its a higher end cat food that they don't get because I can't afford to pay $25 for a large, 8 kg bag of the high end stuff. Frankly, with 4 cats to feed...

Also ridiculously priced for a mere 500 g bag

Although my cats tend to disagree with my brilliant plan to save money the expense of their more refined taste buds and flatly refused this offering, at first; I cleverly concealed a few morsels of Temptations and Luvs in, gradually weaning them off these addictive treats. 

Now its a once-in-a-while thing for them to be served their absolute favorites and they've have to adapt to getting a tiny bit less of it. Ok, a lot less of it!

But what I save on these tiny 85 g Temptations and the 60 g Luvs bags, I can use else where. Its easy to think it doesn't make a difference in the long run but just start adding it all up every time your shop and you will see what a hemorrhage it has become to your budget. Just a suggestion. Cats are highly adaptable, they'll learn or they will go without.

Catspaw

Barn ~ Cat ~ Hunt

Ever wonder what they are thinking when they do this?

I thing that say it all, don u.


Catspaw

The Peculiarity of Cats

Emmy pounding on the patio door

 My cats own some rather  
 peculiar, if not downright  
 eccentric behaviors that can 
 border on total weirdness at 
 times. Emerald's habit of getting
 up on her hind legs and furiously
 pawing at the window when she
 wants to go outside or come in; 



 or her way of sneaking and  
 snatching treats from the other
 cats by cautiously stretching out 
 her paw on the piece she wants
 and pulling it to herself.

Emmy, "I bethink I got something"!

Emmy always wants a taste of your dinnerplate so she whacks your fork for whatever she can get and licks her paw like she actually got something. Failing that, she will wallop the plate itself in the hope of something falling into her grasp.

Molly & Emmy, partners in crime

On occasion I've caught Molly stealing treats the same way and she never used to. Both Molly and Emmy have a taste for a pat of butter every now and again at lunchtime; they also like raw/cooked bacon, pork chops and cheese. 


Cats do learn from watching each other, a few years ago when we lived in our trailer, Molly taught Sassy how to tear through the window screen to get outside. The two of them plotted together and accomplished the same thing when we moved to the island. So much for keeping them as indoor cats! Lately Emerald has been deciding for herself when she wants her treats and the other three pick up on that; all head for the kitchen and wait expectantly for me to follow. I could literally teach Emmy to dance for her treat if I put enough work into it!

Meanwhile Winston has developed an affinity for the dryer...





and the dehydrator









Sassy likes to be rambunctious with her daughter, Emerald.

Catspaw

Does Your Cat Do This Too?

Last year I had Molly and Emerald spayed and since then their appetites have gone through the roof, along with their weight. They are totally consumed with a concern for eating that borders on obsession! Whether its treats or food doesn`t seem to matter; once they hear that can opener they just assume its for them and I`m surrounded by four caterwauling cats demanding to be fed. (Every time I use the can opener!)


I`m looking into some strategies to curb this new trend before it gets further out of hand. If any of you have an idea or two to share, I`d really appreciate it. Please share it with me in my comment box.


Thank you in advance.


Catspaw

Cat Foods Made From You're Own Larder

Molly & Sassy

I was employed on the computer early this morning while Molly, Sassy, Emerald and Winston happily dozed, in their own spots of course, by any window to soak up the rare sunshine we have these days. Since they are very much aware of everything I do and every move I make, when I headed for the kitchen it took only a few seconds for each of them to come trailing in to check out what I was up too. After all, they believe they should know exactly what's going on at all times in their house.

I removed the grinder to a chorus of curious meows and yips of expectation, then dug around in the depths of no-mans-land - the fridge - to see what was plotting my downfall because it was left for too long. Sure enough, I struck the dreaded leftovers to add to the raw pigeon I had just unthawed. Yep, I was not disappointed to find chicken, meatballs and a potato or two. That would be just enough for the next batch of natural kitty food. My hubby did the honors with the pigeon that he plucked and gutted for me.

Raw Pigeon, the whole bird

They are small birds so I just cut it in half and ground it up with a bit of water – yes, bones and all; the entire bird! 

Pigeons look a lot like chickens but smaller

I ran it through several times to make sure the bones were ground and rifled through the end product to assess both the consistency and the lack of bone fragments. Having satisfied myself to that end, I deboned the remaining chicken with the skin, fat and jelled juices, threw in the meatballs with two potatoes and ground it all together to form this yummy looking concoction: 

 consistency of can cat food; all meat

Its quite alright to add a little cooked potato for bulk but I don't add more than two pieces. Put this mixture an air tight plastic container, pop it in the fridge. Combine with canned cat food or serve as is. I know my cats will enjoy the change of venue because I tried them on it first to make sure. Little bits of meat when I was making dinner showed me they would not hesitate. If you try this yourself you will find that they won't eat much at one time, this is because its natural food and fills their tummies for longer periods. It has all the nutrition they need and its 95 % pure meat. It does need to be refrigerated as it will go rancid if left out. 

Emerald enjoying the homemade kitty food

Good Luck and let me know what happens if you decide to do this yourself. I'd appreciate and welcome your comments/feedback.

Catspaw

Sassy Has a Tail to Tell

Cat Friend Two

We’d been hearing an otherworldly meowing for three or four days. Boo and Molly were inside but we could never be sure if it wasn’t them playing. Winter hit hard that year, a cold snap that included gale force winds and freezing rain like daggers, turning to blizzard blowing snow. We lived in a trailer less than a quarter mile from the farm Merrill worked at; since he had decided it wasn’t much sense to drive such a short way he walked. This particular morning I was to discover where the source of the ethereal meowing was coming from. 

Just before 8 am I opened the porch door for Merrill when we both caught a glimpse of an orange cat before it vanished down a hole in the skirting around the trailer. How long it had been under there we didn’t know but now we had an accounting for the ghostly meowing we’d been hearing. After he left I opened a can of tuna, bundled myself into my parka, boots, mitts and scarf and sat myself down next to the hole with the tuna held out just far enough that it had no choice but to crawl out to get the food. The bribe didn’t take long to work but the feline fought like a wildcat to get free of the towel and my grasp. In the dead of winter and so obviously a  ‘throw-away’, an unwanted that someone dumped because, being near a farm thought there would be a means of survival or they just chucked the helpless little thing out to die in the freezing cold. Someone was grievously in need of a heart.

Once I managed to get this struggling little bundle inside and while the cat ate I had a better look at it. ‘It’ was not a cat in the real sense of the word, more like a pale shadow of one. The sad package before me was a dirty orange color, more bone than skin or fur and ferocious when defending food. Boo and Molly didn’t know what to make of this unwelcome, belligerent stranger suddenly in their midst so they stayed at a constant distance and gave way in everything so now, there was a perpetual tension in the house. Kitty was equally vicious towards us. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you, I had to be extremely careful when putting food down so as not to lose a hand to a sudden flash attack at anything that threatened the food and milk dishes; the cat was utterly convinced that I would the food away from it. 

Puss was sick, undernourished and piddled everywhere. I soon learned that we had another female in the house, unsprayed. Now I had to practically reinvent patience when it came to teaching her to use the cat box, this only when she would allow me to touch her, let alone to pick her up but as time went on and with slow improvement, she started gaining some weight. As her health improved so did her temperament, somewhat, but still she remained openly defiant and distant as if afraid to give in and rely on me for her care. It took several months to win her trust and more than a few more months before the three of them would learn to like each other and get along. It was a long winter! 

She took delight in doing her level best to dominate Boo and Molly. Taking over their personal places and making them hers; eating out of their dishes and playing with their toys. I think it amused her to annoy them and get away with it but eventually Molly began to take exception and quarreled with her over things that were rightfully hers. So the sparing events started. It was not unlike the Roman Gladiators, all one had to do was put armor on them and a sword in their paws and Wawla!  Gladiator Cats!  

They never actually hurt each other and even Boo would wake up and take notice; it was the loud caterwauling that got the neighbors attention and brought an almost endless stream of visitors and sudden friends to my door. For obvious reasons we named her Sassy because of her sassy disposition. Eventually, Sassy and Molly worked out their differences and played together, this usually involved racing up and down the hallway to see which of the two was faster and squabbling over the highest seat on the cat tower Merrill made for them, much to the annoyance of Boo. 

For a time Molly forgot about venturing outside to follow Boo, now she had a new friend to play with. Summer wore on and after a time it became a little too quiet in the house; I went to check. Merrill had repaired the screen in the spare room window, now I found it torn again and this time, two kittens were out and about in the neighborhood. 

Sassy has had a happy home with us for the past few years and joined us on our adventurous cross Canada road trip to PEI. 

Catspaw