Additional Information to December 4th's Blog

Some other tips for you to consider concerning supplemental homemade cat food. I've always been in the habit of cutting away a lot fat whenever I buy any type of meat. 

Often times, its more fat than it is meat! If you have no use for the fat then its a waste by-product and likely thrown  into the garbage. 

Why not view it as a bonus instead of a waste. Do what I started doing a few years ago, cut off the excess fat, chop into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Try it as a treat for your cats first to see if they will eat it. Most cats will and they love anything that differs from their usual fare. 

Some people point out the fact that its raw and that cats can get sick on so-called 'raw' food. I say to that, what do you think they are eating when they catch prey? Its a living animal or bird they've caught that can easily carry a virus or some other sickness yet a cats digestive and immune systems are designed to cope with that. Its fat cut off of fresh meat and if you handle and store it properly, it will be safe. Not one of my cats has ever been sick and its a lot safer than some of the stuff I've seen people feeding their cats on the Utube videos; that's just plain scary. 

So, don't think of the extra fat on the meats you buy as waste, use it to advantage. Since cats are meat eaters, their systems are used to digesting raw animal fats. I sometimes include a bit of the meat as well. The result, I have very healthy cats with shiny, soft manes of fur. If they have a poor diet at all, its in the bags of cat food I have to purchase for them. The fat and bits of meat at least supplement this for them. 

Try for yourself and watch for the results.

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 

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

In mere seconds Sailor's paws would reach the sunlight at the edge of the blue woods and he would feel again the warmth of an autumn day caress his body. He knew the woods ended, he could see the end but he could not reach the end. The more he gained the edge, the more the strange woods seem to extend outwards preventing his taking leave of them. Sailor stopped running and crouched on his hunches as his lungs drew in ragged breaths. What he could see he could no longer attain for himself. Instead he lay in the cool, dry earth with night resounding in his ears, gazing at the warm sunny day just beyond his reach. Confused and exhausted sleep descended on Sailor in among the leaves of the forest he was now trapped in. This time he opened his eyes to an altogether different village. 

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

How To Build A Cat Tree

One late February afternoon a tree walked into my house! With my husband behind it, saw and hand drill in hand, he proceeded to build a cat tree with it. 

Cat tree being prepared

 Here is the progression from tree to... well, cat tree.

Drilled

Sized

Sawed

Sized Again

Reversed

End Result

So far, so good. Part 2 on its way.


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

A Personal Introduction to My Readers

Hello and Welcome to my Blog, dear reader. 

My name is Stephanie; I live in a tiny hamlet called Emerald on Prince Edward Island in the extreme east of Canada called the Maritime. My husband, Merrill and I live in a little house on a local dairy where he works. Four cats share our home and our lives: Molly (Drama Queen), Sassy (Matron), Emerald (Princess) and Winston (School Boy). These are accurate descriptions of their personalities right now. I say right now because their dispositions change over time. 

We moved to the island two years ago in a seven day road trip from Penhold, Alberta with two overloaded vans, an encumbered, homemade box trailer and three loudly complaining cats in carriers. As much of an adventure that it was, it’s not one I would care to repeat any time soon. 

I was brought up with cats as a child and have raised and rescued cats and kittens many times over successfully, these experiences have included finding and securing excellent homes for them when necessary; sometimes nursing them back from the brink of death. I have made my own cat foods, experimented with various organic cat litters and performed my own brand of naturopathy when the occasion called for it. 

I can write an ad to find a home for a six month old stray or an abandoned throwaway and get a call the same afternoon once the post goes live. I can offer stories of my own involvements with my companions and the experiences of friends; one whose family operates a dairy and is listed as a ‘colony’ for stray and barn cats. Another who works with Humane Societies to catch, to provide care and find homes for.  I can also offer advice, recipes for homemade treats and an upcoming eBook that Merrill is working on with designs for a totally unique cat walk that can be set in front of a window or over a tv area in your home. 

It is my intent, dear reader that you will find some of this information entertaining, helpful and just plain fun to read. I hope you will follow me in my new venture with this Blog and gain insights, wisdom and more enjoyment from your own furry friends as some of it will be told by them. I will be including pictures of my cats to share them and their dazzling temperaments with you as I introduce them to you, one at a time and share their stories.

Thank you for stopping by and if you love cats, add me to your follow list. If you have a Blog, I’d love to have the link. 

Stephanie   a.k.a. Catspaw