Thu Tu Koelling's Blog » Cats

Kitty-Proofing the Bathroom

Thu Tu Koelling — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:22:33 +0000

One of my cats, Mr. Knightley, likes to destroy toilet paper and eat plastic. That meant that I had to keep my bathroom door closed to keep him out of trouble. That was not great for ventilation after showers. For years, I looked for a solution that would protect the toilet paper and discourage him from eating [...]

Teach an Old Cat New Tricks

Thu Tu Koelling — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 03:49:18 +0000

A couple of years ago, I wrote about training my then-kittens to do tricks. Now that they are 3.5 years old cats, I am writing a follow-up post on the success and challenges I have experienced in training them to do additional tricks.

I can’t guarantee that older cats can be trained. The point is [...]

Meet Robert, My Roomba

Thu Tu Koelling — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:09:32 +0000

Back in June, I picked up an iRobot Roomba 550 from Costco. It’s one of those purchases where I was not sure if I would continue to use it in the long run. After four months, I am certain that the Roomba is a keeper. My boyfriend helped me with naming it: Robert. It might [...]

Natural Balance Cat Food

Thu Tu Koelling — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:00:24 +0000

A couple of years ago, I wrote that I am for Iams. This is an update that I am no longer feeding my cats Iams.

My cats have had a weight problem since they were kittens. I had to put them on weight control food since they were 9 months old, and the vet still [...]

Have a Happy Valentine and Make it Safe for Pets

Thu Tu Koelling — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:54:40 +0000

V-day is coming this week and whether it is looked forward to or dreaded, those of us with beloved pets have to take some precaution to avoid having the day of love turn tragic. This information is also important to those who love pet lovers.

Valentine staples like chocolates can be delicious to us humans [...]

Death Star Litter Box aka Litter Robot

Thu Tu Koelling — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 17:30:11 +0000

One day at work, my coworkers asked me if I had heard of the Death Star litter box. I hadn’t. One of the guys said that his friend had it and thought it was pretty cool. He wanted to get a cat because of it since it meant not having to scoop poop, which is [...]

Mr. Darcy Got an Eye Infection :(

Thu Tu Koelling — Tue, 15 May 2007 06:16:29 +0000

Poor Mr. Darcy got an eye infection.

Details

This morning, I noticed that one of his eyes didn’t open as much as the other. I thought it was a fluke and didn’t think much about it. A little later, I looked at him more closely in better lighting and the part of the [...]

Start by serving less food than instructed on canned food, instead of serving too much

Thu Tu Koelling — Wed, 09 May 2007 03:16:09 +0000

A day after initiating a total overhaul in my cats’ meal regimen, I learned something: Don’t always follow instructions. Not that I follow instructions all the time anyway. For example, I free-feed my cats dry food so I have no idea how much they’re eating. Since they don’t eat every bit of food, I know [...]

Renewed attempt to help cats lose weight

Thu Tu Koelling — Tue, 08 May 2007 03:09:00 +0000

After a year and a half of feeding my cats the same weight control food, and them still being overweight, I’m going to try a whole new regimen. Another reason is that in the aftermath of the Menu Foods pet food recall, people have been talking about the food that they feed their cats, and [...]

Playing Cat & Mind Games

Thu Tu Koelling — Fri, 04 May 2007 04:19:54 +0000

One of the things I like about cats is their independence. Especially since I have two, I know that they will be okay if I am away for long periods of time.

On the other hand, that independent thinking can be a challenge to one’s patience. I fully understand the saying “like herding cats.” Since [...]

Cat Shreds Toilet Paper

Thu Tu Koelling — Fri, 04 May 2007 01:09:25 +0000

One of my cats, Mr Knightley, loves to destroy toilet paper. I used to have it roll downward, but my cat had a lot of fun unrolling it. I read a tip to reverse it so it would make it harder for cats to unroll the toilet paper. This was effective in making my cat [...]

Cat Walk

Thu Tu Koelling — Sun, 29 Apr 2007 03:30:35 +0000

The weather was really nice today so I decided to take my cats out for a walk. Once I was done putting on their harnesses and leashes, I saw that Mr. Darcy was very unhappy because he was slinking with his body really close to the floor. So I removed his harness and went outside [...]

Cats… natural heating packs

Thu Tu Koelling — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 02:27:37 +0000

With the independent cat personality, I can’t always have my cats sit with me on command. When they do, it’s so nice how they radiate heat when it’s cold. They’ll sit next to or on top of my legs, warming my legs. To warm my hands, I’ll use their bellies.

Then again, maybe that’s [...]

Cat Litter Deodorizer to Fight Litter Odor

Thu Tu Koelling — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 06:21:14 +0000

With two cats, the area around the litter boxes can smell funky. Since I was going to have a friend visit for a weekend, I decided to try something to fight the odors. At the pet store, I came across Arm & Hammer’s Cat Litter Deodorizer. Honestly, I didn’t think it would work. But it [...]

Deter Cats with Bitter Apple Spray

Thu Tu Koelling — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 05:30:09 +0000

My sister gave me her bottle of Grannick’s Bitter Apple. It is a taste deterrent to keep dogs/cats from biting/eating inappropriate things. I sprayed it on the handles of plastic bags my cat would chew on. My cat would check out the bag but wouldn’t chow down on it like dessert.

It also worked to [...]