Happy New Year

Minna: I wish all feral and foster cats will find loving homes in new year.

Feline Upper Respiratory Diseases

When Minna first came to our home, I noticed her left eye was squinting occasionally, her foster mom told me that was nasal allergy, and her vet told me she probably had a cold during her first check-up. Her condition improved a lot during the first month since I fed her premium cat food without corn or wheat and switched to fragance-free laundry detergent. (I now feed her grain-free dry & wet cat food.)
When she had a mild cold this month, I did further reseach with feline herpes virus and decided to give her feline L-lysine as a food supplment to help control the virus. I will try a couple different brands and write a review about them.

I'm such a lady

I know I am so cute...

Scary Alarm

Our building had its annual fire alarm inspection this morning. I took Minna to the gym on fourth floor hoping she would be okay while the alarm was being tested on our floor. However, she was so scare and her body was shaking the whole time, I felt so sorry for her wondering whether I made the wrong decision by not letting her stayed in the apartment during the alarm testing.

Buying New Digital Camera

My digital camera is almost five years old and I am planning to get a new one. Since it will be used mainly for this blog, it has to produce crisp pictures of Minna in low-light situations without flash. Minna is helping me to find a good camera for under $200, I hope it's not a tough job for her.

Three months already...

Minna arrived our home three months ago today. She spent a lot of time sleeping in her carrier and under the bed during the first month yet she still found time to check out the apartment while we were sleeping. As a first time pet owner, I was busy reading books such as Complete Guide to Cats from ASPCA & Humane Society and tried at least a dozen different brands of cat food & cat litter while Minna was adjusting to her new home. I wanted to feed her both wet & dry food; however, Minna just wouldn't eat wet food unless I hand feed her. I did not know who was training who but I guessed this was her way to bond with me. Minna started to sleep with me in the second month and we were inseparable in the apartment since then. She's hardly five feet away from me nowadays. She becomes our guard cat and patrols the hallway every night.

Season's Greetings

Minna: I am not taking any pictures.













Mittens: It's Christmas, just say hi to your friends.


Minna: Just one picture and I won't smile in it.







Mittens: I wish you all have a Merry Christmas and a cat who loves to take pictures.

Minna wants to become a model too?!

From Goma's blog I know he is working really hard to become a Converse model and I notice Minna loves to sit next my slippers too. So I wonder if she wants to become a model like Goma; unfortunately, my slippers don't even have a brand so they probably don't need a model...

Beware of Giant Fur Ball

This is what Minna has been doing all day lately.








Minna: I'm a giant fur ball, not a cat.

Minna's eyes

Hadn't been blogging lately because I noticed Minna was squinting her left eye a little bit and I was not sure if it's conjunctivitis. I was planning to take her to the vet next week if things got worst. But it's a good sign that she never lost her appetite and her squinting is gone this afternoon.

First Christmas project

I bought three boxes of small glass ornaments from Macys last Friday since it was 55% off and decided to make a wreath. It took me about an hour to finish while Minna was chasing the ribbon.

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

I can't afford real diamonds for Minna, so I bought her a pink ID tag with her inital in rhinestones. It is attached to her pink harness, see how fashionable she is.

Minna and the Sphinx

Look alike?

Pal Kitty Freshen-Up Foam

Minna rarely needs to be bathed but it's nice to freshen her up from time to time. I have been looking for waterless bath foam for a while because it has to be safe for ingestion without synthetic fragrances and chemicals. I found Pal Kitty Freshen-Up Foam last Saturday at 3rd Street Warehouse Holiday Sale. Organic, human-grade ingredients included plant-based cleansers, organic aloe, calendula, organic catnip oil and more... Creator Juliann is very nice and I see a lot of repeat customers at her table. I tried it on Minna, it does freshen up her fur without drying it much and it smells very nice too.

http://www.paldog.com/palKitty_system.htm

Another premium cat food review

I had been bargain hunting for past several days and found some very nice things for Minna and myself (Sorry Sweet Parline, I didn't participate in sixth photo meme). I will share my finds for Minna this week and I hope her friends will find them useful too.

The first one is Orijen Cat and Kitten Formula. Similar to EVO (see my other premium cat food review), it is high-protein (45%), low-carb & grain-free. Not only it is steam-cooked at low temperature, it is also made with fresh ingredients without chemical preservatives. Minna loves this because the first two ingredients are deboned chichen and chicken meal. The one in the picture is 0.88 lb trial size for $2.49 and it can be purchased at natural food stores for pets.

The second one is Felidae Cat & Kitten Formula and it's made with four human grade meat meals. This is NOT a low-carb cat food, it has 32% of protien and 20% of fat but no corn, wheat, soy, grain fractions or fillers. I will say this one comes head to head with Innova cat food (see my other review). Felidae has stronger smell of fish compares to Innova. For any cats that love fishy smell will love this one (Minna likes chicken so she prefers Innova).

BTW, this brand is sold at independent pet stores only and I think this is a great way to support local business.

Natural Cat Litter Review Update

Finally, a right mix of cat litter that I like. I am very grateful that Minna did not complain using new kind of litter almost every week for the past two months. I now use 2/3 of Green Tea Leaves cat litter (http://www.nextgenpet.com/products.html) and 1/3 of Littermate cat litter additives (http://www.littermate.com/), both are all natural & biodegradable.







Green Tea Leaves
Pros:

• No fragrance
• Lightweight
• Good odor control
• Low dust
• Low tracking

Cons:

• Not widely available
• Does not clump well

LitterMate Cat Litter Additives
Pros:

• Lightweight
• Good odor control
• Low dust
  
• Low tracking
• Great Clumping
• Pleasant fragrant (suppose to attract cat, but can't verify that myself)
  

Cons:

• Not available in stores, I have to order online
  

Our Guard Cat update

Minna still wants to be our guard cat every night by sitting in front of our apartment but I only let her out of the apartment under my supervision. I just wish she wants to go out during the day instead of my bedtime. Look how serious she is while she is looking out for us.

Minna and her puppy

Today is such a nice day to take Minna for a walk, but she rather stays under the bed with her little puppy.

Thanksgiving Treats

Happy Thanksgiving

Minna is making new friends

Since Minna's cute tummy is being featured on Kitty Bellys (http://kittybellys.com/2008/11/minna.html), she has been making new friends all over the country. Her new friends include Goma, Sweet Praline, Annabelle & Zuzu (link of their blogs are on My Blog List). They are so lovely and beautiful.

Minna eating wet food

Minna is finally eating wet food out of her little bowl, I am not sure whether my nightly hand feedings finally pay off or the chicken and losbter formula is just too tempting. She is not eating a whole lot but it's a good start.

Eye Envy

I learned about Eye Envy powder from Goma's blog (http://mycatgoma.com/). Minna has been using the powder for a week and I can definitely tell her left eye is drier now. Since she didn't have much tear stain to start with so I don't have any dramatic before and after pictures to show, but I'll keep taking pictures of Minna with her big blue eyes.

Minna's Thoughts on Economy

Minna was having deep thoughts the other day about the economy.

Mittens: Minna, I will still buy you premium cat food even our economy is in recession.

Minna: How about organic kitty grass and catnip?

Mittens: I am not sure about the catnip, it can be quite expensive...

Homemade Cat Toys

Cat toys can be found around the apartment and don't have to cost anything. Minna is having a lot of fun inside the grocery bag.

Walking with Minna

I took Minna down to the patio on 4th floor again, she didn't chew the leash anymore yet she was not thrill about it. Can you tell what she was quietly complaining about?

"I want to go home and have my beauty sleep..."

Have a nice weekend

Weather is so nice today Minna decided to catch up her beauty sleep under my bed next to the patio window, have a nice weekend!

Cat grooming comb

Since Minna kept rubbing her cheek against pineapple leaves last week it would a good investment to buy her a corner grooming comb. Sometimes I get hesitated to buy toys for her worrying she might not like them. This one is great because there are two containers at the bottom for catnip and I put even more on the comb, she figured out how to use (& chew) it the second she laid her eyes on it.

Cat Harness & Leash

Because this a pet friendly building, I purchased a set of matching cat harness & leash so Minna can use it when I take her out to the patio in our building. Just like every other purchase for Minna, it becomes her chew toy right away. She doesn't complain much about the harness but she tries to chew the leash every time I attach it to the harness on her. I hope taking her to walk around the patio regularly will prevent her from being overweight because she does loves to eat.

Our Guard Cat

Minna becomes our guard cat now and she patrols the hallway every night. I try to take her out during the day but she refuses to leave the apartment, then she begs us to take her out around our bedtime. I don't know why she wants to go out this late but hope this is only a phrase. It is so difficult to resist her request, she has the cutest meow when she wants to go out.

Premium Dry Cat Food Review (Updated)

First of all, none of these cat foods contain animal by-products and artificial colors.

Evo from Natura Pet Products

Evo is protein-rich, ultra-low carbs and no grain cat & kitten food. It contains less than 7% carbohydrates, 50% protein and 22% fat. Since it is low in carb, it's more crumbly than the others so Minna doesn't like it as much but it will be great for cats transitioning from dry food to low grain wet food diet.

Innova from Natura Pet Products

This product contains 36% protein, 20% of fat and its main ingredients are turkey, chicken (meal), potatoes, eggs, and barley. Minna likes it and I think it's a balance diet for healthy cat.

Wellness Complete Health-Salmon, Salmon Meal & Deboned Turkey Recipe

I think this products is great because it has 36% of protein and 18% of crude fat. It also made with cranberries, olive oil, chicory root extract, and flaxseed; however, Minna doesn't seem to like its favor very much so I switch her to Wellness Indoor Health.

Wellness Indoor Health

It has 30% of protein and 12% of crude fat and also made from cranberries, olive oil, chicory root extract, and flaxseed. It claims to promote lean muscle mass but I think it is more important not to over feed the cat. It is a very well-rounded diet for indoor cat after all.

Pet Promise

It contains 31% of protein and 14% of crude fat. According to its web site, all their products contains no animal byproducts, no rendered meat or chicken meals, no factory farm meat or chicken, no antibiotic-fed protein sources, no added growth hormones, no artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives but its vitamin E level is much lower than Wellness and Innova. Calorie content is not as high as EVO but not as low as Wellness Indoor, this cat food satisfies all basic needs without perks such as cottage cheese or flaxseed.