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.

Wellness Cat Food

Minna has been eating Wellness dry and canned cat food because it has added cranberries & flaxseed and no meat by-products. She even got a can of chicken & lobster formula. But the nice lady at The Animal Connection II store told me Evo is very "hot" now and gave me some Innova & Evo cat food samples which prompted me to generate a premium dry cat food review. I am planning to review Innova, Evo, Wellness, and Pet Promise but I might add more. I am grateful that Minna doesn't have a very sensitive stomach and open to different favors of dry food (canned food is completely another issue).

Pineapple

Minna has been rubbing her cheek against the pineapple leaves, not exactly sure she is marking it as her property or using it as her cheek groomer.

Gift wrapping assistant

Minna helped me packed yesterday and she was really interested in the packing tape. I can see her to be my gift wrapping assistant this Christmas.

Rotating Teeth Comb

I recently purchased a rotating teeth comb for Minna since it is much gentler than a regular comb, but it became her favorite chew toy. She really likes to chew on the plastic handle, good that the comb is quite strong although it seems fragile.

Natural Cat Litter Review

During my search of best natural cat litter for Minna, I found out there is no perfect cat litter out there, but managed to try four of them so far and each one has its pros and cons. Regardless, I think the most important thing is to clean the litter box as often as possible.

One Earth Premium Cat Litter

Pros:

• Made from corn cob granules so it is light weight with fine texture

• Clumping is mediocre and dust level is acceptable

• Scent is not too overwhelming and odor control is good

• Price is okay, not the most expensive one

Cons:

• It is light so it tracks, but not as bad as Feline Pine Clumping Litter

• I bought it from Whole Foods and most local pet stores in San Francisco don't carry it

• Note: Since both One Earth Premium Cat Litter and Nature's Miracle Odor Control Clumping Cat Litter are made from corn cob granules and by 8 in 1 pet products, I assume they are very similar.

World's Best Cat Litter

Pros:

• Available at all pet stores in San Francisco

• Made from whole-kernel corn so it is light weight

• Clumpable

• Texture is not as fine as One Earth and Feline Pine Clumping so it doesn't track as bad

Cons:

• More expensive than the other three

• I really do not like the scent of this litter so I cannot comment on scent and odor control

• More dusty than the other three

Natural Cat Litter Review Continues

Feline Pine Original (Pellets)

Pros:

• It is widely available at reasonable price
• Light weight compares to clay litter (won't break my back)
• Scent is not overwhelming, odor control is great
• No dust nor tracking if use with Feline Pine self cleaning litter box and wide slot scoop

Cons:

• Not all cats will use pellets and transition period can be long
• It is non-clumping
• Note: Additional cost for Feline Pine self cleaning litter box and wide slot scoop for better result
  

Feline Pine Clumping

Pros:

• Reasonable price
• Lightweight
• Fine texture
• Clumps really well
• Execellent odor control
• Low dust

Cons:

• Pine scent is extremely strong
• Since texture is so light and fluffy, litter gets all over Minna's fur and tracks everywhere