Friday, February 18, 2011

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 2011


Cue the lights and roll out the green carpet! The best of the best canine beauties came out to strut their stuff for the 135th Westminster Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The judging began at 8:00 AM on Monday Feb. 14. There were six rings being judged simultaneously yet from the stands, it all appeared somewhat organized and there were moments where a dog and handler would be perfectly in sync. The crowd cheered on their favorites and others politely clapped. Backstage in the benching area was a completely different world. There were echos of hundreds of blow dryers buzzing, dogs voicing their opinions, cameras, reporters, and of course hundreds of spectators all weaving through the aisles wanting to get a peek and meet the dogs. Naturally some dogs did not like the public crowds coming in but others found a way to escape to their roaming sheep filled pastures in their dreams.

BIS/BPIS GRCH. CH. Sporting Field's B Noble Taking a nap

After selecting a Best of Breed, Best of Opposite, and Award of Merit for each breed, the Best of Breed would continue to compete in their respective Groups. Then winners of the each Group would continue for the final round for a chance at Best in Show. New breeds this year include Icelandic Sheepdog, Leonberger, Cane Corso, Redbone Coonhound, Bluetick Coonhound, and Boykin Spaniel.

Highlights of Results
Best in Show:
GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind
Breed: Scottish Deerhound
Group Results:

Hound- GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind Breed: Scottish Deerhound
Toy
- GCH Palacegarden Malachy
Breed: Pekingese
Non Sporting
- GCH Vaje's Miss Jayne Hathaway
Breed: Chinese Shar-Pei

Herding-GCH Tolkien Raintree Mister Baggins Breed: Bearded Collie
Sporting-GCH Casablanca's Thrilling Seduction Breed: Spaniels (Cocker) Black

Working
-
GCH Aviators Luck Be A Lady Breed: Portuguese Water Dog
Terrier
-GCH Slyfox Sneak's A Peek
Breed: Fox Terrier (Smooth)

Video Coverage of Individual Breeds
Video Coverage of Best in Show
Congrats to Hickory! Enjoy your steak dinner!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Cat Scratching at French Doors

The Mother of All Cat Litter Reviews

I have to thank my 3 cats for being very tolerant of me for all the different types of cat litter I've put them though. Amazingly enough, there have not been any accidents around the house during this process. This review has been 3 years of work in progress. These are the personal opinions of myself and my three cats. I did not receive any funding from any brand and here are my unbiased results:

Tidy Cat Scoop: This is a clay based litter and is easy to find. It is well priced at around $10 for 20 lbs. There is a perfume like scent which some owners might find attractive unless you have allergies. Cats in general do not like heavy perfumes in their litter. It does do a good jobing red carpet leading out of the litter box, you will find the litter in random areas of your house. It is very dusty so be careful when pouring into the litter box. It lasts fairly long but not if you have a multi-cat household. Gin, Cur, and Oli took to the litter pretty well and they seemed to like the texture of the litter.

Jonny Cat Original: Also a clay based litter but it does not clump. You allow the urine to settle and scoop out the poop. It is very inexpensive at under $10 for over 20lbs and easy to find. There is no perfume smell, just a musky clay scent. As long as you keep on adding litter over the urine soaked litter and scoop out the poop asap, it is okay on odor control. The litter does track around the house and when you step on the litter, it actually hurts so wear slippers or soaks. It does not last very long because you need to do a complete change every couple of days or else the ammonia from the urine becomes over powering. Gin, Cur, and Oli appreciate the texture of the litter and the ability to cover their poop easily but they did not appreciate having to lick off an entire coat of dusty clay from their fur.

Fresh Step Clumping: Clay based litter with odor absorbing crystals. The clumps are super tight and easy to remove. Inexpensive at under $10 for over 20lbs and is easy to find in all grocery stores. The litter has these blue pebbles that are very fragrant. The odor control is okay but it only masks the odor but does not neutralize it. The litter does track but it does not hurt as much as the Johnny Cat Original on bare feet. As long as you clean the litter daily, it lasts fairly long because you do not have to replace it completely every couple of days. Fresh Step is dusty. Gin, Cur, and Oli like the texture of the litter but do not spend time covering up after themselves with this litter.

Fresh Step Clay Non Clumping: Clay based litter but does not clump. Only the poop can be scooped out and the urine just stays in the litter waiting for the next complete change. Inexpensive at under $10 for over 20lbs and is easy to find. The odor from the urine and poop is masked by a detergent like scent. Does not last long because complete litter changes have to happen often. Is very heavy to carry around. Buy smaller bags unless you have a superhero around to help you shop. Gin, Cur, and Oli are fine with the texture but do not like licking the dust off their fur.

Pesttell Crystals: Expensive silica based crystal litter at around $30 for 12 lbs. You'll need to go to larger pet stores or order online to find this litter. The idea is to allow the urine to dry out in the litter and scoop out the poop. The odor control on urine is great but not so much on the poop. Not as dusty as clay based litters. It does not seem to track as much as clay litters but when it does, it hurts since its almost like a small rock. The litter lasts a while and only needs complete changes once every 30 days for 1 cat household. They look aesthetically pleasing but that's only beneficial to humans. Gin, Cur, and Oli did not take to this litter well. They tend not to bury anything with this litter and do not like the texture of the large pebbles.

Swheat Scoop: Wheat based clumping litter priced around $20 for 20lbs. You can find this litter at Petco, Target and most other moderately sized pet stores. Heavy to carry. This litter is an all natural product and clumps fairly well. The longer you allow the urine clumps to sit, the more cement like it becomes. It gets stuck to the bottom of the litter box and you have to get creative to remove the clumps. The scent is a pleasant natural bread and cereal smell but it was almost too good of a scent since Gin enjoyed eating it straight from the litter even after it was used. It is dusty and it does track a little bit. Not good for those with gluten or wheat allergies. You need to maintain at least 3-4 inches of litter at all times for it to work. The odor control was good. There is a mulit-cat formula as well and that version clumps faster but I don't notice the odor control difference. The packing comes in a cardboard box or paper bag so you can recycle that. It is also flushable though I do not recommend flushing the litter unless you have tested your cats to be free of any parasites. Gin, Cur and Oli liked the texture though Gin was very confused whether it was food or not.

Worlds Best Cat Litter: Expensive corn based cat litter priced around $37 for 34lbs. Available at larger pet stores or specialty stores. Since corn is a subsidized crop in the US, this litter should be less expensive. Moderately heavy to carry. WBCL is an all a natural litter that comes in two varieties, regular and multi-cat. They both clump the same but the scent of the multi-cat is horrible and musky while the regular smells like corn feed. The litter is flushable in small amounts. The clumps are tight and easy to remove as long as you keep at least 3 inches of litter. The litter does last a long time and it low on tracking. There is dust just not as much as traditional litters. The odor control is good but after awhile it starts to smell like a rancid barn stable so be sure to maintain the litter box often. This litter is good for most automated litter boxes. Gin, Cur, and Oli liked the litter just fine and loved the texture. Gin, just like in the case of Swheat Scoop, liked eating the litter so that's the main reason I had to switch.

Yesterdays News: Eco-friendly cat litter made of you guessed it, recycled newspapers. Now you can find this litter in just about every grocery store or pet store. The litter is inexpensive at around $13 for over 30lbs. The litter is lightweight and its good for those who can't carry around heavy litter. It does not clump so you have scoop the poop and allow the urine to be absorbed by the pellets. The odor control is bad because once it is soiled, the ammonia and the ink create unpleasant fumes. The dust is almost non existent and the litter does not track very far. I used this litter for when I had to foster kittens through their spay/ neuter procedure because it is not dusty and it won't irritate the incisions. I only used a handful of litter and as soon as it was soiled, I would throw out the litter and clean the box. Gin, Cur, and Oli did not like the large pellets on their feet and would dance around it like a plastic ball play pen before they decided it was okay to use as their loo.

Armand Hammer Essentials: Moderately priced at $10 for 10lbs and easy to find. This is a corn based litter infused with baking soda and other perfumes. The scent is a bit too strong for my taste and especially too strong for the cats. The litter is lightweight and is almost the size of saw dust so it tracks everywhere. It is very absorbent and easy to scoop. Unlike WBCL which is also corn, you cannot flush this litter. The litter is long lasting and the ammonia smells are masked fairly well. Gin, Cur, Oli did not mind the saw dust texture as much as I did though they did protest in using this litter and I could tell that they held out as long as they could without needing the litter box. They would walk up to the litter, take a long sniff, and walk away several times before they decided to use it. Not good for those with allergies.

Feline Pine Original: Inexpensive and priced at $6 for 7lbs and is available at most grocery stores and pet stores. This is a pine based litter made with compressed pine pellets much like horse bedding. Some consider this litter eco-friendly. There are no added perfumes or chemicals so the pellets smell of pine. The litter is lightweight and as long as you use the official Feline Pine Sifting Litter Box, it does not track. It is very absorbent and when the urine comes into contact with the pine, the odor neutralizes and the pellets become sawdust. The sawdust then sifts to the bottom of the litter box when stirred. It worked wonders for the urine odor but did nothing for the poop. This litter has to be maintained daily. It is flushable in small amounts. The dust is minimal. Gin, Cur, and Oli were very curious about the litter just like when they were introduced to the Yesterday's News. I think the texture is off putting to them but if you introduce the pellets slowly or combine this with another litter, they will be more fond of it. You will need to purchase a Feline Pine scooper since the pellets will not scoop well with traditional scoopers. If you buy 1 20lbs bag, it will come with 50 pine perk points and you can redeem them for a free scooper.

Feline Pine Scoop: Eco-friendly and priced around $11 for 10lbs. This is a pine based litter with the texture of sawdust. You may use the litter as compost in the end. This is the scoopable version of feline pine but you have to be delicate with it in order to scoop it out. It is only starting to become available in most stores. There are no added perfumes or chemicals and is flushable in small amounts. It smells of pine and not much else. Reminds me of the smell of horse stables but much much cleaner. The litter does track everywhere though the sawdust bits are soft on paws and feet. The litter is extremely lightweight and is easy to carry. It is absorbent and works well on odor control. The dust is not the kind of dust that clay litter has but it does have some dust in my opinion. Because of the the litter is so lightweight, this might not be the best litter for long haired cats. Gin, Cur, and Oli preferred the texture of this litter because it is soft but occasionally they end up chewing on some sawdust that is stuck between their toes.

Green Tea Leaves: Eco-friendly and biodegradable wood particle based litter infused with Green Tea. This litter is from Japan and is about $15 for a 10 liter (volume) bag. It is difficult to find. You can find it at some specialty pet stores and online but be prepared to pay more in the end because of shipping. This is easily the most expensive litter in volume but for the most part, the pros out weigh the cons if you can afford it. The litter smells like wood and green tea and not much else. It is flushable in small amounts. The litter does clump small because it is able to absorb more urine per volume of litter. There is some dust and the tracking is light with a litter mat. The company claims that it “Kills Bacteria and fights odor with Catechin: a type of tannin that helps kill bacteria and viral infection.” Although I cannot confirm that on a microscopic level, the litter does work well with odor control with urine and poop. Even though it is a clumping type litter, it will not work with all automatic litter boxes due to the varying size of the small pebbles. This litter can be used as compost instead of flushing or disposing in trash.

Trader Joe's Pine Litter: This litter is very simlar to Feline Pine original. In fact aside from the length of the pellets, they are pretty much the same to me and the cats. You can only find them at Trader Joes and they only come in small sizes. There are no added perfumes or chemicals so the pellets smell of pine. If you use a sifting type of litter box it does not track as much. The odor control performed well on urine but not so much with poop.

Notes on Clay Litter: Very dusty. Heavy. Sodium Bentonite which is an ingredient in clay litter is believed to cause some health problems in cats. Clumping litters can clump in cats stomach and intestines over time. Although I can't find case studies confirming it, I usually err on the side of caution.

Notes on Crystal litter: Silica is generally not recommending as litter for cats. The dust is not healthy to breathe in.

Notes on Paper litter: Clean very often and be open to guests commenting on litter box smells.

Notes on Corn/Wheat based litter: Biodegradable and eco-friendly but be cautious on how it is stored. A warm and humid environment can cause aflatoxin spores to grow which is very dangerous. Always keep in a cool and dry place even in summer and be aware of possible moths and other corn/wheat feed related bugs. Also, if your cat is very food oriented watch litter box behaviors such as eating the litter.

Notes on Pine or wood based litter: Biodegradable and eco-friendly. Usually great on urine smells but not great on fecal odors. Store the litter in a dry area before use. Do not place litter close to any heat sources!


Type

Scent

Odor Control

Clump

Tracking

Dust

Long Lasting?

GinCurOli Appeal

Tidy Cat Scoop

Clay

Perfume

Good

Yes

High

High

Average

3 Paws

Jonny Cat Original

Clay

Clay

Fair

No

High

High

Poor

1 Paw

Fresh Step Clumping

Clay

Perfume

Good

Yes

High

High

Average

3 Paws

Fresh Step Original

Clay

Perfume

Fair

No

High

High

Poor

3 Paws

Pestell Crystals

Silica

Perfume

Good

No

Fair

Fair

Good

3 Paws

Swheat Scoop

Wheat

Bread

Good

Yes

Fair

High

Good

4 Paws

World's Best Cat Litter

Corn

Corn

Good

Yes

Fair

High

Good

4 Paws

Yesterday News

Paper

Paper

Poor

No

Low

Low

Poor

2 Paws

Armand Hammer Essentials

Corn

Perfume

Good

Yes

High

High

Average

2 Paws

Feline Pine Original

Pine

Pine

Good

No

Fair

Low

Good

4 Paws

Feline Pine Scoop

Pine

Pine

Good

Yes

High

Fair

Average

3 Paws

Green Tea Leaves

Wood

Tea

Great

Yes

Fair

Fair

Good

5 Paws

Trader Joes Pine

Pine

Pine

Good

No

Fair

Low

Good

4 Paws

Anyways, I've purchased a lot of litter, and scooped a lifetime full of poop so I hope that these reviews help you out. All the litters have pros and cons and it's best to figure out what your top priority is in cat litter but also include what your cat's priorities are. Have at least 1 litter box available per cat in your household. Whenever you are switching litters you must slowly introduce your cat to it buy using a small amount of the new litter mixed with a majority of the old litter. Overtime you can increase the litter proportions. If your cat is having severe problems eliminating in their litter box, please don't blame your cat and consult your veterinarian. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Keep your Cat Safe During Winter

Winter Safety Tips for Cats

Use Pet Safe Ice Melt: Regular snow melting supplies are toxic even in small amounts. Rock salt brought in by your shoes can irritate paws and if ingested your pet can experience vomiting, but symptoms can range through diarrhea, salivation, depression, anorexia, tremors, disorientation, excessive thirst, seizures to death. Here are some examples of pet safe products you can purchase Safe Paw Ice Melter, Petco Ice Melt for Pets, and Walk Safe for Pets.

Leave shoes by the door: Even if you are the most vigilant person on caring for your pet, your shoes can track in all the rock salt and road chemicals from the street and sidewalks of those that are not so pet-friendly. It's best to leave them by the door or in a shoe cabinet. It guarantees that your furball will not destroy your Manolo Blahniks or Jimmy Choos. Also, it's actually good feng shui to leave your shoes by the door.

Keep cats indoors: My general opinion is keep your cats indoors year round. I'm not a fan of having indoor/outdoor cats because cats can pick up terrible diseases and virus such as feline leukemia. Keep cats warm by providing them a soft bed, blanket, or your lap but be very still. Cats hate it when you move around while they are trying to take a nap especially when they are having lucid dreams about taking over your house and how to manipulate you for more treats. Also don't buy or use any electrical heating blankets or beds for your pet. You don't want Ms. Fluffy biting on the wires and electrocuting herself or starting a fire. Although, Olive has been known to gaze too closely into candles and sizzling her whiskers. Now we hold a no candle policy in our house.

Check under cars before driving off: Stray cats and kittens can find their way under your freshly parked warm car and they might still be there when you're ready to drive off again. Stay warm during the rest of winter and please take down your "Let it Snow" holiday decorations. Your neighbors will thank you for it.