Month: October 2020

Cat Paper Towel Holder

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How cute is this paper towel holder? I love fun designs for utilitarian items, especially when it’s something we use multiple times a day. Just looking at this paper towel holder makes me smile.Continue Reading

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P. S. I Love You More Than Tuna: 2023 Review & How It Helps Heal Grieving Hearts

Ask the Cat Doc: When to Adopt Another Senior Cat, Socializing a Kitten, Cat Begging After Eating, and More

Ask-the-Cat-Doc-with-Dr.-Lynn-Bahr

Welcome to our regular “Ask the Cat Doc With Dr. Lynn Bahr” segment! Once a month, Dr. Bahr answers as many of your questions as she can, and you can leave new questions for her in a comment.Continue Reading

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Catalyst by Sarah Beth Durnst (2023 Book Review)

Catalyst-sarah-beth-durnst

I rarely read books in the fantasy or young adult genres, but every once in a while, I get a pitch to review a book that sounds so intriguing that I agree to take a look. I’m glad I did for Catalyst. This story about 12-year-old Zoe, who rescues a tiny kitten on her birthday, and the adventures that her act of kindness lead to, appealed to me on a lot of different levels.Continue Reading

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Abys Among Us & Other Stories for the Feline-Inclined (2023 Review)

Abys-among-us

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T. J. Banks is one of my favorite cat writers. Abys Among Us & Other Stories for the Feline-Inclined is a collection of stories about some of the many cats who have graced her life with their presence.. Continue Reading

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Review: RompiCatz Adjustable String Wand Toys

rompicatz-wand-toys

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RompiCatz makes some of the best cat toys on the market. These toys from the creator of the popular Neko Flies are designed to engage your cat’s natural hunting and prey instinct. Ellen understands the importance of mental stimulation and physical exercise for indoor cats. She has been creating toys that move and act like real prey for many years. Her toys provide endless opportunities to keep cats happy.Continue Reading

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Cat Care Guides from the 1960’s

cat-care-guides

A friend recently gave me two cat care guides from the 1960’s. The Common Sense Book of Kitten and Cat Care is from 1966, Cats is from 1969. Looking through the books was a fascinating exercise in realizing how far we’ve come in understanding cats better over the last 50 years.Continue Reading

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Why Quality Matters: Fresh Food for Cats (2023 Guide)

grey cat eating meat

Have you ever opened a can of food or a bag of kibble and wondered about the contents? Why does it smell so bad? Why are the ingredient lists so complicated and long? What’s even in it? Cats may be mysterious, but their food shouldn’t be. That’s where Smalls comes in. Smalls is human-grade, fresh food, for cats.

Click to Save 40% on Smalls & Use Code ConsciousCat2023

A brief history of cat food

Smalls was founded on the simple discovery that cat food was never really made for cats’ unique nutritional needs. Kibble was invented out of a necessity to meet ration requirements for meat and canning materials such as tin during Word War II. What’s more, kibble was primarily invented for dogs. Cats seem to have been an afterthought, and as we know now, cats are not small dogs.

Cats are obligate carnivores. They need protein-packed meals that are filled with natural moisture and no starches. Kibble became the status quo because it’s convenient, shelf-stable, and cheap. Unfortunately, a diet of low-quality kibble means cats often don’t consume nearly enough water, leaving them in a constant state of dehydration, which can result in chronic renal problems, and in many cases, shortened lifespans. A regular diet of fresh food is one of the best ways to prevent chronic health problems.

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A short and simple ingredient list on Smalls Human-grade Fresh Chicken recipe, compared to a conventional canned cat food label—long, complicated, mysterious.

The issues with kibble, and even canned cat food, go beyond how it’s made. The pet food industry standard is “feed-grade”, which means ingredients are not regulated by the FDA and therefore, not considered to be safe for human consumption. Your furry friends are like family, so why would they not eat like it?

Smalls: human-grade, fresh food for cats

Smalls starts with quality, traceable, regulated, and safe human-grade ingredients  – the same ingredients you would pick up at your local market. By starting with higher quality ingredients, Smalls is able to tell you exactly what is in each recipe, and gently cook their formulas to lock in the nutrients and moisture that cats biologically need.

After cooking the ingredients, Smalls freezes each pack for shipping. Smalls is making sure that you don’t have to compromise your cat’s health and convenience.

A cat eating food
Image Credit: Krakenimages.com, Shutterstock

Curious about trying Smalls, but have a picky kitty by your side? No problem. Smalls, a company of cat people, understands that our feline friends can have particular palettes, and have developed a two-week sampler so your cat can try their different textures and recipes and decide what’s their favorite. From there, you can customize your subscription to be delivered monthly.

Click to Save 40% on Smalls & use code ConsciousCat2023

For more information and to order, please visit Smalls


Featured Image Credit: Chendongshan, Shutterstock

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CritterZone Air Naturalizer: 2023 Review, Features & More

critterzone-air-naturalizer

I couldn’t have been more delighted when the folks at CritterZone approached me to see if I wanted to review their air naturalizer*. You see, I’ve owned two CritterZone units for more than seven years, and I use them frequently to successfully combat odors (and yes, they’re still working well after all that time.) Since then, CritterZone has made some improvements to their original unit, and I couldn’t wait to try it out.


What does the CritterZone Air Naturalizer do?

  • It creates a natural, charged flow that fills the room and continually cleans the air.
  • It makes energized versions of the natural elements already found in the air.
  • It works as a spot treatment to break down urine and other odors.
  • It breaks down pollutants and particles that cause odor.
  • It helps remove pathogens such as viruses, mold, and allergens from the air.
  • It does not generate ozone.

CritterZone features

The Critterzone is small! At less than 4.5 inches tall and 2 inches wide, this powerful little air naturalizer won’t take up much space. It’s actually a little hard to believe that such a small appliance can get so much done, but trust me, it does. The sleek design and white color blends easily with any decor. The unit comes with a 6 foot power cord which gives you lots of flexibility with placement.

Look Ma, no filters!

The best part: no filters! All you have to do to maintain the unit is to clean it occasionally by sweeping a cotton swab between the vents to remove the debris that can collect as the unit does its job.

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Putting the CritterZone Air Naturalizer to the test

Since litter box odors aren’t an issue for us (I pretty much scoop as soon as Allegra deposits anything in the box!), my primary use is for cooking odors, and it works unbelievably fast. Even after sautéeing something fragrant like onions or frying fish, all it takes is a few minutes of running the CritterZone and any lingering odors disappear.

The unit does generate a very faint ozone odor, and I was concerned about that, but the manufacturer assured me that it’s less than what occurs in nature. It’s also a sign that it’s working.

Removes urine odor without a trace

I have used the older units on urine spills in the past. Ruby was a vertical pee-er and sometimes missed the box, and until I figured that out and got a box with higher sides, we had a couple of urine spills on carpet. It was pretty incredible how well it worked to clear up urine odor. You blot up the stain and then simply set the unit upside down on the remaining dampness for about an hour. Every time I did this, the odor was completely gone. CritterZone has detailed instructions on their website for older stains or stains that have soaked into padding and subflooring.

For more information about CritterZone, please visit https://www.critterzoneusa.com/

Exclusive discount for Conscious Cat readers
Get $15 off any CritterZone Air Naturalizer!

Use code consciouscat at checkout.

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Feline Vaccination Guidelines Focus on Individual Risk-Benefit Assessment

cat-vet-vaccine

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) and the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) recently released the AAHA/AAFP Feline Vaccination Guidelines to the veterinary community. The release provides updated recommendations and the most current information for feline vaccinations.Continue Reading

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Writing a Purrfect Thriller with Claws

Amy-Shojai-hit-and-run

Written by Amy Shojai
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Thank you, Ingrid, for allowing me to share about my latest book, Hit and Run. Many folks know about my nonfiction that covers cat and dog care and behavior. Not as many may know that I also write fiction that features pets. I call my fiction “Thrillers With Bite!” because they all include heroic pets and their human partners.Continue Reading

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