Products

January 12, 2012

Cat-A-Pole: the ultimate interactive cat toy?

Allegra and Ruby got a ridiculous amount of presents for Christmas (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), but their paws down favorite is the Cat-A-Pole interactive wand toy. This is no ordinary wand toy!

For starters, it’s huge! The wand is about 4 feet long. It’s made from sturdy plastic. And here’s the best part: unlike other interactive toys, the Cat-A-Pole doesn’t use string to attach the toy. The pom pom toy with feathers is attached with a short, sturdy chain to a 40lb fishing line that runs inside the plastic tube. This clever design creates a completely unpredictable motion, and, unlike most other interactive toys, there is no string to get tangled up during play.

Like all fishing pole type toys, it moves like a mouse when dragged along the floor, and like a bird when zipped through the air. Allegra and Ruby went absolutely nuts for this toy!Continue Reading

January 10, 2012

Review: Glacier Point Cat Fountain

Giveaways, Products| 146 Comments

Water is critical to keeping your cat healthy. Cats as a species don’t have a high thirst drive, and this can lead to chronic low-level dehydration if a cat is fed mostly dry food, which in turn, can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems. “Water flowing through the urinary tract system is the most important factor in keeping your cat healthy,” says Dr. Lisa Pierson on her website, catinfo.org. “Cats on canned food have been shown to consume at least double the amount of water (from food and water bowl) when compared to a dry food-fed cat.”

While cats get moisture from a raw or canned diet, they should still have plenty of fresh water available at all times. One way to encourage your cats to drink more water is with a fountain.

I’ve never used a fountain for any of my cats, so I was intrigued when Glacier Point offered to send us one to try out. There are multiple benefits to having a fountain for your cats:Continue Reading

December 29, 2011

Exclusive for Conscious Cat readers: free shipping from PetFlow

Products| 4 Comments

I hate lugging heavy bags of kitty litter from the store to my car and then into my house, but ordering litter online can be expensive, because shipping charges for heavy items add up quickly. As a result, I was really happy when I discovered PetFlow. No more trips to the store for me. With a flat shipping rate of $4.95, I can order as much or as little as I want at a time.

PetFlow also carries a large variety of food and pet supplies, including some of the brands I routinely recommend, such as Weruva, Nature’s Variety, and Wellness. To make things even easier, you can set up an autoship schedule for your own individual needs, but this is not required to order.Continue Reading

December 15, 2011

Giveaway and special holiday discount on Clean + Green products

Giveaways, Products| 22 Comments

Most commercial cleaning products contain chemicals that can be extremely toxic, and even deadly, to cats. While it’s getting easier to find products that are not only safer around pets, but also more environmentally friendly, you still have to be careful even with so-called “natural” products. Some of these products may contain essential oils, and even though many manufacturers of essential oils claim that they are safe to use around cats, this is not always the case. Tea tree oil especially can be deadly to cats.

One company whose products I don’t hesitate to recommend is Clean + Green. I previously reviewed their carpet & upholstery product. The company is currently offering a special 50% discount on any purchase of three or more cans of Clean + Green products. Simply use code HOLIDAYPET on checkout. For more information about Clean + Green, and to order, please visit their website.Continue Reading

December 13, 2011

Bumperpet.com: create removable stickers with your cat’s picture

Products| 2 Comments

Bumperpet.com lets you create removable custom decals from photos of your cat in four easy steps: simply choose a unique template, upload a photo, customize your design, and check out. You can create bumper stickers, iPhone stickers, or a customized fire-safety sticker with pictures of your pets. Your one-of-a-kind sticker will be mailed to you in 1-2 business days.

I created the iPhone sticker above in less than a minute. You can also find a large variety of premade stickers on the Bumperpet.com website.

According to the company, the custom decals are printed on high quality removable vinyl and will not damage or affect whatever surface you apply them to.Continue Reading

November 22, 2011

Product review: DuraScoop litter scoops

Products| 9 Comments

Like most cat parents, cleaning the litter box is my least favorite thing to do. Don’t get me wrong, I do it diligently. It’s important to keep the litter box clean. Many inappropriate eliminatinon problems are caused by a box that isn’t kept clean enough, at least, not from the cat’s point of view.

Since I work from home, I pretty much scoop as soon as Allegra or Ruby deposit something in one of our two boxes (especially if it’s in the one right outside my office). Yes, they have me well trained – and Allegra is the official box supervisor. She always inspects the box after I’ve scooped to make sure I’ve done a good job.Continue Reading

November 18, 2011

Review and giveaway: Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light prize pack

Giveaways, Products| 66 Comments

***This giveaway is closed***

I’m always careful about changing to a different brand of cat litter. Cats can be funny about where they do their business, and sometimes, changing to a litter they don’t like can lead to them avoiding using the litter box altogether – something none of us wants to deal with.

I use clumping clay litter. I would prefer to use something more environmentally friendly, and don’t think I haven’t tried. I offered the new litter in one box, and kept the old litter in the other. I also tried a gradual changeover, adding only a small amount of the new litter to the old litter (in one box only). None of these approaches worked. My cats always made it clear that clumping clay litter was their preference, thank you very much.

When the PR agency for Cat’s Pride’s new Fresh & Light litter contacted me, I was intrigued.Continue Reading

November 10, 2011

Product Review: Freshpet Select – Fresh, Refrigerated Cat Food

Feline Nutrition, Products| 177 Comments

I don’t usually accept food and treats for review here on The Conscious Cat, unless it’s something I’ve already thoroughly researched and/or tried. I won’t use Allegra and Ruby as product testers for diets whose claims I can’t verify. For those reasons, I was hesitant to try Freshpet Select, but after taking a look at their information, I agreed to a test.

Freshpet Select is a line of freshly prepared meals. According to the company, each recipe only includes select ingredients like high protein meats and eggs, and vegetables. The cat food contains no grains, although it does contain some pea fiber. As Freshpet Select states on their website, the recipe is much like a meal you would prepare for your family with simple ingredients you are familiar with and can pronounce.Continue Reading

November 8, 2011

Review and giveaway: Oreck DualMax air purifier

Giveaways, Products| 112 Comments

I’m a big fan of Oreck vacuum cleaners. I don’t own one, but I seriously covet one. We had one at the veterinary practice I managed. It was used every day, multiple times a day, and it just kept on working. And it worked great, even on tough pet hair.

So when the folks at Oreck contacted me and asked whether I would like to review their newest air purifier, the DualMax™, I was happy to accept, since I already liked the brand. And when they asked whether I would like to do a giveaway of an air purifier for my readers, I was thrilled!

Why would you need an air purifier? From the Oreck website: “Did you know that every time you close your front door, you’re sealing yourself in with airborne dust and allergens? In fact, according to the EPA, the air inside your home may be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outside. And like Mother Nature, you have to move the air to clean the air. Oreck’s new air cleaner, The DualMax™ Air Purifier, has the power of a tower in a compact design to move and clean more air than ever before.”Continue Reading

November 3, 2011

Product review: Petstages Cuddle Coil

Products| 6 Comments

The Cuddle Coil from Petstages is a combination play tunnel and cat bed. The sturdy coil “cave” has only one end open, the idea being that it can provide a safe and secluded spot for your cat. The interior is a soft, almost fleece-like material, the outside is a sturdy parachute type material that makes a crinkly noise when touched.

Allegra and Ruby, my two little product testers, were more than ready to test the cuddle coil. They could hardly wait for me to get it out of its plastic case (which, by the way, is really nice, and resusable). Allegra immediately marched into the coil as soon as I put it on the floor – not even a second’s hesitation! Ruby, not to be outdone, wanted to follow her inside, but Allegra didn’t think that was a good idea. You can see the “discussion” here:Continue Reading

November 1, 2011

2012 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar

Products| 6 Comments

Allegra, Ruby and I are excited to introduce the 2012 Conscious Cat Wall Calendar!

After getting comments throughout the year about how much you enjoy seeing photos of Allegra and Ruby, we decided to bring you a collection of some of the best ones in a gorgeous, full color wall calendar. The calendar also features Amber and Buckley.

Tortie lovers, to my knowledge, this is the only calendar on the market that exclusively features tortoiseshell cats!Continue Reading