Da Suls

Fortunate is she who experiences the love & devotion of a feline companion.

Farewell, Sully. Go find the others.

5/1999~7/30/2017

Last Pix With Sully

1:30 pm on Sunday 7/30/17

Sully at The Park

Sweet Sully cheering me up at the park with his antics.

"But many of us seek community solely to escape the fear of being alone.  Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving.  When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape."
--- Bell Hooks

Just be careful not to confuse being solitary with isolating oneself from others to avoid being hurt again :)

My Sariah

Lis got this nice one of Sariah, lounging in her bed. Best picture of her. Period.
Thanks, Lis!

Catnapping with Xander

Took a Benadryl for the sneezing fits (hope it was allergies) and it knocked me out. Forgot how Benadryl makes me sleepy.

Woke up to see Xander sleeping next to me.

World's Best Cat Litter (tm)

I decided to try WBCL before concluding the cat litter comparison. First impression: nice non-perfumy fragrance, not dusty when poured into the box, clumps well.

We will see how it holds up under use with the 5 cats!

Results of Cat Litter Clumping Comparison

Despite all the dust and weight, I have to admit, the clay litter clumped the best. The clump-ability --- ability for the litter to clump into a hard, easy-to-scoop lump when in contact with urine (water) --- prowess in descending order:

1) Clay clumping litter
2) Swheat Scoop
3) Pet Essentials
4) Feline Pine Clumping

As you'll read in later posts, clump-ability is not the only factor in choosing cat litter. Hence, despite ranking first in this comparison, clay litter is not the final choice for my cats.

Cat Litter Clumping Comparison

I made the transition from 5 individual cat boxes for my 5 cats to 3 jumbo customized ones. In the process, I went searching for a better alternative to the clay clumping litter.

In the jumbo litter boxes, the clay clumping litter was very heavy. Moving the boxes to clean and scoop was back-breaking. Never mind the dust cloud that follows.

Not knowing much about clumping litter alternatives, I googled it and was bombarded with information. As usual, most major types have their own supporters claiming theirs to be the best. One is even called World's Best Cat Litter (WBCL)! WBCL does seem to live up to its name --- and with a price tag to match :)

I decided to check the different litter myself to see which works best for my situation. WBCL was a little too rich for my blood, especially for a trial. So I will start with:
1) Clay clumping litter (Exquisite cats from Petsmart)
2) Swheat Scoop (wheat)
3) Pet Essentials (corn fiber)
4) Feline Pine Clumping

I plan to do a water test for the clumping ability initially. Then through the weeks, will see how they hold up in the litter boxes.

ScoopFree Slide

Finally got the manual version together for the cats. Also got the automatic version on sale but will wait to see how the litter crystals work before opening the automatic box.

The blue crystals look too pretty for the cats to pee on :). Hope the cats don't feel that way.

Sariah Taking Matters into Her Own Paws

Sariah decided to start unpacking the ScoopFree Litter Box herself.

Xander's turn ON the ScoopFree

Put away the camera and unpack this box already!

Waiting Line for ScoopFree Litter Box

Sure hope they all like the ScoopFree litter box for more than a perch :)
Lana claimed the top as Xander and Sariah waited for their turn.

Catnapping

Stayed up late the night before last (Sunday night) working on paperwork. Still did not finish when I went to bed at 2 am. Got up and back at the office by 7:30 am (office was closed so I was able to come in later than usual).

Busy day with records and administrative duties. Crashed for a nap in the office and woke up to see four of my five personal cats napping with me.

Closest to me is Panacea (black), Xander (orange), Sariah (grey tabby), and then Lana (calico).

Sully wanting equal blogging time :)

Families and friends accuse me of playing favorite with Xander. Can I help it if Xander likes to pose for pictures? Took me less than a minute to snap an image of Xander and post it. Sully may seem like he's all relaxed staring me down in this image, but it took me a while to get this one.

Let's just say he used up my ''free'' time this morning. Better get back to work!

Xander patiently waiting for his breakfast...

... as I cleaned up the enema mess from another cat.

Poor Xander. Like Elaine and the rest of my cats, he sometimes take the backseat to our patients. Good thing none of them hold grudges. They love me as though believing they are tops on my lists (true, though my actions may not seem like it) and understanding that the patients make it possible for me to have all of them.

Other people should only be so lucky as to have a similar understanding from their human families.

How's that for ascribing human emotions and thoughts onto pets?!