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5 Tips for Keeping Your Cat-Occupied Home Smelling Fresh

5 ways for keeping your cat-occupied home smelling fresh

Sharing your home with cats has many benefits but one of the downsides is that owning cats also means owning the odors that come along with them.

The irony of course is that cats themselves don’t smell! In fact, they are fastidious about cleanliness. The “smell” people associate with cats is usually because the humans aren’t doing their part to keep things clean.

Bacteria are usually the source of smells, so focus on areas where these bacteria breed and grow and you can catch odor early before it gets bad.

Here are 5 ways to keep your home fresh, whether you have one cat or a whole gang of them.

1. Start With The Litter Box

Not surprisingly, litter box smell can be overpowering and permeate your entire home if left unattended. Make sure you are scooping litter boxes at least once a day and more often if you can. Then, get that waste out of the house quickly!

Consider sprinkling a bit of baking soda in the bags you use to collect the litter box contents. This might help keep the odors in check in your outdoor garbage until garbage day. Another great use for baking soda is to sprinkle some at the bottom of the litter box to help absorb odors.

Even if you’re scooping regularly, make sure to change the litter completely a couple of times a month because bacteria remain in the box even after you scoop.

Wash out the box with unscented soap and water each time you change the litter and remember to replace the entire box once or twice a year. Also, be sure to check out the litter boxes and accessories at MyThreeCats.com!

2. Investigate the Entire House For Smells

If you can’t easily determine the source of an odor in your home, do some detective work to find out if your cat’s doing his business outside the box. Check corners, behind furniture and in closets to find out if your cat’s been peeing or pooping where he shouldn’t.

Also check along walls and the walls themselves to determine if you have a spraying cat. If your cat has been using a spot in your home as his alternative potty spot, use an enzymatic cleaner to clean the area or items or, ideally, throw them away.

Also, it’s important to remember that if your cat is peeing or pooping in strange places, please schedule a vet visit. Sometimes this type of behavior is a symptom of a medical issue.

3. Get the Vacuum Out

If you have cats or any type of pet, be diligent about vacuuming. And don’t stop with the carpet. Make sure you regularly vacuum rugs, couches, chairs and even draperies to capture fur, dander and, yes, odors. Again, sprinkling baking soda on carpets or furniture and then vacuuming it up can help keep things fresh.

4. Wash Cat Beds and Blankets

Don’t forget to wash your cat’s favorite blankets or cat bed on a regular basis. Remember, your cat’s paws dig in the litter box several times a day. There’s bound to be some transfer of germs and odor-causing bacteria. Keep those snuggle spots clean!

5. Keep Food and Water Area Clean

Your cat’s food and water areas are another prime breeding ground for bacteria. Sitting water, like the water in your cat’s bowl, can quickly grow bacteria, eventually leading to an unpleasant smell. And, you certainly don’t want your cat drinking out of it! Wash the water bowls and replace with clean water at least once a day.

Food that sits out can also lead to a smelly mess. Make sure to clean up spilled kibble and especially chunks of uneaten canned food that your cat may have missed.

Just because you have cats in your home doesn’t mean it has to smell like you have cats in your home! Keep on top of regular cleaning and be aware of stinky trouble zones, and you’ll have a fresh clean house for everyone in your family to enjoy!

Do you have a tip to share us with us? How do you keep your cat-occupied home smelling fresh? Let’s chat about it in comments below!

Bottoms Up! 9 Ways to Get Your Cat To Drink More Water

We can all benefit from drinking more water and your cat is no exception.

A cat’s good urinary health is associated with drinking plenty of water. Making sure your cat gets enough fluids can help avoid urinary tract issues like infections, urinary stones or, with some male cats, a blocked urethra. In addition, good hydration contributes to good digestive health, healthy skin and coat and more.

The challenge is most cats don’t drink enough water. They’re just not that thirsty.

We all know you can’t make a cat do anything he doesn’t want to do, but here are some strategies to keep your favorite feline hydrated and healthy:

Ice it down! Place a couple of ice cubes to your cat’s food to add some moisture. Some cats think it’s a little treat. The ice ends up tasting like the food and while your cat licks the yummy tasting cube, he’s getting some additional water.
Speaking of ice cubes… throw some in your cat’s water to make it more interesting. Some cats prefer icy cold water, too.
Make sure you have fresh water in bowls and cups on every floor in the house, or in the rooms where your cat hangs out the most. Take note of what kind of container your cat seems to prefer and use plenty of those.
Change the water and wash out the bowls and cups often. Have you ever had a drink out of a glass of water that’s been sitting around for a few days? Yuck. It doesn’t taste good to your cat, either.
A little flavor might spice up the drinking experience. Add a bit of chicken broth or tuna juice to the water and see if your cat likes it.
Try a cat fountain! Fountains provide fresh, constantly moving water, which may capture your cat’s interest. And, while it might take a couple of days for cats to get comfortable with the fountains, most of them take to it and plenty of them prefer it. Visit MyThreeCats.com to choose from many different fountains for your cat!
Feed your cat a mostly canned food diet. There’s a reason canned food is also called “wet” food; has more moisture in it! This is the easiest way to get more moisture in your cat’s diet and most cats love it.
If an all-canned food isn’t in your budget or your cat doesn’t like it, try adding a bit of water or low sodium chicken broth to his dry food to see if he likes that. I’ll bet he does!
If you can, feed your cat more frequent, but smaller, meals. Eating usually encourages thirst so this may get him to drink a little more and more often.

Water intake is one of the most important elements to good feline health. Make sure to keep an eye on your kitty to make sure he has plenty of opportunities to chug-a-lug!

Have you had success with other strategies to get your cat to drink more water? Share them with us in a comment below!

Will You Be Prepared For a Pet-Related Emergency?

April is National Pet First-Aid Awareness Month. A few weeks ago, we chatted about how to create a first-aid kit for your pet, but that’s not the only step you can take to be prepared for a pet-related emergency. For instance,

Do you know how to recognize the signs that your pet may have been poisoned?
Would you be able to tell if your pet was dehydrated?
Do you know the symptoms of heat stroke?

And the question isn’t just do you recognize these scenarios, but would you know what to do in the event of one?

Being prepared for a crisis could mean the difference between life and death for your pet, and The American Red Cross is an invaluable resource for information. Visit their site to lear more about the conditions I listed above, as well as other emergency situations you could potentially face with your pet. Also, be sure to check out their free Pet First Aid app, available for iPhone and Android. The app provides step-by-step instructions, videos, and images for more than 25 common first aid emergencies.

Will you be prepared for a pet-related emergency?

How To Trim a Cat’s Nails

If you’ve ever tried to trim a cat’s nails, you know that it’s a task that’s not for the faint of heart. But it is possible to make these necessary nail-trimming sessions an enjoyable time for both you and your kitty.

The first step is to develop a routine. If you and your cat can get into a rhythm of clipping the nails every ten days to two weeks, you’ll have established an ideal schedule.

Next, make sure your cat is comfortable with the sound of the clippers before you attempt to trim her nails. The ASPCA recommends putting kitty on your lap and putting a piece of uncooked spaghetti into the clippers. While massaging your cat’s toe, gently press her toe pad extend her nail, and then clip the spaghetti with the clippers. Do this a few times and the cat will come to associate the sound of the clippers with the gentle massaging of her toes.

See the rest of the ASPCA’s recommendations here.

Most of all, throughout the entire nail trimming process, it’s important for you to stay calm. Your kitty will be more inclined to relax and not become scared when you maintain a gentle demeanor. When you’re laid about the process, she’s more likely to be, as well.

Do you trim your cat’s nails? We’d love to hear about your experience in a comment below!

How To Create a First Aid Kit for Your Pet

Do you have a first aid kit for your pet?

If not, you might want to consider putting one together. You might also want to make a second one to keep in your car. I carry a million things with me in my big ol’ purse and think it could even be a good idea to have a mini one in there as well. Better safe than sorry!

A few items to keep in your kit include an eye dropper, some antiseptic cleansing wipes, a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide, and some gauze bandages and pads. Some leather gloves to keep your hands safe are also a fantastic idea, as is a pet first aid book. For a more complete list, definitely check out this post from Petfinder on recommended items for your kit.

One thing I personally think is missing from that list is Benadryl, though be sure to check with your vet on the correct dosage for your pet! When my dog had an allergic reaction last year, half a tablet cleared up his hives within a couple of hours.

What do YOU think? Have you ever been in a situation where you wished you’d had a first aid kit? Is there anything you think the list is missing? Let us know in the comments!