Building a Kitty City

 2 years ago we adopted Nova & Naveen from a good friend who was fostering them in the Safford area.  Nova's previous owner didn't get her spayed and she had multiple litters.  We believe Naveen is one of her sons from her last litter.  My friend fostered Nova until she weaned her last litter and then I paid to have her and Naveen fixed.   

We weren't really prepared for cats since one of our dogs can't be trusted with cats.  Nova and Naveen had already lived as 'garage cats' and when they were fostered with my friend, had their very own heated room off of a work area.  We never really use our garage for parking, just storage. So the past 2 years I worked on converting the garage into a work room for me.  The walls were already fully insulated and finished, so I started working on insulating the garage door, then the garage attic.  With a little space heater on a timer, it stays about 55*-60* in there, pretty comfy for a cat.  I quickly built them a catio where they could safetly enjoy the outdoors.  I didn't want to put a hole in the garage wall for a cat door, so I put a cat door in a 1" piece of foam board insulation, which fits snuggly in the window.  

I built a matrix of shelves for them to climb up and down.  I drilled them directly into the studs for extremely secure climbing.  I also added a ceiling shelf from HyLoft to hold a large storage bin.  This gray bin has a smaller bin inside it, stuffed with blankets where they love to take cozy naps together :)

On some of the shelves are patio chair cushions for comfy napping.  I also keep their food and water elevated off of the floor.  This helps with any ants that sneak in during the summer.  I also firmly believe in allowing a cat to 'work' for their food, so a little jump on/off the table forces a little effort in order to eat.  (I have strong opinions on allowing cats to demonstrate natural behaviors, which can help fight obesity in indoor cats.) 

 Nova & Naveen have all their nails, like nature intended and I added a wall mounted scratching post.  I took a shelf, drilled it into the wall studs, then purchased a cheap floor rug, cut to size and stapled into the board.  Staples are put in vertical to keep them from snagging a nail while they scratch.

Their litter bin is inside the blue tote on the ground.  I love putting litter bins in totes because it helps to keep smells contained, gives them privacy, and helps to keep litter bits contained when they scratch around.

On the other side of the garage is another area where they can climb up.  I put up these shelves this summer and Nova & Naveen love to snuggle in the carrier, or lay on the cushion and look out the man-door.

The garage really is my work area... I have 2 freezers out there for our dog food, my mealworm bins where I breed my buggies for chicken food, and right now my seedlings are growing in there waiting for warmer weather to be transplanted in the garden.

Going through the cat door, they can go outside in the safety of their catio.  The catio is 4' wide, 8 ' long, and 7.5' high.  It sits under an oak tree which gives ample shade in the summer time.  It faces the garden where the chickens and ducks free range, allowing for ample enrichment.

Building 'kitty cities' isn't necessarily expensive, but it does take a bit of work.  Most importantly, it's a great feeling to know you're offering your cats their own special place!

Homemade Super-Cheap Dog Bed

Many people know I'm very much a Do-It-Yourselfer (as if homemade dog food wasn't a huge clue). I grow most of our produce, make my own dog food and treats, build bed headboards, resurface our kitchen cabinets, build catios.... If I feel like I can do an equally good job rather than buying something or paying someone else to do it, then I do it myself!

Cue in Sarge...

A while ago Sarge started some destructive behaviors when the dogs were home alone.  Chewing up blankets, bed sheets, and even chewed a chunk out of my brand new squishy bed (memory foam mattress).  He then had to be kenneled when we left the house and continued his blanket shredding in his kennel.  I was tired of going through dog beds when even the cheapest ones were $10, it added up.  I stopped giving him dog beds and just left the tattered blankets, but that eventually made a mess.

At the suggestion of a friend whose dog also shredded beds, I tried a burlap sack.  It's only been in his kennel a day or so and Sarge has layed on it numerous times while we've been home.  He may very well destroy this one too, but it won't be financially stressful if he does this time.

I had a bag of poly-fill from a previous bed-ripping incident where I decided to keep the stuffing (after all, it's still perfectly fine) for when I might need it again.  I purchased a used burlap sack at C-A-L Ranch for a whopping $1.19!  The sack was torn open at the bottom of course, but with some string and a needle, I stitched it up after putting some poly-fill in it.  Worst case scenario, and Sarge does rip it up it will only cost me $1.19 for a new one and a few minutes of stitching.

Now before any strangers try to put their 2 cents in about the situation, don't worry, Sarge's anxiety/boredom behaviors are not an everyday or even weekly occurance.  We do other things like stuffed kongs, lavender oil, doggy pheramones, and daily runs to help ease his pent up energy.  And quite simply, I believe in letting some behaviors slide... I like having dogs (and cats) and all the quirks that come with them! :)

Buying Local is Better for Everyone, Even Your Pets!

The past few years there has been a movement to buy local and support small businesses.  It supports the local economy by creating and sustaining jobs and puts food on your neighbor's table rather than fuel in a CEO's private jet.

Think about the way you grocery shop - don't we all prefer our produce to be grown closer to us, even in our own state?  Why buy Pecans shipped from Georgia when us Arizonian's can buy them from our own county.  Who wants to eat eggs shipped from chicken farms in the midwest when you can buy eggs at your farmer's market from your neighbor who lets their chickens free range.  The same ideology goes for your pets.

The other week I was speaking to a client about the dog treats they just bought.  It was a big bag of chicken jerky from a massive company whose dog treats have been causing several dogs to become sick and die. There is a big disclaimer on the back of the bag of treats that says "MADE IN CHINA".  On top of it, the treats are also infused with glycerin which increases the weight of the treat without increasing the amount of chicken.  Sneaky little jerks.

It got me to thinking about how my treats compare in price to big box brands so I wanted to share some numbers which could surprise you...

This morning as I was packing up some treat orders, I put them on my kitchen scale to see their weights: 12.7oz and 13.7oz.  I sell my chicken jerky in one pound poly lined bags for $12 per order which makes these two particular bags $0.94/oz and $0.87/oz.  I fill my treat bags as much as I can which is why there is always a discrepancy.  I buy my treat ingredients at our local grocery stores and make them only after an order is received which guarantee's that they are as fresh as possible.

Big box companies make their dog treats in factories where quality control is often lacking.  Products are shipped across country, or worse, come from a different country, and then can sit on a shelf for several months before going 'out of date'.

Additionally, they are often full of other ingredients you might not expect...

I like simplicity and because of my years working with dogs and cats with food allergies, I like limited ingredients.  My chicken jerky has one ingredient: chicken breast.  Chicken breast that I buy from the grocery store labeled that it has been raised and butchered in the U.S.  Many of these big companies include weird ingredients in their 'chicken jerky' like: glycerin, soy flour, molasses, salt...  The sugar and salt are great for creating an addictive craving for your dogs, but they are terrible additions for carnivores.  High protein/low carb treats like chicken jerky are great for diabetic dogs ... unless those treats are made with molasses and sugar.  Most dogs and cats do very poorly with soy, and who would expect soy to be put into chicken jerky anyways?

Here are some prices and ingredients on some popular chicken jerky treats on the market...

Purina's Waggin Train Chicken Jerky Tenders: $12 for 11 oz. $1.09/oz. Ingredients: Chicken breast, glycerin. 'PRODUCT OF CHINA' disclaimer on the back. Long history of consumer complaints and recalls...

Blue Buffalo Chicken Jerky: $8.89 for 3.25 oz.  $2.73/oz.  Ingredients: Chicken, dried cane molasses, salt.

True Chews Chicken Jerky Fillet: $9.46 for 12 oz. $0.78/oz.  Ingredients: chicken, vegetable glycerin, distilled vinegar, salt....

Milo's Kitchen Chicken Jerky Recipe: $21 for 15oz.  $1.40/oz.  Ingredients: chicken, soy flour, sugar, glycerin, textured soy protein.... Once recalled for unapproved antibiotic residue

Dogswell Vitality Chicken Breast Jerky: $17.64 for 13.5oz.  $1.30/oz.  Ingredients: chicken breast, glycerin, salt, flaxseed .... Once recalled for unapproved antibiotic residue.

Something to think about when feeding your 4-legged loved ones.  I'm certainly not encouraging everyone to buy my treats because I only have one dehydrator and one oven ;)  But there are others like me who believe every pet deserves the very best and put a lot of work into offering healthy options.  Of course, there are local pet bakeries who make their own pet treats too but with ingredients like wheat flour and margarine (yuck!), you still have to do your homework by reading ingredient labels. 

Feeding better does not necessarily mean you need a money tree to afford quality treats.  But when you buy locally, a lot of overhead costs are eliminated and you can feel better about supporting local economy AND feeding Fido better!