Friday, April 21, 2017

some things around the house

How mom does things to make life a little easier for us and her

When angel Maestro was young, he LOVED to play with the water dishes. Whap them with his paws, smack at the water....it never ended. Never failed either that water ended up ALL over the kitchen. Mom finally got frustrated one day and decided to make a serious change. She upgraded our dishes to large, heavy ceramic (dog) dishes and found a rubber mat with a lip to put on the floor.

Everything is dishwasher safe and the mat keeps the dishes from being shoved and water on the mat (for the most part). Plus there is only a need for a couple of bowls that mom cleans (once a day) and refills as needed (usually twice a day). She has noticed that the ceramic tends to keep the water a little cooler too.
Tommy enjoying a drink 
(yes, he drinks from the very FAR edge of the dish)

Mozart shows up the screens and our cat ladder

The other big thing in our house is the screen inserts into our windows. Several years ago Tommy fell out a window - and we live on the second floor. A friend found these inserts at the locally owned hardware store and bought mom a couple as a gift. Mom has since bought more and is looking for a couple more to have a complete set.

These sit in the track where the window goes up and down and keeps cats from laying IN the windowsill and potentially pushing the screens out and escaping (or falling). It allows air in and out but keeps everyone safe.


As for kittens, mom likes to try to keep them contained when they are tiny. This is a plastic storage container. Just the right size for containing kittens and allowing their momma in there to lay down and nurse.
At least until someone gets JUST big enough to figure out how to escape.

13 comments:

  1. I agree; dog water dishes work much better than the lightweight "cat" ones! We have a water fountain plus other water dishes -- all dog or heavy human dishes.
    I keep meaning to get a nice storage container like that for kittens. Although storage between uses is an issue. I love your ladder!

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  2. Those babies are just ridiculously cute, I can't stand it. :-)

    Great idea re: the ceramic dog bowls! I have the cat fountain, which both do use, and I have other glass bowls around the house, but those bowls aren't particularly heavy and do sometimes get knocked over when the boys are running around. I must look for heavy-duty ones on sale -- thanks for the idea.

    Oh, and the screen inserts are brilliant. Glad there was something easy to keep them all safe. :-)

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  3. The Hubby has latched down any window screen where Angel and Chucky go to look out, to make sure they stay inside. Our old house has big, heavy wooden storms and screens; they hook on at the top on the outside, so the extra latch holds them in place when a cat's body pushes against. Think I'll look for the heavy, ceramic bowls too!

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  4. That storage box is purrfect for tots.

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  5. You might want to use the "litter box rule" on those window screens - one for each window plus an extra (or two) as they can get snagged or torn. In the picture it looks as if the top of the screen is not secured by the window being pulled down onto it. It's a good isea to do this as a determined cat can wiggle it loose.
    Love the ideas for kitten storage !

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  6. Those are some mighty good ideas. I like the ceramic bowls with the rubber mat with the lip.Some of the cats here do splash the water all over the place. Those little kittens are just the cutest.

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  7. All our windows that open have screens that my human had a handyman secure to keep us inside (and other critters outside).

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  8. guys...mom rocks in ALL that her does for everee one ALL de time !!! ☺☺....thanx for de tip bout de screenz; sum large cat round heer whooz name will go name lezz tuna haz pushed de screen out N came... yay close.... ta fallin out de window~~~~~~
    happee fry day guyz ☺☺♥♥

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  9. Those window screens were really common and easy to find in hardware stores when the head peep lived in NYC. We even have one for when we have to be closed in the sunroom, since it doesn't have ventilation and will get hot and stuffy unless it is open to the rest of the house. She was amazed how hard they were to find here when they were so common in the big city. Go figure!

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  10. When I had windows open, I had my contractor out nails along the bottom to keep the screens from popping out. We haven't had windows open for about 15 years due to Mookie (RIP) having asthma and Nicky with so many allergies he can't tolerate any fresh air. We're sealed up tight like Fort Knox year round. Less pollen to clean in the spring.

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  11. Good ideas. It's the cutest jailbreak we've ever seen ! Purrs

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  12. Our Sasha drinks the very same way as Tommy. Our sunny room has screen windows and sometimes the mom bean opens them for us. But Saku likes to climb them and that makes the mom bean angry.

    Love the kitten jail break!

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  13. :) I have that dark blue water bowl

    I like the screen idea.. I've often wanted to open windows in the kitten room, and end up having to open them from the top to be safe.

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