2009.02.25
Essentials litter and Pill Pockets
Cindy from Rockbridge Baths give four-paws-up to two pet products. Cindy writes:
"The first is a new kitty litter by Arm and Hammer called "Essentials." This litter is a clumping litter but does not produce the dust that the others do. That dust is not only a nuisance as it gets everywhere (as with most dust it seems to get blown through the air and travels farther), but I believe that the small particles can be inhaled by the cats and cannot be good for small animals' lungs, nor ours for that matter.
The Essentials litter does not produce dust even though the particles are small (so they can clump) and will get tracked around by the cats, I find it much preferable and my cats took to it right away. It smells wonderfully and so keeps down odors while giving off a light pleasant fragrance continually.
It is a little bit expensive but goes a long way and lasts a really long time. It does not seem to need changing very often but you just need to add more to it as it gets used up in daily scooping.
The second product that I love is "Pill Pockets." These are small, soft treats for made in both cat and dog varieties (the dog ones are larger). They are cup shaped and you insert a pill in them and then pinch the top closed. Both my cats and dogs love them and it is an easy and great way to medicate your pets.
They are also a little expensive, around $8 to $9 for 35 treats in a package but well worth it. I keep them handy as you cannot find them everywhere, some veterinarian offices carry them, some pet shops and I have also found them at our Rockbridge Farmers' Coop."
I agree with you about the Greenies Pill Pockets, Cindy. They make it much easier to give our dogs pills and I agree they are worth the extra expense, especially when measured against the cost of losing a pricey pill.
If other readers are thinking about switching cat litter, I offer one helpful hint: Mix it in slowly with your current litter. Cats typically resist change, and whenever we have put a new brand litter in the box, Thai expresses his displeasure by making his deposits near the box instead of inside it.
Not all cats are so picky. My daughter's cat, India, is not at all finicky about the litter.
But if your kitty is like Thai, mix a little of the new litter with the old, then add a little more with each change of the box until you have kitty accustomed to the new stuff.
We tried similar branded pill pockets before and the cats hated them. They love Greenies treats though, so if they are similarly flavored to the treats, we might have luck with them. Generally any attempt to give our cats any kind of pill or liquid medicine need to be accompanied by a first aid kit. Oddly enough though, our cats like baths and play in the water more often than not. As for litter, we keep using Tidy Cat because it works well with the brood we have. They like it, our house doesn't smell (even with 6 cats inside at any given time), and it clumps well. I'd be hard pressed to try something new considering that our current setup works.
Comment by Other John — March 2, 2009 @ 2:46 pm