Welcome to the middle of summer! As we wade through this hot center of summer, we are going to slow down and focus on our pets - all the animal life that we bring into our homes and which makes it a better place to live.
We will be holding a Pet Decor Contest and soliciting your tips for great stores, services and products that make life with pets easier and more rewarding. (Pic at left by Jenny Belin)
But first, lets see who we have out there. Here is last year's survey in which cats beat dogs 2 to 1.
No pets but I do have a house spider at the bottom corner of the front door who is particularly adept at catching insects so I haven't got the heart to evict him.
Just out of curiousity... If you already knew that cats outnumbered dogs among your readers, why did you opt for dog-specific prizes for your Pet Decor Contest...?
Dear AT -
Please, please, please help us cat owners find catproof sofa upholstery.
Thank you
There was a spider in a previous apartment who I became quite attached to and began thinking of as my pet. I often observed it wrapping up ants in its web. We had a bit of an ant problem and I would sweep them off the counter and into the web. It was so quick and efficient and the ants didn't have a chance. Great natural pest control.
Dear AT,
Please, please help us cat owners find cat proof sofa upholstery.
Thank you,
wb
OTHER: a dog and a cat
The poll would only let me pick one and there was no option for multiple answers. Surely I am not the only one with more than one species!
I also have both, 2 dogs and a cat.
Three cats and a dog here. You're not alone, Holly.
Well, I have a pet ladybug living in my refrigerator. I found Salady in a container of organic salad greens. I didn't want to release her because she could be a non-native species (I live in Maryland where we're still embarrassed about the snakehead fish incident), and I certainly wasn't going to eat the salad. I was so impressed with her will to live under difficult conditions that I decided to let her live in the fridge until the greens turned to liquid. It's been a month, and the greens are only just now starting to have that not-so-fresh look. Salady continues to thrive, but I don't recommend trying this with dogs or cats. Okay, maybe cats. ;-)
My wish list for pet month includes a litter box that looks like furniture rather than plastic crap, yet costs under $250 or so. I've seen the Kattbank, but it costs around two thousand dollars (!!!) and it's huge.
Surely there are many others like myself who live in small spaces and either don't have places to hide a litter box, or are tired of giving up as much space as we do.
How do New Yorkers in ultra small spaces deal with hiding litter boxes? It's just a shame to have a wonderfully designed space with an eye sore of a plastic litter box...
P.S. Two cats here...
I have a bearded dragon. When I got him I had visions of creating a beatiful desert oasis for him inside a beautiful wooden enclosure. Once he got big enough and starting destroying everything in his cage I gave up that dream.
3 cats and a dog plus the 2 gorgeous kitties I am fostering (who think they also live there). Needless to say, it's a very full house.
Interesting that so far the majority of readers own cats but the prizes for the pet competition are for dog owners. Can you imagine stuffing a cat in some rainsuit? It is something I did at the age of five - and my childhood cats NEVER forgave me.
Regarding the litter box in a small apartment: I have read that many NYers put there litter box in the shower. I live in 550 sf apartment with an 11 lb cat and found this - after many experiments -- to work best. I didn't think I could stand the litter in the tub, but it has proven to be the best approach for me.
Yes, the litter gets all over the shower which is kind of gross but better, IMHO, than litter all over the bathroom floor or my front hall or closet or kitchen (yuck - didn't even try this). Obviously, I take the box out to take a shower - cat seems to have no problem with this. Note, I do not buy the super clumping litter - I think it would clog the drain.
On a side note, I found litter boxes at pet stores to be HUGE - so I bought a smaller plastic box at The Container Store (came with a lid which is great for visiting mom and dad). I started looking around because someone recommended I use a small dishpan instead of the large litter boxes. You should think beyond what is sold in the pet store - look around when at the hardware store, the grocery store, ect - see what works aesthetically for your apartment.
Also, I put in less litter in the box - two scoops and dump ALL of it every night before bed. Wash the litter box and refill. It takes 2-3 minutes a day - since the box is small and there is so little litter, there is no heavy lifting involved. It's small space - I don't want my place to smell like cat piss so I toss it. My trash chute is on the way to the elevator so I dump the litter every day (reusing grocery bags)on my way to work. I wipe down the tub when I clean the box to keep the litter in the tub at bay.
Most cat owners think I am a bit obsessive about cleaning the litter box ... but my non-cat owning friends have all noted that my place does not smell like cat. It's worth it to hear that.
I have 3 cats. I too, keep my litter box in the tub. It has always worked out really well for me. Most of the loose litter stays in the tub and is washed down into the screen drain when I take a shower. The contents of the screen drain then gets emptied in the garbage. I keep a small dustbuster nearby for the little bit of litter that gets on the bathroom floor. The litter box takes up no room at all during the course of my daily life. And nobody sees it when the come to visit.
I have 3 cats and a rabbit. We're all in my little 400sf apartment, so I'm rapidly decluttering to open up the space.
I am fortunate to have a small laundry room in my apartment, so I keep the litterbox in there. I am always looking for ideas on how to reduce the various pet smells (nothing like a bale of hay in your apartment to invoke memories of growing up in the country).
I am also trying to find attractive furniture for my Siamese to climb. My last place had vaulted ceilings and plant ledges, so he could nap up there. Everything that I find is carpet covered and not my style or is huge or costs thousands of dollars or is in some other way appropriate. I got the leaning bookshelves from Crate & Barrel but he has trouble gripping the smooth wood so I need to find a way to give him some traction without ruining the look.
anyone know where I can get a flat-pack cat carrier? I saw an UGLY one in red plaid at a discount store, all the sides zipped together to form the carrier. But I'm looking for a cute one for my cute cat.
Julie: cute, but it's not doing the ladybug any good. They don't eat greens. They are predators and eat agricultural pests like aphids and fruit flies. It's probably still alive mainly because it's so cold in your fridge. Click on my name (assuming the link worked) for a picture of a ladybug and an aphid that will destroy many of your illusions about these vicious predators. :)
[Warning: insect-on-insect violence]
Hi Apartment Therapy....
Thank you for mentioning me today.
Cheers and Happy Pet month!
Jenny B
Ondrej, yes, I know Salady is a cold-blooded killer -- the farm put her and her sisters into the field so they wouldn't have to use pesticide. Ladybugs hibernate in winter, so I figured she'd be okay for a while. At least she has a familiar bed to sleep in!
No pets here although lately I've been wanting to adopt a cat from the shelter. Having to pay at my apartment a $300 non-refundable fee plus $15 monthly to keep a pet is discouraging me from doing so.
Maybe later in the year or next year I'll consider it.
Kyla the boston terrier wants to know how to make her black wire crate look less ugly, cause mom isn't shelling out $300+ on the Bowhaus, no matter HOW stylish it is!
I have a cat AND a dog, so I had to select "other."
I agree with Alex and Anne. If there isn't an obvious out-of-the-way place to put your litter box, try the tub. Of the dozens of people I cat sit for, the cleanest, least-smelly homes have litter in the tub and scoop/clean it daily. My litter box is a rubbermaid dish pan with high sides and handles. About six bucks at National Wholsale Liquidators.
Our litter box is in the tub too. We have 3 cats, and one is getting up in years and has a tendency to er, miss. It makes things much easier to clean. Becuase of her, we also tried one of those self cleaning litterboxes and put it in the hallway/laundry/kitchen area (to give her more options to GO). It's okay, but I wouldn't have bought it (hubby bought it in an effort to get her to go IN not NEXT to the litterbox).
Now we just clean that area a lot.
We have three ferrets, so I chose "other." So far, any attempt at design has been mostly to keep them out of trouble. They definitely dictate the kind of furniture we buy, as well as they way it is arranged (nothing they can get stuck in or behind, nothing providing access to an open window, etc.). And they never hesitate to show us areas we overlooked. Don't get me wrong-- they are wonderful, intelligent and sweet pets. But they are curious about everything and are incredibly persistent if they want to get into something.
I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but would love to hear of any ferret-friendly solutions! And no, getting rid of them is not an option.
Jackie - we have a 17-year old cat who has trouble getting into the litter box (so the tub is definitely out of the question). After trying MANY options, the booda has been the best. It has a ramp and cover that is easy on her arthritis and force her to get ALL the way in.
other = southern flying squirrel named Sigismund. He would *detest* a rain outfit.
There is a definite mammalian bias with pet keepers...
I will be happy when reptiles gets it's own category, and it's lumped in with "other"!
My squamous "other" are pair of uromastyx ornatus.
this link is a picture of them
http://www.repticzone.net/images/17469/IMG_2652.JPG
their home is a large, custom-built, oak & glass terrarium. They would eat any plants I put in there, so they mostly have rocks & branches in there for recreation/decoration.
oops meant to say "no longer lumped in with "other"
3 black cats. Click on my name to view.
A bird, a Chinatown turtle, and fish. I would kill to find a cool, modern looking bird cage. They are all so ugly!
For people with dogs (and people planning to adopt one), check out Urbanhound.com: the city dog's ultimate survival guide at http://www.urbanhound.com. With everything you need to know about living with a dog in Chicago (and NYC and San Francisco editions too), this website has a vet to answer your health questions, a trainer to answer Q's, etc.
Moving into New York City with two cats was such a challenge, not the least of which was the litter box - how to disguise it in a small place.
Thankfully, I found this: http://www.petsbestproducts.com/
The biggest issue we had was travelling to Paris one long weekend and having our cat sitter not be able to find the litter box (our fault for not telling her!). Not only does it look nice in our home, but the charcoal filters keep the smell down (as does Feline Pine Litter - best litter!).