I was still waiting for Furball to use the cat toilet training tray since I moved the CitiKitty onto the top of the toilet.  He was whining a little more than usual in the morning and kept pacing around the house.

I was a little concerned.  When I checked the toilet, the tray was still unadorned from any excrements.  I enjoyed writing that sentence!

After watching Furball seem a little more anxious than normal, I thought I’d try showing him the box one more time.  This time, instead of placing him directly on the tray, I put him on the stool beside the toilet.  This allowed him the opportunity to stand on a familiar object, yet explore the toilet seat.

He gave the tray a couple of sniffs.  Then he gingerly stepped up and walked on the pan a bit.  I held my breath.  He went into the familiar cat squat and I left him to do his business.

A giant sigh of relief!

My Observations:

Yes, as Amazon reviewers have noted, the CitiKitty pan is flimsy as compared to the Litter Kwitter.  I noticed it giving a bit under Furball’s paws.  He weighs about 12.5 lbs.  At no point however, did it seem like the tray would not hold him or that it would break off from the toilet.  It moved, but seemed secure.  Like what you would expect from buildings built to withstand earthquakes.

Furball also stood exclusively on the pan and did not put his paws on the toilet seat.  I could see how punching out the rings too fast would cause issues.  I’m just happy he’s using the tray on the toilet.  I’ll give him as much time as he needs before punching out the first ring.  The first ring is quite small, so I’m not too concerned.  My biggest concern was that he wouldn’t use the tray when it was moved to the toilet.

Out of habit, I went to use the bathroom a few times, but stopped when I saw the cat litter tray sitting on the toilet.  I used the other washroom instead.  I could see how if you only had one bathroom this would be a pain in the butt.  It’s not that big a deal to move the tray, but I really didn’t want to be handling a pan full of litter every time I needed to go.

On Day 6, I moved the CitiKitty cat toilet training kit tray back onto the toilet.  I put down the new flat toilet seat.  I picked up Furball, placed him on the toilet so that he could see where his new “box” had moved to.  He jumped off immediately, but that was to be expected.  I picked him up one more time to show him and then I waited.

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

The expected #2 never arrived, so I put a footstool right infront of the toilet.  Furball likes to sit on the stool in the kitchen.  Kinda ironic I needed to add a stool in expectation of a stool.

Again, I waited…

And waited…

And waited…

And waited…

By the end of the day, the cat litter tray sat pristinely on the toilet.  Well, as pristine as a litter tray can be.  Actually, it wasn’t that pristine.  I left remnants of his previous #1 coated litter in the pan.  I figured the smell of cat pee would alert him to where his box went.

Hey, I’m happy and excited to report that I got published in Feline Wellness magazine.  I submitted an article on cat-friendly green cleaning options and they published it in the Spring edition of their magazine, which just came out.

http://www.felinewellness.com/

While researching the article, I discovered that citrus oils are extremely toxic to cats.  This was quite alarming since I used a bunch of eco-friendly cleaners that contained citrus oils.  In the article, I did not mention specific products, but I did discover that Seventh Generation makes a line of products called “Free & Clear” and these don’t contain essential oils.  Also, I use a lot of Wowgreen products since I signed up to be one of their independent distributors.  Their products are enzyme-based as opposed to using citrus oils to clean.

I bought two copies of the magazine at Whole Foods.  Yeah, I know it’s not eco-friendly to buy two.  I’m keeping one and mailing the other one to my Mom.

I just got a coupon code from the Only Natural Pet Store to save 10% off all eco-friendly products during March.  Thought I’d share this coupon code with you.  I signed up as an affiliate with the Only Natural Pet Store so if you would be so kind as to use the link below, I would truly appreciate it.  Every little bit helps to supplement the cost of hosting this blog.  Thank you.

This blog and my cat toy book are personal projects that I created to encourage people to be more eco-friendly.  Even with the addition of those annoying double-underlined ad links (yes, I know they’re annoying and I apologize for them, but I noticed there was a lot of traffic that just bounced in and out, so I thought I’d see if I could monetize it), the monthly advertising revenue is usually about five bucks.

To save 10% during the month of March, use the coupon code: ECOFRIEND

Visit their website at: Only Natural Pet Store

On Day 4, I was going to move Furball’s CitiKitty litter pan onto the toilet.  I lifted up the toilet seat, placed the tray on the bowl and lowered the seat back down on it.  Then I picked up Furball and placed him on the seat to show him where his new “litter box” had relocated to.

As his paws skidded on the seat, I realized I’d have to go back a step.  Our toilet seat is the “French curve” style where it slopes gently inwards.  Personally I hate it, but that’s what the house came with and it was brand new so it didn’t make sense to get rid of it.  Why would you want your butt to slide into the toilet?

I’d seen Furball balancing delicately on the seat before, but I figured with the cat toilet training, it would be hard for him to stand on the sloping seat and squat over the tray.  If you’re going to toilet train your cat, why set them up for failure?

I put the CitiKitty tray back to the spot beside the toilet and left it there for another day.  On Day 5, I finally got around to swapping the French curve seat with the flat seat in the upstairs bathroom.  Who knew it was so hard to align a toilet seat perfectly over the bowl?

I did learn why some toilet seats slide around on the bowl.  The screws are loose.  Flip up the caps by the seat hinges, and use a large flathead screwdriver to tighten the screws.  Reach behind the bowl and under the screws to find the bolts.  Hold onto them while you tighten the screws.

Here’s a recipe from the new pet food cookbook from Lucy Postins, co-founder of The Honest Kitchen. Made out of Love includes nourishing recipes for toppings, treats, main dishes, raw, and functional cuisines that you can make at home.  The book includes recipes for cats and dogs.

Win the Cookbook

Enter our giveaway for a chance to win a copy of this new cookbook as well as a sample pack of Prowl, dehydrated raw cat food.  10 lucky readers will win a sample pack of Prowl, and one extra lucky reader will win the cookbook.  See the bottom of this post for details.

Recipe for Feline Valentine Savories

These bite-sized nibbles are irresistible for most cats and a great way to show your kitty a little extra love on Valentine’s Day or any special occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 cup The Honest Kitchen Prowl dehydrated cat food
• 1⁄3 cup warm water
• 1⁄2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1⁄2 cup fresh raw ground turkey
• 2 free range eggs

What to Do

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Hydrate the Prowl with the warm water in a large mixing bowl and stir thoroughly.
3. Add in all the remaining ingredients one by one and stir to form a thick dough.
4. Carefully mold the dough into small raspberry-sized balls using your hands.
5. Place on a greased baking sheet.
6. Bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes or until slightly crispy on the outside.
7. Cool thoroughly before serving.
8. Keep these treats in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or keep them in the freezer and just defrost a few at a time.

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
To enter the giveaway, simply click the link at the bottom of this article and you’ll be redirected to an entry form on my cat toy book website, MakeYourOwnCatToys.com.  I’d really like to hear how your cat likes Prowl and post it on GreenLittleCat.com, so please enter only if you don’t mind reporting back on whether your cat liked Prowl and how easy/difficult it was to use.

The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents in the continental U.S. (excludes Alaska and Hawaii).  Please enter a maximum of once per day and the deadline to enter the giveaway is February 28th, 2010.

>> Enter to Win the Cookbook and a Sample Pack of Prowl >>

Just got wind of this recall posted on the FDA site.  I’m not that surprised since this was the company that wouldn’t tell me whether their products were processed by Menu Foods, citing confidentiality.   See “Related Articles” to read what I learned about Nature’s Variety in the Natural Cat Food Throwdown.

Excerpts from the FDA release below:

Nature’s Variety has initiated a voluntary recall of their Chicken Formula Raw Frozen Diet for dogs and cats with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10 because these products may be contaminated with Salmonella.  The only products affected are limited to chicken medallions, patties, and chubs with a “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10.

If you are a consumer and have purchased one of the affected products, please return the unopened product to your retailer for a full refund or replacement.  If your package has been opened, please dispose of the raw food in a safe manner by securing it in a covered trash receptacle.  Then, bring your receipt (or the empty package in a sealed bag) to your local retailer for a full refund or replacement.

Nature’s Variety became aware of a potential problem after receiving a consumer complaint. Subsequent testing indicated that the lot code related to the consumer complaint tested negative for Salmonella.  However, additional subsequent testing found the “Best If Used By” date of 11/10/10 to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Pets with Salmonella infections may become lethargic and have diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, or vomiting. Some pets may experience only a decreased appetite, fever, or abdominal pain. Infected, but otherwise healthy pets can be carriers and infect other animals or humans. If your pet has consumed any of the affected products and is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact your veterinarian.

http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/UCM200248

On Day 1 of Furball’s cat toilet training, I took the CitiKitty kit and placed the plastic tray insert on the ground next to the toilet.  According to the instruction booklet (which is printed on 100% recycled paper), the first step is to place your litter box next to the toilet.

Furball’s box has always been next to the toilet so I was already onto Step 2.  The second step was to actually put the tray insert into the toilet and show it to your cat.  I decided to go slower since everything I’ve read about cat toilet training suggests that going slowly is the best thing to do.

As a result, I put the tray insert on the floor where Furball’s litter box used to be.  The plastic made a scratchy scraping sound on the floor, so I carefully folded up a piece of newspaper and put it underneath as a buffer.  I thought the scrape (like nails on a chalkboard) might freak out the cat.

I also didn’t put only fresh litter in the tray.  I put a bit of his stink-o-factor litter from the box.  It made sense to me that he’d recognize what it was if there was some of his business in it.  The tray felt like it might move around when he walked on it, so I also wedged it between the litter scoop and the toilet brush to keep it from sliding.

I was expecting a big mess of litter all over the bathroom since the tray is quite shallow.  Much to my surprise and delight, when Furball used the “box”, there was just a wet spot in the tray and a few stray bits of litter.  Later in the day, when he did #2, he left a few logs sitting on top.

I guess I’m lucky that my cat is rather lazy when it comes to burying his stuff.  I’m unlucky in that for 8 years, I’ve had to put up with stinky cat boxes since he won’t cover it up half the time.  On the other hand, this might make cat toilet training really easy.

There seems to be a growing trend to feed pets raw meat as opposed to processed pellets. I can’t speak to the benefits myself, but have heard from a few readers who swear that their cats’ health improved dramatically on a raw meat diet. Here’s a chance to win dehydrated, raw, human-grade cat food. Bet you never thought you’d see that in a giveaway!

If you’re not chopping raw meat for your cat yourself, the most common option is to buy prepared raw cat food in frozen format. I always thought this was rather inconvenient. How do you chisel off just enough off of a polenta-sized frozen sausage to feed your cat? Don’t you have to thaw it and then leave a batch sitting in your fridge? Also, I wouldn’t want to give my cat icy cold food to eat. If these types of questions have run through your mind about feeding your cat a raw meat diet, then Prowl, a dehydrated raw cat food made by The Honest Kitchen might be just what you’re looking for.

Prowl is a natural grain-free cat food that’s high in protein and contains only 9 ingredients plus added vitamins and minerals. And, you can pronounce all of them! Check out this list, which reads like Thanksgiving dinner:

• Free-range chicken that’s 100% sustainably-farmed in Petaluma, California, humanely raised and vegetarian fed without the use of animal fat or by-products or antibiotic
• Eggs
• Potatoes
• Yams
• Organic flaxseed
• Zucchini
• Spinach
• Cranberries
• Rosemary

Prowl might also be just the high protein diet you’re looking for if your cat has struvite crystals. According to Lucy Postins, co-founder of The Honest Kitchen:

“Our foods are generally well suited to pets who are prone to urinary stones and crystals, because after re-hydration, they are high moisture diets and the increased fluid intake is recommended by holistic vets, to help keep the urinary trace ‘flushed out’. It is also possible to add a natural supplement to the food to help combat stones and crystals and help to reduce the risk of further blockages occurring.”

Lucy goes on to say that, “It’s important to know which type of crystals your cat is prone to in order to make a recommendation on the supplement. It’s critical to know this info because the two main types of crystals thrive in opposite pH environment, so using the wrong supplement could actually exacerbate the condition.” She recommended consulting with your veterinarian for this information.

If I didn’t have a small baby who likes to stick stuff in his mouth all the time, I’d give serious consideration to trying Prowl for Furball to help him manage his struvite crystals. I like the idea of how convenient it would be to simply add room temperature water to the food and allow it to hydrate rather than having to thaw frozen bricks of raw cat food in my fridge. I also like that since Prowl is dehydrated, it’s light and easy to transport, making it much greener than frozen raw cat food.

If you’d like to try Prowl, The Honest Kitchen is generously offering sample packs of Prowl for our Dehydrated, Raw, Human-Grade Cat Food Giveaway.  What a mouthful to write. There are 10 sample packs available to win, so 10 lucky winners will each get a sample pack of Prowl.  Those are some pretty good odds.  Plus, one of the 10 winners will also win Lucy’s first cookbook for pets called, Made out of Love: Recipes to prepare for (and sometimes share with) your animal companion.  Made out of Love includes nourishing recipes for toppings, treats, main dishes, raw, and functional cuisines that pet owners can make for their four-legged friends at home.

HOW TO ENTER
To enter the giveaway, simply click the link at the bottom of this article and you’ll be redirected to an entry form on my cat toy book website, MakeYourOwnCatToys.com.  Sorry, it’s not on Green Little Cat, but I tried to get it to work with my Wordpress set-up and it wouldn’t run.  With the new baby in the house, it will be quite some time before I debug the code.  I’d really like to hear how your cat likes Prowl and post it on GreenLittleCat.com, so please enter only if you don’t mind reporting back on whether your cat liked Prowl and how easy/difficult it was to use.

TRIPLE YOUR CHANCES TO WIN!

Because I’m really passionate about encouraging other cat lovers to go green for the health of their pets, families and the planet, I’ll triple your entries if you would be so kind as to help spread the word about greener living.  Please do one or more of the following:

• Join our Facebook fan page
• Click the “Share” button on the bottom of any Green Little Cat blog article to post it to your favourite social networking site.
• Click the “ShareThis” link to email an article to a friend.
• Send a tweet out on twitter and include our website: www.GreenLittleCat.com.
• Tell a friend about Green Little Cat the old-fashioned way.

There will be a checkbox on the entry form asking whether you helped spread the word.  Check it to triple your entries.  Obviously, I can’t verify whether or not you did any of these activities.  It’s based on the honour system and I thank everyone for respecting the spirit of my request.  Some free cat food is definitely not worth compromising your integrity.  Thank you.

ENTER NOW
The giveaway is limited to U.S. residents in the continental U.S. (excludes Alaska and Hawaii).  Please enter a maximum of once per day and the deadline to enter the giveaway is February 28th, 2010.

>> Enter to Win the Cookbook and a Sample Pack of Prowl >>

I might be a little late to the party, but I came across this awesome DIY cat scratcher on the Design*Sponge blog.  I love how it doesn’t look like a home made scratcher.  Instead, it looks like something out of a modern furniture design catalogue.

Besides the good looks, it’s also green.  Like a lot of the other eco-friendlier cat scratchers, Design*Sponge used recycled corrugated cardboard to make theirs.  Not only can your cat scratch, he or she can also sit on it.  It’s like a designer Kitty chair.  Detailed instructions for making your own cat scratcher, kitty pad, are posted on the Design*Sponge blog.  Check it out:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/01/diy-project-recycled-cardboard-kitty-pad.html