It’s time for another round of Stuff We Like, and as I write this draft, Orville, the Larger of my two orange cats, is sprawled across my desk, feet in the air, belly exposed. The belly is not a trap, by the way – you can pet it. He prefers that I smooth his considerable expanse of belly fur instead of typing these words, but we all have to make compromises.
I’ve smoothed the belly fur.
This month, I wanted to share some pet supplies and pet spoiling items that we love – and invite you to share yours! I have two cats, Wilbur and the aforementioned Orville, who are orange tabby rescues, and very best friends. We’ve added a number of Very Much Feline Approved items to the house. Starting with: heating pads.
My desk is a very old Ikea table (the kind where you pick out a top then pick out some legs, both of which I did in 1997, and it’s still going strong). Of course the cats want to sit on it with me. So I parked a heating pad for cats on the desk next to the window.
Thermo Kitty Heated Cat Pad, $19
They both unabashedly LOVE this cat pad. In fact, let’s get a little meta about it:
Now that I’ve stopped Smoothing the Belly Furs, Orville is sitting on it, watching Squirrel and BlueJay Kitty TV (aka the south facing window). It’s not so hot that touching it is unpleasant. I think the maximum temperature is about 15 degrees higher than the air temp – which both cats love. Sometimes they both try to fit on it. That doesn’t go well.
So of course I have a second heating pad. This one I bought for Zeb, the smaller and louder of my two dogs, who is probably 10, possibly older, and would probably really like the heating pad I bought for him to sit on, if the cats would let him use it.
Electric Heating Pad for Cats & Dogs, $25
Oh, my gosh, that picture is ridiculous. It looks like that cat is being probed most unpleasantly!
This heating pad is much warmer – it has a temperature controller, which is that silly probe looking thing. It doesn’t stick straight up in the air, though. It has a coiled cord and the controller is midway between the wall plug and the pad itself. Unlike the one on my desk, this pad doesn’t come with a fuzzy cover. You’re meant to cover it yourself or put it inside an existing bed. The temperature ranges from 77-131°F and I wrapped mine in an old pillow sham. Zeb likes it, but Wilbur likes it better. It’s a good thing that they are good friends, as they can share it.
Speaking of the dogs, I wrote about this for a gift guide in 2016, but we still have it, and the dogs still adore it. After I bought new pillows for our bed, I learned that I could recycle the old pillows, which to a dog smell freaking magical, and use them for a dog bed:
Additional justification to treat yourself to a new pillow? How about, “Make your dogs seriously happy!”
If you buy a dog bed cover, you can fill it with the old pillows, which means:
- You’re upcycling or recycling or tricycling the old pillows into further use
- Your dogs will seriously like it because after a year of use, the pillows will smell like you to extreme degrees
- You’ll be getting them a rather massive new bed for a relatively low price
The DIY Pet Bed Dog Pillow Bed Cover ($20 | $25) comes in a bunch of different colors, and in two different sizes. We put two king size pillows in the larger one, and they fit perfectly – and they’re pillows so it’s easy to squish them in to zip up the two covers.
We ordered the blue denim cover, and both dogs pretty much live on it all day. They love it. And it makes me embarrassing levels of goofy happy to see them curled up snuggling on the bed and rubbing their noses on it.
The bed is next to our sofa, and while it’s clearly a dog bed, it doesn’t look gross or anything. The dogs both recommend it. However, they would like me to tell you that they do not share with the cats.
Amanda and Elyse both swear by The Furminator, which is a deshedding brush/comb hybrid superhero of pet fur removal. I’ve tried to use mine on Orville, but he does not like being brushed. Amanda reports that Linus, however, loves his, and once she’s brushed him, she can hold it still and he’ll rub his face on it.
Furminator Short or Long Hair deShedding Tool for Cats, $37
There are Furminators for dogs and cats of all sizes. While they aren’t cheap, they will remove an entire pet’s worth of fur from your own pet. No kidding. It’s kind of extraordinary.
When Elyse adopted Fisher, “he was so filthy and matted. So he got a bath and then I de-shedded him. I got a pile of matted gross fur as big as he was.”
Fisher can confirm:
Elyse also has this nifty toy for Fisher and Dewey:
Northmate Interactive Cat Feeder, $27
Elyse says, “I put some treats in it and they have to maneuver them out.”
They do seem to like it – it’ll keep them busy for quite awhile: “When Dewey hears the treat bag come out he runs over to it and waits. Fisher, bless him, hasn’t totally figured it out yet.”
Aww. Poor Fisher.
Amanda also has a recommendation from Linus:
KONG Beaver Refillable Catnip Toy, $6.
“Linus’ absolutely favorite toy is his catnip beaver. He just holds it in his paws and…licks it. Like a fucking creep.”
Well, that’s about all the endorsement for a catnip beaver that I need, personally. How about you?
Both Orville and Wilbur love this toy, so much that we have to hide it. If they found it, it would be destroyed, as they are determined to end its existence entirely.
Multi Feather Teaser and Exerciser, $10
And Elyse says this is Dewey’s favorite. She adds, “It’s not cheap but it’s stood up to him clawing the shit out of it. He climbs and inside and lurks.”
Twin Critters – Handcrafted Cat Cave Bed (Large), $65-70
(we did say we were spoiling the pets!)
There are several styles, too – Elyse says that Dewey’s looks like a leaf. (With a cat in it.)
What pet supplies and pet-spoiling items do you love? We want your recommendations!
This is the best post! I have a 7 year-old rescue cat named Jelly. She is 18lbs of aspirational hunter (as an indoor cat, she sticks to her mouse toys and any spiders she comes across) and belly rubs lover.
Some of her best/useful things include:
– The Furminator – I’m a huge fan, she hates it.
– Catit Flower Water Fountain – before I got this water fountain for her, she would drag around her water dish and flip it over nine times out of ten. I realized she needed to see/feel the water moving before she’d drink it. Now, there are no kitchen puddles! Note: I use it without the flower attachment, the bubbling water is enough for her.
PetFushion Ultimate Cat Scratcher Lounge – made with tightly constructed cardboard, its perfect for the way she scratches (prefers low to the ground rather than a post) and she loves sleeping on it. Note: comes with a small bag of catnip so a cat will rub their own scent all over it.
Pet Magasin Thermal Self-Heated Pad for Cat (Pack of 2) – got her one because 1) I had given one to my dearly departed eldercat and it was great for her, 2) because it uses body heat to stay warm and doesn’t need a cord 3) so that I could put it on her favorite chair and save the chair from cat hair. She loves it. Note: I gave the second pad to my mom’s cat and she does not like it.
Bonus!
– Cat Dancer Rainbow Cat Charmer Toy – gave to my mom’s cat for Christmas because it’s made of fleece and I thought it wouldn’t knot as quickly when my mom waved it around. Turns out, the cat loves it so much, she drags it around like Linus with his blanket. To bed, to her food dish, to the kitchen. I’ve seen her do it and it’s ADORABLE.
Bonus #2!
– Braided Mirco USB Cable (Pack of 2) – Jelly chews through cords. These are made with nylon and reinforced metal tips. She cannot get through these suckers.
@KateB: My very own Linus has the same charmer toy! He also has very sharp teeth and has chewed off about an inch of the thing so far.
I might take your suggestions of the fountain and scratcher. I’ve noticed that my cat doesn’t use his post and likes scratching on my coarse rugs. Linus also has a habit of drinking from the toilet, which is something I’ve googled. Cats tend to like how it isn’t “standing water” and it’s usually colder.
After I die I want to come back as a cat in Sarah’s house! Promise you will get me a catnip beaver!
Totally second the Furminator recommendation! You can get enough fur off our Siberian Husky to make a large cat with one of those – which means less fur under my furniture!
@KateB: How often do you have to wash the water fountain? We had a stainless steel one a few years ago for Spawn, our dearly departed Maine Coon, and it got slimy all the time, so I’d have to wash it more than once a week, which was a royal pain in the butt. Orville also loves to drink from a running faucet, and squeezes his body behind the sink handle to get it to turn on. I’m wondering if this would be good for him.
Nice post. Have you heard about Chubbs the 29lb Himalayan found wondering near Pasadena? His fur was so matted they had to shave the poor critter. He’s up for adoption today and I wish I could have him. I have such a soft spot for fatsos. The heating pad is such a marvelous invention!
I’m not saying that the underfloor heating in my kitchen was for my elderly dog’s benefit. No, not at all.
These are great! I love the furminator for both my cats and dog. May I suggest the Ultimate Scratching Post (https://www.amazon.com/SmartCat-3832-Ultimate-Scratching-Post/dp/B000634MH8) which allows my Sparrow to get her fullest stretch. Also the Trixie 5-in-One Activity Center (https://www.amazon.com/TRIXIE-Pet-Products-4590-Activity/dp/B001O8L2UO/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1529503425&sr=1-1&keywords=trixie+activity+fun+board+5-in-1+interactive+cat+toy)- Dodger, who I swear is part raccoon figured it out pretty quickly, but Sparrow (bless her heart) is still working on the simpler puzzles. Both purr like crazy when they use it though.
Ok, not to be a downer, but I had a long-smoldering (before actual flames erupted) house fire this weekend and almost all of my cats died from smoke inhalation. I’ve been told one ran away but can’t find him.
So. My cats had a door mounted toy purchased 15+ years ago they LOVED so much they killed it. I finally found a replacement but didn’t receive it until just before this weekend therefore am unable to rate it. It looked sort of like this:
https://smile.amazon.com/Our-Pets-Batting-Practice-Interactive/dp/B001PIJJEE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1529503451&sr=8-5&keywords=Hanging+cat+toy
I also just purchased a veritable plethora of toys to replace their other worn-out ones, with an emphasis on the squeaky, chirping catnip filled ones they loved best.
@kitkat9000 that sounds overwhelming. I am so sorry for your loss.
@kitkat9000: I’m so, so sorry. That’s awful. My deepest condolences.
Oh, kitkat9000, huge hugs to you! So sorry for your losses.
My smoky grey tiger (Milo) loves the chirpy mice as well. (This is the one we have: http://www.ourpets.com/all-products/twice-the-mice-2pc/) The sound and movement really mimics a real mouse and he’s an outdoor cat so he scoffs at most substitutes. At 16 he looks like a kitten pouncing and stalking them!
If you really want to spoil an indoor cat, here’s the maker of a high quality (and $$$) cat tower – my mom bought one for her Amazonian feline, Chica. Really sturdy. https://www.purrfectpost.com
I’m so sorry, kitkat9000. I hope your lost boy finds you soon.
We have a five-foot-tall cat tower that is of no use whatsoever other than the top box for the occasional nap. For toys, she gets the most amusement from circumventing cat-proofing to stuff garbage (tea bag wrappers, carrot slices that roll off the counter, etc.) under appliances. She also likes ping-pong balls, which are noisy and zoomy on the wood floor.
Actual cat toys, however, have been an enormous waste of money. The only one she can be bothered with for more than an introductory examination is this round scratcher thing:
https://www.amazon.com/Bergan-Turbo-Scratcher-Colors-vary/dp/B000IYSAIW/
She’ll occasionally give the ball a swat, but she quickly gets bored because where’s the challenge in going around a circle? She does use the corrugated cardboard in the center to exercise her claws. (They sell replacement disks, and you can flip them over to the fresh side to extend the life.) Mostly, however, she sleeps draped straight over it, like lumpy, hard plastic is the epitome of comfort. I can’t sleep if there’s a wrinkle in my pillowcase, but go ahead and rub it in, cat.
Sorry for your loss, kitkat9000. We never get enough time with out beloved pets.
I bought the DIY Pillow Dog Bed cover after SB Sarah’s Gift Guide recommendation a couple of years ago. The Poodle suffers a bit from separation anxiety and has not torn this dog bed up! I think being able to smell his people when we are not nearby has been a huge help. I placed it near a French door so he can monitor the situation when we leave the house.
@Laura: That makes me so happy to hear. Many rubs and pats to your poodle. We battle dog anxiety here, too, and the bed made of our old pillows definitely helps. Oh, my heart feels a little better now. Thank you.
I also have the Catit Flower Water Fountain, and my cat loves it. She used to be frantic about drinking out of the faucet whenever I had it running. Cats probably don’t like stale water that’s been sitting around in a bowl anymore than we do. She drinks way more water now than she used to, too, which is much healthier, just like for people. I will have to try the heated pads. She loves to lounge in front of our space heater when I have it running during the winter, so I think she would be thrilled with a hot pad. And I love the idea of putting it somewhere she lays often, saving that spot from collecting too much cat hair.
I use a furminator on my long-haired Aussie, and it works wonders to get beneath the top coat and pull out some of the hot, heavy fur built up underneath. Just be careful not to make more than one pass in the same location. It can be painful scraping against their skin. My sister made that mistake with her dog, and now the poor baby won’t let her near her with it.
I both love this post AND wish I hadn’t seen it. So many things I want to buy for the #jollyzoo!
@kitkat9000 – I’m so very sorry.
@SBSarah – I wash it once a week. It’s made of plastic and I’ve never found it to be slimy. It’s basically a bucket, with a spot on the bottom to suction on the bubbly thing. Then, you put the filter holder on top, then the filter (it comes with one and you can and should buy replacements. I buy offbrand because they’re cheaper), then the slightly sloping top. And you can add the upright flower attachment, which is probably good for faucet fans.
Does anyone need any recommendations for toys for insane maniacal obsessive dogs? Mine is nuts and I have to buy heavy duty rubber toys or he destroys them, like we couldn’t use the regular Kong’s for awhile, had to get the black one ones or he destroyed them. We also got a nearly indestructible plastic ball for him that is too big for him to bite so he barks at it and rolls it around the yard with his nose in frustration, entertains the humans at least! He loves the jolly balls but chews them up too fast so we have to hide it and only let him play with it under supervision. Indestructible dog dot com has a really great selection of stuff for nuts dogs like mine as well. We got a rubber “stick” for him that looked like a giant black dildo but he loved that thing until he lost it in the woods, we called it his pickle because we are immature but didn’t want the kids to get the joke.
I bought Harry Potter house tag charms for my two greyhounds from Ashley Hay (a local-to-me artist) at the MSP Comic Con last month, and they’re really nice. Probably a little big for cats or small dogs, but maybe there’s a clever way to make them work? http://heyashley.com/shop
Here’s what they look like on the dogs: https://www.instagram.com/p/BjCkHVmFLcN/?taken-by=helo_the_dog
Yes to all things Kong!! My doggie niece, Ma Fan, deflated every ball or ball type object in 60 seconds or less. Footballs, basketballs, soccerballs, let’s not even discuss the baseballs. No toy was up to the challenge until we discovered Kong. They are essential when you have a dog with big strong jaws.
This is more for the cat-parents than the cat, but I can’t say enough good things about the Hurricane Fur Wizard! I was introduced to this by my mother-in-law and was very skeptical.. but it has lasted the test of some very long haired cats! It comes with two “lint roller” type devices, but I really can only recommend it for taking fur off furniture, rather than clothes. The best part about it is the “scabbard” that you put in the roller part to get the lint off the wand part. For reference: we purchased one of the pet-hair rated Bissel vacuum cleaners with a lint roller attachment thing.. and I busted it within 5 minutes by clogging it up with cat hair off a cat bed! So this was much needed in my house.
https://www.amazon.com/Hurricane-Wizard-Hair-Remover-BulbHead/dp/B072YSJTG3/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1529535090&sr=8-1&keywords=hurricane+fur+wizard
oh and not to be a downer, but I have a friend who has a heating pad on her porch for her outdoor kitties and it recently caught on fire while she was at work.. luckily her neighbors noticed and called the fire department, but now I like to warn people to make sure you can monitor the heater just in case!
@kitkat9000 – I am so sorry for your loss.
One of our two dogs has severe separation and one thing that helps (along with a bunch of other things) are the Extreme Kongs (the black ones), that I stuff with cream cheese, dog food, and a big treat to block the hole and make him work for it (our other dog gets one too when we leave the house and she is like see ya!).
Our other dog was always a fast eater but early this year she started eating so fast, she would choke, fall on the ground and gag and vomit. So we got her three slow feeders and rotate among them: Ootdpet Fun Feeder, Siensync Slow Feeder, and Outward Hound Fun Feeder.
We drive sedans and cannot crate our dogs when we take them anywhere in the car because their crates are way too big to fit. So for safety, they both have Sleepypod Clickit Sport-Certified and Crash-Tested Dog Safety Harness which work with your car seatbelts and allow the dogs to sit, lay down, and move between the two positions. These were tested and approved by Whole Dog journal to prevent injury to dogs in car crashes.
For the reason @Laura stated I have been wary of plug-in heating pads for our older arthritic dog (the same dog who needs the slow feeder) – I am paranoid I will forget they are on- so in the fall, winter and spring, I bought an inexpensive hot water bottle with multiple covers so I could wash them and snuggle that up to her. She also a couple of Gold Paw fleece coats that are easy to wash and help keep her warm. I am going to look into the self-heating beds @KateB recommended.
@kitkat9000 I am so sorry for your loss.
I know a lot of heating pads now have self shut off. I have newer models for work and home and they turn off after a certain number of hours plugged in.
Dewey won’t sleep on a heating pad. He prefers hard, cold surfaces like the top of the filing cabinet
@kitkat9000, that is awful, I’m so sorry you are going through this.
My Great Pyr and Newf tend toward overheating and they both love the self cooling mats.
https://arfpets.com/collections/beds/products/pet-dog-self-cooling-mat-pad-for-kennels-crates-and-beds-arf-pets-1?variant=372429717527
Our Newf is still 1 year old puppy and she enjoys chewing on the Petstages Deerhorn and Durablestick.
https://www.indestructibledog.com/collections/vendors?q=Petstages
I personally can’t say enough good things about the Furminator. The amount of hair it removes is amazing.
I love that there is a website of pet supplies called Indestructible Dog. That’s so great.
The tiny tyrant (or TT, as our elderly rescue cat is very affectionately known) absolutely adores these cat bowls: https://www.amazon.com/Felli-Oblik-Lordly-Shallow-Quartz/dp/B01F23MH46/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529587126&sr=8-1&keywords=fellipet. They’re raised up, and the actual dish is at an angle and wide enough to have room for his whiskers. Plus we have a couple of the stainless steel dishes which lift out and go through the dishwasher, so it’s always squeaky clean. TT approves and commends it to his fellow felines.
@kitkat900, TT sends purrs and paws to you. So very sorry for your loss.
My cat, Stu, adores his Turboscratcher. I’ve replaced the inner scratch pad several times. He loves to chase the ball. Other times he takes a running start from across the living room, leaps on it and surfs it across the floor.