Scott, I too have just started to implement this lifestyle with my fur babies following this list and was excited to see I had a head start on some!
1. Nutrition. It took me almost a year to find the right kibble for my cats (constant loose stool), so I am completely terrified to change anything. I've decided instead to implement slowly. I feed wet food 2x a week right now and have introduced sardines as a healthy snack! They LOVE them.
2. Detoxification. Since two of my cats have asthma, I already have 5 air purifiers around our home. I also have 2 filtered fountains that I only fill with a filtered water pitcher.
3. Microbiome. I use Visbiome probiotics and sprinkle it on their food. It's actually a refrigerated probiotic that was recommended by my vet when my babies were having tummy issues. We also now do regular "spa days" where everyone gets a nail trim and a tooth brushing!
4. Movement. I struggle during the work week to keep up with playtime. I've bought battery operated toys (feather chase, rolling ball, automated laser) to add and turn them on for play as I cook dinner, get ready, etc.
5. Environment. I am blessed to have a house that has sun coming in all day long. We have the suction window seats and I place benches/beds where I know the sun hits! This spring I am planning to bring in some plants after doing some research on what ones are cat safe AND help detoxify the air.
7. Mental Health. Every morning I used to give the babies treats before heading to work. Now I pour them into a puzzle feeder instead so they are required to "hunt". I also like to think all of the above categories helps this one as well. I just add in by making sure I'm always ready to give unlimited head pats, butt scratches, and oh so special belly rubs!
Wow I love everything you're doing, Kayla. Thank you for sharing all of this. How often do you do the tooth brushing and how did you get started with that? Any resistance from your cats? I know teeth health is important, but I never brushed my previous cats' teeth and they both ended up with teeth issues. I haven't done anything about that with Niko or Milo either! Fortunately Penny Wood is coming back to be interviewed again (this Friday) and we're going to talk about teeth health. This will be my first official interview for the Golden Whiskers podcast! 😻
I started when noticed one of my cats had missing teeth and when I took him to the vet they wanted to put him under anesthesia for a cleaning. Since he has severe asthma I didn't feel comfortable with the procedure and decided to do it myself!
My vet told me I should brush their teeth every day but I'd literally have to quit my job to be a full time cat mom to keep up with that. So right now we do brushings every 2-3 weeks and I have a water additive I use for them on a regular basis. I'm actually about to switch the additive to some of the TEEF from the Two Crazy Cat Ladies!
The first time I brushed everyone's teeth I prepared for war going into it, but surprisingly enough all 5 sit patiently in my lap and are good with it! I use the Vibrac CET Enzymatic toothpaste that's seafood flavor and I think they see it as a really weird way of me giving them a tasty treat 🙂
Great topic for your first interview! Loved Penny's interview during the summit and excited to hear from her again!
Scott, I too have just started to implement this lifestyle with my fur babies following this list and was excited to see I had a head start on some!
1. Nutrition. It took me almost a year to find the right kibble for my cats (constant loose stool), so I am completely terrified to change anything. I've decided instead to implement slowly. I feed wet food 2x a week right now and have introduced sardines as a healthy snack! They LOVE them.
2. Detoxification. Since two of my cats have asthma, I already have 5 air purifiers around our home. I also have 2 filtered fountains that I only fill with a filtered water pitcher.
3. Microbiome. I use Visbiome probiotics and sprinkle it on their food. It's actually a refrigerated probiotic that was recommended by my vet when my babies were having tummy issues. We also now do regular "spa days" where everyone gets a nail trim and a tooth brushing!
4. Movement. I struggle during the work week to keep up with playtime. I've bought battery operated toys (feather chase, rolling ball, automated laser) to add and turn them on for play as I cook dinner, get ready, etc.
5. Environment. I am blessed to have a house that has sun coming in all day long. We have the suction window seats and I place benches/beds where I know the sun hits! This spring I am planning to bring in some plants after doing some research on what ones are cat safe AND help detoxify the air.
7. Mental Health. Every morning I used to give the babies treats before heading to work. Now I pour them into a puzzle feeder instead so they are required to "hunt". I also like to think all of the above categories helps this one as well. I just add in by making sure I'm always ready to give unlimited head pats, butt scratches, and oh so special belly rubs!
Wow I love everything you're doing, Kayla. Thank you for sharing all of this. How often do you do the tooth brushing and how did you get started with that? Any resistance from your cats? I know teeth health is important, but I never brushed my previous cats' teeth and they both ended up with teeth issues. I haven't done anything about that with Niko or Milo either! Fortunately Penny Wood is coming back to be interviewed again (this Friday) and we're going to talk about teeth health. This will be my first official interview for the Golden Whiskers podcast! 😻
I started when noticed one of my cats had missing teeth and when I took him to the vet they wanted to put him under anesthesia for a cleaning. Since he has severe asthma I didn't feel comfortable with the procedure and decided to do it myself!
My vet told me I should brush their teeth every day but I'd literally have to quit my job to be a full time cat mom to keep up with that. So right now we do brushings every 2-3 weeks and I have a water additive I use for them on a regular basis. I'm actually about to switch the additive to some of the TEEF from the Two Crazy Cat Ladies!
The first time I brushed everyone's teeth I prepared for war going into it, but surprisingly enough all 5 sit patiently in my lap and are good with it! I use the Vibrac CET Enzymatic toothpaste that's seafood flavor and I think they see it as a really weird way of me giving them a tasty treat 🙂
Great topic for your first interview! Loved Penny's interview during the summit and excited to hear from her again!