Recommendations | timberbendcats

...Direct to you,

From the TimberBend Research Facilities...

The following is a list of recommendations... foods, bowls, fountains, toys, carriers....you name it, it most likely has been tried here or by our top notch satellite research teams.

Stainless Steel food and water bowls. They are easily sanitized, are dishwasher safe and do not erode at the rate plastics and cheaper ceramics do. Believe it or not, cats can and do get chin acne. Sometimes this is from dragging their chins through the food in the bowl and others it is the container that holds the food and traps bacteria into the surface. Don't forget a plastic mat UNDER the bowls however, helping to keep daily housekeeping chores to a minimum.

If you want to step it up one notch, a stainless steel water fountain can be added on any flooring surface that will not be ruined by water. Throw a couple of ice cubes in it whenever you fix yourself a cold drink and not only do they refresh and chill the water, it now becomes entertainment and encouragement for more water consumption! You can do this in a regular stainless steel water bowl too. The Pioneer Pet Teardrop Fountain gets high marks from our cats and kittens as well as the staff!

NOTE: Ice cubes are wonderful short lived treats sliding across the kitchen floor!

No cat home should be without the Bergan Turbo Scratcher! Lots of silly play time for young and old cats with a central landing spot and catnip scented scratching disc all in one! It is so amazingly simple it is downright silly! But your cat or kitten will LOVE IT!

A scratching post is essential as are a couple of the fun cardboard shaped scratchers and cardboard scratching mats. They will help train the wee beasties away from any forbidden zones and transfer their scent marking behavior to these surfaces. Place them next too the no no zones and watch how quickly the kitties catch on! Sisal posts are easily repaired when they start to fray and they do not resemble the carpet on your floor. For these reasons, the sisal rope wins out over the carpeted scratching posts!

Cats like high places, so be on the lookout for a cat tree or some sort of climbing tower. They will naturally gravitate to the top of your bookshelf or television cabinet. Go ahead and clear a spot so that they are not tempted to chew on whatever they find up high or to clear it altogether from that lofty place of honor.

YEOWWW Catnip toys are among the best and most potently aromatic cat nips on the market! While they are not indestructible, they will last a good long time.

Another favorite is from Purrfect Play, a terrific vendor of

environmentally green cat toys, beds and even some cool cat

staff accessories! Their catnip is fragrant and the fabrics are

natural and unbleached textiles. Some are even fabricated from

repurposed materials. Pam Wheelock is the proprietress, cat

lover and our friend. TimberBend Siberian cats and kittens most

heartily endorse all of her store items but especially the dust

bunnies, carrots, mice, felted balls, catnip mats and fat snake

kickers! Okay... we recommend pretty much the entire store!

Palmetto Baskets make great cat beds and all of our cats and

kittens have spent time napping in these. They are sturdy, reversible and machine washable!

Siberians tend to like the tactile toys, the feathers, the fur, the textured fabrics and any combination of these,

is a winner! Rub a little catnip on it or store for a few days in a plastic baggie filled with catnip so that it absorbs the fragrance and provide countless hours of slobbering fun!

Cat toys on a string, rope or wire...Oh My!

One of the top contenders for attention is Da Bird! Trust us on this one, few toys get this sort of

reaction and we sure wish we had been the one to patent this toy! There are lots of other teasers available as well from any number of pet stores for

great interactive play!

Of similar interest is a laser light! See kitty run, see

kitty jump, see kitty twirl! Buy these in multiples and

stock up on the watch batteries that power them!

Our Cat Staff just cannot resist running kitty down

the hall and up the wall with this gem of a toy!

Before you go for broke on all the available kitty products, don't forget the boxes and paper bags, lengths of rope (thick enough to withstand chewing without being swallowed, soft enough to encourage the game and with a few knots tied into it) Milk Carton or Water Bottle caps (NOT the little rings that are part of the bottle seal and which can easily be chewed through and swallowed)

Speaking of swallowing...Let's talk Cat Foods! Cats are obligate

carnivores. This means that they have little to no nutritional need for

veggies, fruits and grains! Beef, Chicken, Turkey and Fish! That is a

meal to a cat and those are the first ingredients in any quality cat food.

Avoid the by-products, the gravy thickeners and the grains! Shop for

foods that are grain free or as close to it as you can get! Life's

Abundance, Fromm's, Lotus, Orijen, Weruva, Evangers, Evo, Felidae,

Blue Buffalo, Solid Gold, Before Grain and several others all make

quality canned foods and many also manufacture dry kibble as well.

Since cats are natural grazers, kibble can be left out at all times for

those late night munchies, but remember to keep the water bowl fresh

and clean. Cats are notorious for dehydration and a diet exclusively

consisting of kibble can contribute to that. Pet Food Direct is a great

online retailer for most foods and delivers right to your door! Also

consider a raw diet or at least raw supplementation! There are several

commercially prepared formulas available or consider making your

own! Even chunks of your own uncooked dinner can be a sweet treat

to your cat! We feed and recommend Blue Ridge Beef Kitten Mix and

Kitten Grind as well as Blue Ridge Beef Cat Grind (More coarse

consistency). They will ship directly to you but it would be ideal to

find a more local distributor. Less expensive too!

Now, on to supplies for one of the less joyful but essential tasks associated with kitties...THE LITTERBOX!!!

There are lots of choices for boxes out there. Covered? Uncovered? It really will be your cat's and your preference. Some don't like to have the odors trapped into a confined space. Other cats are just too large for

the largest covered box. Just be certain that you get a deep one large enough for your cat to turn around in comfortably! This will save you some cleanup from things being launched over the side! A mat of some sort underneath the box is an essential for cleanup and catching any litter being tracked. Be certain it will serve its purpose without being uncomfortable for kitty to walk across. We absolutely do NOT want to discourage them from visiting the litter box!

Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat (Blue Label) and Kitten Attract as well as Tidy Cat Power Blend clumping litter are the litters of choice at TimberBend. For the initial transition, I mix the two Dr. Elsey’s litters. It draws them to the

box and does not immediately change one of their fundamental necessities! It tracks less, has less airborne dust particulates and traps odors more sufficiently than many other litters while forming hard clumps that are easily scoopable during litter box cleaning. Dr. Elsey’s is a bit too sticky when freshly wet and can stick to the inside of automatic litter boxes if insufficient amounts are used. For the automatic boxes, I recommend Tidy Cat! If you intend to change from these litters that your kitty is accustomed to using, wait a couple of weeks following the move to your home and do so slowly by mixing these with the new litter to be introduced. Start out with more of their usual litter/less of the new introduction and gradually change the percentages of each until you have made the transition to the new litter over a period of weeks.This is all about maintaining the status quo for your new kitty while they adjust to their new home. The best cat litter scoop on the market is the Litter Lifter! Yes, it does make a difference!

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