moderncat's Profile

Hi, everyone! Thanks for your great comments! It's so much fun to be able to share my place and show off my cats.

Here are some answers to your questions:

I have six cats ranging from the little 6 lb tortie Flora to my big 17 lb Maine Coon Mackenzie (named after the potter from Minnesota, Warren Mackenzie). The black one is Ando (after Tadao Ando) and he weighs in at 15 lbs.

The absolute BEST tool for controlling shedding and hairballs (and the subsequent urping) is the Furminator grooming tool. It's expensive, but it is the VERY BEST thing on the market for grooming and it seriously changed my life.

I have one sisal covered scratching post (not pictured) but they love scratching on the cardboard lounge/scratcher from Marmalade Pet Care, which stands-up very well over time. It does show wear, but it ages well. And when it's truly at the end of its life cycle, it can be recycled.

I'm very careful only to have houseplants that are non-toxic to cats. I've reviewed some on my blog, including my favorite, Sanseveria. They leave this one alone, I'm assuming because it is rather tough, but just in case the do get a bite, it won't hurt them.

As for litter and litter boxes, I'm constantly searching for the perfect litter box and I've reviewed several on the blog and I have some more reviews coming up, including a new find I just made called the Smart Cat Box. Keep an eye out for my review in a few weeks. Regarding the litter, I uncovered some frightening information about the dangers of clay litter and will never have it in my house again. Instead I use only natural litters made from wheat, corn, paper, or wood. I've reviewed several different kinds of natural litters on the blog and have quite a few more to cover in upcoming posts. Check out the litter and hygiene category on the blog for lots more info on this topic.

Thanks for your questions and please let me know if you have any more!

I recently started using Arm & Hammer High Performance clumping litter. It is biodegradable and says that it is natural, or rather that is has natural clumping materials. I've been unable to find a better description of how it is exactly "natural" and would love to know if anyone else has more information.

I do like it quite a bit, since it clumps well and is very low dust. The cats like it because it has the same texture as regular clumping litter, which they are already used to. It has a strong fragrance at first, but is also has excellent odor absorbing properties.

A 10.5 lb bag supposedly has the same usage as 21 lbs of regular clumping litter, but I have not verified this and it is unclear why this is the case.

I'm still investigating this product but, overall, it seems like a winner.