Tag: experience

Posted in cats, experience, kittens, pet parents, pets, routine

5 Things We Cannot Live Without

Posted on by peanut& donut

We’re sure most pet owners would agree with us when we say that having pets involve MAJOR changes to our lives- you’re now entitled to only half the bed because your pets occupy the other half; a casual walk from one end of the house to the other involves you stepping around and skipping over landmines toys which they inconspicuously left all over the floor for you to trip on; you get to enjoy spontaneous foot reflexology that immediately jolts your half-asleep brain awake when you step on cat litter, the list goes on. You get it.

Your pets are not the only addition to the family because in comes the avalanche of toys, necessities, treats, clothes, accessories, et cetera. Do we need all of them? No. Do we want more? Yes. But there is a handful of holy grail items that every pet owner absolutely CANNOT do without. We swear by these things to help keep our sanity in check because having pets is not always about rainbows and unicorns. So here’s a list of items we’ve acquired and they’re now very much incorporated into our routine with the maos.

1. Water fountain

In our earlier post, we talked about how much this item has changed the game for us. We’ve noticed that both Pea Pea and Dodo drank significantly more ever since we got this water fountain for them. Cats have a natural fascination with things that are moving and that includes moving water, which could explain why some cats like to sit on the kitchen counter and drink from a dripping tap. A water fountain ensures that the water is always flowing. What is good about this particular water fountain is that it comes with a filter pad that you can replace regularly. Each of the components in the fountain can also be removed for easy cleaning.

2. Grooming brush & nail trimmer

That’s technically two items but never mind.

It is not uncommon to see fur everywhere in our house and vacuuming the floor becomes a daily routine. Both Pea Pea and Dodo have thick and long coats of fur and frequent brushing helps to eliminate shedding quite significantly. Frequent brushing can be tedious when the maos are not feeling cooperative but it is definitely worth the effort because we end up spending lesser time picking their shedding off other surfaces. There are many types of pet brushes out there but we find this to be the most effective for us. We also have fun making fur balls from the fur we collected.

The nail clipper is another must have that we’re sure all cat owners would agree. Pea Pea and Dodo are not aggressive in using their claws but sometimes accidents do happen and we might lose a bit of blood. To prevent that, we’ve been trimming their claws since they were babies, keeping them at a good length. However, with smaller kittens, we suggest using nail clippers for human babies because kittens have much smaller and softer claws and a small nail clipper would be easier to manage. Nail clipping can be intimidating for some cat owners but it is something that needs to be done in order to prevent accidents from happening not just to yourself, but also to the cats.

3. Lint roller

Need we say more?? This is an absolute life saver for us ever since we had Pea Pea and Dodo. Unless you want to hide all your dark colored clothes and never let them see light again, this tool is a must have for families with shedding pets, or just regular families in general. But if you want to wear your “pet glitter” with pride, hey, we don’t judge. You do you.

4. Wet wipes

This is extremely handy to have in every corner of the house. They are good for cleaning up the maos after they went potty or when we bring them to the park. We also use them to spot clean around their food bowls after they eat, they make cleaning up fuss-free and convenient. They are certainly multifunctional both for pets and humans, and good to have around. Just make sure that they’re suitable for human babies before using it on your pets because certain types of wet wipes contain alcohol or are too heavily-scented.

5. Wireless vacuum cleaner

With the flying fur and loose bits of cat litter in unassuming places, a wireless vacuum cleaner is a must-have for us. We vacuum the floor at least once a day and it would have been very tedious for us to drag around a massive vacuum cleaner. Not to mention, even in a household with no pets, a wireless vacuum is a good thing to have for quick and efficient cleaning. For cat owners who use clumping litter instead of pine litter, be careful to choose a vacuum that is strong enough because clumping litter can be heavier and more difficult to pick up.

All of the items mentioned have brought a lot of convenience to us, both the hoomans and the maos. There are definitely more items that we can add to the list but for now, these are the things that we find ourselves reaching for almost everyday. If you are a fellow pet owner, feel free to share with us your personal must-have items in the comments section! We’d love to hear from you! 😊

Posted in cats, experience, harness, kittens, leash, pet parents, pets, shoes, walking

Things We Learned From Bringing the Cats Out

Posted on by peanut& donut

We’ve been bringing Pea Pea and Dodo on walks pretty much as soon as they can fit comfortably into harnesses. In a previous post we mentioned why we wanted to bring them out and how we started with their training. Along the way, we learned a few tips and tricks that we found to have worked on our cats in helping them enjoy their outdoor experiences more. In this post, we will be sharing some of them with you. Again, these were what we have found to work for us, if you decide to try them on your cats, do practice some precaution as different cats may react differently in such situations.

For the most part, we only bring them out in the evening or when the sun is setting. We found that to be the best condition for them to be out in terms of outdoor temperatures. In the past we have tried bringing them out early in the morning and we’ve noticed that they are not in the mood to walk or are simply feeling too hot to walk. As both of them have rather thick and long fur, the night time weather suits them well enough, keeping them cool and allowing them to kill off some energy after a perfectly timed dinner. When we go home, they’re usually nicely drained and ready to sleep for the night.

Things to Bring

  • Harness, leash, shoes
  • Carriers
  • Ice/cooling packs, portable fans
  • Treats

When pet parents think of walking their pets, the essentials that comes to mind are usually harnesses, leashes, and shoes. In fact, we first got exposed to the idea of walking our cats from YouTube videos of adventurous cats hiking with their owners. These cats were wearing special harnesses attached to leashes. Some of them were even wearing little windbreaker jackets or tiny life vests. As for shoes, we got them because we didn’t want them to injure their paws by stepping on sharp objects or rough surfaces.

However, our experiences with our cats have taught us that they are not walkable cats. They cannot be attached to a leash and walked, like how dog owners walk their dogs. Most of the time, once the harnesses and leashes are on, they lay flat on the ground refusing to budge and we’d have to drag them across the floor in order to get them to move. We thought that would only happen in the comfort of our home but we were so wrong. Believe me, you wouldn’t want your cat lying on the ground outside. Owners who share their beds with their cats, you feel my pain. Don’t even get me started on the shoes. For the most part, the shoes stay on Dodo and she actually walks quite well with them on. But Pea Pea has what we termed “Shadowless Paws”. As soon as the shoes go up, his paws start to spin and go into a blur and before you know it, you have shoes flying off in all directions. No matter how tightly we secured them, they ALWAYS come off.

And so, we wanted to think of ways to make their experience better and to actually see them WALK instead of being carried around. We realized that the number one cause of discomfort for them was probably the shoes. So we started letting them walk around the void deck bare-pawed and they immediately walked so much better. Both Pea Pea and Dodo do not have much stamina – meaning even if they start running, they don’t go far. With that knowledge, we decided to remove their leashes and let them walk completely unrestricted. Of course we were always within a few feet distance of them just in case they do decide to start running or if they were approaching potential danger. As soon as all that came off, they began to walk less awkwardly and they also started to express more curiosity towards their surroundings. At the end of the walk, we would simply wipe them down with wet wipes or a damp towel and they will be good to go. Even though they technically do not use the harnesses and leashes to walk, we still like to bring them along as they helped us hold onto the cats when the situation calls for it.

For easy transportation to and from the park, we have individual carriers for them.

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These are the ones we’re currently using but we use a different front cover that provides more ventilation when they are in the bags. With these cute bags, Pea Pea and Dodo always receive a lot of attention every time we bring them out!

If it is a particularly warm day, we would bring frozen ice packs in their carriers to keep them cool. We found that they tend to not pant at all with the cooling packs. We also have portable mini fans, but those are mostly for us humans. Bringing along some kind of treat helps too! Although when we first started bringing them out, they were too nervous about being out to enjoy the treats. As most pet trainers would suggest, we wanted to let Pea Pea and Dodo associate being outdoors with yummy treat treats so that they would be more at ease and enjoy being outdoors, and we’re glad that they did eventually calm down enough to eat the treats.

Location

  • Quiet, less people, away from roads
  • Large empty spaces, flat ground
  • Away from grass/trees, water bodies, drains

Pea Pea and Dodo are indoor cats and do not have a lot of interactions with humans other than family members living in the same household. As such, we made sure to bring them to places with less traffic, as far away from noisy roads as possible. We did encounter some problems when finding a good location for them to roam. Most of the reservoir parks in Singapore have wonderful facilities for kids, some even have water features and splash parks in them. However, these places were not pet friendly, or at least we cannot go anywhere near the water features, which is where the shade is usually at.

We did eventually manage to find a park that has quite a nice environment and Pea Pea and Dodo seemed to quite like it as well. It’s the Waterfront Park at Woodlands! There is a huge open-air play area near the entrance where we let them roam freely. The rubber flooring of the area does not affect their paw paws as much, although there was once their white paw paws stained blue after a particularly foggy and wet day 😂. The big open space is good for them to explore, it’s cooling enough for them to lay there and watch the other park-goers as well. We also did not have to worry much about them going into the grassy areas where insects might be found. The playground is quite a distance from the sea and jetty, so we did not need to worry about them going for a swim.

All good habits should start at a young age. From our experience with bringing the cats out thus far, we have learned that it might have been better to start bringing them out when they were younger. We started bringing Dodo out in her little carrier pretty much as soon as we brought her home. But Pea Pea lived most of his kittenhood in the safety of our home. We feel that that could have led to the difference in their reactions towards the outdoors and strangers. Dodo, although cautious, is definitely more calm while Pea Pea often froze up. Perhaps bringing them out at an earlier age would help them get used to being outside.

Nonetheless, we’re constantly trying out new routines and things that might help Pea Pea and Dodo enjoy the outdoors. Maybe one day we’ll be able to bring along their toys and let them run around! If you are also a cat owner or have experience with pets, please let us know if you have any tips that worked for you! We would greatly appreciate them! 😁

Posted in cats, experience, harness, kittens, leash, pet parents, pets, shoes, training, walking

Look! The Cat is Walking on a Leash!

Posted on by peanut& donut

That is one of the things we’ll hear when we bring the cats out, alongside “Oh! It’s a cat! I thought it was a dog!” because I guess it’s not every day you see people bringing their cats out for walks.

Ever since Pea Pea was physically old enough to engage in altercations with Dodo, we would often return home for the day to find bunches of fur everywhere. It is not uncommon to see them suddenly burst into Energizer bunnies, chasing one another around the house. Most often than not, it would end up with Dodo hissing and growling at Pea Pea, with bunches of fur fluttering in the air and scattered romantically like rose petals around them on the floor.

Initially we thought maybe Pea Pea was at that age where he wants to assert dominance on Dodo, and hence, the chasing and mounting. For Dodo’s sanity, we brought Pea Pea to the vet’s for a little procedure but what we didn’t expect was for the fighting and chasing (and growling and hissing) to continue as before. After a bit of reading on the internet, we learned that indoor cats have a lot of pent up energy which they will have problems releasing unless stimulated properly.

We live in a high rise apartment building and both Pea Pea and Dodo are complete indoor cats and are not exposed to the outside world. We could see why they would have pent up energy. We had a plethora of toys available for them which worked to drain their energy for awhile, but their attention for them grew shorter and shorter.

We started bringing them out for short trips to the grocery stores or when we go out to get food. What we noticed from those trips was that, not only were they super curious about what was around them, they would almost always come home completely drained and would sleep very soundly through the night.

We took their curiosity as a positive sign and began preparing and training them for walks. We had them wear harnesses attached to leashes and shoes for a few minutes daily for a couple of weeks before deciding that they were ready for their first walks.

Pea Pea and Dodo have very different personalities. Dodo, being the alpha, is treated like a princess most of the time. She is also less social and would prefer to nap in a quiet room by herself while Pea pea is more attached to the humans. He is also a lot more vocal than Dodo. As such, we expected Pea Pea to be more adventurous and more eager to explore the outdoors. Little did we know, that was NOT what happened.

Needless to say, they were both very nervous on their first walks where we brought them around the neighborhood. Their bodies were crouched close to the ground as they made their way around cautiously. Pea Pea would continuously look for sheltered areas or secluded corners where he could hide. What came as a surprise to us, was that Dodo, while being cautious about her surroundings, was exploring every inch of the lift lobby.

We eventually removed her leash to let her walk freely, but we also made sure to be within reach of her at all times, just in case she decides to make a run for whatever it is she decides to make a run for. That seemed to reduce the weight she felt on her body as she began walking more normally, sans the crouching. She even said hi to the neighbors!

P.S. Pea Pea was a scaredy cat that’s why he’s not in the video (because he was too scared to walk).

After a few more walks around the neighborhood, Pea Pea and Dodo graduated to bigger spaces. Cat Dad was careful in shortlisting a few parks in Singapore. We visited most of them several times to find one that the fur babies are comfortable in. There were also a few tips and tricks we learned along the way to make their outdoor excursion more enjoyable for them, but we’ll talk about them in another post.

As of now, we have one park that we frequent weekly. Pea Pea and Dodo seem to like the environment there. They amuse fellow park goers by walking around, sometimes even casually strolling up to strangers to take a closer look at them. Some people come up to us to ask questions about our cats, others secretly take pictures of them to send to their friends. Sometimes kids come close enough to give them pets before squealing and running away in excitement, but for the most part, the people seem pretty chill about sharing the space with two fluffy cats.

As for their behaviors, we do notice that there are lesser episodes of Energizer bunnies dashing around the house. We also observe quite a bit of improvement in Dodo. She has been more active and playful nowadays (although she still grumbles occasionally). Pea Pea is also better at being outdoors now compared to when we first started off. He still tries to hide when we first reach the park, but as time passes, he gets more comfortable.

We might move on to other parks, we might keep going back to the current one. We’re still on a look out for other places but till then, we’re setting up base here.

Posted in cats, experience, kittens, pet parents, pets

Our Experience As First Time Cat Parents in Singapore

Posted on by peanut& donut

A little fact about us – we live in a too sunny and too warm tropical island of Singapore. Cat Mom and Cat Dad were born and raised here, so were Dodo and Pea Pea. We thought it would be interesting to share some of our experiences as first time cat parents.

Before we start off, we would like to throw in a disclaimer. Having pets (in any shape or size) is a huge responsibility. From the day you decide to bring home your pet, they are dependent on you for the rest of their lives, which is why you have to be financially, mentally, and physically prepared for the commitment before jumping in.

Also, the content of these post is solely based only on our experiences so far, we’re not generalizing or making any assumptions about anybody. These are what we found to have worked with our cats and they may not work for everybody. We are no Jackson Galaxy. We are constantly learning and trying to be the best parents we can be to Dodo and Pea pea.

Researching

Dodo was our first cat. The original plan was to adopt one from the local SPCA but we eventually found Dodo on an adoption ad posting on the internet (more on that in a later post).

Our experience and knowledge about these ads are that the animals put up for adoption on these sites are usually from existing pet owners whose pets have just given birth and they are not able to care for all the babies, so they put them up for adoption with a fee, which could include the cost of their first vaccinations/vet visits, as well as basic supplies up to the point of adoption. However, you do have to be careful of shady pet owners, which we will talk about in a later post, but do try to be more observant about the animal you are adopting, how they interact with their current owner, as well as the body language and nonverbal cues of the owners when you interact with them.

We also feel that it’s better to have visits in the owner’s home before adopting because,

  1. A picture tells a thousand words but a moving, breathing (purring, running around, and probably scratching) cat can tell a million;
  2. The cat would be more at ease in the familiar environment and you can see them interacting with other cats and humans, which helps to determine whether their personalities are in line with what you are looking for and;
  3. You will be able to observe their current living space and kinda tell if the owners are genuine animal lovers or are breeding for financial gains.

So far, the owners whom we met with were very kind and helpful. They even gave us recommendations on what supplies to get and where to get them. We were very fortunate as our experiences with adopting Dodo and Pea pea were mostly pleasant.

Preparation Work

As first time cat parents, we needed to get the necessary supplies and so… *cue the cat supplies shopping spree*

Where we live, pet necessities and supplies from mainstream stores can get quite costly. We got most of our supplies from online pet stores both locally and abroad. Consumables are mainly from local stores which we managed to find pretty good deals thanks to Cat Dad’s exceptional researching abilities and patience.

Over the years, the amount of cat stuff we have snowballed, but here is a list that we think are the basics:

1. Food, treats, as well as food and water bowls- we give a mixed diet of dried and wet food daily. Dodo was not a water drinker, so we added a bit of water into her food and we eventually managed to get her to drink. Treats are not mandatory but they are good for training and bonding.

2. Litter box and cat litter

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Although whether or not your cat might actually make use of it is a different story. Someone was CLEARLY trying to make a statement here. 🙄

3. Carrier- for transportation purposes

4. Toys and scratching post/small cat condo

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CAUTIONARY WARNING: your cat MAY or MAY NOT use the cat condo as a place to poo poo and wee wee. DON’T ask how we know.

5. Bed

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6. Grooming necessities- claw clippers and brushing tools are the essentials. We subsequently went on to include cat shampoos, toothbrushes, and toothpastes for hygiene purposes.

Coming Home

After all the preparation work, it’s time to bring the fur babies home!

Dodo and Pea Pea are now completely free roaming in our home but as most cat owners would suggest, we limited their space to within a room the first few days of bringing them home. Allowing them to roam freely right off the bat might be too overwhelming for them. We also had food, water, and their litter box in the room so they basically lived in confinement for awhile. Both Dodo and Pea Pea acclimated quite quickly and they, thankfully, got along well with our family members as well. Throughout the initial few days, we also made sure to be at home for the most part, periodically checking in on them to ensure that they are settling in well.

As pet parents (or human parents for that matter), there’s only so much you can do for your children. Ultimately, they decide for themselves the path they want to choose, the place they want to poo, or the bed the want to snooze. They might sleep in the bed you specially ordered for them, or they might sleep on their siblings, they might also end up in your bed. But most definitely, they will end up in your heart. ♥️

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