I'd like to start by sharing with you a tip from one of you! This lady wrote to me with a tip she discovered by accident, when following one of the tips in my book, Olive Oil: Health Food, Natural Healer and Household Marvel.
"My cat is a normal short haired white and ginger one who has driven me crazy in the eight years that I've had him, because he continuously moulted - probably something to do with him being a 'house cat' - ; I had started following your advice of using olive oil for my dry skin problems, then one evening my cat was in the bathroom when I was putting the oil on my face; I had put rather too much into the palm of my hand, so that after I'd smoothed it over my face I still had quite a lot on my hands - even after massaging it into them - , so I stroked the cat all over with these oily hands, and the following day I noticed much less fur on the furniture, or floating about in the air; since then I have done the same each evening, and the resulting reduction in guard-hair moult has been an absolute boon.
P S. The cat seems fitter too, as he imbibes the health giving oil each time he grooms himself."
Brilliant! Olive oil working its marvels again! I can't guarantee this will work with every cat, but if you do try it, let me know how you get on!
This letter set me thinking about cats. I had a cat for some years, and while I loved her dearly, I felt I was fighting a constant battle with stray hairs and 'unfortunate' smells around the house. So this week I've hunted down some tips on keeping your house pristine while living with animals (actually this applies to dogs and other pets too – not just cats).
Hairs:
You can't stop your pets moulting entirely – keeping them healthy and on a good diet will help, as will tricks and tips like the one above – but whatever you do, they will lose hairs... so you'll need to deal with them!
It might seem blindingly obvious, but brushing your cat (or dog, or chinchilla) will get rid of a lot of loose hairs. Do this every day, using a good brush, and do it outside, so you don't have the hairs flying round the house. Remember to be gentle with them, especially when brushing the tails, or you'll find it hard persuading them to have the same done tomorrow!
Another obvious tip, but no less essential, is going round with the vacuum cleaner every day, doing your soft furnishings while you're at it. And of course sweeping any tiled floors. (And empty the hairs into an outside bin so they can't escape back into the house next time you throw something in the bin!)
This won't suit all people, but you could consider only allowing your pets in selected rooms of the house – like, for example, the ones with tiled floors that are easy to clean. Or if that seems too drastic, you could just keep one particular room out of bounds and put the posh Persian rug in there with the door always shut. Then they'll have the run of the rest of the house and your rug won't get hairy. Up to you - whatever suits your household!
One last tip – if you have a spare bedroom, remember that your cat may well enjoy snuggling up on that guest towel on the end of the bed. Easiest thing is not to put out the soft furnishings till your guests are due – keep the duvets, blankets and towels safely in a cupboard or drawer away from hairs. Before they arrive, vacuum the mattress, make up the bed and set the towels out... then shut the door! Some people have quite serious allergies to pet hairs, so it's best to be on the safe side!
Smells:
From time to time, especially with new pets, they'll have a little accident. You can mop it up, but if it happens to be on the carpet or, worse, the sofa... it can be hard to get rid of the smell! A great tip I've found is to pour some bicarbonate of soda over the afflicted area. If you leave it for a few hours, it should start to soak up the smell. Then just get the vacuum out to get rid of the powder, and the smell should be gone.
Play Time:
Another slightly different problem of having a house cat is that they can easily get bored. Here are a few ideas for keeping them entertained!
- Tie a small, light toy on a long piece of string. From the other end of the string you can bring the toy to life! Either tie it to a stick and use it like a fishing rod to make the toy dance in the air above your cat's head... or pull the string along the floor to make the toy make sudden movements. Your cat will go wild to catch it – endless hours of entertainment for both of you! (Also a good time to take a photo while the cat's distracted!)
- Every few days, take away some of your cat's toys and give it some that it hasn't seen for a while – that'll keep up its interest level and stop it getting bored.
- Make a scratching post out of a log and some old carpet offcuts. And if your cat likes catnip, sprinkle it around the scratching post or bedding.
- Cats love to watch what's going on out of the window – find somewhere near the window where the cat can sit, and they'll be happy for ages. A word of warning though - they might find themselves trying to jump and have a swipe at a passing bird... so don't put any breakables near the window!
- If you've got one of those tropical fish screensavers for your computer, you could sit the cat in front of it! Some cats will love it, others will wander off and have a scratch at your sofa - but it's worth a go!
As always, I'd love to hear your own experiences and tips. In fact, since I started 'Nuggets and Scribblings', I've been amazed at the number of useful tips people have sent in, so keep them coming!
That's it from me for this month! Bye for now,
Alexander Newton
Nuggets and Scribblings
All the above © Tim Wakeling 2008
A note about these emails: I am not a doctor – I’m not qualified to give proper medical advice. These emails tell you various uses for natural and household ingredients that other people have found helpful. Above all, these emails should not replace getting advice from your doctor on any serious problems, and pregnant women should always talk to their doctor before changing their diet while pregnant. I cannot accept legal responsibility for any problems caused by trying out the methods, recommendations or suggestions in these emails.