It'll work out if you remember the Prime Directive:

Post #272,926 by Ashton 11/11/06 5:23:24 AM Reply	It'll work out if you remember the Prime Directive: Never mind the euphemisms: what you you are is umm, staff. If you can live without not being {ackshully} adored - like the deal with most dogs - some come pretty close. They indeed show affection.. the little-bite and/or snuggle - on Their caprice, not yours. But I've encountered the skittish or downright human-style neurotics, too. (I see that I prefer.. the unpredictability.) I was lucky, as mentioned before -- Sierra got to select (and I agreed she had good taste in selecting ;-) Once >10 pm, rain - one Wet kitty on porch. Warm towel + salmon skins handy - probably cemented the allegiance (?) Previous staff moved on, after a couple years of this rent-a-cat {no lobbying here - just no ~honorable way.} Sierra stayed and they left a bunch of 'accessories'. Wow - a trousseau? May your adoption prove as smooth.. she'll let you know when you're outta line. PS - pet care details are endless [Like - which? food, etc.] About the kitty litter, though; you'd think that's a trivial matter. A friend is a pro on such matters. Seems there are unconscionable folk peddling lots of silica-based "clumping" stuff (pet things are all unregulated, so biznessmen go all MBA-like for the $$. How many are going to research such items? Heh.. with Intarweb: lots more.) Gets on paws; gets licked off; unclear re GI tract, those sharp pieces -- but the micro-fines are also breathed, especially in enclosed latrine-boxes: think silicosis. There's more info, but that's the outline. One brand, (clumps fine) using allegedly the most nearly harmless ingredients - is 'Fresh Results' {earns silly-name award} Here.. only some {ugh} WalMarts carry it. I'll go in there for Sierra, but for not much else. [link\|http://www.eightinonepet.com/#\|http://www.eightinonepet.com/#] But its dBase is broken just now! - hey, they do critters not jscript testing.
Post #272,931 by drewk 11/11/06 7:48:52 AM Reply	On litter I would expect a 12YO to already be somewhat set in her ways. If (s)he doesn't like your choice, a random piece of floor might substitute. But if (s)he's willing to try, I strongly recommend pine. It comes in little pellets of compressed pine. As they get wet they fall apart to sawdust. When it's all broken down and it's time to change the pan, you can dump it in the garden, under a bush, etc. With my two, there's no noticable smell at all. They make a special scoop with larger holes to go with this type. === Kip Hawley is still an idiot. === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #273,222 by jb4 11/13/06 10:58:48 PM 11/13/06 10:59:41 PM Reply	Silica Gel! Upside: Absorbent as all get out. Will literally suck the piss out of the cat if it gets a chance. Absolutely no odor. Easy to scoop (assuming you don't get the the Mongo Chunks size, which are about a quarter inch cubed -- stick with hte small pellets). Last about half again as long as traditional litters. And they're white (at least, at first...). Downside: Because they agressively attract moisture, they attrack the moisture out of your cat's feet, and therefore can stick to the feet of cats that have sweaty paws (you laugh, but there are such things!). So they can end up un the damdest places; the number of such places having a high correllation coefficient with the number of damdest places the cat itself may end up in. Also, tend to be more expensive. We use it all the time, and the expense is by far worth the clenliness. YMMV You can tell when they need to be changed because they tend to break down into dust. And the color changes from the aforementioned white to about the color of honey. jb4 "When the final history is written in Iraq, [link\|http://images.ucomics.com/comics/tmate/2006/tmate060926.gif\|it'll look just like a comma.]" — George W. Bush, 24 Sep 06 Edited by jb4 Nov. 13, 2006, 10:59:41 PM EST Expand All History
Post #273,238 by static 11/14/06 12:53:04 AM Reply	Cats do get fussy about their litter. I use a recycled-paper based litter. And my two cats like it. They don't like the silica stuff a friend of mine tried whilst she had them for a few weeks: one cat dug down until she reached the bottom of the tray! The paper-based one is not bad at odour reduction; I still filter the tray for solid matter most mornings. I like the pine-sawdust idea, though, as the one I use has to go into the bin. I'll go looking for it on the weekend. The paper one I buy is quite cheap, thus the attraction. Wade. "Don't give up!"

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