Nathalie contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing one of her Harness Vests.  I visited her site to learn more about her company and her vests.  I tend to be very practical (some would say plain and boring) when it comes to clothing my pets, but I really liked the different patterns that she offers and I really liked that she offered her harnesses for smaller animals.  In fact after deciding I would go ahead and do a review, I really wanted to get a harness for Glee, my rabbit.  Unfortunately, when it came to getting measurements, Glee just wasn’t into it. Not wanting to have to struggle to get the vest on her in order to review it, I went with my second choice, Malarky, my Parson Russell.

In order to make a custom Harness Vest, Nathalie needs your dog’s measurements, which include- the neck measurement, the chest measurement and the body length measurement.  I sent this information off to her and had the vest in just a short time.

The Harness Vest is made from cotton fabric with the patterned fabric (in my case a brown and blue batik print) on the outside and white for a liner on the inside.  It has a matching cotton edging around it.  The craftsmanship was very nice, no puckered edging and nice, even stitching.  I tried pulling edging up, Velcro up, even the D-ring and had no problem with the stitching pulling up. The Velcro for around the neck is a decent length which is nice because then it is a little adjustable.  Great if you have a dog that might get clipped and may need more room when they grow their coat in.

Next I tried it on Malarky.  I really like how easy it is to put on.  No having to pick up the front leg and put it through.  No having to untangle it and find the opening to put over your dog’s head.  Just place it on your dog’s back, reach under the chest to connect the Velcro and then under the chin to connect the Velcro around the neck.  Done. I lifted up on the D-ring to see how the Velcro held and I could hear it give a little bit under the chest, but it didn’t come apart. (I tried the Harness Vest on my dog, Havoc, later and tried the same thing and it didn’t give at all so I may not have press hard enough on the velcro when I put it on Malarky.)

Once that was on I attached the leash and we took a little test walk in the driveway and front yard.  I will admit I am a little wary of the strength of Velcro and was worried one pull from Malarky and she would be out of it.  Malarky didn’t really pull much so I didn’t get a chance to test, but the Harness Vest looked real comfortable to wear and gave us no problems on that little jaunt.

A few days later Malarky and I headed off on a longer walk around the block to try the Harness Vest. My first test was to give a tug on the leash.  Eeeh, the neck part of the velcro popped open.  I did try a tug a couple more times during our walk and didn’t have a repeat so again I think I may not have pressed the Velcro together well enough when I put the Harness Vest on but Nathalie does offer a solution if you are worried about this happening.  She can make the Harness Vest with the neck sown shut, so it slips over the head.  The rest of our walk went just fine, we even got a “What a cute puppy!” from a neighbor on the next street.

Review Round-up

+ Well-made

+Easy on, easy off- this is my favorite feature.

+ A variety of fashionable patterns to choose from

+ Custom made so it fits your pet (as long as you do the measurements right)

+ Some adjustability so it can fit your pet at different times during their grooming cycle

+ Can be made to fit a variety of pets- dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, monkeys, ferrets

+ Different styles for dogs and cats- vests, dresses and coats

– It is important you know your pet.  If they are not well-behaved on a leash or have a tendency to pull when they see something, you may want to consider having the neck portion shown shut.  Even if they are well behaved, that is something I would really consider for a medium to large breed dog to be on the safe side. Yes, I am a worry wart. I wish there was an alternative to having to sew it shut, an industrial snap or a way to attach it to a collar because  I really like how easy it is to get on and off.

I think Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions Harness Vest is a cute alternative to the regular nylon web harnesses, especially if you like to keep your pet in style.

You can purchase the Harness Vest, Harness, Dress or Harness Coat directly from Chloe’s Four Legged Fashions.  Nathalie has extended a discount to PPR readers. To receive 10% off your order, enter the code PPR10 during the check-out.

I received  a Harness Vest at no charge in order to do the review.

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Drew sent me an 7lb bag of the Multiple Cat Clumping Formula and I purchased 2 more bags since I wanted to give it a real good test and needed about 2-3 inches in my litter box.  Plus the bag says one 7 lb bag would last 3 cats 10 day, I wanted to test for longer than the 5-6 days I figured it would last 5 cats.

World’s Best Cat Litter (WBCL) is made from corn so it is biodegradable, great if you are looking for an environmentally friendly product.  It’s flushable and safe to use with septic system.  It has 2 formulations- Clumping Formula for 1-2 cats and Multiple Cat Clumping Formula for 2 or more.  The Multiple Cat contains an added-plant material to help with odor control.  It comes in 7lb, 8lb, 17lb and 34lb sizes.

I liked the litter right off the bat.  There was absolutely no dust when I poured the bags in the box.  Usually I am coughing and breathing in litter dust for a half hour after adding it in.  This was a nice difference and very important if you have a cat (or human) with asthma. The litter had a nice sweet scent to it which was another plus over my regular clumping litter.  I used the Biddy Box I have for the WBCL and normally when I fill it up, I add a whole 40lb bag of clumping litter to the box.  I only needed 2 1/2 bags of the 8lb bags to fill it to about the same level with the WBCL.

One thing to beware of, is that some animals may find the litter good enough to eat (this is corn-based  and some animals are carb addicts just like us), WBCL does warn about cats eating it, but dogs may find it just as appealing, My dog, Havoc, was “helping” me set up the litter box and I had to set up the barrier I usually have around the box to keep him out because he was taste-testing it.  I’m not sure what if any problems would come from eating the litter, but I worry about anything with clumping tendencies possibly causing blockages.

My litter box maintenance includes a big clean-up in the morning and smaller clean-ups when needed through the day.  When regular clumping litter fills the box, I feel like I may as well be digging through the hard clay soil in my backyard to find the buried treasure. I was surprised at how light the WBCL is, even when the box is full of litter.   The urine clumps were fine, while sometimes there were smaller clumps, I didn’t find this any different from my regular litter.  I had no problems with the clumps breaking down while I scooped and dumped them into the garbage bag. I don’t put my clumping litter into the toilet; I stopped years ago after trying a different brand of natural litter and finding the clumps were more of a gummy mess and I was concerned about clogging up the toilet (grew up with a plumber in the house).  Because of this I can’t comment on how well the WBCL works when flushed, they do say it disperses in water which would prevent clogs.  One area I found WBCL to excel over my regular litter was in keeping the odor down.  When I walked into the bathroom where the litter box is kept, not once did I smell feces or urine, just the sweet scent of the WBCL.

The only issue I had with WBCL was 2 of my cats decided to stop using that litter box.  WBCL does recommend that for cats who have problems with abrupt changes to start by changing just 1/3 of the litter in the box to WBCL, then go to 2/3rds then the whole box.  I did a sudden switch for the sake of the review and because I really didn’t expect a problem with my crew as I never had one before.  Now I know that I’ll need to do a slow change.  Because of the 2 cats not using the box, I couldn’t compare litter tracking between the WBCL and my regular litter.  I do know that the outside of the box mess I usually cause trying to dig through the box was much less because of how light the WBCL is.

Review Round-up-

+ Very low to no dust

+ Pleasant scent

+ Great odor control

+ Flushable (as WBCL points out on their bag, regulations vary as to whether it is okay to flush litter box waste in your area)

+ Environmentally friendly

+ Requires less litter than regular clumping litter to fill to the same level

+ Light making it easy to scoop all the way to the bottom of the box

+ Clumps well, but breaks down in water so it shouldn’t cause problems with plumbing

+ Has a formula for multicat households

– Some cats and dogs may find it appealing to eat

– Some cats may have a problem with a sudden switch from the current litter, so a slow change-over may need to be done.

Overall I was impressed with World’s Best Cat Litter.  While I’ve gone back to my regular litter because of my 2 cats that stopped using this box, I am going to try it again with a slow change-over and see how it goes.

Locally, you may find World’s Best Cat Litter in a pet store or grocery store. Visit WBCL for where to buy in your area.

On the Internet, you can find it at:

Amazon*
Only Natural Pet Store*

World’s Best Cat Litter is offering a rebate on a small bag so now is a great time to try it.  Just visit- World’s Best Cat Litter.

I received a bag on World’s Best Cat Litter in order to do this review.

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Carol O’Brien of Cleanicity has found a solution for cat owners that would like to reduce the mess- the Kitty Litter Gripper Mat. The mat is made of layers of sticky plastic. It is lightweight and recyclable. I asked about it being recyclable since I do try to be green. What Carol told me was that it has a recycling code of #4 and can be recycled if you using recyclable litter. Unfortunately, my town only collects #1 and 2s and I am not sure what cat litters can be recycled, perhaps some of the crystal litters. To do its job, the mat gets positioned in front of the litter box where it collects the litter your cat tracks out as they step on it. When the top layer is filled, you peel it up and throw away leaving the next layer to continue the job. Sounds simple and I like simple.

I wondered where Carol got the idea since it seems like a pretty interesting solution. When I asked she the idea came from sticky mats that are used in high technology and medical industries for employees to step on to remove traces of dirt and dust from their shoes before entering a clean room. She knew there had to be a use for it outside of those industries and started working with a prototype. When Carol and her husband began working with their mats,her sister helped give her the idea of using it as a litter box mat.

Carol contacted me to see if I would be interested in reviewing the Kitty Litter Gripper and after saying yes, it quickly arrived. I received the Standard size which is 20 inches by 30 inches. They also offer a larger 24 inch by 36 inch. The Standard was a good size and fit perfectly where I was going to put it.

The main litter box my guys use is located in our downstairs bathroom. It’s in one corner and actually is kind of gated to help deter the dogs from helping me clean the box. The cats have to jump up on the sink counter then to the floor to use the box and reverse that to get out. I first set up the Mat so the long side ran parallel to the front of the litter box. To situate the mat, you remove the covers on the white adhesive tape on the bottom of the mat and press down so it adheres to the floor. It has a protective cover that you remove and the first sticky layer is exposed.

Bitsa was the first to try and she really wasn’t to sure about it. It is definitely sticky and I could hear it as she lifted her feet off of it. So I panicked a bit. I have one cat who has a litter box aversion, meaning he won’t use the litter box. It started when he was younger and having some bowel issues. I have been working with him and find I usually have to place him in the box myself a couple times a day for him to use. Since I started doing that, he has actually gone to the box on his own, not 100%, but better than 0%. I really didn’t want to ruin the success we’ve had so far, so I lifted it up and placed it so the short side ran parallel to the litter box and there was some bare floor for him to use.  Unfortunately, moving the mat after having already stuck it down caused half of the one side to not stay stuck down. That doesn’t affect how the mat works, but it’s something to consider when you set up the mat for your box. Figure out where it works best and stick with it!

My other cats had differing opinions about it-Charm along with Pyro (my litter box aversion guy) didn’t really like it so they would balance on the edge of the box and jump from there to the counter. The good thing was the litter fell off their paws onto the mat when they did this. Woody, my Ragdoll, could care less. He was a little curious when he first used it, but then that Ragdoll laid-back attitude took over and he had no problem using it. Bitsa would jump onto and then quickly jump off. Omar I could never catch using the box. I know he was using the box, but I don’t know how he liked the Kitty Litter Gripper Mat.

With 5 cats I wasn’t sure how frequently I would have to remove the top layer. Carol said most people with 1 or 2 cats find they can go a week between changing layers. I decided to try it for a week and see how well that worked.

Changing layers is easy. This video from Cleanicity demonstrates how to do it.

This shows how the layers are numbered

The layers are numbered in one corner which is nice, you can see how low you are getting and it will help you make sure you are only pulling up one layer at a time. I really recommend paying attention to the numbers when changing the layers; twice I just pulled and realized after that I had pulled up 2 layers instead of one(did I say it was sticky?). Also, in the video you can see how far Carol pulls the layer before stopping and pulling another side. I would make sure to do that along with

The amount of litter it collected in one week.

holding down the second layer while pulling the first corner. That will help keep you from doing what I did (oh, the waste!).

It worked real well! You can see from the picture (sorry for the bad lighting) how much litter it collected and there was very little to sweep up. A week was definitely too long with the 5 cats, it tended to loose it stickiness and litter would be flying like pop rocks when I changed layers. Four or five days was a better time period with my crew. My cats did get more used to it as they used it. Carol offered the suggestion that customers have found it worked well with covered litter boxes since it restricts how the cat can exit. Another idea on her site was to feed the cat on the mat to get them used to the stickiness.

The litter the Kitty Litter Gripper Mat collected the first week.

The Kitty Litter Gripper Mat looking fresh and new after removing the dirty layer.

If you are tired of feeling like you are walking on sand and want something that will make your life a little easier and cleaner, take a look at the Kitty Litter Gripper Mat. It might be what you’ve been looking for.

You can purchase the Kitty Litter Gripper Mat at Bark ‘n Purr, in Austin, TX or directly from Cleanicity.

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I still love it. While it has gotten a little scratched up (none of my cats are declawed), it ’s still easy to clean. Sometimes litter does get out, sometimes I think my cats are looking for buried treasure they dig so much, but it is no where near as much as I had with even my covered boxes.

Most importantly, it’s my cats’ favorite box. They use it more than any other box in the house. In fact, Woody, my big giant Ragdoll, was extremely ill a few weeks ago. He had been hospitalized for almost a week and I brought him home and set him up in a cage for a few days with a regular sized box. After a few days, he decided he would rather wait until I carried him in to use the Biddy Cat Litter Box than try to fit himself into the regular sized box.

So I still definitely recommend the Biddy Cat Litter Box.

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We’ve used regular open litter boxes, the litter gets all over. We’ve used covered litter boxes, but I can’t help comparing them to having to use a Port-A-Pottie (I have to be on the verge of desperation). I have looked at the automatic litter boxes, but haven’t heard good reviews from friends, and the thought of 6 cats using it, the thing would be going constantly. I went to plastic storage totes and have been happy with them except for one thing- my 14 year old cat. Tyke has arthritis so getting in and out of one was painful for him. So our current set of has been several of the storage totes upstairs, 1 small box in the living room and 2 regular open boxes in the first floor bathroom (Tyke spends most of his time on the first floor).

At the beginning of January, I was contacted by the Biddy Cat Company and asked if I would be interested in trying their litter box, the Biddy Cat Easy-Scoop Litter Box, and reviewing it. Before contacting them, I went to their website and read through the product information. Hmmm, looking at the pictures it was huge. Hopeful that this box might be the “one”, I replied that I would be happy to try it.

When it arrived, I was more than impressed. It was HUGE. It actually took the place of the 2 regular litter boxes in my first floor bathroom. It is also a great size for my Ragdoll, Woody. Woody is a really big cat, he towers over my other felines and this box is ideal for him.

The sides of the box were high, great for keeping the litter from being thrown over the sides by my more exuberant diggers. But they weren’t too high to be a problem for Tyke’s arthritis. he has no problem getting in and out of this box.

The box is made of very high quality material. The plastic is smooth and thick. I have had boxes become stained really quickly and after almost 2 months of use, haven’t had it happen with the Biddy Cat Easy-Scoop Litter Box .

The box design is great. It was designed to not have those corners that collect the litter in them. The way this box is designed, you can scoop along the entire bottom of the box from one side to the other. Even my mother who sometimes pitches in for litter box duties commented on how easy it was to scoop.

I was also impressed with how the company keeps in touch with their customers. They were concerned about the box tipping when used with some lighter weight litters and contacted their customers asking for input. They do recommend using about a 2-3 inch depth of clumping litter for best results. I use regular clay litter (when you have a cat with litter box issues, you use what he wants to use) and have had no problems.

This is a product I have no problem recommending to others. In fact, I really need to measure the space upstairs and see if the Biddy Cat Easy-Scoop Litter Box will fit so I can get a second one.

For more information on the Biddy Cat Easy-Scoop Litter Box and to order a box yourself, please visit the Biddy Cat Company.

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My cats thought swatting at that ball on the outer track was the most fun. They would lay there and swat it back and forth for 5-10 minutes (a long time in the cat world). It was funny to see 12 year old Tyke acting like a kitten over this toy. Interesting enough, they paid no attention to the ball in the center or the mouse. The outside ball was the only thing they played with.

After a few months, they lost interest in the Cheese Chase. Bitsa grew and had more fun exploring the house or playing chase with Pyro. Adding Charm to our household has created renewed interest in the Cheese Chase. I moved it to the center of the living room and the older cats were more than happy to show Charm how it worked. She picked it up quickly and has a blast playing with it. Not only does she play with the outside ball, but she also plays with the inside ball and occasionally wrestles the mouse.

Overall, the Petstages Cheese Chase Cat Toy has been a winner in our house. Not only do the cats find it entertaining, but it is well made and easy to clean. Not something I have had an easy time finding in the cat toys that are available.

Amazon*

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