It’s time for Spring Cleaning. And, Cat Faeries and Anti Icky Poo want to help you, and make it easier! The wildly popular Anti Icky Poo isn’t just for cleaning up kitty accidents. AIP’s special enzymes and friendly bacteria also clean up any and every organic mess. As the label says, it “will digest any malodorous decay.” (Your brother-in-law doesn’t count.)

Here are some unique and different tips from Cat Faeries on how to use Anti Icky Poo products – you may be surprised! (Remember, test fine fabrics for colorfastness or know that they are water safe before using Anti Icky Poo.)

1. If you dare… take a close look at your hand powered can opener. There may be that persistent build up of crud on the blades and gears that seems to resist repeated trips through the dishwasher. Unscented AIP (Anti Icky Poo) to the rescue! Give it a heavy spraying of Unscented AIP and let it sit over night while the enzymes do their thing. Now the crud should be much easier to wash off. If some still resists, try another application and use a toothpick or brush to loosen the persistent icky bits.
2. Recently we discovered how some yucky sticky stuff had accumulated on the rubber seal on our front loading washing machine. And how much sticky lint like stuff had migrated underneath the seal. Rated H for Horrifying!Here’s what we did and you can too. Use a flash light so you can really see where the crud is. Spray Unscented AIP under the fold of the seal and on the part of the rubber seal that’s exposed. Scrub a bit, then apply more Anti Icky Poo and let it stay wet. Keep the door open so air circulates. Repeat the spraying two or three more times during the course of half a day. Do one final spraying and use a rag to remove any crud that AIP did not eat, then wipe dry. Leave the door open for a while to air out.
3. Give cat boxes a nice soak to remove odors from the box itself. Dump the old litter. Wash the litter box with hot water and dish soap, and then pat dry. Add one quarter to one half cup of AIP and about three inches of warm water. Let soak for 30 minutes. Rinse, dry, and add fresh litter. Your cat is thanking you already.
4. Smokers can use unscented Anti Icky Poo on their clothes to get rid of that persistent smoke smell – works so well it will fool people into thinking the smoker quit a long time ago.
5. How many times did you pass on a garage sale treasure because it was covered in yellow/brown tar & nicotine from cigarettes? No need to pass up that fabulous find when you’ve got Anti Icky Poo at home to melt years of ick away.
6. Refrigerator drawers or shelves can be really hard to clean if you’ve accidentally created a “science project.” You may be afraid to tackle it but the enzymes in Unscented Anti Icky Poo are happy to. Put the science project in the compost. Take the drawer or shelf out, do an AIP spray, let it sit for a while, then clean and put back in the fridge.
7. One quarter to one half cup of Anti Icky Poo down your drains every week will keep the flow flowing. The enzymes love to eat up soap scum and grease. They can’t eat hair but if you keep drains free of the sticky stuff that bonds the hair into a mess, then it will more easily just flow down the drain.
8. Here’s a trick that professional carpet cleaners use:
   You know how some fabrics “wick” away moisture from your body (think of your best workout wear wicking away perspiration). This tip can actually wick cat urine or other fluid “up” and “out” of fabric/carpet. Saturate a stain with Anti Icky Poo, then apply some AIP Stain Remover
   over that. Now, put a white cotton rag or two on top of it. And on top of the rag place a heavy object. The cloth with the weight on top of it will cause the stain material to wick upward and into the rag. Sounds like a magic trick! Abra cadabra!
9. If you have a cloth covered recliner like we do, you know that hair oils can build up on the headrest. Over time, that can get kind of “odiferous” (smelly). And if you can’t remove the headrest for a wash, how do you clean it? We used Anti Icky Poo and it worked! Two cycles of spray applications and the odor disappeared.
10. We’ve saved the best story for last. Recently one of our little old lady cats had some diarrhea and she of course decided to deposit it in the worst place – on an upholstered foot rest. It was the consistency of pudding and we couldn’t get all of it off. The rest was becoming one with the fabric and penetrating fast! Absolutely horrifying and we were in a huge panic! We grabbed a quart of Anti Icky Poo Unscented and misted heavily several times over the course of two hours. Then we got busy packing your orders and frankly, forgot about it. A few days later we discovered that every trace of cat poop was GONE! The AIP had eaten, yes, eaten every particle of the poopy smoosh and its smell! And with zero harm to the fabric. For “Justin Case” we misted a few more times to make sure it was truly gone! We still cannot stop talking about this miracle!

Visit the Cat Faeries Urine Cleanup page to see all the Anti Icky Poo products and special product bundles.

Thank you to the 300 or so folks who wrote to us with their name suggestions. We read every single one, often more than twice. We were so moved – most of you shared personal stories which went with the name you selected. Some names were beloved friends, family members or departed feline friends. The stories were beautiful. How much Kleenex did we go through? Countless pieces, at least one box! (good thing it’s made from recycled paper)

The most popular name by a landslide was Grace and some really fun variations: Gracie, Gracy, Grayse, Amazing Grace.

Big thank you to Michelle and Jessica for selecting Madeline. That was the name she responded to the most (yes we tried every single name to see which she liked best) And a big thank you to Tonda for the Silver Belle part.

Madeline does not meow: she squeaks, chirps, and peeps – it’s like listening to a tiny silver bell jingle! A cat toy is winging its way to the three of you as a thank you gift from Madeline!

Madeline Silver Belle is completely at ease with her new life. She’s never “had a job” before (other than being cute) and she’s enjoying her Cat Faeries duties which include: supervising, alerting us when it’s lunch time, testing toys, insisting we have an afternoon nap and pushing paper off desk tops.

Here’s pictures of Madeline Silver Belle hard at work!

Friends of Roman Cats is a US based organization which raises money for the street cats of Rome and other parts of Italy and for the cat sanctuaries. They help pay for spay/neuter, medical expenses and food. They also raise money to spay/neuter cats in San Francisco. Here’s some information about this very unique and special tour. We hope you can go! Ciao Bella!

From the Friends of Roman Cats…
 
Friends of Roman Cats is excited to announce another Cats and Culture Italian tour this coming October! The tour offers cat lovers and lovers of Italy a chance to see how another country treats its homeless / feral cat population. Italy is a No-Kill country where cats have been appreciated for centuries for their companionship and for keeping down rodent populations. You will meet dedicated individuals who care for some of Italy’s stray cats and learn what is working and not working with Animal Welfare in another country. The tour will be a way for people to understand Italy and Italians through the way they interact with animals The tour will start in Venice where we will meet some of the cats whose ancestors came from the Middle East to combat plague-carrying black rats. We will visit a cat colony that lives in Venice’s main public hospital and see more cats and their dedicated caretaker on Venice’s Lido Island. We will have plenty of time to visit some of Venice’s greatest artistic treasures and take in its beauty.

The tour will proceed to Florence where we will see the cats that live in a magnificent Renaissance garden, and in a picturesque cemetery that looks down on the City. Participants will have ample time to explore this beautiful city. Then we will visit a cat sanctuary in the Tuscan hills on a property donated by a beneficent Countess. We will next visit the medieval town of Arezzo and meet with an Anglo-Italian veterinarian who has created a 21st century cat shelter outside the town. We will spend the next day and night in the beautiful hill town of Siena where we will have a guided tour of the town and visit with a group that works with the Sienese municipality to spay and neuter Siena’s stray cats. We will spend our last 3 days in Rome, visiting the Forum, Coliseum, The Vatican, the Trevi Fountain and other monuments in historic Rome, and as well as some of the cat colonies that live in the midst of Roman ruins. All the cats in the shelters and sanctuaries we visit have been spayed or neutered. A good number of them are former house cats that have either been abandoned or whose owners could no longer care for them.

The tour will begin on October 7th 2010 and end on Oct.19. The price for 15 people will be $3,025 double occupancy. A single rate of $549 is available and there is a $500 deposit that will be refunded if we do not get enough people by May 1. It will include 3-star hotels or better with breakfasts, some dinners, a comfortable private bus, a one-time transfer from the Venice airport to the hotel, vaporetto tickets for 2 days in Venice, entrance fees to some museums and historical sites, local city guides and all the cats you can desire! $250 of the price is a tax-deductible donation and goes to help the shelters we will visit. Susan Wheeler, President of Friends of Roman Cats will accompany the group. For most of the tour a tour manager will also accompany the group.

 The dollar is stronger right now than it has been in several years. This price is based on current prices so the sooner people sign up, the better. People who sign up before April 1 will get a $50 discount.

www.friendsofromancats.org

Here’s a link to Senator Florez website with a 19 minute press conference where he speaks about his Senate bill:

http://dist16.casen.govoffice.com/

A link to a petition from Expose Animal Abusers – help get YOUR state involved.

http://www.exposeanimalabusers.org/

A cat must lose weight very slowly. Rapid weight loss can cause liver failure as the liver cannot process the fat fast enough. So if your cat is tipping the scales either weigh the cat yourself (baby scales are a great investment when you have small animals) or take the cat to the vet.

Once you know the cat’s weight your vet will tell you how many calories a day the cat should eat to slowly lose weight. Since we are not veterinarians we cannot advise you on this.

When you know how many calories your cat needs a day call the cat food company and ask how many calories are in their food. They usually are more than happy to tell you. If you are feeding raw look up meat in any calorie counting book for people.

If you have just one cat it’s easy. Feed two meals a day. Half of the portion in morning, and the other half at night.

If you have more than one cat here’s how we helped Tasha lose 3 pounds about 10 years ago: We picked a room in the house with a door that shuts to be her special dining room. We put her portion of food into TWO BOWLS! Ha! We could tell by the look in her eyes what she was thinking “oh boy, two bowls, twice as much!” Her bowls went into the special dining room, we picked her up and put her in the room and shut the door. Then we fed the other cats in the regular kitty dining room. After 30 minutes we collected their food bowls and washed them out. Then we collected Tasha’s food bowls and washed them out. No more food for any of the cats until the next meal.

It took awhile for all of the cats to realize that they needed to eat when the food appeared. After a few days Tasha figured out that she ate in a special room and she’d follow us at feeding time.

It took about a year for Tasha to lose the 3 pounds. Her vet was very pleased, and we could tell she felt a lot better. She continued to eat separately for a few more years until we felt that she no longer wanted to pig out on food.

One last thought: Before separating her from the others, Tasha used to gulp down her food, then clean up everyone else’s food bowls. But by putting her portion into 2 bowls after awhile she’d leave a few bits behind. Also, not having the competition in the kitty dining room was very relaxing to her she no longer gulped, she ate slowly.

When you have multiple cats each cat needs their own food bowl. Set them at least 3 feet apart for privacy and to minimize food competition.

When you notice your aging cat isn’t grooming or looks a bit greasy, especially near the tail, or you see dandruff, weight loss, and a bit of lethargy, get your kitty into the vet for testing. Because the kidneys are not functioning at 100% and toxins are building up – the cat feels “hung over” which is not a nice feeling.

Sub Q fluids will make your cat feel so good that most cats begin to associate the fluids with feeling better and won’t fight you (or your house call vet tech).

Think of it as The Daily Love Ritual: The time you spend with your cat giving fluids can be looked at as a time to express love. Pet and massage your cat. Lots of kisses and kind words. A ritual where you hang up the bag, insert a fresh needle, adjust the line, insert the needle, release the brake on the line to let the fluid flow. Stroke the cat, talk pretty to the cat. It can be a relaxing experience for you and the cat.

Finding a vet tech: Not everyone wants to administer the fluids themselves which is completely understandable, don’t feel like you must do this. Call every vet hospital around and ask for referrals and interview all of them. Select the one who’s got the most experience but who is also the kindest and has a gentle manner – this is very important. You cat needs to like this person a lot and gentle and loving is imperative. Our vet tech is practically family now!

Fluids, lines and needles: The costs of these necessary items can add up fast. Our favorite and least spendy sources are: Brico Medical Supply (www.bricomedicalsupplies.com) and Stat Medical Supplies (www.statmedical.com) You’ll need to fax them a copy of the prescription from your vet. Their prices for cases of fluids is very low, but shipping a case of fluids is costly due to weight, so for you East Coast people use Brico, West Coast people use Stat.

Needles: Most needles are now made in China (you know how we feel about that) and the quality can be iffy. The sharpness of the point can vary, and a dull needle causes pain. The only needles we use are Terumo brand. This is a Japanese brand of needle which has an ultra sharp point so that insertion is as painless as possible (our cats don’t flinch at all). We use 19 gauge which is usually just the right size for a cat – not to big, and not too small.

Warm up the fluid bag!: Warming up the fluid bag in a bowl of hot water will warm the liquid which makes the experience so much more comfortable for the cat. We do not recommend microwaving your fluid bags (or anything else). Usually the bag of fluid is a nice warm temperature after about 10 minutes.

 Administering the fluids: We find that picking up the cat and moving kitty to a place that’s convenient for our vet tech stresses the cat. Our vet tech goes to where the cat is (usually in a cat bed on the floor or on top of a people-bed). The fluids are suspended from a coat hanger which can then be hung from a window or door frame, bed post, top of a dresser (be creative!). You’ll see in the photo that we bent the ends of the coat hanger, this keeps the bag centered and balanced.

Love and Kindness: Kisses and chin scratches while the needle is in and fluids are flowing make all the difference. Gently massage the cat for relaxation and well being really help too (stay tuned for upcoming articles about acupressure massage for cats). The more you pour on the love the more the cat will learn to enjoy getting their fluids. Our’s purr!

Diet: Ok, this is going to be a hot potato of controversy. Most vets are saying that cats in any stage of renal failure must have low protein cat food. But our wholistic vets disagree. They say that our carnivorous friends need protein for brain function and to support all other body systems and functions. We were confused too, and therefore we bounced around feeding our cats low protein cat food, then not, and back again. Finally we opted for “what makes them happy and gives quality of life” and that’s protein. But this is purely subjective, ultimately it’s your decision. Do the research, there is a lot of it online.

Alternative Support: If you are fortunate enough to have a skilled veterinary acupuncturist in your area your cat will really benefit from treatments. Our cats get acupuncture, homeopathy, and herbs. Our vet is Dr. Cheryl Schwartz who’s book “Four Paws, Five Directions: Traditional Chinese Medicine for Cats and Dogs” is a MUST HAVE! You will learn how to do acupressure massage which you cat will love the feel of, and which will boost health exponentially. Cheryl does not do phone consultations nor does she reply to emails with questions. But if you email us or become a Facebook fan with very brief questions we will save them and in future newsletters publish her replies.

Daily Support: Cat Faeries Kidney Kitty helps support the kidney function and kidney meridian with Cat Faeries Kidney Kitty. Our own cats get it every day in their water bowl, even the youngest one who’s 3. Our oldest is 22. Kidney Kitty + Sub Q fluids has our oldest ones feeling pretty darned good and youthful.

After our beloved Betty crossed The Rainbow Bridge a year ago we weren’t sure if or when we’d get another cat. But one look at a cat on the website of a shelter that we donate to – the Siskiyou Humane Society – we were smitten kittens over a cat they called Spice.

Spice had been at the shelter for a year. Because she’s a special needs kitty she was not being adopted. Her background is like that of so many cats, she’d been abused. She was kicked in the ear and head by a miserable excuse for human being, which left her deaf in that ear and with some blindness in one eye. Her ear requires cleaning and drops.

Our home is now her new forever home and she’s Cat Faeries new CFO – Chief Feline Officer. She’s 3 years old, short haired, and mostly gray with white shoes, bib, and tummy. She has lovely green eyes and is a very sweet girl. Spice doesn’t meow – she cheeps, peeps and squeaks! Spice and our Three Little Olde Ladies (Tasha, Spookie and Tortie) are still getting to know each other – so far they’ve been getting along very well.

As this news broadcast says, this will send a huge message to puppy mills and backyard breeders across the country!

We love West Hollywood because they were the first to ban declawing cats. Since then Los Angeles and San Francisco have done the same.

Please share this with your local mayors and city council. Let’s see this ban go nationwide!

Prevention: Once a month pour 1/4 – 1/2 cup of Anti Icky Poo down each drain. AIP will happily clear out grease and soap scum.

Slow running drain: Start with 1/2 cup. After a few hours run some water to clear away remaining waste. You may need to do several applications.

Completely backed up drain: Anti Icky Poo probably won’t work 100% as it can’t eat through hair, but depending on what’s down there, it’s worth trying 1/2 cup before calling the plumber.