Average Jane

Category: Cats

  • Combining Average Jane’s Cats

    IMGP2045 Ever since Trillian completely failed to integrate with our downstairs cats, I've had two distinct sets of pets in the house. Xena and Velvet live downstairs and Trillian and Dr. Jones live in the recording studio/my office.

    For some time, we've been letting Trillian and Dr. Jones have field trips downstairs each day and they LOVE going down there. The wrangling with the older cats has all but disappeared, they're all eating the same food, and we're starting to think about whether it's time to move the studio cats downstairs permanently.

    Pros:

    • No more cat box in my office. Seriously, Dr. Jones is the stinkiest boy in the world.
    • No more cat box odor wafting into the recording studio. Not a big selling point, that.
    • Jones and Trillian won't spend so much time hanging around the studio door begging to be let downstairs. (I do have Jones trained in that regard, though. I used to say "No!" and push him over with my foot when I was leaving the studio. Now all I have to do is say, "No!" and he flops over on his side.)
    • Everyone on the same feeding schedule.

    Cons:

    • Dr. Jones is like a feline woodchipper. He chews up paper in particular, though he's become fond of jumping up on the kitchen counter, grabbing my dish scrubbers, and mauling them to pieces. I also have to keep my knitted hat away from him.
    • Both Trillian and Dr. Jones are likely to dart out the front door when they get the opportunity. It would take some training to make sure they're safe. I'd probably also have to get Jones microchipped, just in case.
    • Because Dr. Jones grew up in the studio, he has no manners about things like getting on the counter. I don't know that even a squirt gun would be enough of a deterrent.
    • The upstairs cats have a cat tree, beds, toys, etc. I'm not entirely sure where I'd put all that stuff in the main part of the house

    We haven't made a final decision yet, but we're getting closer. In the meantime, Jones is snoozing in his bed on top of the hutch of my desk, Trillian is cuddled up on a bass drum bag, and the downstairs cats are going about their morning routine.

    Someday soon, they might all get a big surprise.

  • Average Jane’s 90-Day Feline Weight Loss Plan

    This is the final week of the Nu Campaign to Fight Pet Obesity. Here's where we started. Now I'll give a similar rundown of the results.

    Test Subject #1: Xena
    Final Weight: 14.5 pounds
    Net Weight Loss: 1 pound
    Physique: Noticeably Leaner
    Coat: Smooth and Glossy
    Energy Level: High
    Mood: Friendlier and More Playful

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    Test Subject #2: Velvet
    Final Weight: 11 pounds
    Net Weight Loss: .4 pound
    Physique: Muscular
    Coat: Smooth and Glossy
    Energy Level: High
    Mood: Almost Insanely Playful

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    I know that's not a very good photo of Velvet, but she's so active in the mornings that it's almost impossible to photograph her. Look at that tail moving.

    It is not an exaggeration to say that the Nulo food has completely transformed these cats. It didn't happen overnight, but over the course of the three months they have changed significantly in all of the ways listed above.

    When we started, Xena was lazy, grouchy and unkempt. Now she's bursting with energy, noticeably more loving and her coat is beautiful and soft.

    Velvet was "along for the ride" because she and Xena live in the same part of the house. However, she still trimmed down slightly, her coat improved, and she's more playful than I've ever seen her, which is really saying something for a cat that's approximately 10 years old.

    If you'd like to try Nulo food for your own pets, this is a good time to do it. Until November 25, 2010, you can get 25% off your order of $25 or more by using the code PETSGIVE at checkout. Also for every $25 customer order placed nationwide during this time period, the Austin-based pet food company will donate one pet Thanksgiving dinner to Austin Pets Alive! or Animal Trustees of Austin.

    I recently took advantage of the discount to buy food for our studio cats, Trillian and Dr. Jones. This is only their second week on the food, but I'm looking forward to seeing them at their very best after they've adjusted completely to their new diet.

    I agreed to take part in the Nulo program somewhat impulsively and I later had some reservations about devoting so many posts to my cats and their food. In the end, however, I'm very glad I did it. My healthy, happy cats made it all worthwhile.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane and Her Cats

    Yesterday I took two of the cats to the vet for their annual check-ups and vaccinations. One of those cats was Velvet, so she's not buying anything I'm selling today. Just look at her:

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    No, I will not let you weigh me, betrayer!

    However, I remembered that she'd weighed in at 10.8 pounds at the vet's office, so that means she's right where she was last week.

    Xena is down to 14.5 pounds, which is her lowest weight yet. She'd like you to admire her new physique:

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    Less photography, more petting!

    I got a shipment of Nulo food for the upstairs cats and I'm looking forward to watching them get as trim and shiny as Xena and Velvet.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane’s Playful Cats

    My husband reported this morning that Velvet and Xena had spent the evening, "Playing and playing and playing."

    I thought it was because I'd gotten out some of their toys, but he said they were mostly playing with each other: running, chasing and batting each others' feet from beneath the ottoman in the TV room. That's pretty kittenish for a four-year-old and a ten-year-old.

    Keep in mind that when we started the Nulo program, I couldn't get Xena to stand up for a photo without giving her a treat as an incentive. Now she's up and active every time I photograph her.

    Here's Xena choosing a toy from the basket:

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    Velvet is a big fan of catnip:

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    Xena maintained last week's weight loss and stayed at 14.8 pounds, even though we ran out of food for about a day and had to feed them pet store brand and a leftover can of Science Diet ID until our Nulo shipment arrived. I think Velvet got most of the canned food, which might be why she was back up to 10.8 pounds.

    My husband and I decided it was time we started feeding all of our cats Nulo, so I'll be buying extra for the studio cats. There's just no doubt in our minds that the food quality is exceptional and we want all our cats to benefit from it.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane’s Weekly Cat Weigh-In

    At one time, Xena was so huge that her gut was almost hanging to the floor. It made her look ill-proportioned, as though her legs were too short for her body. She had already lost some of that weight by the time I began the Nu Campaign to Fight Pet Obesity, but she was still a big girl.

    Today she looks SO much better. In fact, it's gotten difficult to tell which black cat is which when they both race by.

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    I think that's Xena in the foreground and Velvet in the background, but it's hard to tell now.

    This week's weigh-in found both cats at their lowest weight to date. Xena is at 14.8 pounds and Velvet is down to 10.4 pounds.

    Xena likes it when people hold her and carry her around, so she'll hop up on furniture and then launch herself at unsuspecting humans. When she weighed 16+ pounds, it was hard to hold her for more than a minute or so. Now that she's so much lighter, we can snuggle her for the length of time she prefers.

    Interested in reading how other pets are doing with their Nulo diets? Here are the other participating bloggers:

    Brewskie Butt and Noah at Just Meowin'

    Koa at Pawcurious

    Phoebe and Oreo at Two Fat Dogs

    Disco at Furry Dance Cats

    Lyger and Tuhlula at Embrace Pet Community

    Marbles at Marbles Weight Loss

    Judy at Dogingham

    Romeo and Pugsley at Romeo the Cat

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Birthday Boy at Average Jane’s House

    Dr. Jones turns one year old this week! Here's a photo of his litter within a few days of his birth. He's the one closest to the camera:

    Kittens

    This is what he looks like today:

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    He's celebrating by playing with his friend Trillian, and hanging out in my office window.

    Happy birthday to a fine feline specimen.

  • Average Jane and the Cats

    It's been another great week for Xena and Velcro on the Nulo food. Fittingly, Wednesday was National Pet Obesity Prevention Day and I'm happy to say that both the cats are maintaining their weight loss. Velvet has gone down .2 pounds since last week and Xena has stayed right at 15 pounds, which is a half-pound less than when she started.

    The Pet Obesity Prevention site has a weight chart for animals that says the ideal range for a domestic cat is 8-10 pounds. I did a little further research after I read that because even my young, small cats weigh more than 10 pounds. Other sources I found put the upper limit between 11 and 12 pounds, so it looks like I'm going to need to work on all of them to make sure they're as trim as they should be.

    Here are this week's photos.

    Xena, looking bright-eyed and energetic:

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    Velvet, ready to play as always:

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    I wanted to mention that one of the benefits of my participation in the Nulo program will be a $250 donation to the pet-related non-profit of my choice. Mine will go to The Animal Rescue Alliance (T.A.R.A.), where I volunteer and take care of adoptable cats.

    My friend, A Librarian, also volunteers for the organization and provides a foster home for kittens. Today is the day her first two foster kittens, Maya and Emily, are being moved to the adoption area of a local PetSmart store — I'll be taking them there today after work.

    If you're looking for a couple of affectionate, playful and sweet kittens, consider these two! Maya is a dilute calico with extra toes on her front feet and Emily is a dilute tortoiseshell with a crooked tail. Both are brimming with personality.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane’s Weekly Cat Update

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    Here's Velvet after a little Nulo snack. Isn't she beautifully shiny?

    I caught a photo of her and Xena hanging out on my new dining room table and they're both glossy and gorgeous (albeit naughty).

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    Ignore the folding chairs – I haven't gotten around to getting real chairs yet.

    I am definitely a convert to this brand of food. The cats have never looked better and they're noticeably more playful and energetic. I think Xena has gotten less crabby, too, at least toward me. (She's always been extra sweet to her my husband.)

    Both cats' weight trended slightly upward this week, but not in an alarming fashion.

    I'm looking forward to switching the studio cats to Nulo as soon as they run out of their regular food. I think I'll just buy 16-pound bags and split them between the two pairs of cats.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane’s Feline Dieters

    After Xena's weight gain last week, my husband and I looked at potential causes and determined that we might have been overfeeding the cats to make up for the amount that the studio cats were scavenging when they came downstairs to visit.

    Thus, we started putting up the food during those visits, which had the dual effect of keeping it all for Xena and Velvet and also limiting the times during which they could pig out. The result: weight loss for both cats this week.

    Xenaweight
    I appreciate the general idea of the 12 pound goal weight (which was set by the program), but I don't think our girl has weighed 12 pounds since she was a half-grown kitten. I'm pretty sure it's the equivalent of me setting a goal weight of 125 pounds. It just ain't happening. The good news is that this is the least Xena has weighed since we started the program.

    Velvetweight 

    Velvet dropped down below her goal weight this week. She's a big-framed cat and I'd actually like to see her weight stay where it was. It's definitely a juggling act with the two of them.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free
    product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu
    Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are
    mine and not dictated in any way by the company.

  • Average Jane’s Cat Update

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    Xena has somehow managed to gain her way back to 15.8 pounds, but she's still looking great and is obviously full of energy. Velvet is cruising along at 11 pounds, which seems to be just right for her.

    I think the most striking difference in her appearance is still her coat. See how much less sleek she looked at the beginning:

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    And I haven't even been brushing her. She just looks shinier and smoother now.

    One positive side-effect of having a scale in my house to weigh the cats is that I've lost weight since I put them on the Nulo plan. I'm down about seven pounds from when we started. If I can do it, Xena can do it. Maybe I should put her on a leash and take her on my hour-long walks in the morning. (Ha!)

    This is the cats' sixth week on the program, which puts them at about the half-way point. I'm going to start trying to get them to play more to see if that will make a difference in their weight. They're already pretty playful on their own, but we'll find out if a string on a stick can amp things up a bit.

    Disclosure: Nulo has generously provided free
    product and other benefits in exchange for my participation in the Nu
    Campaign to fight pet obesity. All of the opinions about the product are
    mine and not dictated in any way by the company.