by Grammy at Mischief and Mayhem Central Recently, as in two weeks ago, we received a Drinkwell Avalon Fountain from PetSafe. We were asked to evaluate it and give our honest opinion. We are not being paid to do this. This family has used Drinkwell Fountains for many years: first a plastic model and when that finally wore out a ceramic model. On setting up the ceramic fountain - the Lotus - all kitties were curious and interacted with it immediately. (To see video copy and paste the following link into your browser) - https://www.facebook.com/WhiskersandMouse/videos/311758148961381/ ) The bubbling and dripping noises drew them to it where each chose how they would drink. Two of them enjoyed drinking from the bubbling top, the others seemed to prefer the overflow spouts. And the boys loved playing and splashing the water onto the floor. It was a definite love at first sight. The bonus for me, their Grammy, is it's compact design which is perfect for small spaces. While it takes a bit of work to maintain it, it is well worth it to see the cats drinking frequently from it. The Avalon which we were sent was set up immediately and placed in the kitchen. Within moments Mousie, our timid, gentle cat drank from the reservoir bowl. It was an immediate hit with her. Unfortunately, she didn't stay long enough to get a photo.... but she's a little shy. The boys, Rondo and Etude, and Sweetie, aka the cow kitties, were more wary. What was that new noise-maker in the kitchen? It took a few days of cautious, belly-to-the-floor approaches before they determined it was a fun place to splash and play in the water. Once over that hurdle they have taken to drinking from it too. So far Whiskers seems to have no preference. If she's near the kitchen she'll use the Avalon. If elsewhere in the home she goes to her bubbly Lotus. Either way, she drinks water which is important. Grammy is pleased with the Avalon. It is recommended that the fountains be cleaned weekly for optimum performance. The Avalon is very easy to disassemble, clean and reassemble. This makes it a pleasure to maintain. The water stays fresh longer which can be attributed to the two filters... a foam filter to collect debris and fur and a charcoal filter to remove odours and other contaminants. Two things that Grammy thinks would improve the design is a bubbling feature into the upper bowl.... and three overflow spouts - both of these similar in idea to the Lotus. In small places where the bowl has to be set against a wall or in a corner it would be beneficial to have two spouts which can be positioned toward the front (at 120degrees apart rather than 180) while the bubbling aerates the water... always a bonus. Not having these modifications in future designs would not deter her from purchasing one. Two other things Grammy has to say about the Avalon...
Now, having said all that you must know that we are all in favour of this new fountain. For Grammy it is easy to clean, looks classy in the kitchen and comes in two colours (red and white). The fountain attracts the cats because it makes tinkling noises and the water is cool and fresh tasting. We give it a 5 paws/one hand up. Read on.... about the importance of keeping your pets hydrated. Having had two cats with kidney ailments and renal disease in later life I (Grammy) have learned how important it is to keep our pets at a healthy weight, well-hydrated, and fed good quality food. Here we'll point out a few important facts about animals' needs for hydration - not just in summer but year round. In a recent study conducted by PetSafe® Brand, it was revealed that 66 percent of Canadians were unaware that lethargy or unusual lack of energy indicates dehydration in their pets. This is alarming. These are common signs of dehydration:
Consider this... pets like humans need plenty of water to stay hydrated. This is the same whether they are active or sedentary/calm. A simple calculation for pets is approximately 70 ml of water per kilogram of weight. Here are some other tips for keeping your pet hydrated:
So please, keep your pets well-hydrated... not only throughout the summer but year round. Canadian winters can be dry, especially in modern, air-tight, centrally heated homes. We at Mischief and Mayhem Central recommend PetSafe® Brand which offers several products to help Canadians keep their pets well hydrated. Should you wish to... here are links to their website, Facebook and Instagram. Website: https://intl.petsafe.net/en-ca Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PetSafeCanada Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/petsafecanada/ All photos in this post are copyright of PetSafe and were borrowed with thanks for this blog. Comments are welcomed. Keep them light and fun.
2 Comments
by Whiskers, intrepid adventurer and social butterfly Friends, you must remember our very first blog - Moth Day when we were inundated with moths. They were into everything and despite Grammy's efforts to conquer them they kept appearing - just one or two - but where there is a pair there is a potential for a whole host of them. So Grammy hired Mr Exterminator to get rid of them once and for all. You must read it if you haven't already. Etude wrote a corker. And now we come to the present. Last night Rondo was sitting on the window ledge in the kitchen - his usual spot to be fed when Grammy came in, saw him sitting regally by the window and looking at his bowl, his empty bowl, I might add. What he didn't see and Grammy was freaked by was a platoon of miniscule ants walking in through the drainage hole in the screen frame. As they reached the marble window ledge they split off into three divisions - one sent to raid the counter to the right and onto the tile backsplash, another to the left searching the window ledge for anything and everything sweet. The third platoon went straight for Rondo's empty bowl. Grrrr! Grammy dislikes any critters that will crawl through food and ants are the worst. Last year another platoon entered through a crack in the balcony floor behind where the fridge sits and worked their way up to the counter where coffee pot and sugar bowl sat. That sugar bowl no longer sits on the counter and fortunately ants aren't partial to coffee. Grammy conquered them with borax and a little sugar but we cannot have borax and sugar on a window ledge where curious boys might get into it. Well, in the meantime, Grammy got a paper towel wet down with vinegar and smushed this new batch into oblivion. She can be scary. That done, Grammy settled down to start a blog when Rondo let out a mournful wail. Now what? There's a fly in the house! Not one but two... and we are all curious and following them with our eyes but not one of us has attempted to dispatch them. So Grammy the brave got up, found the flyswatter, stunned the critters into submission then set the semi-conscious beasts outside where the birds could have an easy meal. On rising this morning, those flies ignored by the birds lay dead on the balcony floor. Get rid off them Grammy. And all of this after a harrowing day Saturday. Now, Saturday is one of two days each week Grammy spends the afternoon with her friend, L. For those who aren't aware, Aunty L is visually challenged. Usually it is an easy day consisting of a bit of computer stuff, a few tasks around the apartment, noticing if things are not where they belong, lights on that should be off, simple things for Grammy but helpful to Aunty L. Then the two of them go out, run a few errands, find a place to settle and do crossword puzzles, chat and just enjoy their afternoon together. On Saturday, however, Grammy was doing something at the kitchen sink when she let out a blood curdling scream. She can handle bees, wasps, flies, ants but Centipedes are another matter. She is terrified of those things and there in Aunty L's sink was a Centipede. It was ginormous. Grammy said it was bigger than her big toe... but we think she's exaggerating. Anyway, shaking, she bravely took it on with the help of a wet paper towel before it could escape all the while shuddering head to foot. Better that, than to chance it might attack her later. *Whiskers shivers thinking about it* But wait until you hear this... Aunty L KNEW there was one in the apartment. It was escorted in by an earlier visitor, escaped and hid, laying in wait for Grammy. All we can say is, it's a good thing Grammy didn't know beforehand that there was a centipede on the loose or she'd have cut her visit short and that would have been disasterous. Poor Aunty L would have been short her twice weekly visitor until someone had dispatched it. Oh and by the way, every once in a while Grammy can still be seen shuddering head to foot when she remembers the critter with 100 feet. Comments are welcomed. Let's keep them light and fun. by Whiskers, Adventurous World Traveller Hello my friends, It has been a while since my last addition to our blogs. I'm home! Ho Hum! Life here is boring. No longer the only puss in the household, I must share it with 4 others. What a nuisance! Or as Winnie the Pooh would say, O bother! Well, first let me tell you, my experiences in my travels were amazing. I met our friends Eddie and Bailey of Comet's Corner on my trip to Austria, met many other lovely and helpful folks between the airport and my final destination, and had the most wonderful 10 months or more being top cat and only cat in a household where I was adored, fed the best foods, slept in the best chairs undisturbed. It was wonderful and I enjoyed every minute of the being pampered, travelling to special places to see the sights and sounds of Austria, and THE FOOD! But now I'm home. Ho Hum! No spectacular mountains nearby! No Vienna Opera! No Schnitzel Houses! Here I get, "Whiskers, get out of Etude's food!" "Whiskers, that's my chair! Scram!" "Whiskers, stop hissing and swatting the boys!" Whiskers, blah, blah blah! This is no fun! Not only that but the others carried on without me. I see I wasn't needed, nor was I missed. Rondo started his poetry blogs, Etude wooed his sweetheart, Raina. Mousie wrote about me and my travels, Sweetie, wrote a blog and took over grooming adding that to her patrolling the perimeter for intruders and they all took over my favourite beds. Well, family! I am home! I am about to carve out a new niche for myself..... and I think I should model it after my Austrian life. What do you think, friends? What's that, Sweetie? You're going to let me have my grooming the family task back!... awww! That's so sweet! Thank you. And you'll all share the beds with me? Oh, okay! Now what about bringing me my meals at my whim? That's what I thought! The old girl controls the larder, doesn't she! Well, I tried. Ho Hum! Awwww! Looks like they missed me after all. I guess I'll stay. Oh, and there's going to be a big party for all the birthdays since I left for Austria ... in the Virgin Islands. Aunty M, or as her Many Claws crew call her Mommy Person... is opening her doors to anyone and everyone who wishes to attend. It's a beach party and it should be magnificent. Aunty M is the best hostess... or as Grammy says, The hostess with the mostest! AND Little Boy Cat is catering the event so you are guaranteed lots of variety and no shortage of food. Attendees so far are: Third and Mitzy, Seville of Nerissa's Life, our crew, Raina (Etude's sweetie) and of course the Many Claws in St Croix gang and us, the Mischief and Mayhem crew. Everyone is welcome and if we missed you in the list, forgive me. I'm still getting adjusted to life in a 5 cat household... and it's a little bit hectic. Oh, Grammy, you can have your chair! … the old grump!!! Ho Hum be gone! Hidey Ho, friends, I'm home! and excitedly anticipating our next adventure ... don't forget to be there Sunday at 3. We'll be looking for you. As always, friends, Comments are welcomed. Keep them light and fun. By Mousie, originally the sad chronicler of this tale but now happy As you all know from reading Austria and Austria II my mommy, Whiskers went to Austria to visit Grammy's and her friends, M&M. Now if you haven't read these episodes you might want to before continuing with today's final chapter but briefly.... Whiskers loves M Sr. very much and decided she'd rather live with her in Austria. When they (M&M) returned home without her she booked a flight using Grammy's plastic and found her way to the small town... And she had a few fun escapades in her travels to and while she was there. We got a number of post cards and a letter from her.... So, Whiskers was invited to stay through Christmas.. and she immediately said that she'd love to despite Grammy's worry that she was a nuisance. Here is an excerpt from her Christmas card. Merry Christmas Grammy, my wee Mouse and my dear cow kitty family. I'm having a grand time here. M&M have been so marvellous taking me around to visit the Christmas Markets... in Salzburg, Vienna and our home town. The food is delicious. WOW. I think I've gained some muscle. Teehee. ................. Hope you don't miss me too much. Love, Whiskers After Christmas Grammy wrote to Whiskers and said she ought to come home, that she shouldn't overstay her welcome. Of course her friends were happy to have her but being the scamp that she is, she was eating all their food and lounging all day. She told Grammy she'd be taking some language courses but that sort of 'went south'. (At least that's how Grammy put it.) Mummy Whiskers wrote back after getting the letter that taking courses took too much time out of her day when there were so many good restaurants and outdoor cafes to visit... And then she said it was such a treat to have all the attention focused on her instead of sharing it with us. Boohoo! I miss my mommy. *Mousie wipes her tears and continues...* While she was in Austria she had a wonderful time. Her friends, M&M took her to the Vienna Opera House where she got carried away and started to sing. The conductor had to stop the production and ask her not to sing as she didn't speak the language. Of course, she was in tune, but was singing the song of her ancestors. That just wasn't appropriate in a production of die Fledermaus. How gauche of mommy! But then, I probably would have done the same. We cats are silly that way. While in Vienna they visited a number of other places, museums, a chocolate emporium and restaurants, of course. Always the restaurants. All so different from what we have here in Canada. But, a meal of soup and weiner schnitzel or sausage and an effervescent water suited her palate.... and the desserts were amazing. Of course, she's so busy that her cards home have been brief - very brief. Oh, and when she was in Saltzburg she visited Mozart's birthplace. Wow! Beautiful photos she sent back... we've included two here. The mountains are amazing. We think she enjoyed the Christmas Market more... so many treats and ethnic foods and specialties in one location. Oh, there was so much more to see that I'm sure we'll hear about when she's home... Speaking of which.... After being away almost a year... she is home. Yes, Grammy's friend M Sr. has accompanied her back to Canada and will be visiting for a while.... We think it was more of an 'escort' back home but we won't say anything about that. M, the younger, will be along in a few weeks too, but in the meantime we are ready for our visitors. Wohoo.
We were all so happy to see Mommy Whiskers and M Sr. come through the gate at the airport the other day. We all cried... just like when Whiskers left for Austria. And now we look forward to having dinner with M Sr... tonight. I have to go now. I want to snuggle with my mommy and catch up on my kisses. ... and it is time for Grammy to carry on cooking and baking. Sounds like she has everything in hand but the cow kitties will take turns supervising to be sure everything is perfect. Oh Mommy, here I come. Please remember this is not real. We did not ship Whiskers off to Austria... Comments are always welcomed. We enjoy hearing what our readers think. But keep it fun and light. That's what we are about. |
AuthorFive Cats, Five Personalities, One Goal - Mischief & Mayhem. Archives
August 2023
|