My husband turned an old storage box into a cat bed to protect the cats from the elements.

He took some old bedding to line the bottom with it and to make the curtain. I’m not sure that cats really appreciate it or even if Fade, the bigger cat, can get through the opening. I guess if it gets cold enough again, they will test it out.

I had used a cardboard banana box that the cats seemed to enjoy sleeping in. The top had the hole in it, so it was easy to get fully into the box. The storage box is the upgraded version of their cat house. They seem not as impressed with it. Hopefully we are done with the brutally cold nights. Next year we will have to come up with another cat house solution.

It’s so hard to remember pet supplies when I go to the grocery store. They are tucked away into a corner that I seldom have a reason to go to. So, I wind up having to make an extra trip just for cat food or flea treatment.

One way I can avoid making these extra trips for items it to make a list of what I need. I usually try to keep a running list going that is located on a white, erasable board near the kitchen. It works sometimes but it only works if I actually take a list with me and don’t leave it at home.

I’m hoping that once I get accustomed to shopping with a list that I will remember to always make my list before I go shopping. I seldom forget to buy us food but usually forget about the cats. The cats would probably appreciate if I shopped with a list more often, too.

Our last dog was from a litter of a friend’s dog. She was a gentle dog but part pit bull terrier, which made us nervous. Rae was younger, so we decided not to keep her and found her a new home. Now that Rae is getting a bit older, I’ve been thinking about which pets or breed of dog - should we decide to go with a dog - would be best to bring into the family.

We definitely would like an active and smart dog. After reading this Boston Terriers dog guide article, I’m almost convinced that a Boston Terrier might be the right pet for us. Some concerns I have about terriers is that they are known to be high energy dogs. Terriers also need a lot of attention, which I’m afraid with my new job that I won’t be able to be there for the pet as much as I would like.

I do think the size of a Boston Terrier would be perfect for Rae. A really big dog might get too rough when playing and knock her down. A smaller dog, even a really active one, might be a better choice. Besides, an active dog might not be such a bad thing since it may just help me get some exercise I desperately need.

We are still battling a flea problem. While it is much better, we are still seeing a few around. We have tried bombing, carpet flea killer, baby powder, and vacuuming but still have some fleas.

My niece had heard that salt was good to get rid of fleas. Apparently it works like the carpet killer powder. The fleas eat the salt, which causes them to dry out and die. Now I have sprinkled salt all over our carpet. I’m going to give it a week, then vacuum it up.

It is probably just my imagination, but I think I can already tell a difference. It’s only been a day since I salted the carpet. It seems we will have two days of seemingly no fleas then have a few days where they are everywhere. My advice is if you have a flea problem, keep at whatever plan of action because it takes a while to get rid of the fleas.

I received a lot of baby powder my baby shower and still have plenty left. We have been battling fleas for a while now. We have used foggers, powders, and vacuumed. There are definitely less fleas but still some left.

I ran out of the flea powder and the carpet flea killer powder. Since I have a surplus of baby powder, I have been sprinkling that down on the carpet, floors, and upholstery. If the idea behind flea powder is to eventually dry out the fleas, then baby powder might work. Also I feel more comfortable having baby powder all over the house instead of flea killer powder.

Even if it doesn’t work, at least I feel like I’m doing something else to fight to fleas that is harmless to us and smells nice.

Getting rid of fleas is a fierce battle that will take vigilance and patience. We have used flea foggers for about three weeks now and still have fleas hopping around. We’ve added a few poisons but still have a lingering flea that refuses to just die.

After using the flea fogger, we do all the laundry and vacuum like mad. Vacuuming seems to be the most effective way of getting rid of the fleas. Sprays don’t seem to work that well but there is no escape from the vacuum.

Finally I think the flea problem is coming under control. There is still a few fleas after our latest flea fogging but it’s a lot better. The key to success to getting rid of fleas is after using a treatment like foggers vacuum like crazy all floors and carpets.

Since becoming a Mom, I understand my Mom so much better. When she would tell me no for certain things, now I, twenty-something years later, completely see where she is coming from.

My newest lesson has been about animals in the house. We couldn’t wait to live somewhere where we could have pets inside. Fast forward to two years later(it takes us a while to actually implement some ideas!), and we get at the same time 2 kittens and a puppy. On top of the fur babies, the little one is about 8 months old at the time that we became the Dolittles.

Our house soon became quite crowded as the cats were leary of the dog while the dog just wanted to play with the cats. The dog was also part pitbull, which while she was sweet as can be, I worried about her becoming protective of us and hurting someone else. So, we found the puppy a new home. Now we were down to the two kittens.

Living with cats is an experience. One cat makes every step you do while the other one lets you live in her space. They have really different personalities. I enjoyed having the cats in the house except problems begin to arise. One problem was the cat liter box. One day the cats just decided that they will eliminate whereever they feel like it. Cat urine is a huge stink and is nearly impossible to get out of clothing. The next problem was fleas. No matter how many cat baths or flea treatments it seems some always survived. The final straw came when I noticed bite marks on the baby. The cats would have to go outside.

When I was young, I always wanted to have an inside animal. My Mom and Dad were always against this. I never quite understood why until now. Although I blog about household tips and other such housewifey stuff, I am not a very good housekeeper. At least I’m not at the level that is needed to have animals in the house.

I did have a few animals in the house, but they were always in cages. Confined space for them to roam and to mess up. Great idea.

Our cat had kittens a few months back. She had complications from nursery and ruptured a mammary gland. We took her to the vet where she was treated and is doing a lot better. It wasn’t a cheap visit, and we didn’t have the money to pay for it.

The vet’s office told us about Care Credit, which is essentially a credit card we could use to pay for her medical costs. While I hate using credit and really just want to be out of debt, Care Credit really saved us in this situation. We hope to have it paid off in a few months but have up to 12 months to pay it off and not be charged any finance fees.

We need to get the cat spayed, and Care Credit can help us do that sooner than later. I surely don’t want her to go through anything like she had to with her first litter.

Here it is, the middle of winter ,and the cats have fleas. What is up with that? They go outside for all of two minutes and come back with fleas. Unbelievable.

I had bought a cat flea spray, but the cat hate it. I guess it’s the spraying sound it makes. I never get the coverage with it since they run for the hills after the first mist hits them.

While it isn’t easy or pleasant to give a cat a bath, it really helps with the fleas. We use Safeguard soap that works really well at killing fleas. The best thing about Safeguard is that you can buy a huge pack for around $3. It’ll last forever.

It always makes me feel better to give the cats a bath with Safeguard when I find a flea. I’ll itch for days until I bathe them, then I feel better. The bath not only kills fleas but gives me peace of mind that I’m doing something for us all.