Watch Must Love Cats

Did you ever hear about a high end coffee made from cat poo? Ever see a cat with four ears? A kitty prosthetic? If not, then you haven't watched an episode of Must Love Cats on Animal Planet. This fun program, hosted by John Fulton, is based on John's travels across the country to find anything and everything cat. He talks with people who build cat trees with actual fallen tree limbs and he finds cats in small New York corner stores (allowed to be there "under the radar" for their ability to keep rat/mouse populations out of the produce. One episode has cat boarding accommodations so swanky that, quite frankly, I was jealous. Must Love Cats is entertaining and informative (albeit a bit silly). My husband and I watch every episode. In fact, it's pre-programmed on our DVR so we don't miss a single cat-lovin' minute.

The Necessary Evil

If you have cats, you have cat litter. You can use shredded newspaper, clumping or non-clumping clay, pellets, sand...basically, whatever your cat is comfortable with. And we all know, it's not about what you can afford or are comfortable with. If the cat ain't happy with his toilet accommodations, ain't nobody gonna be happy. I've always been lucky in that my cats are quite content to use clumping clay based litters. The beauty of clay is it clumps solid and stays that way no matter how many times the cat walks on or digs it up. The downside of clay is the layer of cat litter dust residing over every inch of the room the litter boxes occupy. Dust free is a lie, believe me. Every single clay litter kicks up a certain amount of dust when kitty scratches it or you are scooping it. I've also found even the ones that are supposed to absorb odor only do about a 50/50 job. My husband is considerably less tolerant to the negatives of clay, so one day he came home with a bag of World's Best Cat Litter. I've seen other cat litters that are supposed to be environmentally friendly but the cost has always discouraged me from trying them. World's Best bills itself as the only cat litter made from all-natural, whole-kernel corn. Because of this, the litter is more environmentally friendly because it is more biodegradable. World's Best is also supposed to be better for people and cats because it has no added chemicals, it's long lasting, strong clumping, and odor controlling. So I'm giving it a try. I've been slowing adding it to the existing litter so as not to create mutiny in case someone doesn't care much for corn. Right now, only about half the litter box is made up of World's Best, so I can't comment on it's lack of dust or odor control abilities because a large amount of clay still fills the box. I am finding, however, that while it clumps very well, it's not as firm as clay and breaks apart more easily. The kernels are slightly larger and lighter than their clay counterparts and don't sift quite as nicely through the kitty poo scoop. As I work my way to a completely clay free litter box, I'll let you know how it goes. If any of you have tried it, post your comments - I'd love to hear them!

Elmbrook Humane Society

We all have soft spots in our hearts for milestone events from our lives. I will always love St. Martin's Fair because it's where my dad and I always bonded. I will always remember the church my husband and I were married in. I will always adore Elmbrook Humane Society for giving me two of my three cats.

Apollo was first, 17 years ago. I went looking for a solid black kitten and fell in love, instead, with a six month old solid gray. He's my sensitive lap cat and has been with me ever since.

Fifteen years later, Elmbrook stole my heart again with a tiger-striped one and half year old. We saw her at Petsmart and we bonded through the glass cages separating the cats from the shoppers. Emma is the little troublemaker, always looking for a new way to push someone's buttons.

Since adopting Emma, my husband and I have provided donations of food, cat litter and money to help provide for the animals in Elmbrook Humane Society's care.

You can help Elmbrook care for the animals by eating at Fazoli's in New Berlin, WI. On Wednesday, March 30 and Thursday, March 31, 15% of your bill will be donated to Elmbrook with the flyer on Elmbrook's website. Visit http://www.ebhs.org/ for details. You'll be hungry one of those days anyway. It's one of the easiest ways to offer a helping hand.

The Cost of Love

What's your financial limit when your cat is sick? You might find it's higher than you thought.

Mine was.

Become the First-Ever Purina Cat Chow Correspondent

Are you passionate about cats? Do you have the freedom to travel the country looking for other people who are passionate about their cats? Could you use $50,000 a year salary?

I sure could.

If this sounds interesting, head over to Purina Cat Chow to apply for their first-ever Purina Cat Chow Correspondent position. The correspondent can even keep their day job (which is probably a good idea since you will only hold the position for a year). On the plus side, for those with an interest in breaking into the media, this could be your golden ticket.

The best part? You don't need any formal journalism training to apply. The main job requirement is that you love cats and enjoy bonding with other people who love cats. Your findings will be published on catchow.com, and Purina Cat Chow's social meda channels, including Facebook. It is not entirely clear if this would be a writing position or an in-front-of-a-camera position, but maybe there is some flexibility with whatever makes you comfortable. I'm not interested in being in front of a camera, but if I can write everything and back it up with photographs, count me in.

Don't wait too long - deadline for entries is March 28, 2011. Winners will be announced by May 15, 2011 and the position will run from May 15, 2011 through May 15, 2012.

Good Luck!