My Furry Family

I cannot imagine my life without animals. Not having my own furry snuggle buddy for 4 years while I was at college was practically torture. I love animals and need to have them around me. Needless to say, as soon as we got our own apartment, we began adopting animals. I never have and never will "shop" for an animal. There are so many furry critters out there that need a forever home- so please adopt, don't shop! Right now we have 2 cats and a dog. I love them so, so much! They do make me think a lot about waste though. Animals create a lot of waste. There are not many options out there for "package free" animal food/treats/litter/etc. I've basically tried to cut our waste, as well as focused on what type of waste I am creating. I want to emphasize that while I do strive to be waste free, the health and happiness of my animals will always come first. So now let me introduce you to my fuzz babies!

Yoga kitties!

This is Lily! She is a buff Tiger. Apparently it is very rare for a female cat to be this color. She is a quiet little sweetheart. 

This is Jiji! I named her after the kitty from Kiki's Delivery Service, because she likes to follow me around and "talk" to me. By far the neediest animal I have ever met. She also only loves me <3. 

Last but not least, Molly! She was rescued from a high-kill gassing shelter down south. The sweetest dog I have ever met. Loves snuggles, tummy rubs, and chicken. 

So, as adorable as these guys are, they do make a lot of waste. Here are some of the products I am using for them now:

*For the kitties*

 

I found this brand of wet food at the co-op and Jiji LOVES it. Seriously goes crazy for it. She used to waste her wet food and now she eats every bite. The can is BPA free and can be recycled. I feel good about buying this food because it contains real ingredients, not fillers or gross additives. It is a good price for what you are getting ($2.50 a can), plus I used to have to get rid of so much of her old wet food because she wouldn't eat all of it. Now not one bit is wasted. We also buy the dry food of this brand as well, which our other kitty loves (she has no interest in wet food for some reason). 

As for litter, we have tried many. We used to use the regular Tidy Cats because we could refill the container at Pet Smart. However, after more research, we felt it was time to change that due to all of the chemicals in the litter, plus it seemed to irritate our cats- they would sneeze a lot while they were in the litter box! Swheat Scoop is honestly the best choice- recyclable packaging, great ingredients (not the best odor control though- add some baking soda). Of course, our cats hated it. Literally scooped it out of their box like they were making a sandcastle on the bathroom floor. We switched to Feline Pine and they have accepted it. I really like this stuff because it controls odors better than ANY litter we ever tried. Of course, the plastic packaging is not ideal. But again, they are happy with the litter so I am

 happy. 

Unfortunately, there are no bulk options for me at the moment for kitty food/litter. I am in contact with my local co-op to try to change this though!

*For the dog*

I started using these poo bags a while ago. They aren't the best option as they never truly "biodegrade"- they just break down into smaller pieces. I figured it was at least better than regular plastic bags. However, my local co-op just started carrying compostable bags by this same company! As soon as we are out of these I will be switching to the compostable ones. I live in an apartment, so a doggy poo compost is out of the question, but will definitely happen once we have a house. I have heard they are easy to make and maintain- check out Pinterest for ideas if you are interested!

As for food, we buy her dry food from Pet Guard (same brand as the kitty food) and top it with a bit of yogurt, because she is spoiled and the vet said it is okay. If she is super lucky there will be some sweet potato thrown on top as well!

And for treats, we buy them in bulk at Planet Dog! 

So, there you have it! Again, I am really waiting for some better options, but these are the products that are the healthiest for my animals and some can be recycled. The compostable bags are definitely a step in the right direction for me. Hopefully my co-op will come through with bulk dog/cat food and kitty litter. I'll keep you posted!