I poked my head out of a gaggle of cats this week to realize it is:
a) Back to school time for most of North America and…
b) Labor Day weekend according to the influx of online retail “labor day sale!” alerts bombarding my email inbox.
The cats in my world don’t go to school, nor do they get to celebrate a day of not working (since they never work AT ALL), so we are going to get into a sometimes smelly subject that follows cat ownership and of course, cat foster-ship.
“Heyyy…I do stuff. Notice how this bed hasn’t flown away? You’re welcome.”
Cat Litter
Fun fact…ready?
I did some math and from January 6, 2019 (the day our first group of foster cats moved in) through August 25 2019, we went through3,578 pounds of cat litter.
You read that right, I’ve done the math four times.
For perspective, 3500 lb is about the same as:
A small White Rhinoceros
A medium sized Giraffe
An empty cargo container
A Chevrolet Equinox
“Heyyy…I just big boned.”
“How on earth?” you might ask.
Well, if you’ve visited us you might have noticed the Cat Lounge and cat privacy room are pretty darn clean. This is not by accident, in fact it is very intentional.
Part of our mission of connection is helping to enroll “non-cat people” into the fantastical furry world of cats by breaking down common barriers such as fear of litter box or cat smell.
Our team works really hard at keeping our space as clean as possible because the alternative is no fun for anyone (including the cats). And if we can keep a room full of 20 cats and not smell litter, then 1 or 2 cats shouldn’t be an issue for those non-cat people! 😹👍
Part of the sanitation requirements we follow for our rescue partner is emptying and sanitizing each litter pan on a regular basis.
Even with hard clumping litter, this inevitably results in usable cat litter going straight into the trash.
If you have cats then you know that good cat litter isn’t cheap; hence it being one of many costs offset by the $12 purr hour Cat Lounge admission.
Litter & Boxes
People ask me all the time what we do about cat litter and litter pans so I’m happy to go into detail on that for you guys here.
To date we’ve been using Fresh Step Simply Unscented, mainly because it’s low dust and doesn’t have any added scent. We don’t have any relationship with the brand so this is just me sharing what we’ve been choosing to use so far.
BUT – last week World’s Best Cat Litter contacted us about joining their cat cafe program which is SUPER exciting. I’ve not tried their products before so if any of you guys have tested it out I’d love you to drop me a note with your thoughts.
When it comes to litter boxes… my oh my there are all kinds. And they can get pretty pricey.
When Cat & Craft was in the planning stages I spent some time chatting to Haydn of Java Cats Atlanta, and she shared the genius idea of simply buying a bunch of 18 gallon storage tubs like these on Amazon.
We just cut a U-shaped hole in the front of each one for cat access, and the high sides keep litter inside the tub and the non-porous material is easy to sanitize. Plus when it’s time to replace the cost per item is much lower than many of the litter boxes available in various pet stores.
“Heyyy…we’re not full of shhhh – quiet someone’s coming”
Of course when you are talking about cat litter you eventually get around to the subject of cat poops and pees… but I’ll leave that topic for another day!
We continue our adoption success stories with some real superstars of the Cat & Craft Cat Lounge.
Every time we hear from an adopter about how wonderfully their new family member is adjusting, we become even more and more grateful for the support of our community here in North County.
PARROT
“Hi! We are so happy to have Parrot!!!❤ He is an amazing kitty. He and Olivia are a perfect match. He loves to be held and cuddled and she loves to hold and cuddle him.
He follows her everywhere and he meows at the door when she goes outside to play with her friends. He misses her. He even likes to lay like a baby in her doll strollers. They are so darn cute.❤❤❤ Olivia says she’s lucky that he chose her… 💗💕💗
~Parrot’s family
CAPPY & STELLA (STAPPY)
“Hello! I love them so much, they are the biggest sweethearts, and I’m so happy with how they’ve been settling in here!”
~ Cappy & Stella’s family
CANDY
“Hi! Candy (now Lillian, Lily for short) is doing great. She is getting along great with her new big brother, Luther (also a black cat).
They spend their days lounging in the sun next to the window and playing with each other. She’s half his size but bosses him around (and I think he likes it that way). She’s a gem and we are so lucky to have her.”
~Lily’s family
EMPEROR
“He’s the best clinic cat ever and so loved!!”
~ Emperor’s family
COSMO
These pictures say it all…
Cosmo’s awesome momma got him the same bed he loved to sleep in at the cafe, and in the 200+ days we cared for him we never saw him cuddle with anyone. That has clearly changed!
The campaign began in 2015 with the support of national broadcast stations NBC and Telemundo.
Now in its fifth year, the annual adoption drive has helped 256,688 pets find forever homes. Last year alone more than 100,000 pets were adopted from over 1,200 shelters across the county, and this year we all hope for even bigger and better results!
Both shelters and rescue organizations choose to participate each year by reducing adoption fees for one day to encourage those considering adoption to make the commitment to save a life.
It’s a big push that helps move homeless animals from shelter cages and foster homes into forever homes, so that shelter and rescue resources are freed up to help more animals in need.
Where Cat & Craft Fits In
We talk about the circle of rescue at Cat & Craft quite often, and here’s a little diagram to help illustrate the process:
That’s right – every cat adopted from Cat & Craft means LYFF Rescue can pull another cat from area shelters, which in turn frees up space at the shelter so they can in turn assist another animal in need.
Many organizations will be participating in tomorrow’s National Clear The Shelters Day all across the country. You can click here www.cleartheshelters.com to learn more and enter your zip code to see a full list of local adoption events are taking place near you!
If you have space in your home and heart to help a pet experience the safe, love-filled life it deserves, I hope you will consider adopting tomorrow from the LYFF Rescue fosters at Cat & Craft or another organization.
So, I’m going to continue that trend with another one of our STAR foster kitties… Miss Gracie.
Gracie – if you haven’t met her in person – might as well be the cat version of Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco. With stunning eyes, she saunters through the cat lounge with an aristocratic air.
Even when just relaxing on a cardboard scratcher, she looks like she’s posing for a Vogue photo shoot; therefore, we all figure she’d have quite the story to tell if she could speak human.
Here goes…
Caroline (in bold): Good morning Gracie
Gracie (in italics): Good day to you madam.
Oh you don’t have to call me madam, I’m just the hired help…
Very well, good day to you hired help.
I was trying to be funny… anyway, let’s get started. We’d like to help our guests get to know you better, given you’ve spent a good bit of time with us here at the cafe.
For that I am grateful. What would you like to know?
You have gorgeous eyes… and the purrfect “cat eye” eyeliner. How do you look so stunning all the time?
I’m a 100% natural beauty. No effort required.
For real you always look ready for a photo shoot. Ok how about buddies… if your future family got you a best friend would it be a dog or another cat?
Definitely another cat. I find dogs to be very frightening.
How about snuggle buddies… would you rather snuggle with another kitty or a person?
Purrrrrson all the way. I like cats just fine but tend to prefer the companionship of people who adore me.
Ok how about special skills… what would you like to share?
I’m very adept at sleeping in a purrrfect circle. Also did I mention I am very photogenic?
We ALL mention that about you all the time Gracie…
Good.
Ok Gracie, thanks for playing along with us and we appreciate that you allow us to take care of you. We love you very much and promise we are working hard to find you the purrrfect family!
A few weeks ago, I announced our staff would be taking a field trip to Laguna Beach to visit Catmosphere.
Well, the field trip was this past Monday and we had a blast!
You see, most cat cafes share a common goal – we want to see fewer cats in shelter cages (or worse, euthanized unnecessarily) and more cats happy in loving homes.
So rather than view other cat cafes as competitors, we see an opportunity to collaborate on ideas together so that we all can make the biggest and best impact for both the animals in need of assistance, and the families who will enjoy love and companionship through adoption.
About Catmosphere and its founder Gail
Catmosphere opened in August of 2018 and color me impressed… Gail not only runs the business but also handles all the rescue and adoption efforts herself!
That means she works directly with local shelters, rescues and families who have encountered a circumstance where they can no longer care for their cat. She takes all cats slated to enter Catmosphere to local veterinarians for intake screening and appropriate care, personally reviews all adoption applications AND completes all home checks prior to adoption approvals.
Here at Cat & Craft we work with a rescue organization that accomplishes the same via dedicated volunteers – and they’d tell you it’s time consuming and often times difficult work. So for one individual to handle it all is extremely impressive and worthy of support.
Inside Catmosphere
When you visit Catmosphere you will find a delightful space with lots of windows and natural light, right in the heart of Laguna Beach.
The cafe portion offers delicious toast plates, macarons and they also serve beer and wine. Similar to our space you can either view the adoptable kitties from the cafe or you can book an hour in the cat lounge to interact with them directly.
We had a great time sharing best practices with one another and discussing ideas for how we could help support each other and other cat cafes here on the West Coast.
How fantastic would it be if all shelters, rescue organizations and cat cafes’ collaborated to bring an end to unwanted pets and animal suffering? It’s a tall order, but with enough people dedicated to bring about positive change in our communities and our culture as a whole, it’s not impossible.
If you are ever in the Laguna Beach area please make a point to visit the Catmosphere team and show your support!
