Did you know that my tiny baby kitten is now an enormous ADULT CAT?
Because he is a fancy hypoallergenic purebred cat, we know the exact date of his birthday, and it was this past week.
We got him a present. He LOVES it.
In his honor, I thought I would devote a post to some pressing cat questions. Questions that you have asked about this particular cat, and questions I have about cat parenting.
Is this cat’s name Lenny or Leo?
The answer to this question is yes. Okay, that’s not helpful. The real answer is, his name is Leo in my household and at the vet, but his name is Lenny in my heart. I lobbied so hard to call him Lenny, but I was overruled by my husband and child. Thus, he goes by Leo at home (Or Leo-cat. Or Mr. Fluffy Pants.). But I feel so much glee that so many blog readers continue to refer to him as Lenny. It is a delight that my much-longed-for name persists here in the digital world. Julie, in particular, reminds me that she thinks of Lenny Kravitz, and that brings me a lot of joy because I am pretty my cat thinks that his human form would bear strong resemblance to this:
In my opinion, he often shares more similarities with this other beloved if fictional Lenny:
Do you really bathe your cat?
I have mentioned several times that I bathe my cat, and this is often met with perplexity. Cats are, after all, self-cleaning. My cat demonstrates his own personal grooming activities multiple times per day, sometimes in a slightly insulting manner right after one of us has pet him.
Nonetheless, I bathe him approximately once a month, using water and original Dawn. I do this for three reasons, in no particular priority: 1. To get/keep him accustomed to being bathed, so that it isn’t traumatic to either of us. 2. To address occasional hygienic issues that affect the pantaloons area. 3. To manage the tendency of his fur to become, over time, slightly greasy – a result of his diet or, more likely, the incessant petting by hands that may or may not have food residue on them.
I used to bathe him in the bathtub, but it hurts my back. So I have begun to give him a shower. He doesn’t seem to mind the water. I hold him and the only time he seems slightly perturbed is when I lather him. He lets me know he is perturbed by gently increasing his grip on my shoulders and mewing plaintively a few times.
I blow dry him with a hair dryer that I prop up on books and point at where I am holding him on my lap and combing him. He seems to enjoy that part of the process. This system works, but it’s not ideal. Sometimes I daydream about getting a fancy pet blow dryer, like this one. There’s also this drying box that is WAY too expensive but that doesn’t stop me from looking at it. This one is more in my price range, and it’s also a brush.
Now I have some questions for you.
Where does all the FUR come from?
Lenny is a Siberian, and he has luxurious medium-length fur. I brush him at least once daily. AT LEAST ONCE. I vacuum at least once daily as well. And yet, every time I turn around, or every time the cat moves from one location to another, a tumbleweed of fur trundles lackadaisically across the floor. HOW? And also WHY?
The cat breeder warned me that Lenny would have two shedding seasons each year: spring and then fall. So far, neither season has ended. Shedding season appears to take place all year long. I do not like it.
Is there a special brush I should be using? I have two combs and this brush (which Leo does not like) and there are too many options for me to choose from; I find it overwhelming.
How much should I be feeding the cat?
As a reader of this blog, you are well aware of how much I fret about feeding my human child, right? Well, I worry about the cat’s food intake EVEN MORE. I find the entire feeding situation completely impossible. Everything I read (and also the cat breeder) said that we should give our cat both wet and dry food. Wet because his breed and/or sex has a propensity for developing crystals in the urinary tract, which can be dangerous and potentially fatal; the extra moisture in the wet food helps ensure he stays hydrated, which is one way to prevent the crystals from forming. Dry because it can help his teeth stay strong, and also because you can leave dry food out longer than you can the wet food.
All the food containers say how much you should be giving your cat. There are tons of websites that offer guidance about how many calories a cat should consume, based on age and weight and indoor/outdoor status. And yet I still feel like I have NO IDEA. Sometimes he will scarf down a whole can of food. Other times he will barely nibble at it. Some days I go to refill his dry food and it’s all gone, other days he has hardly touched it. Sometimes he shows a clear preference for one flavor of cat food over another. Other days, he will turn up his nose at his favorite flavor or gobble up the entire plate of his least preferred flavor. He seems to have regular bathroom habits. He seems to be active and happy. He seems to be a fine weight and shape. Is he getting enough calories or not? Is he malnourished? Is he overweight? Does he need more flavor variety? Does he need less flavor variety? Am I leaving out too much dry food?
What do cat owners REALLY DO about the litter box?
The litter we use says 1) fill clean, dry litter box with 3” to 4” of litter; 2) scoop waste twice daily and refill box as necessary; and 3) replace entire box once a month. The litter website also says that we should replace the entire litter box every six to twelve months.
Is this what we’re doing, cat owners? Are we cleaning out and replacing all the litter every month? Are we replacing the entire litter box every six to twelve months, and, if so, is that only plastic litter boxes (which is what we have) or does that apply to stainless steel ones as well? I “scooped waste twice daily” for the first couple of months, but the cat tends to fulfill the majority of his litter box needs at night, so it seemed pointless and now I do it once a day.
WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?
My particular cat has not been very vocal. His mews have been few and far between. The most regular vocalization he has is when he welcomes us home. He sits on the kitchen side of the closed laundry room door and when we open it, he stretches and greets us with a little “mrmrmr!” Although… he does seem to be exercising his voice more frequently now that he’s getting older. It’s still rare enough, though, that any time he mews, his humans will react with extreme sympathy: “What buddy? What is it? Are you okay?” Sometimes it seems like he’s asking where we are. Sometimes it seems like he’s expressing a complaint. But most of the time, I have no idea what he’s trying to tell me.
Is this like having a human child, who starts out with grunts and then moves on to babbling and then to words or word-stand-ins? Will I eventually understand exactly what he wants, or are we always destined to stare uncomprehendingly into one another’s eyes?
Why are your pants so fluffy?!?!
A question for the ages.
I really hope you have some answers, Internet. But please share any cat questions – about my specific cat or cats in general – as well. I certainly won’t be able to answer an of them, but I would of course fret easily about any and all things that haven’t yet caught my attention.
Happy Birthday, Lenny! 😀
That bowtie is such a dapper look! Such a handsome big fluffy boy 😍😍😍
I am a firm believer that all cats should have fluffy trousers!
Fluffy trousers are the best!
I continue to die of cute every time that I see a picture of Little Lenny. I too was wondering about the baths, and your answer makes sense. Doggo grooms herself like a cat, so she stays pretty clean, but after about a month her fur starts to get greasy, so that’s how we know when it’s time to give her a bath (obviously more frequently when she does dog things like rolling in something smelly or getting muddy). She doesn’t have nearly the booty floof that Lenny has, but she is fairly fluffy back there.
When we first got Doggo I was worried about overfeeding her, which turned out to be the stupidest fear that I have ever had. Sometimes she eats consistently, sometimes she ignores her food for a day or two, and sometimes she wolfs down three bowls in one sitting. Mind you she also gets a lot of treats, a few table scraps, and helps to prewash the dishes before they go into the dishwasher. Our vet says that as long as her weight stays steady and that most of her diet is from dog food that it’s fine and we don’t need to be concerned. I’m very jealous of her metabolism because she eats like a horse and she’s so skinny. If she were a person, she would be Audrey Hepburn.
I love pet birthdays and giving pets presents. It took Doggo a few holidays to recognize what a wrapped present is, and now when we give her one she gets very excited and rips right into it.
I keep trying to remind myself that the cat is probably MUCH better at regulating his food intake than humans are. Just because he has a plate of food in front of him doesn’t mean he’s hungry, and that’s okay!
I am loving the image of Doggo as Audrey Hepburn. YES, that is her human counterpart for sure.
I’m laughing so hard at the Lenny VS Leo! I, too, hope he’s more of the first one!
Suzanne, only you would cover Lenny’s butt with a heart sticker. Happy belated Valentine’s Day, Lenny! 🥰
Usually his pantaloons obscure everything quite well, but in that one instance it was a little blatant. I didn’t want to EMBARRASS him on the internet. 😉
Pantaloons!! 🤣🤣
I do clean out litter every month, but no way am I buying new litter boxes each year- they’re expensive! As long as I keep it clean, it’s good for several years. I have replaced one that are too scratched up at the bottom to clean easily.
Cats sometimes eat a lot and sometimes exist on air- like toddlers. Just make sure he has sone dry food he can access, and don’t switch around flavors or food types. Most cats like the same thing all the time. Like toddlers again!
Many cats don’t meow much- adult cats tend to meow mostly at people. It’s communication . If he meows at you, see if he’ll lead you to what he wants.
His pants are fluffy to represent how awesome he is- you can’t contain greatness!
Our vet said the same thing about choosing one food and sticking with it… but he seems to get bored??? Or am I just projecting? LOL, I have no idea.
Data point for litter boxes: We currently have two cats and five (5!) litter boxes, which is a holdover from when we had our extremely senior cat who needed easy access pretty much everywhere to avoid accidents. Of those, three are in regular use, but two of the three are literally right next to one another, so they sort of count as one super-large box. We scoop every morning, and occasionally midday if someone makes an especially egregious deposit. We top off with fresh litter whenever the level starts looking low, and do a complete clean out whenever I notice the box starting to look a little crusty, which is realistically about every four to six months. I empty the boxes out, scrub them with dawn dish soap, air dry and then refill with fresh litter. I’ll replace the actual boxes themselves if they start to look too scratched up to clean properly, probably every couple of years. We’ve never had issues with our cats refusing to use the boxes, or having accidents (other than the aforementioned extremely elderly baby who tried his best but sometimes couldn’t make it), so I’m satisfied with our schedule even if it makes me feel like a gross, dirty cat owner in comparison to what we’re “supposed” to be doing…
This sounds both doable and reasonable! Thank you! I have done a full cleanout of the litter box only once in the past eight months, so I have been feeling super guilty. But it doesn’t seem to be particularly gross??? And I hate the idea of “wasting” all that litter.
Lenny/Leo is just such a gentleman in that bowtie! <3 I love it! Happy birthday to him!
I could never bathe our 2 kitties, and I applaud you! Smart, getting him to tolerate that, early on.
TODAY I’m taking our two for their annual vet appt. They’re skulking around like they know something’s up, even though I haven’t brought the carriers indoors yet! How do they know?! I beg your prayers; getting them in the carriers is …eek.
I also scoop their litter box once a day, and clean it entirely … every 4-6 months I guess. Also with Dawn! Do we all use it by telling ourselves, “If it’s safe enough for the baby duckies, it’s safe…” ? I use Dawn more frequently to clean the water filter/fountain we got our kidney-diseased kitty-baby. I find this a pain in the neck, but worth it for the health of said baby. (He’s fine, just eats specialized food.)
Oh wow, how funny that they seem to intuit the vet visit!
Heehee — I do tell myself that Dawn is fine for the kitty because it’s fine for ducks! Also, the cat breeder said she uses Dawn, so that seemed good enough for me too.
Yes, we have a water fountain too and I also use Dawn to clean it! Dawn is the best.
Happy Birthday to Lenny/Leo! Such a beautiful cat and I love his tail. My older daughter has cats with tails like that. They also lose a lot of hair, in tufts. My short hair isn’t as prolific, and her fur is more like hair than fur if that makes sense. I scoop the litter box every day, sometimes twice but am not the greatest at completely changing out the litter. Bad mama!
His tail is magnificent, isn’t it??? I think it looks like a plume fancy people would wear in their hats. It’s so fun to spot him behind furniture when only his tail is visible.
Lenny!!! He’s so sweet. And very dapper in his bow tie! Rex haaaaates anything on his head and yet loves wearing bandannas. Maybe he’s a biker. Barkley ate everything and if I ever put a hat on him I am sure he would promptly eat it, but he had this Christmas scarf that I would put on him and I swear it made him strut.
This was very interesting to me as I know nothing about cat ownership! I love how you bathe and brush him. Again, this is something I can’t relate to but love – I outsource all grooming needs. Well, not always. Rex rolls in dead grass all the time and so is constantly dusty and grass-filled, and he doesn’t mind a good brushing. I think he’s just happy with the attention.
I love how we have nicknames for our pets. I would have never chosen the name Rex but I don’t know WHAT I would have called him, either. I call him Rexie Roo all the time and also Doughnut. He is also known around here as Big Silly, Silly, Big Galoompa.
I love the image of Barkley strutting around in his Christmas scarf!
So many nicknames, Nicole. And many of them make ZERO sense.
Ug, I love him.
I scoop the litter boxes once a day. We have clumping litter, and I am just going to go ahead and say outright that I basically never (mayyyyyyyyyyyyybe once a year) empty it all out and start over; instead, I just keep adding to it, and sometimes I stir in some baking soda. I hadn’t heard anything about replacing the whole box itself, and that seems like a waste of plastic and money unless there’s some particular reason to do it; the vet didn’t even mention doing that when we had a Little Parasite Issue (a gift from a new kitten). We have twice taken the litter boxes outside and power-washed them, which Paul found fun. (This was during the Little Parasite Issue. The vet DID recommend thoroughly washing the litter boxes at the end of a round of medication.)
Our litter box is so enormous, I cannot imagine cleaning it any other way than Paul’s. We have only deep cleaned it once so far, which makes me feel guilty but seems like the norm, so PHEW!, and we took it outside and sprayed it with the hose (and scrubbed it). Which is great and satisfying but less feasible in the winter.
Lenny! Look how big you are, and just as cute as ever! Happy birthday!
Cat hair follows its own rules, even for short-haired cats. It doesn’t follows the laws of physics or anything remotely sensible. It just Is. Everywhere.
I too have struggled with the issue of how much to feed the cat. At this point, I have stopped keeping track, and just feed him a bit whenever he asks for it. I would rather feed him three times over a time period instead of once but he leaves most of it to dry out. When he first came here, he would eat every morsel that I put down, but now he seems to recognize that there will always be more.
Litter boxes! At first, Newman was producing so much waste that I got a second box (I know, you’re “supposed to” have one more than the number of cats you have, but Maggie always did fine with one). Eventually things settled down enough that I was able to go back to one (which I wanted because I have a piece of furniture so that I can have the box at a friendly height for emptying without killing my back, the way bending over the floor does). When I got the second box, though, I tried a stainless steel one thinking that the clumps wouldn’t stick to the bottom as hard as the plastic one, but WOW was that wrong. I hated the metal one and was glad to get rid of it. It killed me to clean that one out. Weird. Anyway, I scoop it out once a day, or slightly more often if it needs it, and add litter as it gets low. I … do not empty it completely every month. I basically wait until it seems more gross than usual.
Hahahaha – you are so right that cat fur defies the laws of physics.
Thank you for the tip on the stainless steel litter box! I will stop coveting one.
Oh Lenny, you dapper, dapper guy! He’s definitely Lenny K forever in my heart, even if Lenny K in real life did cheat on Lisa B. I mean, cats aren’t monogamous so I don’t think he would be offended by me mentioning Lisa.
My daughter LOVES cats, and we can’t have one, but she likes to inundate us with cat facts. I don’t know if this is a fact or not, but she said that cats do not meow to each other, only to kittens, because kittens are too dumb to figure things out without that vocal guidance. Assuming there is any shred of truth in this internet factoid, we could guess that Lenny did not meow at you much when he was a kitten, because he respected you and you were the boss. Now that he’s all grown up, he’s starting to doubt your intelligence and thus may start meowing more.
I heard the same thing about dogs, once or twice a year. That was true for our Genevieve, who was a sheltie/keeshond mix. But Mulder, who was purebred keeshond, shed like it was his job. (It was not, his job was yelling all day, but shedding was a part time thing for sure.) I never saw anything like it, until we dog sat another keeshond, Theo, for 3 days. OMG, within minutes of vacuuming, the house was a disaster of fluffy dog tumbleweeds. At least with Mulder we got a couple of hours.
I love that cat fact! And I love the idea that my kitty thinks he has surpassed me in intelligence. Probably true.
I get IN the tub with my cat. It makes them feel more secure, too, as well as being easier on my own back.
This is smart. And I definitely get in the shower with my cat. Weird, and I get all wet, and then I have to shower myself afterwards, but it seems the easiest/least stressful and most efficient.
I WOULD DIE FOR LENNY. Omg, I might actually get to MEET LENNY. I will try to be chill so it’s not embarrassing for him.
Our friends have a cat and a small dog, and honestly I would probably go the same route except the thought of having a litter box AND having to pick up Lucy’s poop is somewhat overwhelming. I am squeamish, I’m not proud of it, but here we are. When I pick up Lucy’s poop in the back yard I feel like I have to shower AND wash my hair afterward.
Throw out the whole litterbox every six months? That seems wasteful?
I have no useful suggestions or questions other than HOW IS HE SO FLAWLESS.
He will 100% come sniff your feet and then will follow you around to make sure you are behaving.
I am squeamish, too. The picking up poop thing is one of my biggest deterrents to having a dog, and I know people do it! and it’s not a Big Deal! but I cannot stomach the idea. At least with the litter box, I get a little shovel and I don’t have to touch anything. Even though the layer of a bag. Shudder.
Oh, I also adored Lenny Briscoe. I worked at an audio publisher years ago and Jerry Orbach did some book recordings for us. He was really good – did one in a British accent that was fabulous. I was really sad when he died.
I adore Lenny Briscoe and Jerry Orbach. One of his best roles, in my opinion, was as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast. Fantastic performance through and through.
I love your new blog name! It’s perfect! And I really enjoyed the photo sliders of Lenny as a kitten vs now. He has grown into such a handsome fellow, and I’m so delighted that he brings you so much joy. I’m also delighted that you share lots of pictures of him because they make me feel so happy!
Michelle, I forced the cat to do a repeat of some of my favorite shots of him as a kitten, and it was so fun and I LOVE seeing them side by side like that! So glad he makes you happy, too. He brightens my days for sure!
Omg- Lenny is a year old??? It was just yesterday he was a tiny kitten! So he didn’t like the hat? Hahahaha… I can’t imagine any of our cats tolerating a hat. The bowtie is very handsome though.
So I’m pretty casual about food and litter boxes. We currently have three litter boxes, and I would say I scoop them once a day. I add more litter when they start to get low, and every once in a while- I mean like after months of this- I’ll dump out all the litter, wash the boxes and start all over again. I’ve never heard of replacing the boxes themselves! I’ll probably only do that if they somehow get really gross.
For food- well, Muffin is obese. Foxy is lean and mean and has a huge appetite, and Sylvie goes berserk whenever food comes out. They get a mix of wet and dry- Sylvie gets kitten food. She also steals some of the other cats dry food, which I’m not sure she’s supposed to have but also doesn’t seem to be hurting her, so I guess it’s fine. I don’t have the energy to feed them all separately, so I figure everyone will survive just fine.
Foxy and Muffin have short hair, but Sylvie looks like she might grow up to be fluffy. Not as fluffy as Lenny though!!! He’s the fluff-meister!!!
Love the new blog name!!!
Oh my gosh, I cannot wait to see if Sylvie gets to be a big floof!
I have seen so many videos of ravenous kittens, and it cracks me up — especially the ones where the teeny kitten is screaming and clawing its way up the human’s clothing as the human tries to put the food down. Hilarious. Lenny was never like that! He will indicate hunger, of course, but he never screams for food and he never seems particularly desperate.
I’m so glad that all my fellow cat owners seem to be pretty relaxed about the litter box cleaning. That makes me feel much better about the whole thing.
Suzanne, is that a new blog name? I love it!
I said it before and I’ll say it again- Lenny is royalty.
His fluffy pants are. Just. AW.
I used to bathe my kitties, too. They hated it but thus is life.
Thanks, Daria! Aren’t his fluffy pants the best?!
That is one SERIOUS tail! No wonder you have non-stop seasonal shedding. But what a gorgeous fellow! And darling as a kitten, splendid as an adult! (And Lennie Broscoe– sigh. I miss him.)
Your thoughts about food are an issue near and dear to my heart of late. Lizzie is in early renal disease and her vet has changed her eating plan. No kibble (we’re in the weaning stage now — she gets two teaspoons, one in the morning, one at bed) and more of her wet food, with additional water added. The question is, how much more? Lizzie would say it’s never enough! Plus, she gets her renal pill crushed up in a Churo treat twice a day, so more calories? Our vet recommended many flavors so if/when they sour on others, you have good back-up. And also to get her used to people-grade food. I’d say Lizzie is a far more adventurous diner than I am!
As for the litter box, I scoop when she poops (or otherwise) but I’m not watching! Right now her “bathroom” area has many puppy pads because she made one bad error that turned into a bad habit. I’d rather it look ugly than totally destroy the carpet and add the smell! She’s an old girl but hopefully plenty of life left, so we’ll co-exist, even with puppy pads! Replacing them or the box? I think not! I don’t know that I’ve ever scrubbed it out or replaced it. I had no idea! Maybe I should!
Leo/Lenny is adorable.
Our cats are turning two next month and I still have that “where did the kittens go?” feeling.
We just scoop once a day and refill as necessary. One funny thing about the box is that Walter isn’t very good at covering what he leaves behind (he will dig somewhere else in the box like he knows he’s supposed to be digging but not why) and if Willow’s around she will hop in and do it for him.
Ours are short-haired and I find it surprising how much cat hair there is on the rug. It seems like just as much as when we had a long-haired cat (Xander). Long ago we did have a cat (Emily) who used to shed like crazy in the spring, but I have not noticed a seasonal difference in the four cats we’ve had since her, even Xander who was an inside/outside cat.
Love the new blog name.
How perfect are those before/after photos?? My heart. <3
I confess, I’ve never read the cat litter container (and I’ve owned cats for over 40 years now). I scoop twice a day and just refill when it needs it. I’ve only ever replaced the box a few times over the years; it gets washed if I notice it’s really gross (which is rare).
I highly recommend a Furminator! It used to freak my husband out because it looks like a razor (LOL) but it’s just designed to get that layer of fur underneath. It is so fun to use and all of my cats have always loved getting furminated. 🙂
Happy birthday to Lenny!!
Fun blog name!
Also, Lenny/Leo is the cutest cat on the internet REGARDLESS of his name.
I have zero cats and have never had a cat and am absolutely useless in terms of answering any questions. But I sure did LOVE looking at all the pictures.
Happy Birthday beautiful LENNY!!!
I love the new blog name!!
Happy Birthday, Lenny/Leo! He is such an adorable cat! You are doing such a good job with him, Suzanne. 🩷💜
Lenny is so cute! Phil dealt with the car litter when we had a cat. I think he replaced the litter once/month. He never replaced the actual litter box, though! That seems excessive!
I love how fluffy Lenny is. I am shocked he likes to take a shower or at least doesn’t protest too much. Our cat loves dripping faucets but I think if we gave her a shower someone would lose an eye and it wouldn’t be the cat.
His cute little stubby tail grew into THAT. That is what is shocking about Zelda’s baby photos, too. Her tail used to be short and now it is glorious.
I don’t know how to answer the fur question. Zelda is brushed with a Furminator every morning and yet! And she grooms herself and ingests a lot of fur – I know this because of the large number of hairballs she barfs up – and yet! YET! I also vacuum at least once a week and should probably do it every other day.
Zelda STRONGLY PREFERS dry kibble, but we STRONGLY PREFER wet food. She’s had bladder stones, so we give her wet food and we water it down. We are mean, cruel humans. We also give her an enzymatic toothpaste (CET brand) at least once a day to try and keep her teeth clean. Her weight has fluctuated from just over 7 pounds (when she was sick) to almost 13 pounds (when she was…overfed). She’s now hanging out between 10-10.5 pounds and this is where the vet wants her for now. She was stable at 8-8.5 pounds for years, but she’s on a steroid now and her appetite isn’t great and blah, blah, blah, we want extra weight on her.
ANYWAY. I’m typing a novel. We have a Beurer BY80 Digital Baby Scale that we use to weigh Zelda every week, so we can hand over our notes to the vet when we do checkups. Once you figure out what weight Leo/Lenny should be, you can make sure he’s getting the food he needs by weighing him regularly and adjusting.
We scoop once or twice a day. Technically, it’s 1.5 litter boxes/cat rounded up, so we should have 2 boxes for her, but we only have one. I do entirely new litter once every three or four months. I clean the litter box only in warm weather and maybe only once or twice a year. I wash it with dawn soap and let it sit in direct sunlight for hours. I replace the boxes as needed, which is probably once every year or two.
Zelda is vocal and the CUTEST thing in our house is our senior cat carrying around a toy in her mouth and yowling around it. Also? Maybe the most annoying thing in our house?
He will always and forever be Lenny to me. I can’t believe he’s a year old! Where did the tiny bebe go???
Also, I could talk about all these topics for DAYYYYS.
Food: I am STILL constantly worrying about the girls’ food. Lila is 16 lbs and Eloise is barely 8 lbs. HOW IS LILA DOUBLE THE WEIGHT WHEN THEY EAT THE SAME? Well, Lila eats MORE than Eloise but not more than her share! I give them wet food in the morning and they usually eat most of it. And they have a 1/2 cup of dry food out at all times, and they never, ever gobble it up. Lila will eat maybe 1/4 cup, maybe more, but Eloise eats much less. But she’s active and energetic? So I guess she just needs less food.
Litter boxes: I have two and scoop daily, but not more than that because I am lazy. I usually buy a big, 30-lb bag of litter and when it arrives and I see the litter getting low, I’ll empty out the litter and wipe down the litter box, then fill it up with the new litter. Then I’ll just keep adding more litter whenever I see it getting low, and when I need to order a new bag, that’s when I’ll do the whole process over again. I’d say I do this every 3-4 months? As far as how often I get a new litter box, HAHAHAHAHAH. I have one that I’ve had for probably 4 or 5 years. And I only replaced the other one I had because I got a litter box enclosure and needed a smaller litter box for it.
Oh, and bathing! Lila should really be bathed, at least maybe once or twice a year, but it’s too traumatizing for her. I also can barely get her to let me brush her. YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT HERE. Lila is a rescue and had a lot of trauma, so I don’t force the issue. Two years ago, I took her to get a bath and a good brushing, and OMG, it was like she lost 10 lbs from all the hair they brushed out! Insane!
Is this the longest comment I’ve ever left? Maybe! See what happens when you get me talking about cats???
I’m still going to claim Lenny – and his fluffy pantaloons, LOL – as my FIG forever. Baby pictures! Big Lenny pictures! He just gets more and more adorable every day. (I have nothing on cat care, so I’ll just end this comment here. :>)