Cleaning the Cat's Litter Box

Save up to 20% on Select Cat Litter Supplies
All 5-Star Rated by our Customers!

Cleaning your cat's litter box doesn't have to be a terrible chore but you need the right tools - like our Litter Sifting Liners, which make scooping the litter box a thing of the past.  Place the entire stack of liners in the clean litter box and pour your clumping kitty litter on top.  When you lift the top liner, clean litter falls back into the litter box while the clumps remain inside the liner for easy disposal!

If you have knee or back pain (like me!) you'll love our long-handled Giant Litter Scoop. With a 20" long handle, this sturdy metal scoop means no more kneeling or squatting to scoop a smelly litter box.  Engineered to our exact specifications for durability and usability, our Giant Litter Scoop is available exclusively from Cat Claws.


And to keep kitty litter from being tracked all over your floors, a litter mat is a must! Our large, heavy-duty litter mats will stand up to years of use and feature a grassy texture that traps litter yet is gentle on cat's paws. Clean dry litter particles easily by just running a vacuum over the mat, or hose it off outside for a more thorough cleaning. Shown in Charcoal, also available in Sandy Brown.

Save up to 20% when you use coupon code W671 - our deepest discount of the year! Hurry, sale expires June 9th.



Don't forget, we have lots of great Made-In-USA items for your dear doggy too!

And as always, if you don't know what you want or need advice, I'm just an email away!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly @ CatClaws

Contests and Sales

Announcing the winner of our Cute Kitty Photo Contest, Mia!  Mia won a Dachshund cat scratcher, a selection of assorted cat toys and a gift for her Mom! Isn't she a cutie! If you would like to be notified of future contests, like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/catclawsinc or sign up for our newsletters at www.catclaws.com.

And more exciting news - we just started our annual

Memorial Day Sale at www.catclaws.com.  You can save 10% off cat scratchers, cat scratching posts, organic catnip, and other pet supplies.  You'll need to use a coupon code - W670 - when ordering to get the discount. Drop ship and oversize items are excluded, but you can snag a Dachshund cat scratcher like Mia's or any number of other great cat scratching posts!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly at CatClaws

Questions and Answers

Go ahead, ask me a question!  Here are answers to questions asked by our customers:

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I recently about 6 days ago adopted a 5 year old cat from the Humane Society. She's sweet but has been hiding ever since coux her out but she alway runs back to hide…what do suggest? leave her alone eventually she'll come out or…? I should mention the previous owner her declawed.
tb

Declawed cats are often more fearful than intact animals because they have little to no means of defending themselves, so the hiding is pretty normal. If you have other animals, they may be adding to her fear, so it would be best to keep them separate until she becomes more comfortable with her surroundings. Certainly talk to her, pet her (if she will let you), try to coax her out with treats or toys, but don't try to pick her up or physically force her out of hiding. You need to convince her to trust you, and you'll have to earn her trust - you can't force it upon her. Six days isn't that long, considering the upheaval she has recently experienced, but if she is still very fearful after another week, you may want to have her examined by your veterinarian, who may decide some anti-anxiety medication is in order.

Thanks for writing,
Kelly@CatClaws.Com

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What would cause our 2 year old cat to attack our feet and ankles?

Boredom, he wants to play, and he has figured out if he attacks your feet and ankles, he gets some sort of response. It's like a game to him. At 2 years old, they are still pretty frisky.  You can try some interactive toys with him, like the Da Bird or the Cat Charmer - playtime helps alleviate bad behavior.  Best thing is to get him a playmate, but I know that is not always feasible.

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Thanks for writing,
Kelly@CatClaws.Com

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I just moved into a Rental Home - therefore I need an enclosed litter box for Mr. Trouble.
Do you have any suggestions?

I actually prefer an open pan myself ( the low-profile plastic storage bins that you can buy make FANTASTIC litter pans) but for an enclosed pan, I like the basic hooded litter pans that you can get at any discount or grocery store - they are inexpensive and generally much easier to clean and maintain than the pricey self-scooping models. The self-scooping models are great when they work properly, but if your cat ever eliminates on any of the moving parts, they are horrible to try to clean.  

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Thanks for writing,
Kelly@CatClaws.Com

Tax Relief Sale at CatClaws.Com

Tax Relief Sale going on now at CatClaws.Com!

Save 10% storewide - one week only!
If taxes have got you down, don't despair! We've got great savings at CatClaws.Com! Save sitewide in all categories, including scratchers, catnip, treats, toys, bedding, health and grooming and much more! Save 10% on everything in-stock excluding oversized and drop ship items. Get ready for Spring with great items like new collars, harnesses and leads, bright new doormats, flea fighters, and much more! Use coupon code W664 when ordering.  Sale ends April 21, so forget the taxman and shop now!

Don't forget, we have lots of great Made-In-USA items for your dear doggie too!

And as always, if you don't know what you want or need advice, I'm just an email away!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly@CatClaws.com

What the heck is catnip?

As promised, a discussion on catnip.  One of the most common questions we are asked is "What does catnip do?"  Catnip is a beneficial herb that has been used for centuries in folk medicine for colic, anxiety, sleep disorders, and upset stomach. A compound distilled from catnip, nepetalactone,  is an effective mosquito and fly repellent. Catnip can be used as a calming tea, and even to season food.

Cats, though, are particularly attracted to the scent of catnip. It's believed that catnip produces a stimulatory response in cats, causing them to initially become excited and then quickly to calm down or become mellow. Basically, it turns them on and then they crash.  A small amount of the herb is all it takes to attract cats, which makes it a useful component in scratching pads and cat toys. Catnip can be used to "freshen" up an old scratching pad to make it more attractive to your cat.  Refillable toys, which feature a recloseable inner pouch, are a good value, since you can replace the catnip when it gets stale.

Not all cats are attracted to catnip.  Catnip is not native to Southeast Asia, so cats from that region often have not developed the gene that makes catnip attractive. If your cat is a pure-bred Siamese or Himalayan, it probably will not be attracted to catnip.  However, many big cats, like tigers, leopards, and lions are attracted to catnip, and will exhibit the same behavior your little house cat does - rubbing, rolling, drooling, chewing and licking.

Since your cat will be chewing and licking on catnip, it's important to make sure your catnip is pure and safe.  Certified organic catnip is a good choice. It is guaranteed to be free from chemical herbicides and pesticides which may be toxic to your cat.  You don't want to ruin a fun time with a bunch of nasty chemicals!  Good catnip should be green to brownish-green and have a strong, almost minty, aroma. Obviously, if your cat is attracted to catnip by smell, the best catnip needs to have a strong scent.

If you have any questions about catnip, just post a message below and I'll try to answer it.

Thanks for reading,

Kelly at Cat Claws

Spring Savings Event

I know I promised a discussion of catnip for my next post, but I thought I would offer you a taste of our newsletter instead.  I send a weekly email newsletter to subscribers, with sales, special offers, new products, freebies, etc. If you would like to sign up for the newsletter, just visit our subscription page at Cat Claws Newsletter Sign-up. Don't worry, we won't share your email with anyone else, or spam you with random stuff.  Just great pet products and pet news!

So here is our Spring Savings Event newsletter - browse through for some unique, hard-to-find pet products - over 75% of which are made in the USA.  Oh, and we have pet-themed gift items too!

Take advantage of great savings during our Spring Savings Event. Get ready for Spring cleaning with specially-formulated stain and odor eliminators like Get Serious or Petrotech Clean + Green.  Both products are made in the USA, I have tested them, and they REALLY work!

M.A.X. Orca Scratcher personalized with your cat's name

Replace that stale scratcher with a new scratcher personalized with your cat's name, and don't forget a Harness & Tie-out so your cat can enjoy the Spring weather with you! 

  

Harness & Tie-out

For sudden showers, check out our great umbrellas that open AND close with a push of a button, and keep muddy mess to a minimum with an fresh new door mat - over a dozen different styles to choose from!

Walk in the Park Umbrella

Use coupon code W660 to save 10% during our Spring Savings Event - expires March 24th, excludes oversize and dropship items. Shop now for best selection - these low prices won't last long!

We have lots of great Made-in-the-USA dog items, too! 

If you can't find what you're looking for, or don't know what you need, feel free to email me!

Thanks for reading,

Kelly at Cat Claws

The Scoop on Cat Claws

For those of you who don't know us, Cat Claws is  a small mail-order and manufacturing company.  We make, as you might guess, things for cats.  Our number one product, the one that started the company, is a corrugated cat scratching pad, corrugate being what most people call cardboard.  Cardboard though, is actually the stuff that cereal boxes are made from; for corrugate, think more like brown moving boxes.  We glue together many flat sheets of corrugate and then slice and dice the blocks down to the size we want, which is called a build-up, or in our case, a scratching pad. 

We put the scratching pad into a form-fitting box and then add the "secret" ingredient - certified organic catnip.  Most people know what organic means - it means that virtually no artificial chemicals are used to grow or make the catnip. The "certified" part of that description means that we go through a rigorous inspection process and maintain scrupulous records that show how we make sure the catnip remains organic all through the production process. The farm we buy the catnip from goes through the same process. Here is an important lesson - just because the catnip is organic on the farm, if the place that is packing it into nice little bags and toys and scratching pads is adulterating it with non-organic catnip or using industrial cleaning solutions and solvents, your catnip is no longer organic.  So that's why it's important to make sure you are buying certified organic catnip - and that's all we sell here at Cat Claws. 

We don't just dump some catnip on top of the scratching pad and call it good, though. Nope, over the years we have developed special "scrubbing" tools (they're not high tech, but they work great!) so we actually rub the catnip down into the flutes of the corrugate. So when your cat scratches the scratching pad, the aroma of catnip is constantly released and your cat continues to be attracted to the scratching pad. That's called positive reinforcement - your kitty gets a whiff of something he loves every time he uses the scratching pad.

Most of the catnip is rubbed into the flutes, so very little remains on top of the scratching pad.

I know what you're thinking - why corrugate? Won't my cat tear that up?  We think (and millions of cats back us up on this) that corrugate is the best scratching material for cats. Your cat really doesn't know the difference between the carpet or sisal rope on a traditional cat scratching post and the carpet on your floor. Wood scratching posts feel a lot like the wood trim around your door frames. Corrugate feels rough, sort of like tree bark, so your cat will instinctively appreciate the feel of corrugate. Plus, cats don't just scratch for the heck of it. Their scratch marks tell other animals that this territory is already claimed. Corrugate is strong enough for cats to really sink their claws in and scratch, but it also allows cats to mark their "territory" with visual scratch marks. Eventually, your cat will tear the scratching pad into little bits and pieces, but that's the whole point - satisfy your cat's instinctual need to scratch with something he CAN tear apart instead of your couch, your chair, your rug, your woodwork, your drapes, or anything else in your home.  The Cat Claws Scratching Pad with Certified Organic Catnip is starting to sound like a pretty good investment, isn't it? 

Although we've developed many other scratching pads since we started in 1986, the original Cat Claws Scratching Pad is still our best seller.  It's a great, high-quality product that really works. Cats really do love it, and better yet, they really do use it.  

That's all for this time.  Check back next time when I will go into detail about catnip - just what is it, and why does it get cats so darn excited? 

Thanks for reading,

Kelly at Cat Claws