Forgot to post - this looks like the autofeeder we have:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRBH21IvSrc
Bunsen - why is the cat attacking it? Does it give him food when itās rocked?
I have another litter box question. I want to make the litter box from the plastic storage bin someone posted a link to. I am somewhat handy but have absolutely no tools. The instructions are to use a jigsaw (what is that?) or a utility knife (what is that?). Has anyone made one and what did you use to cut the opening for the cat? Or did you use a handy husband? (Mine is not so handy - heās a lefty.)
As to travel - I leave mine with tons of food and much water - lots of litter. The most Iāve been gone is 5 days and they were fine. I have 2 cats. I left four full size litter boxes with fresh litter, and I bought some small litter boxes (for kittens) and used them for food and water. I left one full of dry food - it was a ton - and two full of water. When I got back the litter boxes were a mess but not terribly disgusting, there was still food left, and still water left. Iām going to try it again in July. I think the most important thing strictly for survival is water so I am very careful about that, the rest they can deal with. I know they prefer to be home then anywhere else, and Iām not terribly comfortable giving a teenager an empty house to do what they please with (if you know what I mean) and professional sitters are out of my price range.
āBunsen - why is the cat attacking it? Does it give him food when itās rocked?ā
No. 
our cats are smarter than the orange guy in the video. They quickly figured out that it was a waste of energy to keep trying.
^^^the nice thing is you have more than one cat, so they can keep each other company. My cat gets very lonely.
When our cat was younger we would leave her for a couple of nights with plenty of food and water and she was always fine. My D moved back home a few months ago with her cat so for the first time in her life our 18 1/2 year old cat is living with another cat. The two cats give each other their own space and there really havenāt been any problems. For the past few years we have a friend come in to feed to the cat (now cats) twice a day. We are planning to be away for more than two weeks this summer so we will have someone stay in the house with the cats.
PhotoOp: My son made two of the container litter boxes for me. He measured, marked, then cut. The first one he made, he cut the opening five inches from the bottom. I wanted the next one higher so I think he cut seven inches up. Less litter gets out with the higher opening. Iāve had cats my whole life and these are the best litter boxes Iāve ever had. It takes a lot of litter to fill them but once done, no problem.
Thanks Ignatius and nrdsb4 - I wish I had a son. Both those tools look scary - like I might cut off my finger. But I am pretty motivated to try it. I have three cat boxes in a very small bedroom right now and the room smells so bad I leave the door closed and the cats have to beg to be let in. Iām just so done with the stink. Iāve had cats forever, but these two are so stinky. I donāt know what the deal is. They both have gastro problems - opposite ones. So finding the right food was difficult. I think I finally did that but now I need a son to make two giant boxes for them.
If anyone is going to leave their cats home alone for more than a day or so, I would recommend propping open all the interior doors. A door stop, small stack of books, or any other heavy object will work. We have had incidents in the family of a cat getting shut off in a room without food/water when the door closed accidentally, or the cat managed to close it. We also leave the toilet lids up in the unlikely event they knock over all their water bowls or spill, etc.
That said, we have a cat sitter come in for any absence longer than 3 days.
Help!!! We had a cat throw up yesterday backing up the whole while and leaving a stain across the carpet about a yard long in the middle of the room. We cleaned it up and then used something called Spot Shot. Itās better but still obvious. Suggestions?
Resolve carpet cleaner works for me. I use hot water soaked cloth and scrub brush to fully remove the stain. I also vacuum once when the solution is maybe half dry to make the carpet nap look ārightā and again when fully dry. I have 3 high strung sensitive cats so go thru a lot of carpet cleaner! Surprising, as I only have carpet on two flights of stairs and 3 rooms. All others are tile or hardwood, yet every accident (vomit or worse!) occurs on the carpets! Why??
Ouch! Our old cat decided to pee in the dining room in protest - she did not like the new cats. I used with good success a Resolve product and Bissell Ewww Enzyme Cleaner specifically formulated for clean up pet accidents. I found them on the shelf at our local Petsmart.
http://www.powerofresolve.com/products/carpet-products/stain-removers/pet-stain-remover-for-carpet/
http://www.amazon.com/Bissell-Ewww-Stain-Remover-32-Ounce/dp/B003UO4BJO
I pushed the post button too soon. Sorry for the typos in my prior post. I also wanted to say that it took me a couple of applications of the Ewww cleaner to get the smell out to the point where the kitties canāt smell any urine (they have such sensitive noses, as you know!). The spots are invisible now, and we have light grey carpet (āFrozen Pondā).
I know you can ordrer from Amazon, but I think waiting a few days might make clean up more difficult. I recommend checking at your local pet store - pet stores usually stock cleaning products that work on pet messes.
My husband bought Resolve yesterday and the carpet looks oh-so-much better. Many thanks for the quick responses.
āWhen your cat is more thug than you.ā
Even knowing the outcome, this really freaked me out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_8mdH20qTQ
My heart was racing and my palms got all sweaty. Kind of upsetting.
The ultimate kitty Corliss!
Sad news from Japan: Tama the rail station master cat has died. She is a goddess now:
This NPR story has photos of the station and the cat train:
My next calico cat will be named after her - that was and still is the plan.
Iāve enjoyed the posted videos. Thanks.
Update on Iggy: We took him to the vet for his annual check-up, quite proud of how much better he looks. The vet confirmed that heās not only holding on but that heās gained weight and his kidney values are better. She seemed appropriately pleased and surprised. He has chronic kidney failure but overall seems to be leading a happy, active daily life - and he just looks good. Day by day, I know, but heās gained almost a year of life since his near-death last August/September.
Pug (and I may have already posted this) was diagnosed in January with a tumor on her pancreas. She basically has the opposite of diabetes - producing too much insulin. She takes a half-pill (steroid)j daily but was been given about six months to a year to live. But today sheās doing well. Day by day.
I feel like Iām running a kitty hospice (and hope they donāt both pass away at the same time.)
Other two cats (Callie - Pugās littermate - and Toby) are fine - as far as I know.