Frugal Cat Tipsby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 29 Mar 2008 08:04 AM People can spend thousands of dollars a year on their pets. While I am sure that the pets are all worth it, wouldn't it be nice to save a little of that money? Here are some frugal tips that you can use to care for your cats. Cat carriers A cat carrier can be a necessity when traveling with your cat. Whether you are making a trip across the country or a trip to your vet, the cat carrier can make traveling a lot easier on both you and your pet. Cat carriers can be quite expensive. A large cat carrier can cost $50 to $60 easily. And if you have a cat that could shop at the cat equivalent of the Big and Tall shop, as we so, then you have to pay more for a dog carrier. A quick solution (and very frugal) is to use two large laundry baskets to make your own carrier. Place one basket on top of the other and place bolts in the back. Insert the cat (I like to line the carrier with some old towels for comfort) and then flip the homemade carrier closed. Use twine to tie the front of the carrier together in at least two places. One nice thing about this idea, is that the baskets can be taken apart and then used as laundry baskets. Cat toys It seems that the best cat toys are the ones that are home made. Here are some ideas for cat toys that you can make yourself. Place a paper clip or other small object in an old film canister. Add the lid to the canister. The cat will love to bat and roll the canister with the clip inside to make noise. My cat loves plastic spoons. He can have hours of fun with one of these. Baby spoons work well, too, and they are available in large bags for pennies at thrift stores. The strips and caps from milk jugs are great toys for cats. My cat loves the strips especially. This must be a universal thing because I actually saw cat toys in the store that looked exactly like those milk jug strips. A pack of four cost $1.89. Can you believe it? Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here. Related Articles: Are you missing valuable information? Subscribe to this blog by clicking in the subscription box on the right. Choose your favorite web-based news reader or e-mail address and you won't miss a thing! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments MegfromAllAboutAppearances (330) 29 Mar 2008 11:37 AMAs I learned this past December, keeping the house kitty safe if well worth the time and effort. A little piece of ribbon cost my husband and I about a grand, and a whole lot of worrying. Homemade toys are great, just so long as there's nothing that can be swallowed. Other ideas: Grow your own catnip Grow your own wheatgrass (aka "kitty grass") We do shell out for Science Diet. Everytime we've tried to switch it has led to a lot of problems because we have a kitty with a very sensitive stomach. Turns out, though, our cats eat less in volume than our friend's kitties who eat cheaper stuff. Letting the cats go potty outdoors might also be cheaper, but again, we prefer to have fewer vet bills and don't trust our cats to be street smart. We have switched litter a few times. Sometimes you can luck out with generics, but make sure to check that it is clumping litter unless you don't care. A little baking soda can also help you get through using a particularly crappy litter.  Mary Ann Romans |
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