Greetings and Happy New Year from Clean Litter Club, we hope you and all of your furry friends are starting the new year off right, and in good health.

Today we want to talk about treats for our pets, all of us want to treat our cats /and/or dogs to special goodies; many of us to train them, to reward them for good behavior, or just because we love them soooooo much. What a wonderful way to interact with your pet; however; there have been many articles about what is healthy and safe for your pet; whatever you give them; we have done your homework for you. We have researched online about what is safe for your feline friend or your perky pooch.
The best cat treats fit into a healthy feline diet, are heavy on protein, and skip unnecessary fillers like corn, wheat, sugar, or extra sodium. After the writers on Reviews.com talked to vets, scrutinized ingredient labels, and offered the finalists to their own cats,they landed on their top picks; treats based on whole proteins, avoiding formulas that relied on corn, wheat, or soy as fillers. Cats and carbs simply don’t mix. Dr. Gary Richter of Oakland’s Montclair Veterinary Hospital and Holistic Veterinary Care explains, “Diets with high levels of carbohydrates can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, and diabetes.”
Their top pick: Orijen Tundra Cat Treats, a healthy and “biologically appropriate” treat made of nothing but protein. The treats come in a variety of flavors so that you can experiment to find the ones your cat likes best, from boar and goat livers, to venison and arctic char. Experimentation is healthy, since organ meats like liver provide different types of nutrients than muscle meats (like chicken breast). One has higher levels of some vitamins and iron, the other is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Plus, each and every formula boasts regionally sourced ingredients.

The runner-up for best cat treat, Vital Essentials Minnows Freeze-Dried Cat Treats, have just one ingredient: minnows. These tiny, freeze-dried fish — about an inch long from eyeballs to tails — might be unappealing to the faint-hearted human, but their cats gobbled them, meowing eagerly once these bags were opened. Their cats were vocal about these fishy treats, and the researchers appreciated that they are less stinky, easier to hand out, and more affordable than pouches of wet fish. Containing nothing but whole, dried minnows, they’re easy to portion out individually and we could barely smell them when we opened the bag. If you would like to read this article for yourselves you can just google Healthiest cat treats recommended by veterinarians.

Ok, lets not forget about our other 4 legged friends our dog’s. Again you can google from Reviews.com as well which we did for you . The best dog treats should pack plenty of protein. They should also be free of unnecessary additives like artificial flavors, sodium, and extra sugar. To find the best, the writers of the article consulted vets and dog trainers, scrutinized ingredient labels, and had their own pups taste the finalists. Because dogs have individual tastes (just like humans),their top picks offer a variety of textures and flavors to appeal to even the pickiest pooch. The first finalist is: Stella & Chewy’s are a freeze-dried treat, which is as close as you can get to feeding your dog fresh cuts of meat without actually cooking up a ribeye. This category tends to be less processed than biscuits and jerkies, helping you avoid unnecessary salts, sweeteners, and carbs. And compared to brands like Merrick Backcountry, which include more processed foods like potatoes, gelatin, and salt, Stella & Chewy’s is a healthier freeze-dried option.It’s a tiny quibble, but freeze-dried treats tend to crumble more easily than other varieties. If you carry treats in your pockets while walking (or if your dog isn’t a living vacuum), you may find yourself cleaning up crumbs. Try a moist dog treat like Zuke’s Mini Naturals if you’d rather avoid the pickup.

Zuke’s treats are sturdy enough to carry with you during training sessions or long walks, and their uniform shape and size make them easy to grab and dole out quickly. Also, because they’re semi-moist, you don’t have to worry about crumbs on the floor or pulverized treat dust at the bottom of the package (a minor annoyance we had with freeze-dried treats).

Zuke’s Mini Naturals also come in at just three calories per morsel. Since it’s easy to hit that 10% daily calorie limit for treats, this makes Zukes preferable to brands like Castor & Pollux Good Buddy Jerky Strips, which have a whopping 75 calories per treat. It also makes them a safe choice for older dogs, or other pets for whom weight gain is a concern.

We want to thank reviews.com for their in depth research and hope you and your pet have a healthy, happy New Year. As a disclaimer Clean Litter Club does not endorse these products, but want to share information so you, as the pet owner, have choices that could be in the best interest of your pet.

Warning, DIY Project ahead! This weekend I decided to get some inspiration from Pinterest and create some fun cat furniture and cat towers out of old bar stools. I created two different styles and used mostly things I had laying around the house to repurpose.

Before I even finished the first stool Lulu was already in the hammock with Daphne not far behind! 

The best thing about these stools is that the humans can still sit on them. The cats took to the sisal rope scratching posts immediately.

Here’s how to make them:

Gather Supplies: Rolls of Sisal Rope (can be found in the hardware section at Walmart); Staple Gun and staples (3/8″ or 10 mm stapes work best); an old winter scarf or blanket for the hammock; scissors to cut rope and blanket to size; string for attaching toys; toys; glue gun and glue sticks for gluing the sisal rope during the wrapping process.

1. Make the Hammock – Decide where you will put the hammock. I chose the bottom side rungs on one stool and the top on another. Wrap the material around the wood rung and staple it in place. Pull the material tight on the other side and staple. Then cut any remainder. To make the sisal rope seat, I started by laying the stool on it’s side then gluing the sisal to one rung and wrapping the rope around the other rung. Every wrap I applied more glue and ensured each wrap was close to the previous so there wouldn’t be gaps in the seat. At the end I glued the rope to the other end and stapled everything to secure it.

2. Make the Scratching Post Legs – Now decide how many legs you want to wrap. I wrapped two legs on each stool. Lay the stool on its side at a comfortable height. Keep your plugged in glue stick and scissors nearby. Cut enough rope where you can easily bunch it in your hand and hold it for quick wrapping as pictured.

Start by gluing the end of the sisal rope to the stool, then apply three or four stripes of hot glue to the sides of the stool and wrap the rope around the glued spots (pictured below). Continue gluing and wrapping until you reach the end of the rope. Glue the end piece to the stool and follow up with the staple gun. Then start again with another piece of rope and glue until you’ve wrapped as far as you’d like to go. Repeat with other stool legs.

3. Attach toys – I used thick string and tied it through the holes in the jingle balls. Then I tied a knot in the top of the string and stapled it to the back of the stool seat just above the knot to keep the string from slipping through the staple. I also used the fringe from an old scarf and attached it to the bottom of the seat for extra enticement. The cats were intrigued the moment I started attaching the toys.

Here’s the final product on the second stool.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! Please share your favorite DIY cat projects with us.