Cat treats are a little harder to come by than dog treats. It’s easy to see why – treats tend to be mostly about training, and most people don’t even think about training their cats!

That said, I think cats can and should get some training. Most cats can be taught to come when they’re called, and if you catch ‘em young, they can be taught all kinds of tricks. Check out this youtube video from the States.

I reckon at the very least, cats should be taught “come” (which could save their life one day), and “get down” which comes in oh so handy at our place where little black pawprints cover every surface.Another command I think every cat should learn is “stay”. Think about it. How many scenarios can you come up with where that would come in handy? Just off the top of my head…

• Keeping an indoor cat from running out the door (it works because they know they’re busted!)
• Keeping an outdoor cat from running out in front of a car.
• Stopping a cat from jumping up onto food preparation areas.
• Keeping a cat from jumping down into a dangerous situation – like when you’ve just dropped a glass and haven’t picked up the bits (or is that just me? I’m kinda clumsy.

I’m a great believer in treat-based training, but I couldn’t for the life of me find something that my cat would work for – besides the not really health-and-sloppy fish paste option.

Cat treats need to be yummy to the cat but easy to handle and dole out in small quantities. I bought some scary heart-shaped ones but Mei Mei turned up her tiny nose at them. My last cat loved dried fish, but again, they were not to the likings of our little princess. I was fast running out of options, until I discovered these appallingly-named treats at Woolworths. Say it with me now “Love ‘em Purrfect Liver Treats.” Naming products is a science, see?

They come with all kinds of reassuring claims about natural goodness and veterinary degrees and such. They’re dry enough to handle and moist enough to be tasty, you can break them up if you want to, they cost just four bucks and best of all, Mei Mei will literally jump through hoops for these.

I tend to run my dog through his arsenal of tricks about three times a week these days just to keep him on the ball. Now when we’re doing our little trick sessions, I often feel a pair of beady blue eyes on me – that’s Mei Mei, wanting treats too.

She learned “sit”, “stay” and “get down” so fast I’m kind of wracking my brains for other useful things to teach her. Like all treat-based training, you have to be sneaky or she’ll only do it when there are treats in sight. Good thing these are generally within reach now.

RATING:
BUY IT: Woolworths/Pet Supersavers
COST: AUD$3.95

I’ve always wanted a climby thing to keep my acrobatic cat amused and out of our hair, but as a lifelong renter the options aren’t so good. I can’t exactly be screwing avant-garde home-made climbers into the wall a la apartment living. And the thought of purchasing a standalone cat climber is a little depressing. (Seen how much floorspace these babies take up? Now get out your calculator and work out how much rent you’ll be paying to house this. That’s valuable floorspace you’re paying for my friends. Floorspace you could be STANDING IN RIGHT NOW.)

So file this amazing over-the-door cat climber under “Why didn’t I think of that?” It’s spring loaded, minimalist and generally, like I said, amazing.

I’m lovin’ this Moderncritter cat scratcher reviewed last week on Moderncat. And I’m also lovin’ Moderncat itself, which takes a designer-y look at the latest cat gadgets - and has free giveaways. Free! Giveaways! Scamper over and have a look.

Most cat toys are a bit hit and miss when it comes to pleasing your furry little highnesses. But if you’re after a stocking filler for a cat-lovin’ friend, or indeed a feline friend, these are the ones to try. According to Jacque, Louie, Mei Mei and The Internet, most cats will respond to these toys. And would Jacque, Louie, Mei Mei and The Internet lie to you? I think not!

Catnip — Most cats over six months old LOVE cat nip. If only there was a harmless herb that could make me that happy.

Turbot Cat Scratcher — A legend in the USA, this one’s finally reached Australian petstores. It’s fun watching kittens playing with these.

Alpine Cat Scratcher — Different cats like different surfaces for scratchers, but the cat forums seem to love this one paws down.

A Toy Mouse — A mouse is almost always a cat’s favourite toy. Avoid the gadgety and remote-controlled ones and go for small, light, rattly mice without any scary plastic bits that puddy might swallow.

Peek-A-Prize Cat Toy - We make DIY versions of these around here and they’re a big hit with our Mei Mei. Can’t help feeling that the store bought version would last longer and look a little nicer kickin’ round the floor though.

Da Bird — The winner hands down of worldwide cat popularity awards. We’re getting this for our cat soon, so very soon.

We moved house last weekend, which was The. Funnest. Thing. Ever. Jack the dog and Mei Mei the kitten are now inner-city dwellers, and love it like a hipster loves his Bed Head hair products. We kept the move as non-traumatic as possible by storing the pets at their beloved Miss C’s place for the two days of the move.

One thing that’s different about the new house is carpet. Given that Jack and Mei Mei are the perfect cat and dog, and quite grown up now, this isn’t a real problem. But still it got me thinking – what would I see in say, a year’s time, if I waved one of these black light devices around?

These babies let you be your own forensics expert. In the dark they light up like a lie detector whenever you pass them over – let’s put this delicately shall we – “pet stains”. They might reveal a little more information than you ever wanted to know, but at least then you can deal and move on.

Given that black lights cost between ten and twenty dollars, you might want to step up to the newest gadget creating a buzz on the ‘net – the Dirt Devil Purpose for Pets Portable Extractor. This is basically a steam cleaner with a built in black light. But think of it – “Ah hah! There’s a stain! ZAP” I never thought I’d grow up to be one of those cleaning commercial women who get FAR TOO EXCITED about a cleaning product. But here I am.

‘Cos let’s face it, pet-lovin’ households can get kinda wiffy, and as Miss T once said, who wants to be known as the neighbourhood “Cat Lady”? At least with this on board, you’ll be able to stay on top of the more insidious smells.