Tag Archives: tips

The Biggest Challenges of Cat Ownership (& the Solutions)

02/28/2022 R.C. Liley Leave a comment

Cats are beautiful, unique, and mysterious creatures who bring much joy into their owners’ lives. Yet, like any pet, they aren’t without their share of problems, which can be frustrating or worrying for an owner.

If you’re considering welcoming a pet into your home and would like to learn more about their behaviors and issues, you’ve arrived at the perfect place. Learn about the biggest challenges of cat ownership and the best solutions.

Scratching

Many cats would happily spend their days tearing up furniture and fabric. While it might be fun for a cat, it will be more than frustrating for its owner. Prevent this problem by providing your feline with a good scratching post.

Avoid vertical scratching posts, as they tend to wobble when a cat starts scratching, causing them to return to your furniture. Instead, buy a heavy horizontal post infused with pheromones to attract your cat away from your dining table, chairs, or sofa.

Illnesses

Cats are masters at hiding pain, and it’s an owner’s job to monitor signs of common illnesses or parasites. For example, a feline friend is prone to:

Cat flu
Flea and tick infestations
Heartworm
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Diabetes
Cancer

As prevention is better than cure, you must take a cat or kitten to a vet for an exam and the appropriate vaccinations. Look for dependable, affordable veterinary care near you to care for your feline friend’s every need. For example, you can find value-for-money vets in Naples Fl, that allow you to walk in with an issue or schedule an appointment.

Hairballs

Cats love to groom themselves daily, but the behavior can cause a build-up of fur inside their stomach, which they may vomit up like a ball. Stop hairballs from developing by combing your feline’s fur daily, as it will reduce the amount of hair ingested. It’s an essential grooming task if you own a long-haired breed, such as a Persian cat or Ragdoll. If grooming doesn’t help, talk to your vet about the best hairball treatment for cats.

Unwanted Presents

Cats have developed a reputation for being unloving animals, but this isn’t the case. As they are natural hunters, they often bring home gifts for owners, which they don’t appreciate.

As a cat doesn’t need to hunt for food, they tend to bring home dead animals to express their appreciation, such as mice or birds. Unfortunately, this is one behavior that’s difficult to stop, but you must remind yourself it’s your feline friend’s way of expressing their love to you.

Litter Box Refusal

Using a litter box doesn’t come naturally to cats, and they might choose to use the bathroom away from the handy tray. As cats aren’t fans of squatting, you should buy a litter box with higher sides to prevent unwanted mess and increase their privacy. Also, keep the litter box away from noisy appliances, as they will be less likely to use the bathroom near noisy washing machines, dishwashers, or dryers.

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Health, Lifestyle, Parenting, Tips

The 3 Simple Ways To Focus on Your Health When You’re So Busy

02/28/2022 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

dad having breakfast with kids, health, family, parenting, healthy food, nutrition, fitness, exercise, stress

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Focusing on your health when you are such a busy parent isn’t as easy as it sounds. As parents, we have to wear many hats, and when we are trying to sneak in time to look after ourselves so we can have the energy to juggle everything in a day, we’ve got to remember that focusing on our health should be the priority for us to thrive in every other area of our lives. So how can you weave health into your life when you are so busy?

Preparing Breakfast the Night Before

Whether it’s overnight oats or green smoothies, if you prepare breakfast the night before, at the very least you know you’ve got a great breakfast down you to get you ready for the day. Some people don’t like having breakfast as soon as they wake up, in which case, you can easily prepare yourself a great brunch instead. A lot of people are benefiting from reducing their meal intake, but you’ve got to remember that if you are running around a lot, you need to make sure you have enough energy while also making sure that you are healthy.

Making Time for Fitness

When you’re a dad life is going to get pretty hectic, especially if you are a single parent. So looking after your health is essential so that you are fit enough to take care of your children. A good way to ensure you look after your own health is to undertake exercise. This is good for lifting your general mood, getting your heart pumping blood around the body and to keep any weight off. Heart care is very important when you have a family to look after so you want to ensure that you keep yours in the best possible condition. Exercise and a healthy balanced diet will help to make sure that your heart is as healthy as it can be, and it will set a great example to your children as well to follow.

Fitness is one of those things that we believe have to take hours of our day. The reality is that you can sneak in exercise while getting things done. And in fact, there’s a benefit to having a little bit of exercise here and there. Doing some quick press-ups while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil or isometric contractions are all little things that you can do to improve your strength. As parents, we can run the risk of overdoing it when it comes to our fitness, which is why we have to focus on building up gradually. Rather than trying to do a mega workout three times a week, doing a little here and there will not eat into your recovery.

Ensuring You Feel Relaxed and Refreshed

The biggest battle we all have when it comes to our health and fitness is actually ensuring that we are able to tackle the day. And this means that we’ve got to minimize stress in the right ways and focus on relaxation. If you are a single parent and you’ve got the kids to sleep after a long day, you may feel that you owe it yourself to have some time on your phone and some Netflix, but making sure that you stick to a rigid bedtime and wake up time means that you are winning the battle against your circadian rhythms. Having a good bedtime routine is very important for your children, but it’s just as important for you.

When we learn to focus on our health as busy parents, it doesn’t just mean that we start to live the healthy lifestyle we crave but we also set that example for our children. It’s not easy to be healthy in any way, but it’s about making sure that you focus on the right aspects of health for you.

Life, Lifestyle, Tips

Essential Camping Gear for a Weekend Away

02/25/2022 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

sitting around a campfire, camping, family, outdoors, travel, vacation

So, you’re ready to get the heck out of Dodge and enjoy a weekend away in the outdoors. You are excited about your mini getaway and want to make sure that everything goes according to plan. What will you do if it rains or the bears come out? This article goes over the essential camping gear you need for your weekend away. Read on to learn what to take with you for the ultimate camping experience.

Camping Wardrobe and Accessories

As a rule of thumb, bring more than you think you’ll need. That extra pair of clothes might just save you from run-ins with sticky pine trees, poison ivy, and unexpected downpours. If nothing but s’mores goop ends up on your shirt, this is still an excellent reason to bring an extra pair of clothes.

For your clothing items, stick with short and long-sleeved shirts, a couple of pairs of pants and shorts, hiking boots, socks, flip-flops, a warm winter jacket, a windbreaker jacket or vest, a pair of sunglasses, and a hoodie in case you get chilly at night.

Outdoor hats for men are also great to avoid scalp sunburn. Bring your earplugs or noise-canceling headphones as well if you think the crickets will keep you up.

Your Campsite Essentials

For an effective campsite, you need to take with you all the essentials for shelter, warmth, and light, so you can get outdoors and get moving without interference.

Bring all different kinds of lighting with you, including your lighter, lanterns, flashlights, string lights, and a charged smartphone (to access flashlight mode), as well as sleeping bags, sleeping pads, pillows, and most importantly, your tent WITH footprint and stakes.

You’ll also need high quality OTF knives to open up packaging, and you’ll end up putting them to more than a few uses.

Don’t forget to bring extra batteries, firewood, and an axe to chop wood for additional security. Don’t forget your toiletries and first aid kit when critical moments strike.

You can also never have enough bug spray, sunscreen, or toilet paper with you while camping. To pack lightly, choose biodegradable soap, quick-dry towels, and travel-size bottles of hand sanitizer.

Camping Tools and Gadgets

In addition to your axe and can opener, bring one solid pocketknife with you and a bottle opener. You’re going to want something to crack open a cold drink after a hot day. Bring all your fishing gear with you and extra ice to keep your catch cold in the cooler.

cooking over a campfire, camping, outdoors,

Camping Kitchen Gear

Depending on what’s available at your campsite, you may or may not need to keep certain kitchen essentials with you. Learn about the accommodations at your camp ahead of time, so you know what to take with you.

At the very least, bring a portable coffee maker, cast-iron cooking pans, cooking utensils, grill and charcoal, and odor-trapping food containers to keep wildlife away.

If you can put your leftovers in a cooler or store them in campsite lockers, you are in a safer position to avoid attracting wildlife. Don’t leave your food out. Bring trash bags and recycling bags with you as well.

You should also decide what the water situation is so you can ensure you’ll have enough water while you’re camping. Bring water jugs if you don’t have access to potable water on-site.

Camper recipes like hot dogs and beans, fire-baked potatoes, and ready-to-eat meals are always options. Still, if you bring a can opener with you, you can make tuna sandwiches, camper’s stew, and other goodies from ingredients that sit in your pantry.