Cats VS Dogs: Mischief + D.I.Y Doggy Stairs Tutorial

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NewPetNoStains #CollectiveBias

Momma Told Me: Like cats and dogs.

Growing up we had musical pets.

I've touched on the stories before, but it basically boiled down to Momma's need to bring home any wayward animal, often those with serious terminal illness. It taught me compassion for animals, regardless of their stage of life- but it definitely was tough as a child to constantly see pets come and go.

Understandably, as soon as I became a responsible adult with a home of my own I was determined to find fur-ever pets of my own and to provide them with a fur-ever home. Not only was I accustomed to having animals around, but I understood the extreme responsibilities of being a pet owner under many circumstances. What I was not prepared for were the challenges of bringing a puppy or kitten home- essentially a child. Nearly all of the pets of my childhood were senior, definitely adult, animals which required no patience in obedience or house-training.

When I first brought Truffles home she was a tiny kitten, covered in fleas, which fit in the palm of my hand. She had to be bottle fed, as her mother had been unable to feed and ween her, and she slept on my bosom close to the sound of my beating heart for the first several months of her life. It was instant love.

The above photo, which has remained my phone wallpaper for 6 years (through 5 phones), captures Truffles at about 1 year of age, curled up and sleeping peacefully. It remains my all time favorite photo of her, which is saying a lot for a cat photographed every day, despite the somewhat comical circumstances of her scene. One lesson I'd never learned growing up- cat's in 'heat' and how completely delightful they can be on the ears. When I took this snapshot I was quite literally making an appointment for her to be spayed, and thankful for the 5 minutes of peace and quiet!

When I brought Nora home she weighed less than Truffles had, but was twice the size thanks to a thick coat of 'fluff' I have a hard time calling fur. We drove 4 hours, each way, to bring her home and it was clear from that first car ride Nora was not your typical dog. Through her first years of life we thought we'd never see her potty trained (it wasn't easy going living in a second story condo with a dog) and that we'd likely never get any sleep. Nora wanted to play all the time!

Of course, much like with human kids, any good pet parent knows the secret to staying sane through the 'toddler' years is patience, and a few top secret weapons. In our case we kept plenty of sanitizing wipes, baby wipes, and carpet cleaner on hand to promote deep breathing and serenity during Nora's first year. Ideally we would have had STAINMASTER® Carpet installed to help keep our pad pet friendly, but, as renters we couldn't so easily tear up the flooring just to welcome our new pet. Thankfully STAINMASTER® has a brand new product line designed to help new pet owners (really ANY pet owners) keep their sanity through the bundles of messes that come with bringing home a new furry friend.

Naturally pet accidents are one of the lest fun aspects of being a pet parent, and tend to happen most with puppies or kittens, during that 'potty training' phase. However, you might find yourself needing STAINMASTER® Carpet Pet Stain Remover on hand if you have recently moved (territory issues), have an elderly or ill pet (UTIs are quite common with house cats) or introduce a new family member into the home. STAINMASTER® Carpet Pet Stain Remover is designed to not only quickly clean on contact, but to also help repel future stains and odors thanks to powerful ODOR REMOVE™ technology. And, while it works great with a variety of pet related stains, it's also powerful against coffee, ketchup, and pretty much any other typical household carpet stain while leaving no sticky residue.

I was able to pick up new powerful STAINMASTER® Carpet Pet Stain Remover at my local Target in Ventura, California but STAINMASTER® Carpet is currently only available at select Target locations nationwide. CLICK HERE to find STAINMASTER® Carpet Pet Stain Remover at a Target near you, or to order it online and have it shipped free to your local Target store. Click the button below to save 25% on STAINMASTER® Carpet Pet Stain Remover with Cartwheel at Target now through March 4, 2017. This is especially useful for anyone hoping to adopt a new pet in the coming months!

As both a cat and dog mother I'm often asked which animal I feel is 'easier' to care for. I think this is a rather silly question, really, because every animal (much like humans) has their own unique individual personality. How a pet is raised definitely contributes to it's behaviors, but there's also a large element of the animal's own personality that will always remain their own. Because our cat out weighs our dog by half a pound, I think she has the upper edge on mischief-

BUT, cats are also generally unrestricted in their territory. They can jump, climb, and crawl into pretty much any corner, height, or crevice. This allows a lot more freedom than the average house-bound dog has. For instance, while Nora might investigate and try to eat a house plant if she was given the opportunity, we keep our plants up in alcoves she could never reach. So the job of plant tipping, and eating, is left all to the cat.

In fact, one might think our dog's life is quite dull-

As a toy breed she is primped and pampered, grooming wise, often, and she has an over abundance of items your ordinary dog would be too 'dog' to own. Her wardrobe is bigger than Jay's and she has a trough of toys we bought solely because they would 'look cute' next to her, that she'll probably never really get to. And then there are the constant 'naps' on her favorite couch, with her favorite human. Truth be told, if one of them is down for the count and out of mischief, than the other is attached at the hip behaving them-self, too. I especially love those moments.

Meanwhile, Truffles, the cat, is busy scaling every household surface, opening cabinets, and attempting to claw on any surface she hasn't directly been told not to scratch, yet. As of lately I'll usually catch Jay and the dog napping on the couch while the cat proceeds to fit herself into every nook and cranny of Jay's work desk. The truly hilarious part? That cream thing on the left side of the photo above is a rather expensive cat tree. Nobody tells a cat where they'll loaf, I guess!

Just because the cat's always getting into something she probably shouldn't, don't think that she gets to have ALL the fun. After all, the dog is the one who gets to leave the house. In the past year alone Nora has been on 2 plane trips (cross country) and 3 road trips (up North), and she rides along to pretty much any event we attend where we're not explicitly told animals aren't allowed. And, of course, there's also the beach- if I don't bathe her immediately upon re-ntry into the house I'll find my carpets have been transformed into a sandy oasis for weeks.

At the end of the day, though, the house is a playground for the cat and the dog's relatively grounded. In the spirit of making her world a little more accessible I decided to make some simple dog stairs for our living room couch. Dog stairs might sound absurd if you have a larger breed animal, such as a Labrador, but many ages (and breeds) of dogs can benefit from having home access assistance at one point in their life or another. For example, older dogs often suffer from joint pain, while dachshunds simply weren't built to make large leaps. And other dogs, such as Nora, aren't keen about the sudden drop when coming off of the couch.

There are many materials one could use to make dog stairs, and some dogs may even require a ramp. In planning my dog stairs I spent hours searching online for inspiration. In the end, I wasn't really able to find anything I could easily assemble with my limited woodworking ('shop') skills and tools. The end result was some creative visualization. In fact, I actually found the base for my structure in the children's bedding department of Target. Simple wooden storage bins just happened to provide the perfect building blocks for my steps.

After an hour or so of rearranging 3 wooden storage bins in every configuration I could imagine I settled on a simple 2 bin composition. Using wood glue I attached the two bins, then added some side brackets for extra stability. In this case I used a pair of hinges leftover from another project. They didn't serve a purpose, hinge wise, but I rather liked the aesthetic of the design.

Next I gave my stairs a quick coat of white paint and allowed it to dry for 6 hours. Because I knew I wanted the stairs to look worn as part of their final design I then put on gloves, eye protection, and a face mask and grabbed a few sheets of varying grit sand paper. Focusing on the edges, and anywhere wear would naturally accumulate I roughly sanded to remove some of that fresh coat of paint. Make sure, once you're happy with your finish, that you wipe down any residue and give your stairs a nice clear top coat and seal.

If you'd like to add more depth to your aging you can even add a light layer of color atop your white base and 'wet sand' over that once the paint has halfway dried.

I have to say, considering this project didn't require any wood work, I'm quite pleased with how my stairs turned out. They're the perfect height for Nora, and really subtle against the couch in our main living room. The stairs themselves lean against the couch for extra stability, and are very lightweight and easy to move from room to room. I just might make a set for Nora's bed!

I have to say, the stairs seem to be just another piece of furniture our pets immediately claimed as their own. It took a while for Nora to figure out she was 'allowed' on them, but after the initial hesitation we've caught her sitting on them. She's even been spotted trying to find a way to lay down across them.

In our household the cat definitely gets into more shenanigans than the dog- but I wouldn't say she has all the fun. These two have even been known to play with one another from time to time. Heaven help me if they ever decide to team up on their mischief- I may have to invest in STAINMASTER® stock! One thing's for sure- whether you're bringing home a new puppy, or tossing a ball of yarn to your senior cat, pets rule our homes, not the messes they make! Now, tell me a little bit about a time when your pet caused a little mischief of their own.

What Daughter Says: It's not easy raising productive pets of society- cat or dog, big personalities can result in even bigger messes. Lucky for them, we wouldn't have it any other way.

Upgrade Your Cat's Comode With the Power of Febreze + D.I.Y Cat Scratcher Vase Tutorial

This post is sponsored by Fresh Step® and the BlogPaws® Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Fresh Step® with Febreze® but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Fresh Step is not responsible for the content of this article. All photos contained below are copyright Momma Told Me Blog 2016.

Momma Told Me: It's time to graduate to the big leagues.

There comes a time in every cat's life when you need to sit down and have 'the talk.' If you have human kids the potty training discussion flows from training pants and potties to 'big boy undies.' Your kids will eventually tell you when they feel comfortable enough with their training to progress to more advanced powder room, erm box, skills. The problem with feline children is that we, as their human parents, become complacent. We start out with fancy litter and grow a little lazier over time. I doubt you use the cheapest toilet paper, so why should your cat suffer the indignities of inferior litter?

Of course your cat doesn't pay the bills. Truffles earns a fair income for someone 13" tall with a speech impediment, but at the end of the day I'm the one pulling out the plastic to pay for that litter box spread. And I've made her ensure some awful litters in the name of financing or human entitlement. Yet it always seems to be HER fault when the commode requires a 'second flushing' or a little bit of 'toilet paper' gets tracked out of the restroom. So, when Truffles suggested I look into new Fresh Step with the POWER of Febreze I thought she was getting all high and mighty with her bathroom decor. A Febreze infused commode? Wasn't that the lap of luxury?

But it turns out I was actually able to pick up this new Fresh Step variety on my regular stop at PetSmart, and the POWER of Febreze Fresh Step varieties came in several litter formulations such as Extreme Clumping, Extreme Lightweight, and Multiple Cat. I was a bit resistant to pick up some new treats, on the back of the swanky new litter, but I caved to the images of Puss In Boots eyes and my better conscience and walked out with a cart of goodies for both the kids. Of course, as soon as I got home Truffles was eagerly waiting to inspect the new Fresh Step with the POWER of Febreze litter I'd selected, and demanded a fresh box.

Which brings us to the dilemma of what I was to do with all that OLD unused litter. Truffles now had the odor busting POWER of Febreze on her side with a fancy pants low dust formula litter, but I was left with about 40lbs of sub-par litter I was now NEVER going to go back to. Surely it had to have SOME use; storm drain sandbags, kitty litter paperweights, abstract sand art. None of these ideas were good enough to make immediate use of all that litter. Until Nora had a genius idea. Why not make the cat, who's always scratching on things, a piece of furniture exclusively designed for her to tear it up?

So we hit the local flea market, Nora, Jay, and I, and scoured for the most inexpensive, potentially hideous, second hand vase we could find. It had to be tall, with ample surface area, and tapered to discourage burrowing and other 'cat behaviors.' At last we came across a metallic painted steel vase that was lightweight and several feet tall. For under $20 we assembled (2) 100' Sisal Rope rolls, a decorative tile from the D.I.Y store, and a few hot glue sticks. Tacking the rope to the vase at the very bottom, middle, and top with super glue we wrapped the vase as tight as we could, just 1 foot short of our 200' length.

We then used some heavy duty Apoxy to secure and set the vase to the tile- the tile being necessary to help stabilize the base, in addition to filled weight, and prevent it from tipping in use. Next we filled the vase with 25lb of that 'old' kitty little and added a few festive fake branches to encourage Truffles' mischievous instincts. A little dash of fresh catnip inside and out, and voila, instant home decor and stylish cat furniture.

I couldn't be happier how this project turned out for just about $30, and the piece itself is a wonderful addition to our home. We set it up by the Truffles' normal destruction hangout for the first few days for her to get the picture that it was 'scratch approved,' then moved it to a less cat central part of the home where it is otherwise completely camouflaged as a piece of human furniture. Best of all, if a section of rope begins to tear off or look particularly ratty it's an easy repair for just a few feet of rope, with 100' running around $8 normally.

Of course, if your cat isn't as picky about their personal space, and lavatory, as you are- you can always introduce Fresh Step with the POWER of Febreze into your home with gradual 50/50 litter changes. You'll likely notice a decrease in litter dust almost instantly (#win) and they'll be less discerning. I'm lucky enough to have a refined feline for a daughter and we're both enjoying the new powerful odor control thanks to Fresh Step with the POWER of Febreze at PetSmart. The scratching vase is pretty darn snazzy too. Let's face it, sometimes being a cat parent gets us a bad wrap- how do you make your cat's presence a little more subtle? Do you keep your litter box in a special cabinet? Do you buy modern pet furniture?

What Daughter Says: Don't settle for litter trained, conquer the litter box with the odor busting POWER lower dust Fresh Step with the POWER of Febreze.

This post is sponsored by Fresh Step® and the BlogPaws® Influencer Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Fresh Step® with Febreze® but I only share information I feel is relevant to my readers. Fresh Step is not responsible for the content of this article.

Adorable D.I.Y. Pet Costume Tutorial + All The Hershey's Candy You'll Need For A Ghoulish Halloween!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TrickOrSweet #CollectiveBias

Momma Told Me: You can't take the whole bowl!

I wasn't one of those lazy kids.

I spend the first half of my younger years in a condominium complex- The Trick-Or-Treating was compact and over quick. The majority of the residents were retired, or younger college students; most lights were off on Halloween, and Momma rarely let me go up the stairs to a second floor unit. It wasn't until we moved into our family's first house that I truly got a taste for what the holiday was all about. Not only were there houses and yards filled to rafters with haunted house themed decor, but people from all across our city drove their children in to go door to door in our housing complex.That first year I covered 8 blocks, on crutches, I was so excited by the prospect of 'real' Trick-Or-Treating!

Of course not all areas of the country, or communities, participate in the old-fashioned door-to-door festivities. Whether you're Trunk-Or-Treating, throwing the party of the year, or simply celebrating desk-to-desk around the office, nobody wants to be caught out of candy. Remember those van-fulls of sugar crazed kids in costume I mentioned above- yea, they had my poor father lights out and behind the door by 6:30 PM that first year. The toddlers and pre-Trick-Or-Treaters had cleaned him and that tiny bowl of candy sheer out before the action even began! As a result, even over a decade later, my father knows to buy his Halloween candy in large variety bags like the selection available from Hershey's at Walmart.

I won't lie- I still go back to my parent's house every Halloween. Jay and I live in the sort of neighborhood that drives their kids to my father's neighborhood- so the Hallow's Eve 'action' here is pretty dismal. Instead, we dress up the fur kids, bring along a few large variety bags of Hershey's candy from Walmart, and help my dad fend off the hordes of decorated zombies kids. This year, I even decided to make Truffles, the cat, and Nora, the Morkie, their own personalized costumes; bean bag animal hang tags. It's so simple, anyone can do it; so make sure to grab a variety bag of Hershey's candy (someone has to taste test at least 1 of each type before you pass them out, right?) and the following materials from Walmart;

1 Red Poster Board Shet

1 White Poster Board Sheet

1 White Paint Marker

1 Gold Paint Marker

1 Black .3-.5 Calligraphy Pen

1 Red Pet Collar

1 Medium Sponge Brush Applicator

1 Bottle White Glue

Scissors

Hole Punch

Pencil

Ready?

Now, you COULD print an enlarged bean bag animal hang tag off the internet, cut it out, and slap it on your pet, and call the job done. This may or may not work depending on the size of your pet- for me, I truly wanted that handmade look, and the keepsake of personalized hang tags for each of our pets.

1. Begin by printing a basic heart outline, or free-handing one if you're just THAT awesome. Keep in mind the sizing in proportion to your pet. Larger pet's will allow a more natural scale while smaller pets might have to go a little bigger to get all the details in. Cut out the stencil and cut the edge off the left side of the heart to create the 'folded' edge.

2. Trace the stencil with a pencil, onto the white poster board, making sure to leave ample room for the mirrored half to the left of the stencil. Fold the poster board along the flat edge of the heart and cut through both layers, following along the stencil lines.

3. Place the red poster board inside the folded white heart and trace the outline of the heart in pencil. Cut the red heart along the stencil lines.

4. Place some white glue in a disposable cup (or on a paper plate) and lightly daub the glue, with the sponge brush, on the front face of your white folded heart. Place the red heart cutout on top, smooth evenly, and place something flat and heavy atop for 10 minutes while it dries. Make sure weight is evenly applied to avoid rippling or bubbling.

At this point you may want to go try your own Halloween costume on, practice your superhero lines, or simply create an excuse to try another flavor of Jolly Rancher lollipop (I suggest Pink Lemonade, it's the Bomb.com.) You've got 10 minutes to spare, might as well put them to use! I also took the time to 'integrate' all of the different types of varieties, since we had so many different candy options in each of our Hershey's large variety bags. One of my favorite things, as a trick-or-treater, was always getting to pick from a big selection of candy, and we NEVER disappoint on that level!

5. Once your tag has dried you'll want to take your gold paint pen and outline the outer, front, edges of your heart. Be sure to do this over a paper plate, drop cloth, or newspaper so you don't draw a gold outline on your work sruface! Paint pens usually dry pretty quick, but you might want to place a sheet of computer paper over and surfaces you hand may rub on when doing the next steps, just in case.

6. Take the white paint pent and draw a 'Ty' logo on the (red) front of your heart tag. Then go ahead and take your calligraphy pen and draw a bar code, care instructions, and any other little details you'd like to ad. Feel free to copy them off a bean bag tag from a character that resembles your pet! Be careful, this ink will want to smear before it fully dries, so watch where you put your hands! Next, go ahead and put your pet's name on the (right hand) inside tag face, along with a 4 line, rhyming poem. Here's what I put for Nora:

Hair here, there, everywhere

It's hard to believe there's a dog in there.

Always smiling, she never frowns

It's great to have this dog around!

7. All that's left is to use your hole punch to put a hole in the upper left corner of the folded hear tag, than attach it to the hoop on your pet's collar with a key ring. Or- you could go fancy pants like me and fashion a makeshift 'T-tag' out of crafting wire covered in hot glue....your choice.

I especially like the D.I.Y. bean bag toy pet costume because it can be made to fit ANY size pet, and is worn with minimal disruption to the animal. It's great for animals to don't particularly like to get 'dressed up,' as most pets normally wear a collar everyday anyway, and you can choose the size tag that will suit your pet best. These also can be worn for special events, or even every day in October to turn heads while on walks, or just to add a little extra adorable to those Instagram pet shots!

Truffles is the ham of the family, but she really doesn't like being told she has to take a photo- she much prefers to just strike a pose and wait for me to grab the camera. She didn't mind her 'costume' much but she wasn't keen to hanging out on the bed for me to take these shots- apparently it was play time and I was interrupting. You'll have to catch all the fun outtakes on our social feeds over the next week. There is one with a TIE Fighter that is absolutely adorable!

While I do own Truffles' bean bag counterpart, Boots the Cat, I couldn't find it in time for this post- but I did find Nora's bean bag doppelganger, Duster the dog! While we do brush and groom the dog for her photo shoots she really does look more like a dust bunny when she has her druthers! Duster's even hanging around in Nora's bed cabinet for the remainder of the month- there's just something a bit spooky playful about about having a silent stuffed dog on hand! Plus, Duster will guard all of the delicious Hershey's candy until we can pass it out at league and on Halloween night!

No matter who is celebrating this Halloween, the fur kids- the actual little ghouls and goblins, or just you and your significant zombie other don't get caught without candy. Nothing wrecks the party quicker than a vegetarian zombie without tofu brains like an empty candy bucket and a door bell! Stock up on all of your favorite Hershey's treats with large variety bags of Hershey's candy from Walmart. And be sure to grab all of your other Halloween D.I.Y. supplies and decorations while you're there- we can never get out without a trip down the seasonal aisle! P.S. Keep your eyes peeled for some fun Orange Reese's treats in the candy aisle, just for Halloween!  Now, tell me, what are your plans this Halloween? Do you have any particular memories of running our of candy at a bad time?

What Daughter Says: Be the 'cool' house on the block, stock up on all of your favorite Hershey's candy in bulk with large variety Hershey's bags from Walmart!