March 11th 2011 thoughts

It was a scary time to be in Japan, although we were not affected as badly as other parts of Japan the effects of the Earthquake, and Tsunami impacted upon everyone. It was heart-breaking to see the Tsunami take so many lives and cause so much destruction. The Fukushima crisis was a continual confusion (and to this day I still don't feel safe to drink tap water). Nobody knew if they were really safe (even in Tokyo). We stopped drinking tap water, and took more notice of the city and country of origin of our food in the Supermarket.

In Fukushima many people were evacuated from the exclusion zones leaving behind their pets, and animals. There was no animal evacuation plan. This has resulted in many unnecessary animal deaths and immense suffering of both animals and their owners. There are thankfully some amazing volunteers who regularly go to feed the animals left behind, in hope they can make a difference. They have rescued many animals, and they continue to do so.

Evacuated people are still living in temporary homes, and shelters.

I hope and pray things will improve, and the lives of everyone directly affected by the Tsunami, and Fukushima crisis can soon regain some sense of normality.

The Furminator

It took me a while, and countless evenings trawling through reviews on the internet, before I finally succumbed to the lure of The Furminator.

There are many positive and negative reviews out there, but I decided to bite the bullet and buy one on the internet to see if it actually works.

The day it arrived I was eager to try it out, and Tora actually seemed to enjoy it for a while. Following on from advice given to me before my purchase, I recommend using it once a week for about 10-15mins depending on the length of your cats fur. 

Please check before purchasing if your cat has an undercoat. If they do not then it is probably best to find an alternative to the Furminator. (Siamese, Burmese and Tonkinese cats have no undercoat, so they tend to not shed so much). 

The furminator works by removing the fur which would usually be shed. This reduces the effects of shedding on your home, and helps reduce hairballs which can be a problem for many cats. It can take a while to see the results, but I have seen and heard great things, and I am already starting to see an improvement around my home.

If you have any experiences or thoughts on the Furminator please share them below in the comments section.

Welcome back...

It has been over a year since I updated this and a lot has happened since then.

Here is a quick update:

Tora is now 100% Human toilet trained all thanks to the amazing Litter Kwitter.
We moved to a new home with a better view, and stronger structure which will hopefully withstand a big earthquake if one should occur.

It is usually much quieter here than our last home, but as it is now Summer the Cicadas (semis) are very loud. We like the sounds of Summer though (just not at 1am).