Not too long ago when I was writing an email to Andrea (Celestial Kitties; BIG time supporter of Winnie’s Wish), I shared with her a problem I’ve been having all summer long. Kitty Litter. So here’s what has been going on. I use A LOT of kitty litter!! A LOT!! I try to find the most economical way to go but if you’ve ever tried various litters you know that they are NOT all created equal. One of the kitty litters I’d always used and liked very much was Dr. Elsey’s. But the price has gone up and up and up. It finally reached $20 for a 40-lb bag and I just couldn’t afford it anymore. So I tried another litter. This one cost only $9 for a 40-lb bag. I did this last fall or early winter (I can’t remember for sure), and this litter was quite good. I was ecstatic. This litter was less than half the price of Dr. Elsey’s. And it was really holding up. And then summer hit. Wow! I do not know if we are having an outrageously different summer in terms of humidity or if this particular litter just cannot prevail under high humidity conditions.
In southern Illinois, our summers are hot. But anybody here in the Midwest will tell you it’s the humidity that makes our summers rough. However, my kennel cat areas and my cathouse are air conditioned. Air conditioning reduces humidity. So I couldn’t believe what a soggy mess my litter boxes were staying. It simply had to be the humidity. The only other explanation was that somewhere around late spring, this company changed their litter. It had done well for me all winter long, but now it was just terrible. All summer long I’ve had to completely dump the litter boxes every couple of days and fill with fresh litter. I finally had to admit to myself that I probably wasn’t saving much money using the much less expensive litter if I had to completely replace it every two or three days.
So this was a conversation I was having with Andrea. Separate issue - Andrea’s birthday was July 27. After Andrea received my email complaining about my summer/kitty litter issue, she wrote back to let me know that she had talked to Greg about her birthday gift from him this year. She said she told him that what she wanted for her birthday was a donation of goods to Winnie’s Wish. She promised she’d made that decision before she got my soggy kitty litter email.
Here’s what you need to know about Andrea. She’s stubborn! (Yes, I know you’re reading this, Andrea lol.) I immediately told her Absolutely not! I told her to have Greg get her something FOR HER. She completely ignored me. And she asked me if kitty litter (the good kind) was what I would want for Winnie’s Wish. I pleaded again for her to think about getting something she really wanted. Some of you know Andrea, and some of you reading here might know this about her. Once she sets her mind to something, you do not change it. Believe me I’ve known her long enough to know I was fighting a losing battle. She (lovingly) told me that I could either tell her what Winnie’s Wish needed most, or she would figure it out on her own.
So . . . I told her that kitty litter would be amazing. Trying to keep up with the rising costs and now this chink in my plan to use the less expensive litter was taking a toll. She asked what else I needed and I told her I was a little low on canned cat food but it wasn’t a big deal.
Andrea sent SEVEN bags of the Dr. Elsey’s cat litter. And she sent a case of canned cat food, but then added a case of the special food I have to have to feed Angel AND a case of special skin& stomach canned food that a couple of the cats here are on. She said – These cats with special dietary needs have to eat, too! Oh Andrea! You always have been and continue to be – WONDERFUL to Winnie’s Wish!
Andrea – THANK YOU.
I’ll be back tomorrow with a Wildlife Wednesday update. See you then.
Best Birthday Present ever!! lol Happy kitties makes a happy me!
Friends, whether it's your birthday, your kitties birthday, or not or just because it's a HUGE need, won't you consider sending some litter or something from the Wish List? You'll find the link on the top of the side bar, along with a donate button if you'd rather Chrystal do the shopping! Please help the over 30 kitties of Winnie's Wish stay in litter and food and other needs! Thank you!
Posted by: Andrea and the Celestial Kitties | 08/02/2022 at 09:30 AM
Andrea is just THE BEST!!!
Posted by: The Poupounette Gang | 08/02/2022 at 11:47 AM
Great gift from Andrea and the Celestial kitties. So Hot and Humid here, and we really have to change the litter at least every other day. Looks like the heat is going to continue plus lots of rain. Best cool wishes for a hot day here in Ky.
Posted by: Ginny & the Fur Family | 08/02/2022 at 11:49 AM
Wow, that is so awesome. Andrea is amazing!
Posted by: meowmeowmans | 08/02/2022 at 09:02 PM
That's fantastic. With costs skyrocketing on everything, Andrea truly was your guardian angel with this!
Posted by: Goldie Goodwin | 08/02/2022 at 09:06 PM
Wonderful news - and Happy Happy Birthday Andrea!!! You are truly an angel for Winnie's Wish.
Posted by: Pam Tyson | 08/03/2022 at 04:10 PM