Dear Home Ec 101, I have tile floors and a couch, this sounds normal enough, but the couch slips and slides all over the tile and drives me crazy. How do I stop the couch from sliding? And the cushions, don’t get me started on the cushions, why won’t they stay on my couch? While … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101: Help! I have ants milling around my cats’ water bowl. We can’t figure out where they are coming from, but a few more appear each day. They seem to be mostly interested in the water dish, since we tend to keep the rest of the food put away except for meal … Read more
Dear Home-Ec 101:Help!! Our adorable, yet slightly dumb dog has decided to use back of our lovely microfiber couch as a toilet! We contacted the manufacturer, who suggested spot cleaning the urine stained area with diluted dish soap. This got the stains out. Unfortunately, the smell of pee still remains. I’ve (unsuccessfully) tried some pet … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101, We recently adopted another stray cat, and while two of the other three cats have adjusted fine, my oldest has not. He decided instead of getting chased around by the new guy, he would instead take up residence on the top floor of the house (where he was always most happy … Read more
Ivy says: Imagine my surprise when, after I posted this post about pet hair on the furniture, a representative from the Furminator contacted me and asked me if I’d like one to review and one to give away! Why yes, yes I would. The Fed Ex man (who, incidentally, is not as cute as Mr. … Read more
Dear Home Ec 101, My cats seem to drop enough fur to make a few new cats on my furniture every day. It’s ridiculous. How can I both prevent this and keep my furniture fur-free? Thanks, Fuzz Butt Ivy says: There are several things you can do to help keep the pet hair at bay. … Read more
Hi Home-eccers- I would hate to have a whole month go by without asking a new question! Hopefully you can help me with this one. I have two small kittens (check out the picture, they’re way cute) and I live in a wee little Chicago apartment. Now that it’s spring, I’d like to have some … Read more
Ivy says: Anyone who has ever read me over at Animal Shak knows I’m somewhat of an animal advocate. I love animals. LOVE! I have 3 pets- 2 cats and a dog who were all rescues or quasi-rescues. I have a hard time understanding why people are still buying dogs and (sometimes) cats from backyard … Read more
Ivy says: We get some great questions in email (have one? email us!) and occasionally comments. These questions came from the comments. Commenter Jane writes: I used to use very expensive cat litter (I have three cat boxes), but realized that using the cheapest cat litter and emptying the whole thing every couple of days … Read more
Ivy says: I was speaking with a neighbor recently who was having problems with her cat peeing all over the house. I asked her if she had take the cat to the vet to rule out a kidney infection and she said she had. The vet had suggested she buy more litter boxes. She thought … Read more