Learn along with me on this never ending journey of being a naturalistic pet parent in a tiny home.
Learn about caring for your feline companions, read real reviews on pet products and get tips to help harmonize sharing your small space with animals.
22/03/2022
Grief is Like Carrying a Stone in Your Pocket
“The best way I can describe grief as the years go by is to say it’s similar to carrying a stone in your pocket.
When you walk, the stone brushes against your skin. You feel it. You always feel it. But depending on the way you stand or the way your body moves, the smooth edges might barely graze your body.
Sometimes you lean the wrong way or you turn too quickly and a sharp edge pokes you. Your eyes water and you rub your wound but you have to keep going because not everyone knows about your stone, or if they do, they don’t realize it can still bring this much pain.
There are days you are simply happy now, smiling comes easy and you laugh without thinking. You slap your leg during that laughter and you feel your stone and aren’t sure whether you should be laughing still. The stone still hurts.
Once in a while you can’t take your hand off that stone. You run it over your fingers and roll it in your palm and are so preoccupied by its weight, you forget things like your car keys and home address. You try to leave it alone but you just can’t. You want to take a nap but it’s been so many years since you’ve called in “sad” you’re not sure anyone would understand anymore or if they ever did.
But most days you can take your hand in and out of your pocket, feel your stone and even smile at its unwavering presence. You’ve accepted this stone as your own, crossing your hands over it, saying “mine” as children do.
You rest more peacefully than you once did, you’ve learned to move forward the best you can. Some days you want to show the world what a beautiful memory you’re holding. But most days you twirl it through your fingers, smile and look to the sky. You squeeze your hands together and hope you are living in a way that honors the missing piece you carry, until your arms are full again.”
Written by
Jessica Watson ~ Four Plus An Angel
24/11/2021
Minx has come along way. Well he is still supervised when outside he is allowed just as much freedom as the girls. No longer wearing a harness and leash he has graduated to a collar with bells.
The trio all know to stay with in a certain area for the most part and are easy to catch and aprouch when out doors. I am so proud of my pride
03/10/2021
25/09/2021
Today is the cats first full day here at my parents hobby farm. The cats did well in their first night in the tent. Minx is still a little scared but he is settling in well. The cats don’t have access to the 10x10 pop up awning but will have access to is after the family BBQ tomorrow.
25/09/2021
Yesterday we haded to my parents family farm and took our pride with us. It is normally a 3hr drive but took us a little longer due to construction on the highway as well as we made a pit stop so all of us could stretch our legs and have a bath room break. The cats did so well.
22/09/2021
21/09/2021
Its another beautiful morning here in our tiny home. I am getting cuddles from both girls this morning little do they know that today is bath day for the pride
11/09/2021
This should apply for cats as well
What type of dog water bowl do you use? 🐶💧
The dog water bowl has previously been identified as the third most contaminated🦠 item within the household and can be a breeding ground for dangerous germs & life-threatening bacteria🧫 that can put the entire house at risk, researchers at University Centre Hartpury have revealed.
So, which dish is best to use for a dog water bowl? The bowl that grows the least amount of life-threatening bacteria!
In the first study of its’ kind, Hartpury scientists found stainless steel grew the least amount of bacteria and over time, plastic bowls grew the highest amount, but the shocking part was the most harmful bacterial species (including salmonella, E. coli and MRSA) were most frequently identified in CERAMIC bowls!
Lead can also be a problem when using ceramic bowls, and the endocrine disrupting chemicals found in plastic bowls are a no-go! Also be aware plastic bowls🥣 can cause Plastic Dish Nasal Dermatitis🙀: Chemicals in plastic absorb through the skin and inhibit the synthesis of melanin, leaving the nose👃🏼 and adjacent areas with pink blotches.
So stainless steel🍴 bowls are the safest, right?
Well not so fast…. there’s even been recalls on stainless bowls😫. In our upcoming The Forever Dog book, in the chapter titled Environmental Impact and the section labelled “Toxic Toys, Chews, and Beds", we cover how to choose the best chemical-free bowls🚫 that won’t leach contaminants over time. The Forever Dog is available now for pre-order, worldwide, check out the www.ForeverDog.com/about
11/09/2021
A new toy arrived today for the pride, in time to bring it with us on our week long camping trip on the 24th. So far the younger two like their new toy especially Minx.
You can see one of the old girls white feet in the left side of the tunnels in the last photo.
10/09/2021
Our pride is getting used to wearing their collars with bells in preparation for our camping trip at the end of the month.
Cynder and Trouble are both use to collars so they are just adjusting to having bells on them.
This is Minx’s first time wearing a collar as well as bells. He can’t understand why he is wearing something and not going outside. So we are having a brief play session to distract him.
06/09/2021
03/09/2021
The already harvested and dried catnip ground down filled an old sauce jar to the 12oz mark.
The cats all love the smell but I will admit that freshly ground cat nip gives me a headache. I would rather have a headache and happy cats then have sad cats and no headache
02/09/2021
Our pride is outside enjoying the fall sun today well I am busy harvesting the cat nip, and processing some of the perviously harvested nip.
03/08/2021
I have been away for the past two weeks well I recovered from surgery. I am home now and feeling better then ever. Minx and Trouble did so well on their morning stroller ride out to the compost pile then Cynder joined us for some outtime relaxing in the morning sun as it filtered through the trees. Now we are all relaxing inside. I feel truly blessed and loved this morning well all my babies cram them selves on the chair with me this morning for morning cuddles
24/07/2021
I sometimes feel this is what Cynder feels when she glares at me for calling her fluffy butt
22/07/2021
Cats and dogs can be infected by the coronavirus — but cats are more susceptible to infection, a new study suggests.
Hello everyone,
I have been I'll the past few months on and off and now I am recovering from surgery away from my furry one's. However I am still here to help you with any general care, training and behavior questions.
If you are having any trouble with your felines please feel free to contact me, I am always here to help. I do my best to respond to questions as quickly as possibly.
17/06/2021
Well it’s clear what toy Trouble wants to play with today
How many of my follies would like to see videos of how I care for and train my cats as well as other things.
12/05/2021
With the warm weather we are busy here at the farm. However we make sure to sit back and enjoy our evenings when we can. The felines got in on enjoying the nice weather with us allow for some great photos.
06/05/2021
After doing some work yesterday I got a chance to get some real nice photos of Minx yesterday enjoying the after noon outdoors.
He sure looks good in photos.
06/05/2021
Is he or is he not sniffing the flower?
27/04/2021
Good afternoon everyone,
I hope you all are having a good day. As you all know I picked up the feed order for the cats yesterday. I didn’t get a chance to go over the order yet with you all so I thought I would break down my feed order a bit.
Wet food and Dry Food?
My trio gets a combination of dry food and wet food. This combination better meets my felines nutritional needs far better then just feeding the one type of food.
Why Do I Feed Performatin Ultra?
I choose the his brand for my felines as it’s a high quality food that meets their nutritional needs, comes in both wet and dry forms. It’s also a Canadian company and I am all for supporting local when I can.
How do I feed my trio?
My cats get a 1/4 - 1/2 bowl of kibble in the morning they can feed from when they are hungry, they get their wet food in the evening after a good play session and I normal add a bit of warm water to the food.
08/04/2021
It’s spring and with spring comes fleas, ticks, and many other pesky insects and parasites. For some of us the flea season is a breeze and they may never have fleas. However if you live in an area where there are always tons of fleas then it can become a nightmare trying to decide what flea treatment to get. And trying to remember what treatment you used the year before to ensure you don’t use it again this year.
Some of you may even have kitties like my Trouble who is allergic to most flea medication on the market. So I decided to take a different route this year and opted to try a natural flea and tic collar. These collars arrived this morning. I can not wait to try them. I hope they work well.
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Videos
Well it’s clear what toy Trouble wants to play with today
It has been a few days since I returned from my month long trip to my moms. I am excited to have a new nephew now but I am also excited to be home.
I jumped right back into my normal routine and so have our felines. It’s as though I have never left......well almost. Trouble and Cynder have been extra cuddly in the evening but Minx is the same and still has me up at 8:00 ever morning for his walk.
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Finding Our Place And Becomeing A Feline Natrualist
Introduction
Hello Everyone, If your reading this you are probably wondering how I came to be a naturalistic pet parent living in a tiny home. You are most likely also looking at the photo above and wondering if I am camping with my cat. Well stop your wondering, and asking yourself five million questions you can’t answer about me and my cat because I am about to tell you about us.
I am 24 (at least well I am writing this anyway) and a pet parent like I am sure most of you are. I have three beautiful cats, Cynder (shown above), Trouble and Minx. They are my children for all intensive purposes. I live in a beautiful 400sq foot home, with my cats and my partner. I don’t want for much nor do I own a whole lot. After several years of moving, learning about myself, and suffering from anxiety and depression I have finally
found my home.
How did I Come To Live In My Tiny House?
I spent 3 years old my life moving around from place to place with my cat Cynder. I lived in small apartments, unfinished basements, trailers and hotels when I was engaged. I never had stable home in those years, nor did I work.
Throughout that time I suffered with depression, and anxiety on a regular basis. However Cynder was there by my side every step of the way. She helped to keep me calm, and helped me keep moving forward when I thought about giving up. After three years of suffering the engagement was broken off.
Unable to pay for my own apartment, or rent a hotel room I moved to the best place I could think of. My parents hobby farm. The farm was not operational at the time and the old farm house was not livable. However I had a tent just big enough for a queen size air mattress and a litter box. Lucky for me it was summer time and I had Cynder.
You are most likely wondering how I could keep my cat and how I could live in a tent with no WiFi, no phone, and no running water. Yes I was homeless for a time in the eyes of the world but for me. What I had was far from being homeless. It might not have been a home like most would think of one, but to me it was. I had shelter, food, and companionship. I had Cynder.
Its during that time when I lost the rest of my self but also when I found myself. I thought less about the things I owned (It was all in storage anyway), and focused more on what I had in front of me, and the world around me. I don’t mean what was happening on the other side of the world, or even what was happening back in town.
What I mean when I say “the world around me” was the trees and plants that surrounded me. The birds that would grace me with their sweet song, my darling Cynder who has been through so much with me, and my loving family.
We were not on the farm alone for long though. Soon my parents, sister, and new nephew all moved back to the farm. It was great having my family around again. I was happy and enjoyed being with them. I found a job for the first time since college. My life was starting to look up. I got a little closer to my family with each day. slowly I started to care more about spending time with family then being alone. My desire to acquire possessions of any form slipped away.
However I was missing something. I was missing having a connection, sleeping beside someone, and feeling safe. My family never hurt me, they cherished me and looked after me. No one ever truly hurt me physically but still all the same I never did quite feel safe. I was always aware of possible danger and because of that every noise at night woke me up. I would always sleep curled up with Cynder under my arm ready to protect her if need be.
I don’t know if my mom caught onto the fact I was lonely or not. It didn’t take long though for her to push me to start dating again. Sometimes it almost felt like my mom was trying to get rid of me but I knew she loved me. She was right though, I was starting to think about it. Well my engagement didn’t end well I never cried after I had decided to leave, so that was a sign to me that it was probably over long before I had actually left.
Being my mother’s little girl, and wanting to please her I took her up on her suggestion to date again. It wasn’t long till I joined the online dating world to meet someone. I had no interest in dating any of the locals. I made sure though to be as honest and open as possible on line in my profile.
I wanted to ensure whoever was interested in me knew what they were getting. I don’t like to beat around the bush when I can avoid it. I also had two very important stipulations that scared a lot of people. Number one: You had to meet my parents. It didn’t bother me if my parents approved of who I was with or not. It was the fact I don’t drive and lived on their property so meeting them was sort of unavoidable.
My second, and most important stipulation was that Cynder liked them. My past relationships effected both me and Cynder. She got put in a lot of bad and unhealthy situations. She is extremely important to me, and I didn’t want to see her hurt again. Her needs come before my own, and they always will. I talked to many people. How ever I friend zoned just about all of them. I meet one person and after our date that was it. I didn’t like him as much as I thought, and I had a feeling Cynder wouldn’t like him either.
I was planning on giving up for a while when someone caught my attention. I didn’t know what it was but something about him caught and held my attention. I just felt like I had to talk to him and get to know him. It didn’t take much for me to fall head over heels for him. He bravely came out to meet me and my protective family. Instead of coming just for a date he spent a weekend with me. At this time I was in a much bigger tent, thankfully.
He was totally okay with staying in the tent with me. As much as I liked him I was still skeptical, and untrusting. How ever seeing him interact with Cynder and how gentle he was stole my heart completely. Cynder liked him to it seemed. It didn’t take long before my family welcomed him with open arms, and I was visiting him for a month.
I fell in love with the place he called home. His family and friends were so welcoming. When my mom came to get me at the end of the month she made how she felt very clear. By insisting I move in with him well I was saying good bye to him. He must have liked the idea, because by the time winter hit his home was my home. We lived in a trailer for a little while. It was at that time we brought Trouble into the house. She fit right in. She started of being a mommy's girl but as she grew she became a daddy’s girl. That trailer wasn’t our home for long. It was falling apart and cold in the winter. So we moved into a 400sq foot building on the property, and this summer we adding Minx to our family.
The building is now our house. It’s still got a lot of work before its finished but to us, to all of us it’s a home. Its small, and we don’t own much, but it’s ours. Finally after years I have a place to call home. A place where I feel safe at last, where I can relax and heal. A place where I can just be me.
What Made Me Choose To Be A Naturalist?
The decision to be a naturalist was an easy one for me. I grew up training and working with horses naturally. So I already knew that doing things as naturally as possible was very beneficial and often had better results than doing things the “synthetic” way (at least that is what I call it). So it was less of a jump and more of just a change in direction to becoming a naturalist with my kitties.
Horses are not the only reason I prefer to do things naturally. It’s the world today that makes me think hard and question everything bought at pet stores before giving it to my cat. The world today is less about quality of products and more about quantity and profit. For this reasons pets are being over vaccinated, given medications to treat symptoms not their problems and we are drown to the packaging of pet products that are not healthy for our pets.
There are more harmful things out there for our pets then there are good things. New products are coming out every year claiming to better. However it’s not always easy to tell the good from the bad, and pet store employees are not often equipped with the right knowledge needed to help pet parents make an informed choice. So I have been doing my own research, talking to specialists so I can be more informed choice.
So I have been doing my own research, talking to specialists so I can be more informed. As a result my love for cats has grown. Well I cannot provide my cats with a 100% natural life style I do my best to keep their life style as natural as possible.
