http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Mushin Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:13:22 GMT Reviews by Mushin http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Animal-Rescue-Site--28893-review-31013 I have been clicking on The Animal Rescue Site and it's sister sites (theHungersite.com, theBreastCancersite.com, theChildHealthsite.com, theLiteracysite.com, theRainforestsite.com and EcologyFund.com) for a number of years now. Though I am happy to help out all these causes the one that is near and dear to my heart is The Animal Rescue Site. — I make it a point to start with that site and read the Rescue Story of the day. It is always so wonderful to read about someone's love for an animal, and sometimes sad to read about the lives that some of these pets had before being adopted by someone who loves them. Still, all the stories are happy endings because these pets have been saved and are now cared for and loved. — Clicks are one way that you can help animals at The Animal Rescue Site. Another way is by shopping at their site. I do this a few times a year, especially when I need to mail a gift. I'm not a mall shopper so I'd rather order something from this site, have... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:13:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Animal-Rescue-Site--28893-review-31013 Mushin 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hartz-Scooping-Clumping-Litter-Spoon-review-7e1d4 I have two large (fat) male cats and two litter boxes filled halfway with Swheat Scoop. Swheat Scoop is not the best clumping litter but I use it because it is very natural and not toxic. You have to wait awhile to get it to clump and it usually becomes a big, thick, heavy, wet clump that sticks to the bottom of the litter box. It takes a very strong scoop to pick up this type of clump without bending or breaking but this scoop does a great job! — I have had this scoop for probably 1-2 years and it is the only scoop I use. After all this time it's pretty much like new (after it's cleaned up) and works just as well as the day I bought it. I scoop out the deposits twice a day so that's a lot of scooping. It does get some litter stuck to it sometimes but I think that pretty much all scoops do. I like the large size because it takes less time to scoop and clean out the litter box. I don't remember what I paid for it because it was so long ago... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:53:55 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hartz-Scooping-Clumping-Litter-Spoon-review-7e1d4 Mushin 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Innova-EVO-95-Chicken-Turkey-Canned-Food-review-348d3 I have fed my cats the dry EVO for quite awhile and recently added the regular canned version, which they seem to love. I was introduced to this new 95% meat version the other day at the pet store and bought a can to try. — In my area both 13.2 oz cans of EVO sell for about $1.99 so it is a pricey food but the qualtiy is excellent. I have two big (ok, they're fat) boy cats so these larger cans are actually more cost-effective for me. — I opened the can and was surprised to see more liquid in it than in the regular EVO. The texture is a little different too, which was fine with me. Unfortunately, my boys didn't take to it as much as the regular EVO. They ate it but not as readily. — I only bought one can so I don't know if the extra liquid is a normal thing or not. I am willing to buy another can or two to try but will probably stick with the regular EVO since that is what my cats like. — Bottom line - either type of EVO canned food is high-quality.... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:36:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Innova-EVO-95-Chicken-Turkey-Canned-Food-review-348d3 Mushin 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Pilot-G-2-07-Gel-Pens-review-251b4 I love pens, especially gel pens. While not my favorite, Pilot G2 Gel Pens are a good pen at a good price. They are sturdy, long-lasting and quite popular, as well as very easy to find in most office supply stores. — The only reason I don't rate them higher is that I think their ink could be darker and more vivid. I mostly use black ink and find it to be kind of bland once it dries. Because of this I only have a few of these pens in my home. Still, I think most folks would be very happy with this pen. —... Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:19:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Pilot-G-2-07-Gel-Pens-review-251b4 Mushin 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Get-Serious-Stain-Odor-Pheramone-Extractor-review-e06b1 I have a two-cat household, with one of the cats prone to furballs and occasionally vomiting up just-eaten wet food all over my light grey carpet - yuck! I tried numerous pet stain cleaners until I saw an ad for Get Serious a few years ago. I was skeptical about all their claims but was intrigued enough to go out and buy the stuff to give it a try. — I went online to their site (http://www.getseriousproducts.com/) and found a place to purchase it. It comes in 3 sizes so I tried the Quart size. Man, does this stuff work! Just make sure you follow the directions (including using enough of the product on the stain and using a soft brush to make it get bubbly) and it will work like a dream. It takes me 3-5 minutes max to clean a decent-size stain and just a minute or two to clean a small stain. — My friend has more cats than I am allowed to say so I recommended it to her and she gets great results also. She now buys it by the gallon! — In addition to being... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:53:22 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Get-Serious-Stain-Odor-Pheramone-Extractor-review-e06b1 Mushin 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Furminator-Deshedding-Tool-Small-review-3e811 I bought The Furminator in hopes of reducing one of my cats furballs (supposedly one of its benefits). He is a short-haired cat but seems prone to cough up a furball every 2-3 weeks. — He absolutely loves being brushed with it and I get a lot of fur off of him but I can't honestly say that I have seen any noticeable reduction in his furballs. However, I must admit that I didn't treat this as a scientific study and track the # of furballs before and after - so I may be seeing improvement but am not aware of it. — Regardless, this thing gets a lot more fur off of him than my previous brush and he loves it so I think it was a good purchase for me. My other cat enjoys being brushed with it too and it makes their coats so soft! — Also, I have two friends who have dogs who absolutely swear by it, so if you are having a shedding problem it is definitely recommended. —... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 05:10:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Furminator-Deshedding-Tool-Small-review-3e811 Mushin 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Swheat-Scoop-Natural-Wheat-Litter-review-a4a7 Swheat Scoop is my #2 choice for an eco-friendly cat litter, with World's Best Cat Litter, (WBCL) being #1. Both are good, natural litters that clump. — However, I mostly use Swheat Scoop because one of my cats gets the WBCL on his rear end and then tracks it all over the house. He does not seem to have this problem with Swheat Scoop so that's what I use. You just have to wait awhile for it to clump (I wait at least 1/2 hour). — The other plus to Swheat Scoop over WBCL is that it is less expensive. I can usually get it at a good price at either Target or PetSmart. —... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:53:07 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Swheat-Scoop-Natural-Wheat-Litter-review-a4a7 Mushin 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Littermaid-Automatic-Self-Cleaning-Litter-Box-LM700-review-f76c0 I tried one a few years ago and returned it within a week. The clumps would stick to the rake, then the rake wouldn't complete its cycle, which was annoying. Also, I was worried about the overall cleanliness of the machine as it seemed like dirty litter would still be in the box (stuck to the bottom or sides). — When I dumped the litter out and tried to clean the machine (so I could return it) it was not easy to clean at all...so many areas for the litter to stick to, especially the rake! — My biggest concern with this product is that, without a thorough cleaning, there may be a risk of illness or disease for cats coming into contact with dirty litter. I think that vets recommend that you dump out and clean a litter box every 4 weeks (depending on the litter and how many cats use the box). This makes sense if you think of the litter box like a toilet - you flush the waste every day but still need to clean the... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:37:38 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Littermaid-Automatic-Self-Cleaning-Litter-Box-LM700-review-f76c0 Mushin 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Innova-EVO-for-cats-and-dogs-review-aee1 I fed EVO to my two cats last year, then switched to all canned food for awhile, then added kibble to their diet again a few months ago (because they were missing it so much). — Over the past two years I have tried most or all of the high-end, grain-free kibble and EVO is definitely their favorite. They like it so much I have to limit how much I give them so that they don't gain weight from it (they are fat already). —  I like Innova's manufacturing standards and commitment to quality. I talked to one of their reps in August and was very impressed with the company and its values. Yes, EVO is an expensive food but it is worth the price! —... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 04:08:58 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Innova-EVO-for-cats-and-dogs-review-aee1 Mushin 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/By-nature-Worlds-Best-Kitty-Litter--23522-review-84202 This is really a great litter for anyone looking for an eco-friendly litter that actually clumps like clay litter! — I can't use it exclusively since one of my cats seems to get it stuck on his backside and then tracks it all over the house. So, I use mix it with another litter (Swheat Scoop) and that solves my problem. I've never heard of anyone else having this problem so I still think it's a great litter for almost any cat owner. — ... Sat, 17 Nov 2007 03:45:10 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/By-nature-Worlds-Best-Kitty-Litter--23522-review-84202 Mushin 5