A few days after I brought my new cat home to my apartment, I beautified myself for a night out on the town.
I also sprayed myself with perfume. That was a big mistake.
My cat, who had been watching me bathe and dress with the fascination of an anthropologist studying the unknown rituals of a newly discovered tribe of aborigines, immediately blinked her eyes rapidly and backed away from the scented cloud I had just delivered to the atmosphere. Then she completely lost her mind for about five minutes, running around the room, climbing the walls, and digging tunnels through what had previously been neatly folded and stacked piles of jeans in my closet.
From that point on, I resolved to avoid using strongly scented products as much as possible, as long as I have an animal in my care.
I stopped using my beloved perfumes and bought some new beauty and household products. I haven’t been able to find suitable unscented substitutes for everything (I have high expectations for every product I spend money on, and I’d rather have a scented product that works REALLY well than an unscented product that works only so-so), but I’ve also found many new unscented products that I like a lot more than the things I used previously.
Since I began weaning myself from my favorite yummy-smelling lotions and detergents, I’ve developed an aversion to strong, unnatural scents. I used to be addicted to a heavily-scented body lotion from Bath and Body Works, and while I still have a particular fondness for it, I now sometimes prefer my new aroma-neutral persona. It sounds cheesy, but I feel a bit more free true to myself now that I’m not slathering multiple pre-formulated odors all over my skin, hair, and clothing (don’t expect me to give up deodorant anytime soon, though).
Most importantly, I can tell that my cat is a lot happier, too.
Here’s a list of my favorite unscented household and beauty products. Let me know if you like them too, or if you use something you think I might prefer.
1. Alba Botanica Very Emollient Body Lotion, Unscented
I use this every day after I shower and it locks moisture into my skin without making it feel greasy, smell funny, or repel my cat. I can even use it on my face without it making me break out. Also, many of its ingredients are organic.
2. Method All Surface Cleaner go naked ™
I can spray this cleaner on a counter right next to my cat and she doesn’t crinkle her nose or wiggle a whisker at the smell. It also satisfactorily cleans my kitchen counter-tops after she walks across them.
3. Method Hand Wash go naked ™
As you can see, I’m a fan of Method’s “go naked” line of products. This basic handsoap cleans my hands without leaving any extraneous odors on them.
4. Every Man Jack products, Fragrance Free
Although they were designed for men, I love these Every Man Jack products. I feel like they do what they’re supposed to do without any extra chemicals that may react badly to beauty products that I already use. Every Man Jack’s containers are recyclable and this particular line of products are dye and fragrance free. My cat probably thinks I should be petting her instead of shaving, washing, or scrubbing my skin, I’d like to think she appreciates the absence of scents when I’m finished.
How do you make sure your pet is unharmed and unoffended by household chemicals? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Power-generating wind turbines have long been recognized as a potentially life-threatening hazard for birds. But at most wind facilities, bats actually die in much greater numbers. Now, researchers reporting in Current Biology, a Cell Press journal, on August 26th think they know why.
Ninety percent of the bats they examined after death showed signs of internal hemorrhaging consistent with trauma from the sudden drop in air pressure (a condition known as barotrauma) at turbine blades. Only about half of the bats showed any evidence of direct contact with the blades.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Air Pressure, Animals, Barotrauma, Bats, Birds, Current Biology, Hemorrhaging, Mammals, Trauma, Turbine Blades, Turbines, Wind Turbines
Christian Bale grew up a vegetarian and was instilled with a strong appreciation for animal welfare. That childhood education has carried over to adulthood as all of the actor’s pets were at one time stray cats and dogs.
But the Batman star credits his greatest influence on acting to horses. “I love horses. I’ve learned from them,” he recently told The Japan Times. “Once you master a horse — but it also masters you — you gain more confidence in yourself. When you can mount it and move it and move along with it, that is a hard-won and very real accomplishment,” he said.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Animal Welfare, Animals, Batman, Cats, Christian Bale, Dogs, Horses, Stray Cats, Vegetarians
It’s a dog’s life during hard economic times. But Chihuahuas in a tutu? Pugs in designer tank-tops? Dachshunds draped in Swarovski bling?
That was the scene at the third annual Pet Fashion Week in Manhattan this past weekend, where despite a looming US recession, the world’s dog-loving fashionistas gathered to share ideas, market their products, strut a canine catwalk and raise money for charity.
At a time when department stores are suffering from shrinking sales of clothing, shoes and accessories such as handbags, those in the pet fashion industry are thriving, thanks to dog-loving elites and the buying impulses of millions of other pet owners.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Canines, Catwalks, Charities, Chihuahuas, Dogs, Fashion, Manhatten, New York City, Pet Fashion Week, Pet Fashions, Pet Owners
Mount Pleasant is the latest town in South Carolina to use oxygen masks on pets caught in fires.
The Charleston Post and Courier reports the town’s five fire stations now have masks for both dogs and cats who, like humans, often need to be treated with oxygen as the result of smoke inhalation.
Fire Chief Herb Williams says pets are a big part of people’s lives and often get scared and hide in a house during a fire, making them more susceptible to smoke.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Cats, Charleston Post and Courier, Dogs, Fire, Herb Williams, Mount Pleasant, Oxygen Masks, Pet Rescue, Pets, Smoke Inhalation, South Carolina
Furry friends aren’t always the best for college students.
While pet adoption may seem like a good idea at first, students may want to take a step back before adopting that adorable mutt or big-eyed feline, because pet ownership can quickly get out of hand. If and when students adopt or buy pets, local experts and pet owners have some insight to provide them.
Responsibility is a requirement for anyone interested in adopting or owning a pet, said Denise Patterson, Lubbock Animal Services’s adoption coordinator.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Adoption, Animals, Cats, College, College Students, Denise Patterson, Felines, Mutts, Pet Adoption, Pets
There’s a cloud over the big top as the circus rolls into the Rose Garden this week.
A consortium of animal-rights and environmental groups are suing Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey in U.S. District Court, alleging that the circus illegally abuses animals protected under the endangered species act.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Act, Animal Rights, Animals, Barnum & Bailey, Circuses, Elephants, Endangered Species, Ringling Bros, Rose Garden, U.S. District Court
An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea has recently found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water – with one at least 60 miles from shore – raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.
Geoff York, the polar bear coordinator for WWF’s Arctic Programme, said that when polar bears swim so far from land, they could have difficulty making it safely to shore and are at risk of drowning, particularly if a storm arises.
“To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing similar risk,” he said.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Animals, Bears, Chukchi Sea, Endangered Species, Geoff York, Polar Bears, Protected Species, WWF
Orangina’s current TV advert, which depicts animals dancing and flirting in a suggestive manner, is on the receiving end of consumer and equal rights groups complaints in the UK.
The 60-second advert, which was originally aired in France late last year, centres around a love story between an alluring doe and masculine bear before erupting into a dance music spectacular featuring a whole host of unusual characters from the animal kingdom.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Adverts, Animal Kingdom, Animals, Bears, Beverages, Dancing Animals, Deer, Does, France, Orangina, TV Ads
He was a pig in a poke but now he’s in hog heaven.
A 400 pound pig was found wandering a neighborhood in Adams Run.
Now he’s the newest guest at the Charleston Animal Society - a new guest that needs a big room.
“It’s about 400 pounds now, it can easily reach 800 to 1000 pounds,” said Kay Hyman of the Charleston Animal Society.
Click here for the full article.
Tags: Animals, Charleston Animal Society, Hogs, Kay Hyman, Pigs
