This post brought to you by Fresh Step at Target. The content and opinions expressed below are that of Stuff Parents Need.

How many nights of a cat jumping on your face does it take to break a person? For me, the answer was 22.

After just over 3 weeks of having my sleep cycle totally jacked up by our new cat, Gus, I acknowledged my total lack of understanding about how to correct his behavior, and proceeded to Google the heck out of the problem and watch several videos from various cat whisperers.

What I learned is that our cat, simply put, is BORED. The girls play with him all the time (or at least it seems that way), but he needs more. He was a stray before he took up residence at the House of M, so perhaps he is used to more sights, sounds and smells than we can cram into our 1300 square feet of space.

My husband and I talked over what we could do to provide more enrichment in Gus’ life and in so doing, get back to getting enough sleep to function properly each day. And that is when inspiration struck.

What this cat needed was a leash. We read about leash training a cat online (something I HIGHLY recommend you research before attempting). Most cats can be trained for a leash, but cats have such varied and particular personalities that you really have to consider before taking this route. We read that the process of simply getting used to the harness could take a month or more, and that’s before even stepping a single paw outside on the leash.

Gus seems to be a leash outlier in his feelings about it. He gladly let us put the harness on him and didn’t struggle with it or try to get it off. And so…about 10 minutes after putting it on him, we found ourselves outside!

Gus was in heaven getting to be outside, and that really does make sense given that for at least some period of time, he lived outside 24/7. We live in an urban environment near a busy street, and for that reason among others, we don’t want Gus to be an indoor/outdoor cat in the traditional sense of the meaning. But by training him on a leash, we can give him that enrichment he craves and keep him safe at the same time. Also? It turns out that a cat on a leash gets other people’s attention, and makes them smile!  We’ve been doing outside time for a few days, now, and we can already tell a difference in Gus’ behavior in the middle of the night. He seems more chill and content than he has been. It’s definitely a work in progress and everything we read online says that it will take time for him to develop a new rhythm in his own body, and to learn that night time is when the people sleep and when the people need to be left alone. But giving him the stimulation he needs to get all his energy out is a step in the right direction.

The Right Step is the Fresh Step

One other change we made about a month ago was to start using Fresh Step® with the Power of Febreze™ Litter. We have 2 cats in our small home and when we first got Gus, the impact a second cat had on how our home smelled was immediately noticeable, and definitely not in a good way. 

We have been really impressed with how well this product works. The litter box smell is virtually undetectable (odors aren’t masked…they are eliminated!) and the clumping of the litter makes scooping really easy. It also makes the litter last longer, overall, since you don’t get that horrible messy bottom layer of soaked litter like you do with many other brands. I also like that this is a lower dust formula (vs the previous formula) which means that it is a better choice for the health of our cats.

Target Savings! 

Fresh Step® with the Power of Febreze™ Litter is Available at Target and there’s never been a better time to head over that way to pick some up. From 3/6-3/12 you can get a $5 Target gift card when you buy 2 boxes. 

Is your cat in need of some additional resources to be happy and fulfilled? Are you in need of a change in your cat routine to make your home happier? I hope I’ve given you some ideas today to help you on both fronts! 🙂 I’d love to see your photos of your cat rockin’ out (be it on a leash or however they find their kitty bliss) and I’d love to see pics of how Fresh Step® with the Power of Febreze™ is making everyone at home happier, too!