Life Without Plastic - Day 21

Technically, this is a day late, but I did the research yesterday.

Last night I visited Bulk Barn. I was able to find a range of bar soaps, some laundry soap that is very condensed (I haven't figured out how many 1/4 cup uses are in 4 lb of laundry soap yet, but I'm betting it's a fair number), a deodorant stone, and all the things people suggested I could find there. I bought some sesame seeds because I really liked the Korean meatball recipe that had me searching for them last week. They sell glass spice jars and a reasonable selection of glass cannisters.

Things that made me sad: Long pasta came pre-packaged in plastic bags. There was none available that was truly in bulk, though short pastas such as macaroni were sold loose. The Bulk Barn does not carry cloth bags of any sort, so I need to bring my own (I still need to figure out what I could use for spices, and make more plain bags for things where I don't mind paying for the weight of the bag). They do have things like bulk peanut butter, but you must use their plastic containers. Far too many of their bulk foods were actually things like individually plastic-wrapped candies. Even my deodorant stone came in a wrapper, and it had a goofy little plastic stand thingy barely visible on the right side of the stone). The alternative stone came in something that looked like regular deodorant, but the plastic container was one of those hard, non-recyclable kinds.

Also, I heard back from the place that sells bulk shampoo and other soaps. I can't bring my own containers, but I am welcome to re-use the ones they supply, so that's pretty decent.

Life Without Plastic - Day 22 (Cats on the Internet)

The last time I bought cat food and treats, I blithely picked up my usual brands and didn't think about how they were packaged, until last week. They are bagged in plastic, of course. I have browsed around at several shops since, and pretty much all cat food is now sold in plastic bags (except the stuff in cans). Some dog food is still available in paper bags, though. The Bulk Barn does carry some pet foods and bird seeds in bulk, though I confess I forgot to look closely at all the options.

This is one area where I don't think homemade alternatives are realistic for every day. Homemade dog food is quite possible, and several of my friends do this. However, cats need taurine, which they cannot synthesize in their bodies. Without it, they suffer eye problems and blindness, among other problems. Natural sources of taurine include shellfish, salmon, dark poultry meat, eggs and dairy. Making cat food would require dinner to be prepared fresh every day, in tiny quantities, and with the assumption that my cats will turn their noses up at whatever is made at least half the time. Also, taurine is destroyed by cooking, so the ingredients will have a very short shelf life.

If I could turn my moggies out to fend for themselves by eating birds and mice, they would probably do just fine (except for the risks inherent in local traffic, skunks, and other neighborhood critters). Also, they kill a lot of birds: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/9-leading-causes-of-bird-deaths-in-canada-1.1873654. A LOT OF BIRDS: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/killer-cats-take-down-billions-of-birds-report-says-1.1312489. Stray and feral cats are among the biggest culprits, so I'm proud to say that both of my girls (like all their predecessors but one) are rescues. All have been neutered.

This Pandora, most commonly known as Dora Exploradora because she is such a snoopy kitty. She came to me after landing up at a friends house as an unwed teenaged mother. Barely past kittenhood herself, she had four kittens with her. Happily, all were adopted (and neutered). She is now two years old.





This is Gatita. She was adopted while I lived in El Salvador and she is a bit of a survivor. She had to be declawed in front because she kept escaping from the house (ripping out the heaviest screens we could buy); this was an issue because she would come home with razor wire cuts and we worried she would eventually hit one of the electrified fences. In 2007, she escaped from the house and hid during a rain storm. It kept raining for days and we couldn't find her, although we would occasionally hear her meowing. Eventually, we had to leave for a long-planned holiday to western Canada for two weeks. When we returned, there was still no news. Finally, after eight weeks, I spotted her in the neighbour's driveway. The kids and I followed her around the neighborhood for over two hours and I was finally able use tossed bits of canned salmon to coax her close enough to wrap her in a towel and carry her home. She had lost almost half her body weight, but eventually she was fine. I still have a hard time believing that she could find enough food with no claws, even though I saw her bring home birds in El Salvador. She is now 14 years old. My daughter (who is allergic to cats) will not be pleased to discover that Gatita has taken over her bathrobe.