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Shopping for cats can feel like navigating a maze. From automatic feeders to interactive toys, heated beds, and luxury litter boxes, the number of products available today is overwhelming. While some products genuinely improve your cat’s life, others are flashy gadgets that quickly end up in the closet. The key is knowing which items truly add value for you and your feline companion.

Start With the Essentials

Before getting distracted by the latest viral toy, make sure the basics are covered:

Quality Food & Fresh Water

Your cat’s diet is the foundation of their health. A high-quality, balanced food and fresh water ideally from a fountain many cats prefer are far more important than most gadgets.

Litter Box & Litter

A clean, comfortable litter box is non-negotiable. Multi-cat households may need multiple boxes to avoid stress and accidents. High-quality clumping litter and easy-to-clean trays can make a big difference.

Scratching & Climbing Spaces

Cats need to scratch to maintain healthy claws and stretch muscles. A sturdy scratching post or cat tree can prevent furniture damage and provide mental stimulation.

Products Worth Exploring

Beyond basics, some products are generally worth the investment:

Interactive toys: Wand toys, treat puzzles, and small motorized toys that engage your cat physically and mentally.

Grooming tools: Slicker brushes, deshedding combs, and nail trimmers reduce mats, hairballs, and shedding.

Comfortable beds or perches: Cats value cozy, elevated spaces where they can rest undisturbed.

Water fountains: Many cats drink more water from flowing sources, supporting kidney and urinary health.

Products That Often Don’t Deliver

Some items tend to be more hype than help:

Automated laser toys without interaction: Cats may enjoy briefly but can become frustrated without a “catch” or treat.

Smart devices that replace human play: Apps or remote lasers can’t substitute for bonding time.

They taught me how to do models with plaster since my first semester. It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of this but I still remember how to do it. I don’t do it as often because it takes more time than just laser cutting your models but the results with this is amazing. Also there is the fact that you have to wait for it to dry. This is an advantage or a disadvantage, depends on how you’re running on time and what you want to do. This is excellent to do the terrains for the models, I have one example of that in one of my WunderkammerArt exhibit photos (that one is done with concrete but the result is similar). 

Without further a do, I present you with how to do:

Models using plaster

What you’ll need:

Plaster

Water 

A container to mix (consider one you wont mind damaging, mistakes can happen)

Gloves (not necessary if you don’t mind getting dirty)

Plastic bag/ tablecloth to cover the surface you’re working in 

Balsa wood, cardboard (whatever you use to do models that’s inexpensive) this is to do the mold.

Vaseline or oil 

Making a Mold 

The first thing you’ll need to have is a mold. You can do this with whatever you’re comfortable with, the possibilities are endless. I’ve done this using balsa wood to make a box and industrial cardboard inside it to make the shape of a terrain. 

You’ll need to do the negative of what you want to do for the mold. This means that if you want to do a terrain, for example, you’ll have to place higher levels of the terrain where the lowest will normally be. 

Here’s a graphic I found on the internet to explain better, (a) is the end result you want and (b) will be the mold you’ll want to do to obtain (a). Hence, I used balsa wood to do the box and Industrial cardboard to do the shape I wanted. To use this mold you’ll have to use Vaseline or oil to grease it so the plaster won’t stick to it later. Trust me you don’t want that, it’ll be hard to get the mold off even impossible and you might have to scrape off the material you did the mold with later.

Making the Plaster Mix

Here comes the fun part. Once you have the mold you’ll need to do the mix. Pour water in a container, the amount of water you use is the amount of plaster you’ll end up with so you will have to calculate how much you need. What I usually do is pour water in the mold to estimate how much i’ll need, maybe i’ll add a little more when I pour the same water into the container just in case something happens ( I’m very clumsy so that’s a given for me). You want to do this over the plastic tablecloth so you don’t make a mess. 

Once you have the amount of water you need you need to take the plaster powder and start pouring it into the water. Add small amounts and star mixing it until the consistency is no longer runny but be careful or you’ll end up with a mix that will harden faster than you can pour it in the mold. Make sure that there are no clumps in the mix using  your hands (using gloves if you don’t want to get dirty).  You can add dye (powder or liquid) and mix it in to get any color you want. Don’t worry if you didn’t make enough mix. You can always make more and pour it in the mold.

When It’s Dry

The mix will starts to heat up and begin to dry. This happens when the moisture starts to leave the plaster. The drying time depends on the  volume of the object you made. You can begin to take the object off the mold when it has hardened completely and set it apart to dry completely. You’ll know it  is dry when it doesn’t feel wet.

Use a syringe to apply glue

This one is one that my teachers repeat everyday. Using a syringe helps to control the amount of glue that comes out and in smaller amounts which helps you to be more precise. The more precision you have in applying the glue the cleaner your model will be.

How to use a syringe to glue models

Use preferably a smaller syringe

Directly pour the glue in the tube and insert

Push (it’ll be kind of hard) the glue out of the needle of syringe and start using

If the needle is not working as well as you desire try cutting it higher

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Το καλοκαίρι είναι εδώ και όλοι κανονίζουν τις άδειες από τις δουλειές τους. Είμαστε ένας  τυχερός λαός αφού οι επιλογές για καλοκαιρινές διακοπές είναι άπειρες. “Τί να διαλέξω όμως; Παντού είναι ακριβά!” - Λάθος! Πάντα υπάρχει η δυνατότητα για πιο οικονομικές διακοπές και ειδικά στην Ελλάδα.Απαραίτητη προϋπόθεση μόνο η καλή μας διάθεση.