I have found that a little chicken broth will encourage an animal to drink. Is the water supposed to be okay to drink boiled?

Yes. This. VW, have you tried taking some boiled water, put it in a shallow dish in the freezer, and letting it cool down to almost freezing, and giving it?

I think the broth might help, but boiled and cooled might not be so repugnant as plastic water.

Also, Andi, what type bowls do you use? (plastic, metal, ceramic, etc.)

For some reason I had been thinking the question only applied to water dishes. For a long time I had a nice big stainless steel water dish, but that got a rust spot ?!? so it has been replaced by a nice stout glass casserole dish. Their food dishes are small stainless steel dishes. Those I rinse in hot water before every meal, and wash with actual soap every few days, whenever I realize I can't remember the last time it happened.

Who just pan-fried some sole? I just pan-fried some sole! I totally didn't bother buying eggs and just dipped the fish in milk before battering it with seasoned flour and tossing it in the frying pan, in which I probably had too much olive oil. But it worked! It was cooked and a little crispy and sort of seasoned-y tasty!

It was cooked and a little crispy and sort of seasoned-y tasty!

YUM! Go you with the pan frying.

I think I'm crushing on Jamie Oliver. I watched his "Family Christmas" series today and can't wait to roast a turkey and make his roasted veg. His passion for food is contagious.

Hi, all! I returned from and survived my first trip as an official wife, with multiple sets off in-laws, and a nephew's birthday party, and everything.

I have to post a picture of my nephew soon, as he is OMG cute and has a wee curly mohawk (he turned 2 today, and was delightful and cute and polite.)

I got to sign a birthday card "Aunt Erin!" How cool is that?!

I use an assortment of plastic, glass and metal bowls for the 3 stations of pet food and water. I clean out water bowls whenever I refill them, which is more in the summer, but since the animals get dry food (wet food makes the dog hurl, and kitties get tuna about once a month, and THOSE plates are picked up and popped in the dishwasher as soon as the cats devour it), but the food bowls really get washed whenever they look grotty, or when I think of it.

Cat BOXES get scoured with biodegradable citrus cleaner once a month in the driveway, and sprinkled with baking soda every change.

Thanks for the pet dish data...keep it coming if you've got it.

Pet dishes -- Super rinsed the wet food everytime -- wash every few days. Dry - when it gets cloudy looking I wash it. Water dish -- rinsed well, washed when cloudy.

dishes rotate -- glass or ceramic.

bonny, I wish I could take credit, but Frankie has behaved perfectly on leash since day one. He stops automatically when I stop. If he gets too far in front he'll slow down. I wonder what his story is - all the rescue org knows is that he was picked up in another county and no one came looking for him.

Erin, so lovely to hear. Go you, Aunt Erin!

I missed my fall asleep window and/or had too much caffeine today. Feh. Trying again.

We wash the dog bowls, which are stainless steel, once every two weeks or so. The cat bowl maybe less--all the animals get schmancy dry food, so the bowls don't get all that dirty. The outside water bowl gets rinsed out every day and scrubbed once a week or so. The dogs' preferred ALTERNATE water bowl, the toilet, gets scrubbed once a week.

We usually change the cat's wet food dish every day, but we only wash the dry food bowl every two weeks or so. Water bowl gets rinsed and refilled daily, and swapped out whenever it starts to look like it needs it, 'bout the same time as the dry food bowl.

The water bowl and wet food dish are ceramic, the dry food bowl is plastic.