Cat Perch for Pampered Cats

This morning, as I was admiring our beautiful purple morning glories (planted specifically beneath one of Alexa’s favorite windows – so she can admire butterflies and hummingbirds up close and personal), I realized that IF there were such a thing as reincarnation, you could do a lot worse than coming back as a pampered house cat! They don’t have to fight for anything – food, water, shelter, a bed, attention, safety, head scratches, 8:00 am hummingbird shows….

I read not long ago that one of the things we Americans DIDN’T cut back on during the slumping economy was pet food and pet supplies. We love our babies! They bring us so much love, happiness, joy, companionship, and laughter – how could we NOT want to give them everything their little cat hearts desire?

Admittedly, I just returned from the store with cat food, fresh cat litter, and even a bag of Whiska’s Cat Treats. All of our cats absolutely adore these cat treats, especially the Salmon variety.

Now, Alexa’s curled up in her favorite cat bed – belly full and more content than anyone or anything has a right to be!

Three of our outside babies (outside simply because Princess Alexa wouldn’t accept just being “one” of the cats inside… she has to be “the” diva who lives inside with her people) Hannah, Fatima, and Jelly Bean are sprawled out in the shade, enjoying their full bellies and the August breeze.

Our fourth outside cat, Bullet, is apparently off catting around or sacked out in a loft. Hannah ate enough treats for her and him both, though.

The Two Level Cat House -Cradle & Perch – Cream appears to be something Alexa would be very much interested in and, personally, I’m crazy about the beautiful Cream color – though they’re available in 9 great other colors as well. The hunter green is also gorgeous – it might even make the pampered cat feel like she’s out in the jungle!

Product Description:
Whether you have multiple kitties, or just one who is the queen or king of the castle, this Two Level cat house is a great piece of cat furniture. This cat house features two rest areas – a round bed and a curved cradle. Not only is this a terrific cat lounger, it also is a scratching post. A solid pine pole is wrapped in all-natural sisal rope, which provides an outlet for busy paws. Available in nine colors – Cream, Tan, Brown, Red, Navy Blue, Country Blue, Green, Gray, and Hunter Green. With such a range of colors, you’re sure to find one for even your most finicky of felines. And remember – not only do cats love having their own area, but a good scratching post will deter your cat from scratching your furniture! This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Product usually arrives in 4-10 business days, depending on destination, including order processing and shipping.

See Two Level Cat House -Cradle & Perch – Cream for a closer look. I just looked at the different colors again and now I’m torn – I love them all. The country blue couldn’t be any prettier. But the cream….

Cat Lovers, Check Out Catios!

My husband, and father of our cats, e-mailed me this great article this morning.  It’s always, always, always warm and wonderful to see other people who love their pets to distraction and back, too.

I could give a little background or set the stage, or patio as it were, but it’d be best if you read – and saw – firsthand what these cat lovers have done for their pampered babies.

Alexa’s only question is, “When do the patio renovations begin?”

Enjoy! – Catios Bring Cats Outdoors

Adorable Cat Toy for Cats Who Just Wanna Have Fun

Presenting your precious cat with a new toy is every bit as fun and rewarding as presenting a child with a new toy. And why not, our pets are our babies after all! Not only are cat toys fun for cats to play with – giving them entertainment and enjoyment, cat toys are also vital to a cat’s health. They provide a little exercise for your cat (or a lot, depending upon your cat’s energy level!).

Cat toys also keep an inside cat, who doesn’t have other cats or dogs to play with, from getting bored. They keep her mind active and provide a level of the unexpected that she craves nearly as much as she craves tuna. Nearly.

I recently bought Alexa a new toy and she has delighted herself with it for hours since.

Her favorite toys are balls and she’s absolutely on top of the kitty world when we’re in the floor playing baseball. I roll it to her and she swats it with her paw back toward me. She can’t be bothered with running the bases, of course, because she’s conserving her energy and has been since she was a day old.

She also doesn’t go for any “loose” balls if I happen to roll it too far to the left or too far to the right. It’s up to me to retrieve all of these, as well as the ones she swats pass me.

I get quite a workout crawling around like a 12 month old.

Alexa has a toy box (actually a basket) that she loves to grab toys from – but, of course (like all kids) she never puts them back. That’s also left to me.

Cats just love toys like the ETHICAL/SPOT SPRING DING CAT TOYS ASSORTED above. Alexa has this adorable cat toy pegged as the next addition to her toy collection.

Since she is one pampered little girl, it’s jut a matter of time. I look forward to chasing this cute little cat toy around… and then putting it back where it goes.

One of us has to.

*** Cat Toy Safety: Be sure to examine your cat’s toys for pieces that have come loose – small parts that could choke your cat. Also, never allow anything near your cat that she could get wrapped around her neck.

Alexa once had, somehow, found a long paper ribbon left over from Christmas. She managed to get part of it down her throat and was as struggling to pull it out. Thanks be to God, I happened to be walking through the room at the time and pulled it out.

What is My Cat Thinking? Cat Lovers, You’re Going to Love this Book!

I absolutely love What Is My Cat Thinking?: The Essential Guide to Understanding Pet Behavior, by Gwen Bailey. As the mother of (currently) six cats (and countless cats in the past and future), I can tell you this: Gwen Bailey knows her kitties!

The photography in this wonderful book is gorgeous and the information is priceless. There’s a great deal of humor because, face it, cat’s are – by nature – hilarious little creatures.

Even if you’re as close to and familiar with cats as I am, I guarantee you’ll learn something from this book. It’s chock-full of fascinating insight and explanations for many of the mysteries surrounding the way our cats think and behave. While they revel in being mysterious and quirky, Gwen Bailey lets us in on a few of their secret thoughts and feelings.

It’s just an outstanding book that I turn to again and again.

Below are a few of the excellent and informative Did You Know’s from the pages of What Is My Cat Thinking?

• A cat that has been to the vet may come back smelling very different and may be treated like a stranger by other cats that once lived in harmony with him.  Separating them and swapping their scents with a cloth may help.
• Adult cats are more likely to adjust to a new kitten than to a new adult cat that is introduced into the household.
• By sniffing a male cat’s urine, female cats can tell whether or not he is a suitable mate.  They are able to detect by-products of his food, which tell them how much fresh meat he has eaten, and hence, how good a hunter he is.  This helps determine how suitable he would be as a father for her kittens (Ming Li, apparently never found a scent she didn’t approve of!).
• The amount of socialization a kitten has with people while he is between two and seven weeks old will determine how well he will interact with people later in life.  Good experiences in early life will produce a friendly, outgoing cat.

The last Did You Know is one that I certainly can attest to.    The friendliest, most outgoing cats we’ve ever had were ones that we had from very, very early on. Alexa and Bo, for example, were born to our beloved Carly – we were there when they were born and every day thereafter.  This produced very friendly, outgoing, and spoiled babies!

We got our precious Prissy when she was only about 6 or 7 weeks old.  She was babied and pampered from the time she was tiny enough to fit in one hand to the day, over 20 years later, when we lost her.  On each of those many, many, many days, Prissy was one of the sweetest, friendliest, most sociable cats I’ve ever loved.  She’d greet strangers at the door, sit in any available lap and insist on being in the middle of everything.

Needless to say, I still miss that little girl something fierce but feel incredibly blessed to have had her in our family for so long.

I’m also incredibly blessed to have the beautiful little babies we have now.  Alexa and Hannah are extremely outgoing and friendly.  Alexa is my constant companion – always within reach for chin scratching, head rubbing, and belly tickling (and what a belly it is!).

Jelly Bean – although he was born to our feral cat Ming Li – is coming around.  I can pet him easily now.  I don’t push things and always allow him to call the shots.  He’s a large beautiful, solid black cat with gorgeous big green eyes.  He feels like absolute silk and the fact that he allows me to rub him now just makes me smile head to toe.

Tristan, Gabriel, Bullet, and Scratch (also Ming Li’s) weren’t around us at all in the first month of their lives.  Ming Li brought them into our yard (and garage!) when they were past 7 weeks old.  They remain very much feral cats but I honestly believe I’m winning one of them (Scratch) over.  Tristan, the only girl, is a very tiny black cat and I don’t think I have any hope of ever petting her.

Bullet shows promise, but not quite as much as Scratch.  Feral cats are so frustrating to people who love cats as much as I do!

Jelly Bean honestly is a reformed feral cat – he sticks close to the house and is becoming downright sociable.  I have a large basket with a blue baby blanket in it for him on a shelf on our carport.  It’s his bed of choice and he can be found in it 85 percent of the time. He even lets me pet him and baby talk him in his bed, something I wouldn’t have ever thought possible a few months ago.

Click the link to learn more about What Is My Cat Thinking?: The Essential Guide to Understanding Pet Behavior, by Gwen Bailey and to order a copy for you and your cat(s)!

Catnip Filled Cat Toys Coming Down the Aisle!

How adorable are these cat toys?  They’re Perfect Pairs – a boy bear and a girl bear who will amuse and entertain every cat they meet.  Anyone with cats in their family knows that their just like children – just shorter and furrier.

Alexa loves toys and little stuffed animals as much as any human kid ever did… and she doesn’t pick up after herself either!

These cat toys, and many others, are from J-B Wholesale Pet Supplies. J-B’s prices are so extraordinary that you can buy more things for he or she who rules the roost.

From the website:
Your cat will be walking down the aisle for these Perfect Pairs. Adorable brides and grooms dressed in their wedding finest, filled with organic catnip.

* Made from soft plush material.
* Grooms all have bow ties and the brides are done up in lace and flowers.
* Filled with genuine organic catnip.
* Package of 2 includes bride and groom.

Order your baby their Perfect Pairs by clicking the link!

Safe Toys and Safe Play for Your Cat

One of the things I cherish the most in my e-mail inbox is the daily Cat Age Tip of the Week newsletter. (Click the link to find out how to sign up!)

In today’s tip, we’re reminded how important it is to keep out cats toys and playthings safe.

Here’s the daily tip:
Whether your cat prefers expensive store-bought toys or items found around the house, take care to keep your cavorting cat safe.

To prevent choking, avoid toys with parts that can become detached during play. Bring out the pounce in your pet with safe choices such as a ping-pong ball or a catnip mouse. Playtime with string or yarn should be carefully supervised to prevent your cat from accidentally swallowing it. Finally, secure free-standing kitty condos and cat towers to the floor or wall to keep them from toppling over.

Great advice! I’d also add the following:

• Decorative ribbon that’s used for gifts is very enticing to pets.  It’s fun to play a great game of tug and catch with them using the bright ribbon.  However, this kind shreds pretty easily and could be a real choking hazard to an animal.  Last year, Alexa found a strand beneath the Christmas tree and took off for the back of the house.  It was as though she knew she had something I didn’t want her to have!   I followed to get the ribbon to throw away and, in that little span of time, she had one end down her throat.  This year I didn’t even buy this type of rolled ribbon for our presents.  I subscribe to the theory of “better unbelievably safe than unbelievably sorry.”
• Inspect toys just as you would inspect them for a child.  Think of each conceivable possibility – will this small piece come off…. can that get wrapped around her/his neck… that sort of thing.
• I love the tip above about securing their towers and condos to the wall.  Just because you don’t think it could possibly topple over doesn’t mean it won’t.  I never in a gazillion years believed Alexa would be able to turn an ironing board over on herself, but she sure managed.  (Yes, as a matter of fact, she does have to be watched like a toddler!)  In fact, we have bamboo shelves in the kitchen that she occasionally likes to climb, I need my husband to anchor them to the wall. Our little girl is more of a busy body than Prissy ever was.  Prissy rarely climbed anything beyond the couch or the nearest bed.  Alexa’s convinced she’s part mountain lion.
• Watch out for newspaper left lying around.  If your cat is as inquisitive or playful as Alexa (Heaven help you), they probably like to attack the paper and see how fast they can shred it.  Little pieces of newspaper can get stuck on the back of the cat’s tongue and become a choking hazard quickly.
• While we’re talking about chocking hazards, watch out for the green grass that’s popular in Easter baskets.  Like the ribbon and paper, it can become dangerous very fast.  Be sure it’s out of your little one’s way.

I guess that’s all of the tips I can think of for now… at least until Alexa gets into something else!  If you have any to add, please do so in the comments.

Click the following link for a wonderful article: 10 Ways to Make Your Cat Younger.  Oy.  I’m almost certain Alexa has no waist definition. I mean, I know she has a waist… somewhere…. She’s all over the other 9 though.  She just needs to eat a little less… Maybe cut back to just 1 lunch instead of 3…

Gorgeous Cat Bed for the Social Climbing Cat

Three of our outside babies are currently huddled together in a nice big, round basket that’s lined with bedding and a baby blanket. Since Ming Li had kittens, I think we need a second basket or cat bed outside. I’m flipping over the Atmosphere Bamboo Pet Bed with Cushion above but it looks too gorgeous to put outside. I’m thinking it should stay inside with Alexa… then I can move one of her favorite beds outside for the little ones.

The last thing I’d need would be to order this beauty, set it up outside for my little kittens and have a possum or raccoon ransack it. Both of these adorable animals (who are frequent guests in our yard) love to ransack and I know they’d look at this fancy pants bed as their Waterloo!

From the Website:
A unique piece of furniture bed specifically designed for cats. The spherical shape of this elegant bed ergonomically contours the natural curled sleeping position of the cat. The luxurious golden striped overfilled cushion provides a comforting resting and sleeping area for any feline. Trendy chocolate stain and the spherically arranged bamboo strips complements one another making this bed a wonderful piece of modern pet furniture. Bed is made of environmental friendly bamboo and wood; Cushion cover is made of cotton/polyester blend, with 100% polyester filling; machine washable.

Bamboo is an Eco-Friendly material, easily renewable and requiring very little water to grow, making it a great choice for any home!
This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Product usually arrives in 4-10 business days, depending on destination, including order processing and shipping.

How to Make a Cat Tree

I’ve been pricing cat trees for our inside girl, Alexa.  Our outside girls and boys have plenty of trees, barns, logs, lofts, etc. to climb on, but I know Alexa would love a cat tree placed near a window.

Since she broke her leg last year, I’ve been extra cautious about her climbing on just anything, so safety is top on my list… as it should be on everyone’s.

I found a great article a few minutes ago about building your own cat tree and thought I’d share it with you.  Click the link and get your tools ready!  What a wonderful way to make sure that your cat furniture is well made and safe.

Water Fountain for Pampered Cats

Alexa picked up a cute little habit from Prissy – wanting her water to come from the faucet. She’ll perch on one of the bathroom sinks and wait for someone to come along and run her personal little water fountain for her.

I was searching online for a cat window perch earlier when I came across this Hagen CatIt Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain for Cats. How perfect! I think all cats really prefer fresh, moving water and this fountain gives our pampered babies just what they want.

Product Description:
CatIt Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain for CatsProvide an indoor source of moving water that will encourage your pet to drink more with the CatIt Fresh & Clear Small Drinking Fountain. The large water-to-air surface area maximizes oxygenation for fresher, better tasting water. Water is cooled and aerated by the re-circulating system while the multi-stage filtration consisting of a dual-sided foam and activated carbon filter rids your pet’s water of debris and impurities. Also suitable for small dogs.

I think we can categorize this as a MUST HAVE for pampered pets!

Heated Cat Bed: Yes, Please!

I think I need about a dozen of these. The weather’s already cooling off and our outside babies would love nothing more than their own personal heated little beds. Even Alexa, who rules from within the house would love a Thermal Pet Bed. Can you say COZY?!?!

Older cats would especially benefit from a warm and cozy bed like this. Their little, tiny frail bones would think they were in paradise.

From the Website:
Keep your best friend warm and cozy! Plush polyester pet beds are thermal insulated, so your pet stays warm or cool and always comfortable. Stain-resistant material protects from little “accidents.” Fun paw print design reverses to solid tan. Two sizes for small to medium dogs or cats. Machine wash, line dry.

Click through the image or the link to read more – your baby would love one of these!

Next Page »