Bo

Gift Ideas for Your Pampered Cat

by Joi

Merry Christmas!

Well, of course we cat lovers give gifts to our feline babies. If you think about it, we see them more during the year than we do most people in our own family. Theyr’e always there for us, they never criticize what we wear, they think we’re the best cooks on earth, and they make our world light up with just one purr. We love to buy things for them all year, but at Christmas time, it seems even sweeter.

Consider the following great tips and ideas from Cat Age:

Toys and treats: Stuff a stocking with catnip-filled toys and a few healthful treats. Your pet will love digging them out. Choose indestructible toys with no bells, baubles, or strings he can bite off and choke on. If in doubt about a toy’s safety, supervise during playtime.

Warm and snuggly: Wrap a padded plush bed in crinkly paper that kitty can tear into. The paper will entertain him for hours, and the bed will keep him cozy all winter.

Playground accessories: Keep his life interesting with cat climbers, scratchers, tunnels, and laser pointers.

At Prissy’s age, Christmas is just like any other day. As long as she has her food, her extra large pillow bed, plenty of chin scratching, and fresh water – she’s a tiny, purring, ridiculously happy 20 year old cat. Svenn and Bo love when Christmas season first arrives because they love sorting through the garage with me as we find all the santas, snowmen, trees, lights, etc. Truth be told, they aren’t a lot of help, but the company couldn’t be sweeter. Or cuter.

Alexa gets the most excited about Christmas though. Her splint is off her leg now and she’s getting around perfectly well. Every now and then, she’ll favor the leg – but I’m just so thankful my little girl’s back to her normal, enjoyable routines. She has assumed her rightful place in front of me on my computer desk and, somehow, all feels right with the world again.

One of the first things she wanted to do first (after being set free from her doggie kennel cage and splint) was explore the Christmas tree and presents. Last night, my husband and I were watching a few dvds. During the first one, she kept walking around on top of the presents and gift bags – swatting, chewing, and examining. Apparently, the second movie was more to her liking (She’s a Vin Diesel fan.) because she got on the couch beside my husband and watched with us.

In Prissy’s younger days, she would actually climb the Christmas tree, knocking ornaments and bows down along the way. I had to watch that girl 24/7 to make sure she didn’t hurt herself. Fortunately, Alexa (who’s weight would make things especially disasterous) seems content with staying on the ground.

I hope you, your furry babies and the rest of your family are enjoying every single magical second of Christmas! There’s really nothing quite like it.

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The Perfect Cat Bed for the Outdoor Pampered Cat

by Joi

KatKabin Outdoor Cat House - Racing Green

I can’t tell you how much I want this KatKabin Outdoor Cat House in Racing Green for Bo. Svenn prefers sleeping in the loft in our garage – and why not, he has straw all around him and is safe from all the demons he’s convinced are looking from him. (My boy’s beautiful, but he’s the living definition of “high strung.”)

Bo doesn’t want to miss out on a single thing, so he doesn’t like hiding away in the garage. He wants to be in on everything that goes on. If someone comes in the house, he wants to say “Hi.” If someone goes out of the house, he wants to “Bye.” His sociable disposition isn’t anything to worry about when the weather’s warm. I have an area on the carport that’s all his – he has a little plastic igloo (up on a shelf) he loves to curl up in. There are also several chairs he prefers.

But when the weather’s cool, I worry that he doesn’t stay warm enough. I put some straw and a baby blanket in his plastic igloo and covered it with a blanket. When I put my arm in there, I’m amazed at how warm it actually feels. He loves it in there.

I really love this KatKabin Outdoor Cat House, though. It gorgeous!

From the Manufacturer:
The feline equivalent of a kennel, the KatKabin is an innovative and exciting new product that has already proved to be a big hit with cats. The KatKabin is a light, tubular outdoor shelter that will appeal to the most discerning cats – whether an independent tabby or an aristocratic pedigree.

The KatKabin can be placed in the garden, on the patio or balcony, ensuring that pets do not have to wander far from home to find comfort and security. This is important when so many cats are lost or stolen every week. When outside and unable to return to their homes, cats often sleep under cars or get inside sheds and empty buildings, sometimes getting trapped with no access to food or water.

Guaranteed for five years, the KatKabin is finished with a special, non-chemical material that will not fade in sunlight. It will stand securely on any surface and is supplied with a front doorflap.

The new range of funky finishes includes exiting metallic colours that change as they catch the light – available in mellow green/yellow autumn shades and sparkling blue/red. These new finishes expand the existing colour options of Cobalt Blue, Starlet Red, Racing Green and Chocolate Brown.

Developed to withstand extremes of temperature and guaranteed for five years, the KatKabin is made from the strongest materials and is finished with a special, non-chemical material that will not fade in sunlight. In addition, the KatKabin has a special polystyrene floor that adds extra insulation, keeping the cat warm in the coldest weather. The KatKabin will stand securely on any type of ground. It comes with an optional clip-on front door.

It has holes for air ventilation and the round shape assists the air to circulate inside. Warm air is not trapped at the top as in other shapes but circulates easily around. The KatKabin measures 26.4 x 19.2 inches high to the top of the ears. It weighs 13lbs and is supplied in a strong outer carton with handles for easy transportation. To wash, just slide off the two cat-shaped ends and remove the flooring. Rinse with hot water and a mild detergent such as washing-up liquid. Dry thoroughly and replace the ends, replacing the flooring.

This lovely deep green KatKabin will look good in any yard, large or small, town or country. Optional Winter Warmer can be inserted into all KatKabins. This is a washable interior body covering for cold Winter days and nights to keep your cat warm and very cosy.

Optional Kat Duvet is the perfect luxurious accessory for your KatKabin. Especially designed for the purpose, it sits snugly inside the KatKabin making it even cosier for your pets. The cover can be quickly and easily removed. It can be machine-washed hot, to kill dust mites and other insects. When not in use inside your KatKabin, it makes the perfect, soft bed for your pet indoors.

Bo has convinced me – he has to have this wonderful KatKabin Outdoor Cat House – Racing Green!

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PetSmart is Heaven on Earth for Animal Lovers

by Joi

I’ve always loved Petsmart.com (Click the link to save $10 off your order of $40 or more), so I was thrilled beyond words when a Petsmart store opened in my hometown, Owensboro.

Sometimes I think I spend more time there than the workers!

I have so many things in mind that I want to buy over the next few weeks. First of all, I have to buy more of the Pro Plan&reg Selects(tm) Wet Food for Cats you see at the top of the post. Every single one of our cats LOVE this stuff – even the pickiest cat in the world, Svenn, devours it with glee.

Prissy revved up her motor and started purring when she first encounterd the Salmon and Brown Rice Entree. After that supply ran out, and before I got back to PetSmart, I had to feed them their regular packets of food (which had been perfectly wonderful for them before) – Svenn turned his nose up at it and the other 3 acted like, “Well, if that’s all you’ve got…”

So, needless to say, I’m grabbing more of these cans today.

I also want to grab a few of these Whisker City&reg Organic Wool Ball Cat Toys. The wool ball features a bell inside, so it’s extra intiguing for little paws.

I want one of the Whisker City? Giraffe Print Pyramid Kitty Caves for Bo. He’s all about getting snug and hidden. Svenn, who’s convince that the paparazzi are stalking his every move, doesn’t really care for being tucked away. He likes to stay on guard, ready to flee the cameras, the microphones, the fans… But Bo would love this Kitty Cave!

PetSmart also has some gorgeous cat beds that are so soft you can’t stop rubbing them. There’s a pink one I want for Alexa and a safari style one for Prissy. What can I say, she’s just a wild kind of gal.

If you don’t have a PetSmart nearby, check out their website. You can click any of the links or images in this post – or one of the links to the right. If you click the one that says you’ll save $10, it’ll save you money for choosing wisely!

I hope your Thanksgiving was extra special and that the rest of your holiday season will be just as special. Speaking of holidays, click HERE for a personal, creepy little warning!

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What’s Your Cat’s Real Age?

by Joi

Our beautiful Bo in a Straw House I’m sure you’ve heard of the highly popular online resource called Real Age, where you can find out what your “real” age is. The information is priceless – not only is it enlightening, it’s potentially life-saving.

I got an e-mail a few days ago about Cat Age, a website to determine the “real age” of your cat. It’s all pretty subjective, of course, because no expert (no matter how highly skilled or educated they are) can give a 100 percent diagnosis online, without actually seeing your cat in person.

However, the information is, again, priceless and has the potential to save lives. I consider myself pretty knowledgable when it comes to my little feline babies, but there were quite a few things I found out that were new to me. I was able to see what I’m doing right as well as what I could have done differently.

Apparently, spaying your cat is a great reason – for more than just the obvious. It’s actually healthy for your cat and can protect her from certain potential problems. That’s an area that caused Prissy to score a little bit higher than other cats in her category. However, given the fact that she’s 20 years old, I’m still feeling pretty good about her care.

Did you know that spaying your cat minimizes the risk of breast cancer and uterine infections? Alexa has been spayed (because she spent the months year of her life outdoors, until she got a taste of the good life), but Prissy has been a house cat since she was a kitten – so we just never saw the need.

Something else I learned – the teeth-cleaning treats we give our cats are good for treats serve a useful purpose. They help protect against periodental disease, which can ultimately affect various organs of the body and nervous system.

My cat’s ages were also positively affected because they live in a smoke-free environment. We know that smoke (even secondhand) is bad for humans, but sometimes we forget that it’s bad for our cats and dogs as well.

It’s a very fascinating survey and you get your cat’s diagnosis immediately – I highly recommend Cat Age!

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Great Cat Crossing Sign to Let Drivers Know to Watch Out for Wild Animals!

by Joi

Sign: Cat I was thinking (literally, just yesterday) about how Bo and Svenn live life on the edge. We have a long driveway and they love nothing more than to hang out in it. What’s worse, they’ll dash out in front of cars without giving it a second thought. For those of us who live here, we know to watch out for them at all times. In the evening, we have raccoons, possums, and rabbits to watch out for as well as these two little daredevils. When Alexa was an outside cat, she was the same way.

I always get a little scared when someone new comes up our drive – I hold my breath, hoping one of my fast and furry sons doesn’t dash out to say “Hello.”

I came across this aluminum sign a few minutes ago and would love for my husband to buy a few and hang them prominently at the end of our drive. It’s gorgeous and could very well save daredevil cats who think cars are as harmless as catnip.

From the website:

Our Cat crossing sign will look great outdoors or indoors. Made from rust resistant aluminum, this durable and weather resistant Cat sign is both functional and fun. Easy to install with the predrilled hole, each cat sign is ready for easy mounting to your post, wall, deck, fence, etc. Each Cat crossing sign measures approximately 12 x 12 inches.

Read more about the Cat Crossing Sign
clicking the link.

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Great Bumper Sticker for Cat Lovers

by Joi

Obviously, someone who’s familiar with Alexa, Prissy, Svenn, and Bo used them as inspirations to create a bumper sticker. You’d think they’d at least send me one free, right?

The Cats running wild! Bumper Sticker lets the world know you love cats and gives them something to smile about at the same time.

You gotta love that!

Cats running wild! Sticker (Bumper)

Cat Toy Your Cat Will Flip For: Radio-Controlled Mouse

by Joi

Moved From the Old Blog….

Spot

Check (book) please! I see an awful lot of fun in store for Alexa and Bo, and for those of us who call ourselves humans, on most days anyway. Prissy (who you’ll remember is as old as Noah’s great grandmother) will probably glance at it twice before heading off to (1) bed, (2) her food dish, or (3) the bathroom sink. Svenn would be deathly afraid of it, so much so that I probably won’t even let him see it – too much trauma for my little guy, his high strung nerves couldn’t take it.

But Alexa and Bo will go positively ape stuff for the Spot “Micro Mouse” Radio Controlled Mouse.

From the Website:
Grab the controls & watch your kitty go crazy for this remote controlled mouse! You literally drive the mouse with the controller and watch your cat chase after it!!!

Too purrrrrfect!

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Sorry For the Lack of Posts Lately!

by Joi

Before I get to the post for today, I just have to apologize for the lack of posts lately. In addition to being a cat fanatic and blogger, I also build blogs and websites for a living. Usually, since I work from home , my work load is pretty light – allowing me to tend to my blogs – but the past few months have been crazy…exciting, but crazy! I’ve put up two new blogs and one website of my own, one website for someone else, and 5 blogs for others.

Since I’m also a wife and mother (of humans as well as cats!) , I only work for an average of 6 hours a day. So, needless to say, there wasn’t much time left over for my fun stuff – like this blog.

Fortunately things have settled down now – so things will be back to normal.

Also, I have to apologize for a few comments and e-mails that slid past me. I LOVE comments and e-mail, so I’ve enjoyed going back and reading them all – I’m in the process of responding. Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of them! For those who were looking to exchange links, you’ve been added – and thanks a lot!

I’ve had several questions lately about my furry babies. Sadly, we lost our dog Wednesday a few months ago. He was a very old little guy, so we knew it was a matter of time. He had been fed, regularly, some of the food that was found to be tainted – but since he was, like 700 years old, I have no way of really knowing if it was the food or simply old age. He was losing his vision and hearing – so my little guy’s number was about up, anyway. Of course we miss him muchly. It still seems strange for my husband not to head off on his late night walks with him.

As for the beauty in the banner above – yes, indeed, that’s one of our babies! She’s Alexa and she’s, honestly, one of the prettiest cats I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen….heck, HAD, billions!). She’s a lot like her mother, Carly, was – in that she has zero tolerance for male cats, mice, and birds. Fortunately, she’s much, much more affectionate and friendly than my Carly was.

We still have Bo, Svenn, and Prissy (who might just out live all of us!). Beautiful Adam just didn’t show up one day in January and we haven’t seen him since. That’s, in my opinion, the worst way to lose an animal. You just don’t KNOW what happened, and if you let your mind hang around that thought very long, it’ll drive you crazy. We’re trying to convince ourselves that he followed off one of the little girl cats down the road and they’ve set up a family somewhere. Then again, someone could have taken him inside and thought they’d found a perfect housecat. He was is a gorgeous, gorgeous cat with the sweetest nature and personality you could hope for.

How my girl Carly could have had such sweet babies is beyond me! She was a perfect little mess. And, of course, we loved her to distraction.

Again, I’m sorry that I’ve been off my game – I am now climbing back on it! Thanks for your patience! The readers of this particular blog are an amazingly friendly and warm bunch of people – I guess that says a lot about cat people, huh?!

Joi

Mind-Boggling Fact About Cat Reproduction

by Joi

I was reading an interesting article on cat health recently – mostly about their reproductive habits. Within the article included a letter from a cat owner who wondered why the kittens in her cat’s litter all looked so different. Two were long-haired and black, one was a long-haired white kitten, and still another was a short-haired, orange-ish kitten.

The thought of the babies made me weak in the knees, but the experts response made them buckle. Below was the answer:

“Believe it or not, they probably all had different fathers! One of the more bizarre biological attributes of a female cat is that she can go into heat while she’s already pregnant. So a single litter of kittens can have more than one father.”

That explains why I’ve seen so many litters with babies that looked nothing alike. Carly’s own babies, apparently had two different fathers. Alexa and Adam are both long-haired beauties while Bo has a short beautiful coat. I actually wish he had more hair with the weather being as cold as it is. If I weren’t afraid it’d get hung on a tree, I’d get him a sweater – he’s all about fashion, you know, and would embrace the chance to be big pimpin’.

But…alas, as clumsy as he is, he’d end up hanging himself or facing some sort of catastrophe – so I’ll just keep giving him plenty of straw to bury himself in.

Joi

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Joi, Alexa, Bo, and a Pit Bull

by Joi

How has your week been? Mine has been so busy it’s just stupid – which is why I haven’t gotten a chance to blog much. I have several post planned, and I should be able to get them up by tomorrow night (fingers totally crossed!)

In the meantime, you might just want to read about an adventure that Bo, Alexa, and I found ourselves in t he middle of – it involved a Pit Bull…. The details? They’re HERE.

Bo and I are always getting into ridiculous situations, I’m just amazed that Alexa came down to our level. She probably thought, “Someone has to keep an eye on these two….”

(This was, of course, written before Alexa decided to move inside the house… can you blame her?!?!)

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