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ASPCA released the following News Alert concerning Pet Safety during this time of year. As Pet Parents, it’s up to us to protect them and keep them safe, so here are ten ways we can do just that:

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1. No tricks, no treats: That bowlful of candy is for trick-or-treaters, not for Scruffy and Fluffy. Chocolate in all forms can be very dangerous for dogs and cats, and tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can be hazardous if swallowed. If you suspect your pet has ingested a potentially dangerous substance, please call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

2. Popular Halloween plants such as pumpkins and decorative corn are considered to be relatively nontoxic, yet they can produce gastrointestinal upset should pets ingest them. Intestinal blockage could even occur if large pieces are ingested.

3. Keep wires and cords from electric lights and other decorations out of reach of your pets. If chewed, your pet could experience damage to his mouth from shards of glass or plastic, or receive a possibly life-threatening electrical shock.

4. A carved pumpkin certainly is festive, but do exercise extreme caution if you choose to add a candle. Pets can easily knock a lit pumpkin over and cause a fire. Curious kittens especially run the risk of getting burned or singed by candle flames.

5. Dress-up can be a big mess-up for some pets. Please don’t put your dog or cat in a costume UNLESS you know he or she loves it (yup, a few pets are real hams!). For pets who prefer their “birthday suits,” however, wearing a costume can cause undue stress.

6. If you do dress up your pet, make sure the costume isn’t annoying or unsafe. It should not constrict the animal’s movement or hearing, or impede his ability to breathe or bark. Keep a look out for small, dangling, or easily chewed-off pieces on the costume that your pet could choke on.

7. Take a closer look at your pet’s costume and make sure it does not obstruct her vision in any way. Even the sweetest animals can get snappy when they can’t see.

8. All but the most social dogs and cats should be kept in a separate room during peak trick-or-treat visiting hours. Too many strangers can be scary and stressful for pets.

9. When opening the door for trick-or-treaters, take care that your cat or dog doesn’t dart outside.

10. IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and become lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

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Very clever.  Ingenious, even.

If you’ve ever had the “pleasure” of trying to convince a cat that taking a pill is a great idea, you’re going to love these Pill Pockets for Cats.  They’ll save you time, effort, energy, and keep your cat from having a couple of nervous breakdowns in the process.

The website promises to take the hassle out of giving your cat her pills.  We can assume that, by taking the hassle out of the situation, the scratches, hisses, and or dirty looks will disappear as well. Thanks be to God that my beloved Carly never had to have any medications. I doubt I’d be here today if that need had ever come up. I’d have gone down trying to help my girl, but her temper would have finished me off.

The Pill Pockets are available in two flavors: Chicken or Salmon. They’re made from all human-grade meats plus other high quality, healthy ingredients.  These would be perfect to have on hand.

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The Cat Print – Patient has an absolutely gorgeous cat, obviously, and includes the mantra of all cats:  I am extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end.

The cat pictured reminds me of a cat I loved from years ago – his name was Buster and he was beyond beautiful.  He had one of the sweetest natures I’ve ever seen in a cat.   He belonged to a neighbor, but he was convinced that he was our baby – he spent a great deal of time on our front porch and in our yard.  When he heard our car coming down the road, he’d zoom to our driveway, no matter where he was.

And for Buster, zooming wasn’t all that easy.  He was a very old and…. well…. chubby cat.  I’ve never seen a fatter face on a cat!  He was a beauty and when I think of lovable, sweet cats – he’s always amongst the first ones I think of.

Naturally, he didn’t have anything on any of my babies, past or present (no one remind me that my little Carly was a she devil, please – I’m living in denial and I’m comfy here).

I’m going to be moving some posts from the old Cat Pause Blog to this one over the next few days – so if you happen to subscribe to the blog through rss or through e-mail, don’t think I’m high on caffeine or anything (okay, well I am – but that’s beside the point).  I want to delete the old blog but I have a great deal of memories and pictures in the posts, so I want to make sure all of my babies are safe and sound!  If you’re new to Cat Pause and never read the first blog, I think you’re going to love meeting Carly, Renee Elise, and Adam.  If you’re a cat lover, you know full well that you never lose the love for a cat – even when you don’t have them in your arms any longer, your heart will hold them forever.

Carly, Renee Elise, Adam, and now Prissy are all in my heart with other pets I’ve loved and lost.  I’m pretty sure all of them were glad to see little Prissy show up.  Finally, a cat that can keep Carly in line!  Oh, just wait till you meet her.

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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

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1. Like a genie in a bottle, you gotta rub her the right way. Namely, the spots she can’t reach herself. My cats look like the picture of ecstasy when their rubbed under the chin, around their cheeks and at the base of their tails.

If you get a soft-bristled brush, they’ll think they’ve gone to kitty Heaven.

2. An old box, for a cat, is a new adventure. My husband and youngest daughter got a wild hair a week ago and decided to upgrade our tv. They wanted a bigger one, and one that played dvds. Personally I think they just wanted to torture me – more remote controls and what’s its to figure out.

Anyway, I’m not sure who’s happier now – Steph, with her fashion channels, Michael , with the golf channel, me – with my cooking shows, or the cats with their new box castle. Ultimately, everyone’s smiling.

3. Get floored. Lay right down on the floor, or ground, with them. Prissy loves for me to lie down on the floor – she cozies right up next to me and, after a little head-scratching and a lot of purring, she’s out like a light.

4. String them along. Grab some string or a shoelace and watch the party kick into high gear. The cool thing about cats is that they know when to stop playing. Whereas dogs will literally play for hours, cats will, after awhile, decide that they’re above it all.

10 minutes into some great string maneuvering, she might think, “I’d look much cooler over there.” Then she’ll strut off and lie down, giving you a “Yeah, we’re through here.” look.

5. If you have to be away from her for a while, leave something behind with your smell on it. A shirt, a pillow, a robe – something that’s distinctly you. Prissy has always loved sleeping on our bed – and if my husband tosses a top or his pjs on the bed, it’s where she sleeps for hours.

6. Don’t jack up the volume on tvs or cd players. Their little ears are sensitive.

7. Remember that your cat’s favorite time in the world is dinner time – so don’t feed her with an attitude of “Ewww, this stinks…” or “Here’s another chore I have to do…” – let her hear the smile in your voice. She’ll think you’re the coolest of the cool.

8. Look at her, right in the eye, and talk to her. Cats LOVE to be the center of attention – it’s right where they were meant to be.

9. Be aware of the times that she comes to greet you – and never pass right by without acknowledging her. Imagine how you’d feel if you rushed to welcome a loved one home just to have them pass you by without a word!

10. As with any relationship, don’t take them for granted. We always get comfortable in our relationships – thinking “We had them yesterday, we have them today, we’ll have them tomorrow.” Only two of those can be written in ink – the third’s very much in pencil.

We should never take anything or anyone for granted – we should make those who mean the world to us KNOW that they mean the world to us.

I see Bo at the patio window – I think he’s wanting “mommy” to practice what she posts, so I’m outta here!

Joi

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You’ve probably noticed that I went for about 10 days without posting on this blog. Very rare, indeed. The reason is a sad one – one of my cats, my beautiful and spirited Carly, has disappeared.

When you have outside cats, you know full well that there’ll come a day when one won’t show up on the step for mealtimes or (in Carly’s case) on her window sill looking in. I’ve had outside cats all my life and have found that (especially for a female) two weeks is about the time you stop watching for them. She’s been gone a little over three, but I have to confess to looking at her favorite window every time I’m in the kitchen….hoping to see that precious face with that scowl that always made me laugh out loud.

Anyway, I miss her terribly, and I knew that coming to my Cat blog would be tough….it was.

Anyone who has pets knows the feeling – it’s just really, really sad. Our inside cat, Prissy, is going down (she’s an old girl!), and I truthfully can’t even think about it, but I know she won’t live forever.

Give your pets all the love they give you and hug them every chance you get

Joi

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My daughter, Steph, took this great pic of Carly yesterday. Thankfully, regardless of how it looks, Carly was actually in the middle of a yawn. When Steph showed me the picture, my first question was, “Who was she after?” I was afraid that some other poor defenseless cat was on the other side of her attitude.

She’s not above it, mind you, she just wasn’t terrorizing anyone or anything at the time. At least that’s what Steph says. Carly may have paid her off. She wouldn’t be above that either.

I do love that cat.

She actually was in a pretty good mood yesterday. Steph said that after she posed for a few pics, she let her pet her and even endured a bunch of “sweet talk.”  She has been a bit more agreeable since the changes: I gave her her own box, her own baby blanket, as well as her own table to eat on. She’s still my same mean little girl, mind you, but she seems more relaxed now. I wouldn’t want her to lose her spirit and sass, but I am glad to see her dial down a little bit on the hostility!

Joi

(BTW, you can click the pic to see it larger…it really is a pretty wild picture.)

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“Psycho Kitty” Understanding Your Cat’s Crazy Behavior” and,

“Twisted Whiskers: Solving Your Cat’s Behavior Problems”

I was reading through the contents of one of them, looking for what we needed, “Scratching furniture, No…Loss of appetite, not even close….. Old age, she’s only 2“…..Aggressive and Asocial Behavior, There’s my baby!

I’ve already read Carly’s chapter and I think she’s having territorial stress. She’s always been a grouch, but since Svengali arrived on the scene, she has danced with the demons.

I had always wondered why, if she was angry at him, did her kittens and the rest of the world have to suffer her wrath as well.

According to one of her books, Carly’s carrying out “Redirected agression.” It gave me a name for it, but no tips on what to do about it. I’d rather have had the tips and not the name than the other way around. The book said things I already knew, like “Don’t spank the cat” (Never even considered it.) and “Don’t yell” (Considered several times a day but not considered a helpful option.) Both of these approaches would only agitate the cat further.

The main reason I got the books was to rule out any medical problems she might have. Fortunately, she doesn’t have any of the symptoms of any of the diseases. She’s just a mean little girl!

I’d always suspected it was a territorial issue at the heart of the problem., so I recently bought her a soft baby blanket and put it in a special chair for her on the carport. The other cats aren’t allowed to even look at it. She sleeps on her blanket each night, all curled up looking so sweet and snuggly you’d never guess the fury beneath the fur.

She’s lying there now, as a matter of fact. I think I’ll go sit beside her and ask if she’s read any good books lately.

Joi
Out of Bounds

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<center><img src=”http://www.cat-pause.com/svengali.jpg”/></center>

But he loves the rest of us more than he fears her, so he has moved in.  Besides, Carly’s gone most of the day (she’s a working mother) – out hunting and pillaging.  She heads off around 9:00 am, scowl in place.  Then she comes back between 3:00 and 4:00, sits on the kitchen window glaring in, announcing that she’s ready for dinner.

After dinner, it’s off for more <em>fun</em> until 10:00 when she shows back up to sleep in her bed I made for her….complete with a little ducky baby blanket.  The blanket may be partly to blame for her nastiness.

Anyway, Svenn is a total, total sweetheart.  He’s shicken chit, though – fortunately we live in a rural area with about 20 trees in our yard, so he always can find a place to take refuge….whether it’s from Carly, who isn’t fond of climbing trees (I mean, why would the predator need to?), a rare visiting feline,  mice, a particularly large leaf….

You really can’t tell by the picture, but <em> Braveheart</em> has beautiful coloring.  His eyes are the same color as his hair – he’s very pretty, and has one of the sweetest natures of any cat.  Iabsolutely love him to pieces.

Joi

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