Prissy

My entire family (which includes myself, my husband, three human daughters, one cat daughter, and two cat sons) want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of the sweet and kind words you expressed after we lost our little Prissy.   We all miss that little girl something terrible, but your kindness has honestly given us reason to smile.  Thank you so much, and much love to you and your cat babies.

Classic Cat Bed 29L x 19W x 11HThe bed to the left is something I thought you might get a kick out of.  I think it’s positively gorgeous (almost as gorgeous as the beauty that’s enjoying it).

It’s a solid cherry bed with poplar slats, brass accents and a red plaid fleece cushion.  The bad will compliment any room and will go with any home decor. The Classic Bed is a unique, handcrafted piece of furniture that has a durable finish and will give your baby years of enjoyment and comfort.  If our pets live as long as Prissy did, that’ll be at least 20 years of comfort and contentment in their very own bed.  How sweet’s that?!

The cat bed  is also actually ideal for small dogs – but don’t tell your cat.  It  measures approximately 28″L x 19 1/2″W x 11″H.

Each bed comes with the hand made fleece cushion, which is machine washable and has a zippered end for easy removal of the pillow insert. The Classic Cat Bed arrives completely assembled, ready for use.  The fact that it comes fully assembled is just icing on the cake.

Something else I love (and sometimes I honestly think I’m the only person who’d even worry about such things) – the plaid fleece cushion is just as appropriate for a feminine little girl cat as it is for a macho little guy cat.  Which means it’s just as appropriate for Bo as it would be Alexa.  PLUS, it’s just as appropriate for a feminine little guy cat – like, well… like Svenn.

I very much needed a reason to laugh yesterday morning and my boy provided it.  I was in the front yard, observing the damage the ice storm had done to our beloved trees.  I was carrying Bo because, truth be told, he may try to act a little macho, but he’s a total momma’s boy.  Anyway, I suddenly saw Svenn run around the corner of the house toward us.  I set Bo up on a safe window ledge and grabbed Svenn.  We live out of the city, so it could have been anything from a dog or coyote after him or a raccoon or rabbit (don’t laugh, it’s Svenn).

When nothing ever showed (in spite of his hair sticking straight up, eyes bugging out, and ears pinned back like they’d been gelled that way) – I walked around the corner to take a look. Just then the wind blew and our Grill’s cover flapped in the breeze, prompting my baby to jump out of my arms and flee the other way – running for his very life.  I had to laugh in spite of myself as Bo crept up for a closer inspection.  He and I both determined that we needed a new grill AND grill cover, and be both agreed that neither were anywhere near the biggest loss we’d seen this week.

Hug your cat(s) today and tell them your world wouldn’t be the same without them.  (That’s my new tagline for this site.  It’ll appear at the end of each future post because, quite frankly, truer words were never spoken.)

To take a closer look at the stylishly beautiful Classic Cat Bed, click the link or the picture above.

Our beautiful and sweet Prissy.Sadly, it’s time for the post that I knew would one day have to be written. We lost Prissy early Sunday morning, between 1 and 2 am – she always was the dramatic type.

If you have pets, you understand that I am completely and utterly emotionally drained.  Of course I’m relieved and grateful that she didn’t suffer.  I’ve been praying to that end for over a year.  I also prayed that I’d be able to tell her goodbye, something that I was also able to do.  However, even though I’m thankful, I honestly just wants to lie across the bed and cry until I forget how to stop.

We had that beautiful little girl for over 20 years! It seems so out of the ordinary and so impossibly unreal that I can’t walk into the next room and hear her purr as I pet her head and kiss her precious little nose.

When she first came into our family, she could sit in one of my hands. Her little face was so full, she almost looked like she’d topple over face first. Her body caught up to her cheeks (did it ever!) and she became one of the vainest, most beautiful cats I’ve honestly ever seen.

She was extremely active, nosy, spoiled and pampered for 20 years. Well, active’s pushing it a little bit. This past year saw her slow down a great deal – plus she lost her sight entirely.  Right before her sight was gone completely, I got some catnip filled toy mice for our cats.  I didn’t figure Miss Prissy would be interested, so I just got her one of her favorite snacks.  She showed me!  She waltzed over to Alexa’s mouse and swatted it away from her (as you can imagine, Alexa bugged out and looked at me in shock).

Alexa laid down to see what Prissy would do next, and I plopped right down in the floor with them.  Prissy batted it toward me and I sent it back her way.

She sniffed it a few times then walked toward me, meowing  – pretty pleased with herself.  She ate her snack, then went back to the couch.  When Alexa was sure the path was clear, she gave the catnip mouse a workout he’ll never forget.

We had to move Prissy into our large laundry room so she wouldn’t hurt herself. The last straw was a few months ago when the little nut somehow managed to crawl up on a toilet seat to get closer to one of my daughters who was doing her hair. She carefully got her down and brought me my little mountain goat, planting kisses on her head the entire time. (There was something about that little head that made you want to cover it with kisses!)

The thought of her breaking a leg, after living such a long, pain free life killed me, so the laundry room became her bedroom. She had a huge floor pillow and a pink baby blanket for a bed, a basket with covers across it for crawling into – it was her favorite spot during the day.

When she first moved into the laundry room, I’d get her out a few times a day. She’d lie in a bean bag while I worked. But about 4 weeks ago, she lost interest in doing anything but sleeping and eating. Eating was the only thing she loved more than being told how beautiful she was! When I picked her up, she still purred, but somehow it seemed to bring her discomfort.

When she didn’t eat anything at all Saturday, I knew that Sunday would be my first day in over 20 years without my sweet, beautiful little Prissy.

My husband, who became a “cat lover extraordinaire” the minute he saw that little wide faced white kitten, built her a little brick memorial in the corner of our yard. Fitting for a diva! I’m going to plant the most spectacular flowers around it that you’ve ever seen. They won’t be 1/4th as beautiful as she was, but I think she’d be pleased.

Alexa always deferred to Prissy, even though she was twice her size and 1/5 her age.   If Alexa was eating or drinking when Prissy came into a room, Alexa would stop and walk a few feet away.  She’d honestly wait until Prissy was finished before she went back to eating.  It didn’t matter if Prissy was at her own dish or Alexa’s – Alexa would make way for her.

Alexa has seemed sad the past few days as well.  A cat that normally plays for hours a day, she has barely even looked at her toys.  She’s sitting quietly on the computer desk beside me, almost as though she knows what I’m doing.  I’m sure the tears are giving me away.

I think it’s time for Alexa and me to find a few catnip balls that need a little attention.

Click HERE to read my little tribute to Prissy on Self Help Daily. I’m trying to stay as busy as possible – to keep my mind on a million other things. Because the minute it pauses, the sense of loss is overwhelming.

Deluxe Lighthouse Cat Tower
The Deluxe Lighthouse Cat Tower is so amazing, I can’t even believe it.

One of the things we all love the most about cats is the way they’re certain the world revolves around them. This Lighthouse Tower would be the perfect way to let them know that… yeah, it pretty much does!

Details:
At just over 6′ tall and 4′ wide, this amazing kitty tower has an attached house, which connects to the main tower through a doorway in the house’s interior.  The colonial-style house has four windows and its own kitty doorway.

A wide base prevents the tower from toppling.  (Thank goodness for that!)

Dimensions:

73″H x 50″W x 28″D The image shown of this piece is a prototype model. Your actual piece will be made with beautiful high quality carpeting and carpet inlays. The carpet colors will be as shown in the photo.

These beauties are custom made to order and usually leave the warehouse in 14 – 21 business days.

Order one for your little girl or boy today and enjoy years of entertainment.

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.

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!

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!

Cat DVD for Cats

Just when Alexa and I thought we had seen everything, we’re surfing along the web looking at cat toys and just look what we came across: A Cat DVD for Cats
! I’m not even lying, she raised her eyebrows. I’m pretty sure she’ll be wanting Santa to bring her one this Christmas.

The DVD has this to say for itself:
Over 3 hours of digital video footage to entertain your cats or dogs. Squirrels, goldfish, mice, birds, laser pointers and much more!

What a great idea! When Prissy’s eyes did more than just look beautiful, she’d love to “watch” tv. She’d sit on the couch all evening and watch whatever happened to be on. Her favorite shows were NASCAR races and Disney or NICKELODEON shows. I guess she loved the brightness and the voices of the children.

As for NASCAR, she just liked to cheer on her favorite drivers, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and Ryan Newman. She wasn’t much of a Jeff Gordon fan. She wouldn’t speak for days when he won.

Check out the Cat DVD for Cats by clicking the link. I think it’d make a lot of dogs and cats feel like 14 year olds at a Miley Cyrus concert.

Prissy loves her, too.

Our elderly baby, Prissy, gave us a horrible scare Friday night. She had a housefull of people in tears. My husband, our middle daughter, and I had gone to the movies (We had a date with The Mummy.)

After the movie, when we came in the back door, our oldest daughter (Emily) and her boyfriend (Dill) were eating cookies and watching Prissy. Stephany and her boyfriend (Rusty the snake catcher) were nearby as well.

Apparently, Prissy had had some sort of a seizure. Emily said that she started going around in circles, disoriented and even fell over. She picked her up and held her for a while – telling her everything was all right, etc. When she put her back in her bed (on the kitchen floor, near her food), she was restless and kept getting up – but couldn’t walk, she kept going extremely to one side and falling down.

The kids rubbed her and got her to lay down and go to sleep.

When we came in, Prissy heard the door and was getting up as Emily told me about what had happened. Sure enough, she kept falling – breaking everyone’s heart in the process.

Given the fact that our girl is almost 20 (her birthday’s next month), has lost her sight entirely, and weighs less than 10 pounds, we thought this was pretty much the heartbreaking end. I got out of my clothes and into my gown and took up my rightful place by my baby.

Alexa stayed nearby, keeping a concerned watch over everything. She kept looking from me to Prissy, then back to Prissy… I held Prissy and offered her water and food – she seemed grateful for all of it, especially the holding. She didn’t seem to mind that I was crying all over her. I just kept thinking how I wouldn’t allow her to suffer or to die slowly. I made up my mind that I’d take her to a vet and have him help her along. Oddly enough, even through all of the drama, Prissy (the sweetest cat in the world – I swear) managed to purr.

Stephany knew me well enough to bring me a pillow and cover – she knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I spent the night sleeping on and off on the floor beside Prissy’s bed. We had frequent visitors through the night, everyone checking in from time to time – on both of us. I’d always loved our white marble kitchen floor before, but it’s miserable to sleep on! Around 3:00 am I was certain that it was the coldest, hardest floor ever made.

Saturday morning, Prissy seemed much better. With my arms steadying her, she even managed to walk to her food and water rather than them coming to her. The improvement felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off of my chest. By Sunday, her movement was even better – she ventured pretty far a couple of times… Purring the whole time, of course. She was pretty proud of herself.

The emotional rollercoaster has left all of us drained. I know full-well that the time will come when she doesn’t rebound. I know that, at 20, she’s really pushing the envelope. But she’s still happy, able to eat, drink, and do her business. She loves to be talked to, rubbed, and brushed. She enjoys life and I can see that. She gets excited over food, fresh cool water, and (oddly enough) when I give her fresh blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals to cozy up with. If they’re fresh from the dryer, she really gets excited! She loves attention and was born to be the star of the show. I know that our days with her are coming to an end. I know we dodged the lightening this time and probably won’t be so lucky the next time.

But I also know that my baby is right in the next room, still with me after nearly 20 years. It means so much to me that she AT LEAST makes it to her 20th birthday, but if she begins to show signs of suffering even in the slightest or (as my husband put it), losing her dignity and pride, every other concern will go flying out of the window. She’s always been a very proud, “prissy” little diva – which is how she got her name in the first place. We owe it to her to make sure she’s able to leave this world with as much pride as she entered it.

God willing, it will be peacefully in her sleep after a day spent in the center of the stage – receiving the love and attention of her audience. That’s how she’d want it and it’d be a fitting end to our little star.

But, for now, the show goes on and I thank God for the extended performances!

The Heated Cat Bed.

My evening on the cold, hard floor a few nights ago made me think a lot about a cat’s comfort. Prissy’s days of lying on the couch and beds, because of her blindness and age, are a thing of the past. Not only does it seem to bring her discomfort to jump – I’m scared to death she’d fall. So I’ve created her a plush, pillowy bed in the kitchen near her food. I’ve actually created a little bedroom for her, with walls, pillows, and a stuffed Bugs Bunny (she loves him muchly – Emily says it’s her boyfriend, the strong silent type).

I think we should all put ourselves in our pet’s place. We should ask ourselves how we’d want to be treated if we were the pet – what sort of bed would we want to sleep in (warm, clean, safe, and soft), what sort of water would we want to drink (always fresh, please!), etc.

You’ll notice that I post a great deal about pet beds on this blog. That’s because I believe every pet should have a wonderful, soft bed – especially older pets, since they spend SO much time there! Plus, their little bodies can be full of aches, so the softer, plusher, and warmer this bed is, the more comfortable they’ll be.

The Heated Cat Bed you see pictured above is an answer to a cat’s prayers. Recommended by veterinarians, this comfortable and therapeutic bed for cats is gently heated to soothe older pets and those with physical conditions such as arthritis.

The bed stays at a constant 102 deg F, which is the bed temperature suitable for most pets. The 4-watt heater has two intelligent thermostats that sense and maintain the bed’s optimal temperature. The soft micro suede cover is removable and washable; lined interior is coral fabric to evenly distribute warmth, with a cushioned orthopedic polyurethane foam base.

Click through the link or picture to learn more about the bed any pampered pet would love.

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)