Cat Pause: Your Cat's Favorite Blog!
Cat Toys, Gift Ideas for Cat Lovers, Cat Furniture...
Take a closer look by clicking the link – Elevated Cat Feeding Station with Glass Bowls!
The beautiful red outdoor cat condo pictured above is probably the next thing I order from Amazon. I just absolutely love it! It’s so cute I think I’d want it in my yard even if I didn’t have outside cats.
Heck, if I could find the right spot, I’d want one for our inside cats as well.
One of our outdoor cats (a beautiful orange cat named “Rita Hayworth”) loves to hang out on our back deck – in a different spot from the other outside cats. I’m thinking she’d love this crib!
This adorable little home would be ideal for feral cats, too. They’d greatly appreciate the wonderful place to stay dry and safe.
Take a closer look: red outdoor cat condo
While I wouldn’t put sweaters, collars, or any sort of clothing or accessories on our outside cats (mainly for fear it’d get caught on a tree), the inside crew is fair game! Some cats (unless they have a laid back personality) don’t care for clothing or accessories, but oftentimes, if you catch one while they’re still a kitten, you can convince them that it’s a part of life.
In the picture of the adorable cat at the top, he or she is wearing one of the Cat Sweaters in Solid Colors, available on Amazon.
The Cat Sweaters in Solid Colors are available in different sizes, so you can “fit” the age and weight of your cat (or small dog, for that matter).
I had a Siamese once (“Solo”) who was generally an adorable little grumpy pants most of the time. However, when we put little tops on him, he loved it! I think he was a little bit cold-natured and they made him feel warmer.
NOTE: If you EVER dress your cat and he/she doesn’t like it, please don’t make them wear the clothing just for the sake of human happiness or amusement. It’d be better to give it to someone else’s cat or chihuahua. Cats are very proud animals (and oftentimes “picky”), and subjecting them to something they aren’t comfortable with isn’t something any of us who love them want to do. Some cats are fine with dress up (I’ve had quite a few who seemed to love it more than I did!) but others simply don’t care for it one bit. Many times, you’ll know before you ever buy clothing for your pet whether she/he will love it or loathe it. As a pet parent, it’s up to you to decide what’s best.
The Wall Mounted Scratching Post (above) is one of those cat products that was obviously designed by a cat lover… probably a cat parent, even. Cats LOVE to scratch – especially when they can stretch fully when doing so. A wall-mounted scratching post allows them the full-body scratching and stretching they’d be able to do “in the wild” against a tree.
Sturdy and safe, not only will your cat love it, you’ll love the fact that it saves your furniture and woodwork!
See Wall Mounted Scratching Post for more information.
Some of my cats have lived exceptionally long lives and I can say this – nothing in the world is any sweeter, more enjoyable, or more lovable than an older cat. Older cats do, of course, require extra consideration.
Recently, we had a kitten (Guen) move into the house – a house where a 13 year-old-diva-cat (Alexa) reigns supreme. The entire process has amazed me for several reasons. For one thing, do kittens ever run out of energy?!?!
Naturally we’ve enjoyed outdoor kittens over the years, but this is the first kitten we’ve had in the house in years. The energy level and amount of wonder and curiosity are pretty amazing and I’m loving every moment.
Ironically, caring for (and preparing your home for) a kitten is very much like caring for (and preparing your home for) an older cat.
Basically, this is the time to pamper your little girl or boy more than ever!
One final tip from someone who has had quite a few cats who lived WAY longer than you’d expect: When you look at your cat (whether they’re 10, 15, 20, or 24), do NOT think of “losing” them. Think only of “having” and “loving” them. This is something I realized when one of my cats (Prissy) hit 15 years old. Every time I looked at her, I found my heart feeling heavy – thinking about how badly it would hurt when I lost her. That sort of pain is bad enough to feel just once… when you actually have to say goodbye. Don’t invite those feelings into your life a minute before. Think of how blessed you are to have this little bundle of fur, how much you love her/him, and how you are going to do everything in your power to make them as comfortable as possible.
I caught myself (when Prissy turned 15) and turned my thinking around. She went on to have 5 more birthdays!
Why The Deluxe Easy Entry Cat Bed Makes a Perfect Bed for Older Cats:
This beautiful bed has “easy access” – the older cat doesn’t have to jump in or out of bed, which is something older cats greatly appreciate. The material is incredibly soft and comfortable – perfect for an older cat. I also love that its “walls” provide extra support and comfort. The fact that it’s so darn good-looking (and machine washable) are icing on the cake. Click through Deluxe Easy Entry Cat Bed for more information. This deluxe beauty is just the thing your pampered baby would love to curl up in.
Cats and dogs are like family for most of us – they’re furry little children that we love with all of our heart and then some. I’ve always known this, but it was recently “brought home” yet again when a member of our family (who happens to walk on all fours, have whiskers, and wear a coat of fur) scared the wits out of us by becoming VERY ill VERY suddenly – as in out of the blue. 
One day, he was fine, getting into absolutely everything and strutting around like John Wayne… then the next, he was completely lifeless. I have never, in all my years of being a proud “cat mom” and admitted “crazy cat lady” seen a cat get sick that fast. It threw us for a loop.
He is fine now and is, as I’m writing these words, strutting around like the Duke. Thank you God!
Naturally, when it comes to gift-giving, we buy Christmas, birthday, and sometimes even “just because” gifts for our cats and, of course, dogs too (those of you who’s cats allow them to have dogs, anyway – mine flatly forbid it). Petco is a personal favorite place to shop for our cats – they have absolutely everything imaginable – toys, furniture, food, treats, beds, dishes… etc. It’s just a really fun website to browse around and even funner to open a box that’s been delivered as your furry family member watches.
LOVE that!
Something else I really enjoy is their “Cat Community.” You can learn a lot there – knowledge from other cat families.
The infographic, below, is from Petco and lists three awesome (Pawsome, if you will) gifts for your animals that’ll make their (and your) life easier. Great ideas – in fact, the cat fountain is on my radar and I am BEYOND intrigued by the remote treat dispenser!
If you’ve read my cat blog for long you know that we have an ever-changing number of outside cats (who we love to distraction) and a diva inside cat (also loved to distraction). Alexa, the Diva, doesn’t see any reason to welcome any of her siblings indoors with her (and traumatizing an aging cat isn’t something I’m looking to do), so our “outdoor babies” remain our “outdoor babies.”
A “colony” of feral cats has joined our family and they are as much a part of our family as the rest of our whiskered cuties. This would actually be the perfect type of blanket or cat bed to provide to feral cats – one they’d appreciate a lot! It could be placed inside a huge crate or box out of the wind and rain/snow.
Fortunately, contrary to what many humans believe, cats love the outdoors! So much to see, do, and explore – they never get bored. We live out in the “boondocks,” so to speak, so they’re perfectly safe from dogs and traffic.
They’re actually as spoiled as any indoor cat.
The only time I get concerned for them is when it’s really cold outside. One of their smaller houses is “heated” as in it has a great heating pad that’s plugged in and activated from inside. We’ve used it for three winters in a row and the cats love it. This particular house sits up off the ground – on top of a much larger house.
I told you they were spoiled.
The larger house is really big, so we’ve been trying to decide how to provide warmth to it. It’s actually so big that if all the cats simply got in there and huddled, they’d keep each other pretty warm! I was looking on Amazon earlier for “thermal warming pads” – the safest heating pads imaginable, since they are “heated” by the cat’s own body heat.
I found the Thermal Warming Mat pictured here (available in Brown Suede and Giraffe Print).
I love the size of this mat – I think three would be ideal for the larger house. I also love how pretty they are because I’d also like to get one for inside for Alexa. Inside cats would love these mats year-round because, very often, our idea of a reasonable “summer thermostat” setting is like a blistery winter day to a cat.
Speaking of summer, there’s even a cool gel insert for the mat (sold separately) that you can buy when the weather warms up.
See Thermal Warming Mat for more information. At just a little over $15, this is a really great deal.
This beauty is available on Amazon (THE place for all cat furniture!).
See modular cat tower for more information.
When it comes to holidays, I’m one of those people who insists it’s NEVER too early to start thinking and planning. You could say I always have so many plans it takes extra time to sort them all out or you could say I’m obsessed with making sure holidays are perfect for all humans and purrfect for all cats… and while both of these are true – the biggest problem is that I never quite grew up!
Halloween is such a ridiculously fun and exciting time of year – I know the cats in our family pick up on the excitement. How could they not? All the bright festive colors, laughing, good times, and picture-taking… it can be as much fun for furry kids as it is ANY kid.
The costumes shown here (as well as below) are available on Amazon – when you click through you can find more information, as well as more cat costumes.
It really will be here before you know it!
Sailor Halloween Costume for Cats
So, as you’d imagine, I’m totally wild about the larger than life cat tree pictured above. If you’re going to bless your cats world with a cat tree, bless them the cat tree to end all cat trees!
If you have more than one cat, this particular cat tree would be especially perfect because each cat could find his or her own special territory and still feel far removed from their brother/sister.
While this colossal cat tree is, obviously, perfect for multiple cats, it’s Heavenly for one spoiled little girl or boy!
See HUGE Cat Tree from Go Pet Club for more information…. and, get this: there’s an even BIGGER one on the page. Your cat or cats will LOVE this beautiful new world to explore and hang out in.
