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.

So Happy, c.1958 Art Print
Warhol, Andy
Buy at AllPosters.com

Aren’t these some of the most incredible cat prints you’ve ever seen? They’re by Andy Warhol and, framed or not, they’d make whatever room they’re hanging in the envy of all the other rooms in the house.

Click through to learn more. Frankly, I want them all. Look at the expressions - it’s all in the eyes!

Green Cat, c.1956 Art Print
Warhol, Andy
Buy at AllPosters.com

Red Sam, c.1954 Art Print
Warhol, Andy

Buy at AllPosters.com

Warhol, Andy

Buy at AllPosters.com

Oh, want…want…want….want….

You and your cat will have hours upon hours of fun playing with the Cat ‘N’ Mouse Cat Powered Cat Toy (9.75″ W X 2.5″ H) from Petco. My cats and I speak from experience! From my vantage point, there’s nothing quite like seeing my babies having so much fun - they look so incredibly cute when they’re plotting to finally get the elusive mouse!

Just a swat of the cat’s paw sends the little mouse racing in circles inside this durable plastic toy.

The sisal pad on top is great for clawing and scratching - two of Alexa’s favorite pastimes. Right up there with eating and bird watching.  I’ve noticed that my cats absolutely love having their own toys.  You can practially “feel” Alexa’s excitement and joy each evening when I get on the floor with her and we gather her favorite toys around.  Sometimes, I’ll intentionally “forget” one and she’ll walk over to it and look back at me - it’s her way of making sure all the toys make it to the party!

It’ll come as no surprise to you when I say that I look forward to our play time as much as she does. 

Prissy, when she was younger, also loved to play. She’d get so excited, she’d go on what we called “rips” - where she’d run through the house, jumping on every piece of furniture she could find - only to return to where you and her toys were.  Then she’d lay down, calmly and look at you like, “What?”

Alexa’s not much of a runner, though.

Svenn and Bo are more about giving and getting affection than they are playing.  However, after they feel like their head rubbing, nose kissing, and back stroking quota has been met, they love a good game of swatting and/or chasing toys.  Svenn isn’t too terribly quick - if he possesses any speed, he’s conserving it, but Bo and Alexa’s reactions are amazingly fast.

I just happened to glance over at Alexa, who is sleeping nearby.  She’s totally out of it, resting up, no doubt for our evening play.  When I go to the grocery store in a few minutes, I’m going to buy her a new toy (one with catnip oughta make her delirious), then I’ll spring it on her when the toys are being gathered up. 

I love the way her eyes get wider when something new shows up!

Click the following link to learn more about what’ll fast become one of your cat’s favorite toys: Cat ‘N’ Mouse Cat Powered Cat Toy

Alexa and I got the scare of our lives Friday. It involved the thing I’m most scared of in this world (hissssssss).

I noticed her at the sliding doors in our home office. She’s a totally fearless cat, so her odd, sort of frightened demeanor freaked me out immediately. It was also weird that she was looking upward - as in about 4 feet off the ground. Oddly enough, I never even suspected a human. We live sort of out in the country, so I knew it was an animal (or bird) of some sort. Problem was, Alexa has never shown any fear toward birds or any of our other frequent visitors (rabbits, raccoons, possums, skunks, cats…) She even saw a coyote (through a window) once and just bugged out a little.

But this time, she was sort of transfixed, almost frozen - yet she was trying to back away. I oh so carefully walked over, bent down to her level (while baby talking her, of course - she loves that stuff), and followed her gaze.

AAAUUUUGHHHH!!!!   You’ve heard of a rebel yell?  I gave a “Kill me now” yell.  This thing was quite big - and had slithered up the bricks, cut over sideways and presently was jutting it’s ugly face toward the glass, all the while sticking out its God-forsaken tongue.

My daughter (Stephany) and her boyfriend (Rusty) were in the driveway, getting ready to go somewhere. Being the brave person that I am, I went for their help.  I knew they’d get a thrill or two out of it - they love the Animal Planet channel and watch it religiously.  In fact, they’d just left the living room where they’d been “visiting” with bears.

My brave little Stephany stayed on the safe side of the glass doors with me and Alexa, while Rusty got a huge stick and got the snake down.  She got her camera to “capture” the drama as it unfolded!

Even though I’m scared to death of the vile things (snakes, not Rusty and Steph), I was honestly very impressed with the way Rusty handled the situation.  He never (not once) was agressive toward the snake or even gave it cause to think it was in danger.  Granted, my brain was thinking, “Club it! Kill it! Destroy it! Make it wish it’d never been hatched!”  - but the snake was very lucky that Rusty has a respect for all living things, even snakes.   If it had been poisonous, it would have met a different fate.

He “led” the snake away from the wall and the windows - for which all of us females were grateful.  He even let it all seem like it was the demon’s idea.  He sort of coaxed it with the stick - it kept “feeling” for the stick with its black tongue.  Gross!  Sorry, that just slipped out.   When he got it to an open area, he gently touched it’s back (?) with the stick a few times.  It kind of got into a little coiled heap (ugly) and Rusty put the stick down.    I love the kid, but I thought he’d lost his mind entirely when he made his next move.  He reached down, grabbed the thing close to the head (so he wouldn’t get bitten), while holding it’s tail end with the other hand.

The whole time, Steph and I were afraid  that Rusty was about to face a certain death, but Rusty seemed to like the fool thing.  He kept talking to it. I’m pretty sure that IF I ever did speak to one, it’d be through screams and possibly even profanity.  Rusty spoke to it calmly, though.  Then he took it to a field and let it go.

In all honesty, watching the whole thing actually made me a little less afraid of snakes.  I have no intention of ever befriending one, mind you, but I think it and Rusty both handled themselves remarkably well.  And I’m struck by the fact that Rusty wasn’t the least bit scared the whole time.  He treated it the same way I’ve always treated stray animals when they make their way onto our property.  I, of course, go way out of my way not to scare them and I always do what I know is best for the animal.  He did the exact same for the snake.

This experience showed me that snakes are simply wildlife, too.  Like the raccoons and possums I leave food out for and joyfully watch, rabbits I toss carrots to, and birds I feed every day - they’re pretty helpless in a lot of ways. 

I even thought one was kind of cute one time.  My husband, knowing my intense phobia, has often tried to expose me to them - in the hopes that maybe, just maybe, I’d become a little more reasonable.  The first time he ever took me near them, it was in a Snake House in a zoo in Kansas.  The minute I saw one, I ran (not walked) out of there, screaming the whole time. 

Calm.  Cool.  And oh so collected.

Fast forward about 10 years and we were in a pet store.  Behind the glass were some of these things.  One was curled up in what appeared to be a dog’s food dish.  I said, “That’s cute.”  Of course, I immediately turned and walked away, but at least I didn’t find it totally vile.

I’m still mystified by Alexa’s reaction. I just don’t think she knew what to make of it. She was actually born outside (her mother was the very essence of a wild cat… and I still miss her), and until I brought my baby girl inside, she lived outdoors. So, I’m pretty sure she’d seen snakes before. But she seemed completely out of her element and was very unAlexa-like.

Hopefully another one of those unwelcome visitors will never come calling again. She and I still go to the glass doors and peek out, like, a couple of billion times a day - sighing with relief when the only thing on the patio are cardinals, furniture and a grill. The things that belong there!

This cat video is a really cute one. I was halfway through another one (and had every intention of posting it), but it didn’t pass my STRICT guidelines. I refuse to post a video that shows a situation where the cat is/was in obvious danger, all for the sake of a video. It’s ridiculous.

I don’t like the segments where cats are put in high places so they’ll jump down. Oooooh, how entertaining. I also don’t like when the cat’s being scared just to get a reaction. Not even remotely cool. I saw one clip of a woman who threw a kitten upwards toward a wooden ceiling, so it’d “land” claws-first into the wood.

If she and the photographer don’t have anything better to do than that, they probably shouldn’t be proving it to the world.

It’s also not cool to tempt a cat to jump toward a ceiling fan… I mean, come on, are these people even thinking?! Cats are funny enough little characters on their own - they don’t need directors.

Especially if the director isn’t taking their safety into account.

Okay, rant over.

If your cat’s a fashionista, he/she is going to be wild about these beautiful cat collars from Miss Moustache, they’re absolutely beautiful!

The first thing I looked for on the website was for the safety feature - if it hadn’t been there, this post wouldn’t be here.  Each of the collars on Miss Mustache feature a breakaway buckle to keep your stylish little friend perfectly safe.

The beautiful collars you see to the left are from the Dots Collection.  These collars are fully adjustable and are available for adult cats with a neck size of 7″ to 11,” and kittens if needed.

Other gorgeous cat collars are shown below.  Visit  Miss Moustache to see more selections and information.  These collars are gorgeous AND very reasonably priced - meaning your cat gets to strut its considerable stuff and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to give it that pleasure!

     

My cat is not an attention hog… she’s taking the attention off of my flaws.

My cat does not tear up paper… she’s recycling.

My cat does not break things … she’s a science geek and it conducting experiments with gravity.

My cat does not fear dogs … he is merely selective of the company he keeps.

My cat is not a glutton… she simply appreciates the culinary efforts made on her behalf.

My cat does not scratch … he is a furniture ventilator. He happens to also specialize in ventilating wood frames, paneling, carpet, window frames…

My cat does not catterwaul … she is singing off-key. Intentionally.

My cat does not hog the spot on the couch… he’s keeping it warm for us.

My cat is not a Chatty Kathy…. she’s so full of wit and wisdom, she can’t control it all.

My cat is not finicky… he’s particular.

My cat is not a pest … she’s a selfless entertainer.

My cat is not a heartless hunter … he is a wildlife control expert.

My cat is not mean… she’s practicing for the role as Batman’s next villain.

My cat is not fat … she is insulated.

My cat is not lazy … she is conserving her energy.

My cat does not get underfoot … he’s protective. He’s making sure I arrive safely at his food dish.

My cat is not always in the way… she’s always there for us.

Fewer things are more heart-breaking than the thought of a helpless animal in any amount of pain.  Yet a lot of pets live with pain in their joints from age and/or arthritis. 

Dr. Kenneth J. Frank has come up with an absolutely brilliant solution that seems to be working for countless dogs and cats.  If you suspect your beloved pet has joint pain, visit Dr. Frank’s website and read all about his revolutionary Joint Pain relief spray for dogs and cats.   You simply spray it on your pet’s food.

The website has lots of great testimonials and more information.  Even if you don’t need the spray now, bookmark the site, so you’ll know where Dr. Frank is when you need him!

Here’s the link:  Joint Pain Relief for Dogs and Cats

The Four Paws Kitty Kat Circus is a winner for at least five reasons.

1. It’s endless fun for the pets that we love - giving us as much enjoyment and amusement as it does them. I just spent about 20 minutes playing with Alexa and Prissy and easily enjoyed myself as much as they did!

2. It’s cool looking, so leaving it set up in your home isn’t a big deal. I love that it’s all bright and colorful - just like toys for human babies.

3. It encourages exercise for cats that might otherwise be lacking in activity. An inactive cat can quickly become an overweight and unhealthy cat.

4. It’s just always a great idea to provide our babies with fresh, innovative things to amuse them and keep them mentally active as well as physically active. Cats become bored when their routine doesn’t offer much in the way of excitement and change. Sadly, a bored cat becomes a very unhappy and unhealthy cat. So, always…always…always keep her/him entertained!

5. This amazing little cat circus costs a lot less than you’d think. That’s always a PLUS in my book.

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!