Cat Views

“From shelter to show biz,” this terrific little musician now has Nora fan-club memorabilia & collectibles which can be purchased at ravenswingstudio.com. Perhaps we’ll hear at her next concert, a passage of Feline Sonata in C Minor, by Bach or was that Beethoven? Nonetheless, she’s persistently practicing perched on her little black piano bench, so I’m sure her next purr-formance will be as good as the last!

“I love cats because I love my home and after a while they become its visible soul.” – Jean Cocteau

Did you ever think you’d see a cat riding on top of a guy’s motorcycle helmet wearing his own helmet & sunglasses? How did he get that cat to do that? Did “Harley,” the motorcycle cat jump on the cycle and meow, “Let’s jump the Zook, Crank It and go after that Yard Shark!” (translated: Let’s get on our Suzuki, roll on the throttle and go after that dog). Judging from the look of it, he probably doesn’t spend his afternoons snoozing in Fluffy’s heated cat bed! Do you suppose that’s his regular attire, or perhaps it’s his Halloween costume!

“Way down deep, we’re all motivated by the same urges. Cats have the courage to live by them.” – Jim Davis

: Our thanks to Dulie for sending us this great photo! Found a great cat photo or a funny YouTube cat video? Send it to us so we can share it with other cat lovers!

Who said custom cat trees have to be expensive!! Perfect for the budget-conscious shopper, we stumbled upon a great line of cat furniture pieces including scratch posts, multi-level, multi-functional cat trees for the economy-minded. Value doesn’t have to take away from some snazzy features in this line by Pacific. Color selections include Speckled Sand, Natural, Tan and Green. With folks so up-in-the-air over our economy these days, a nice break from high-end designer cat furniture.

 Who said custom cat trees have to be expensive!! We stumbled upon a great line of cat furniture pieces including scratch posts, multi-level, multi-functional cat trees for the economy-minded. Value doesn’t have to take away from some snazzy features in this line by Pacific. Color selections include Speckled Sand, Natural, Tan and Green. With folks so up-in-the-air over our economy these days this line offers a nice break from high-end designer cat furniture.

Doofie first showed up at our house, abandoned but obviously accustomed to being an inside-outside cat. My neighbor & I decided to co-adopt her since our schedules were both fairly busy. My neighbor has extensive animal training experience, insisted on allowing Doof to continue roam, inside-out, particularly so she was afforded visiting privileges to both households; Mommy Marie & Nasty John (a whole other story!), and Aunt Nancy & Uncle John. Not a bad arrangement for a cat! 4 humans and 2 litter boxes!

It was only after a failed sitting arrangement while both families were gone, did I realize the importance of micro chipping. I thought I had found the “perfect person,” only to discover they never once came to the house during a 10-day trip! Poor Doofie! Locked inside a home with only the food I set-out for her they day we left!! To my horror, I came home, finding all of the food neatly arranged next to my feeding instructions, untouched and NO cat! Read the rest of this entry »

When Zuli joined our family last month she wasn’t in the best of health. Rescued from a park in Tucson, pregnant, injured, very thin and skittish, her appearance spoke volumes about just how difficult her life had been recently. Poor, pitiful little thing!

Worrying about her health condition, we immediately made a special trip to our local feed store. No, not a typical well-known pet store, but a “real” pet-supply business. Like hardware stores, there are the big chain stores which have a lot of stuff and usually employees that have no clue what you need. Ace Hardware, which though small is size by comparison, stocks a ton of stuff and very knowledgeable staff.

Anyway, I digressed! My point is, that while at Ramsey Canyon Feed, a company representative of Nutro Pet Products was standing next to her display trying to promote their high-priced cat food. Her sales pitch was very convincing so being gullible cat owners, we walked out with a bag of both Iams & Nutro eager to put some weight back on little Zuli diminished frame.

Fast-forward to today. Wow!! She eats like a horse!! I’m guessing her eating habits may be due to being hungry and lack of care. Our concerns have now switched from getting weight on her to keeping it off!! She can barely fit in her cat condo! Now rather robust in size albeit perhaps enhanced by a new very healthy coat, her main staple is now diet food. Interesting, I’ve switch between the Iams & Nutro, and without question, the Nutro is much more favored. Package contents suggest a better-quality product and hopefully the additional cost although not that much more, is justified.

Question: Is there an Overeater’s Anonymous group out there for cats?

Finally, a truly contemporary litter box cabinet to complement even the most stylish Roche Bobois appointed living space! Clean lines, contrasted with sleek high-polished chrome hardware. Pure style!

“If Armani Casa released a litter box, this might be it.” – Apartment Therapy 

Today, we stumbled upon a great article about insuring successful pet adoptions. Insuring a happy, permanent home is vital in avoiding the sad and unpleasant experience of returning a pet to a shelter.  Purina Pet Food compiled a great checklist to help families prepare for a success adoption:

1. Commit as you would a child.
2. Plan on life changes.
3. Verify that your ordinances allow pets, especially if you live in a multi-housing complex and association communities.
4. Modify your space for safety with suitable cat furniture.
5. Please don’t gift pets!
6. Select a pet to match your lifestyle.
7. Avoid getting caught up in an emotionally “love at first sight” response.
8. Plan for continued, long-term care past the “newness” phase especially if it is a “kids” pet.
9. Expect an adjustment period.
10. Provide exercise & stimulation.

For more information, go to Adopt-a-Pet.com

We stumbled upon a great article about insuring successful pet adoptions. Insuring a happy, permanent home is vital in avoiding the sad and unpleasant experience of returning a pet to a shelter.  Purina Pet Food compiled a great checklist to help families prepare for a success adoption:

1. Commit as you would a child.
2. Plan on life changes.
3. Verify that your ordinances allow pets, especially if you live in a multi-housing complex and association communities.
4. Modify your space for safety.
5. Please don’t gift pets!
6. Select a pet to match your lifestyle.
7. Avoid getting caught up in an emotionally “love at first sight” response.
8. Plan for continued, long-term care past the “newness” phase especially if it is a “kids” pet. 
9. Expect an adjustment period.
10. Provide exercise & stimulation.

How about the idea of getting a cat sitter that doesn’t need the keys to your house? Here’s a great product that helps soothes anxious cats, often resolving undesirable traits like scratching your furniture or human avoidance. You might even be able to throw away that tired, worn out cat scratcher!

What is Feliway®? It is a liquid product that contains the synthetic version of the naturally occurring facial pheromones of cats. What is a ‘pheromone’? A pheromone is a chemical marking agent used to influence cat behavior. Some behavior modifications include:

• Urine marking
• Aggression
• Stress reduction
• Scratching

It’s available in both pump spray & plug-in room diffuser but be sure not to spray it directly on your cat! It’s a great for calming your cats while you’re out of town for a couple of days! Now… if it would only work on spouces, too!