Cat Views

Today, I decided to rearrange my office furniture. Even though I’m in Arizona, we still have “winter” weather – brisk. Because of it, my cat Doofie has been an unbelievable pest! First she wants out, so I make a special trip to the door as she trots in front of me, leading me the way like I didn’t know! She’s a very smart cat – has me very well trained! Then she wants back in; too cold outside! All day long, this has been happening since the beginning of the year. So this morning, I decided I needed to move my laptop desk out from underneath the window to accommodate her cat tree. Immediately, she figured out the whole arrangement. Up the tree to sit on the top perch, back down to sit on the sill, off to the floor to use her scratch post! Just as things should be; spoiled, spoiled … down right spoiled!

I have been contacted by a women who is about to adopt 2 soon-to-be very spoiled cats. She’s going “all out” to acquire a wonderful custom cat tree for them to enjoy. Only, she’s insistent on declawing them. I suggested that was not a good idea, but I fairly sure I’ve lost that argument. It’s such a shame that humans think it is humane to declaw a cat when we have such a terrific assortment of cat cat scratching posts available.

We received a great email today from one of our customers who just got their new Couchette by Kittypod. “Do you have any advice on how to clean it when the kitty barfs up a hairball on it?” It makes me laugh every time I read it, but Shannon’s question is a good one since she has a significant investment in “cardboard” cat furniture. We emailed the designer, Elizabeth Page Smith to ask her advice, suggesting perhaps vegetable oil could be used as a natural coating. Elizabeth promptly provided a very complete explanation which included wonderful insights about her design.

“Hi Nancy, Ha ha…yes, an issue I have personally addressed.  The best thing to do is to with a paper towel pick up the larger mess if there is any, in case of food regurgitation, and then allow it to dry. Once the spot is dry take a broom or brush and sweep the remainder of the mess away.  If there are still particles just use a vacuum cleaner with brush attachment.  This will clean the cardboard well.  No need to worry about sealing, the cardboard is sturdy and when dry will dry similar color to its original state.  This is all part of the use. Definitely no vegetable oil to be put on the material that will soggy the paper and give a really horrible smell.  It is best in natural state.  I say this also because the cats tend to also want to bite/chew on the cardboard so we don’t want to flavor the paper with something yuck.

In general, the couchette will receive ‘personalization’ by her cat.  This is the purpose of the couchette and is to be expected that there will be some wear and tear.  Every cat has their own way of interacting, some more aggressive than others, so the wear and tear will vary from cat to cat.

If you have something more to ask please do.

Best of luck and glad Shannon’s cat is finding pleasure and use of the couchette. +eps”

Inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, Architectura is a pet house designed for cats – the ultimate cat condo designed by Pre-Fab Pets! Slatted walls on two sides provide excellent ventilation and a fun place for pets to hide but still see what’s going on around them. Or, perch top for premium high-rise snoozing!

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for humans! No, in fact I bet a lot of us live with cats who are a more affectionate than some people we know! In an article featured on our site at The Daily Cat discusses some interesting “I Love You” cat behaviors. Cat behaviorist expert Jackson Galaxy, (wow, what a name!) says, “Absolutely! …. cats are the masters of detached love.” I wonder, does that mean those of us so crazy about cats prefer “detached” love. Hum, that’s something to ponder. “They express love in ways that baffle us”. Here’s just a few “you’re my human” antics:

1. Grooming: Your cat licking you mimics their mother’s love
2. Purring (my favorite!): Associated with “kitty”hood milk-time feeding experience.
3. Rubbing, Kneading, Mock Spraying & Gumming: Scenting you to claim you as there own
4. Blinking: A stare (we all know that one!), followed by a blink, then open eye with second soft blink signifying trust.
5. Gifting Dead Critters (I get LOTS of gifts!!): Rather than a “gift” its bringing home to a safe place.

How do we tell them, “I Love You”? Offer them supreme bliss with a new cuddly cat condo! This is a wonderful article, filled with an insightful perspective on cat behavior. Be sure to take just a minute to learn more about “let me count the ways!”

Ever wonder about why cats purr? According to veterinarian Bruce Fogle, author of A Cats Mind, cats begin to purr by the 2nd day after birth. Purring allows a kitten to communicate its contentment to mom. Mom purrs back to assure kitty. My cat starts to purr in mid-air while jumping onto my bed. It turns off instantly when she’s descending so I know I’m the object of her purr. A purr creates calm, making us feel more at peace; that all is “right with the world.” So the next time you want the hear “love”, just listen to your cat’s purr.

So lately I’ve been working a ton of hours, getting up really early and working. To maintain steam, I started taking what a good friend of mine calls, “micro-snoozes” in the afternoon. Doofie, my cat loves my new habit! It doesn’t work to close the bedroom door because she howls sitting on the other side of the door. Once in, she promptly takes position lying on my chest becoming a cat pillow with our noses about 2” apart, of course getting the royal purr treatment. As much as I love her company, this arrangement is not necessarily conducive for quality naps. After the allotted pet n’ purr time, I nudge her off by shifting to my side. Undaunted, she repositions herself on top of my side, again in purr-mode. Just thinking about it makes me smile and even though I might not get optimum rest, I kinda like being her designated cat bed.

With over 63% U.S. households having pets, it’s not surprising that a new trend has recently emerged, pet sitting. I don’t know about you, but I’ve started traveling less since I was adopted by my cat, Doofie. At first, it wasn’t too much trouble because my neighbor and I were “co-owners.” So when she left, I took over and vise-a-versa; a nice arrangement. But she moved away, and as #1 human in Doofie’s life, I took over sole responsibility. Then, I tried paying an acquaintance – a complete disaster! I learned when I got home from a 10-day trip he never came over. My cat broke out of our house in desperation for food and water. Thankfully, she survived albeit a with some weight loss over stress and worry. She’s a good hunter and very adaptable, but it took her three days to stop sleeping with a paw on my shoulder to assure I was handy. Then, I got her a nanny….yes, my cat had a nanny! Her nanny was an elderly friend, much more reliable than the first choice. But that too, had its pitfalls. So today, I just came across a website dedicated to home pet care, certification and all! They refer to their trade as animal guardians – I like that! I live a relatively small town, and was pleasantly surprised to see a company registered with their site. They have handy suggestions for pet owners to locate an ideal sitter. Now, Doofie can stay camped out in her own home, snuggled in her favorite cat bed.

A few years back, I took Doofie to the vet for her annual check-up. Odd, now that I think about it, I don’t have an annual physical, but my cat does! Anyway, the vet said she needed to have her teeth cleaned. I must have laughed because the vet made a point of insisting it was necessary. We returned a couple of weeks later for her dental appointment. The vet-tech indicated that Doofie was going to be “put under” for the procedure. Yikes! Of course that makes sense as I can barely keep her quiet enough to brush her coat. I was asked if wanted to be present during the surgery – absolutely! They warned me about putting her under. Admittedly it was just awful, but I was confident that they knew what they were doing. Sure enough, she had several teeth removed. $150 or so later and a little unsteady, we both survived her ordeal. No high-rise cat perch sitting for Doofie for at least a couple of hours. Here’s a terrific article on the importance of your maintaining your cat’s health through proper feline dental care.

Up to this point, we’ve taken the position to boycott Made In China cat furniture. Not that I’m a particularly political person, but it seems every time I go to the store I’m barraged with “made in China” products. Is it unpatriotic to sell products made outside of the U.S.? We’re have a wonderful line made in Germany by Cat Interiors; a uniquely modern-style design which so far, we haven’t found any company in the U.S. that even compares. As such, I don’t think we’re jeopardizing a U.S. niche by offering products made out-of-country. Even so, Made in China has created a dilemma. About 3 months ago, I found a new design of cat furniture made of chrome and padded surfaces – a nice design. In talking with them, I’m convinced that quality has been maintained which is important to us. Now, too we found a very unique simple cat tree, again Made in China. It seems we’re destined to go with it. Is that a problem for our consumer?