Cat Views

I was contacted last summer by Bill. He was selling a web marketing service. I was warned by my web-gurus to avoid all those fast-talking SEO salesmen. And true, I went through a period when my phone rang non-stop with SEO salesmen promising instant results. Bill’s call was sandwiched right in the middle of them selling a blog service, so I had my doubts. How much for a blog?? Wow! As usual, I decided to “try it on my own.” Six months later, I resigned myself to the idea of investing in a blog. So the other day, Bill mentioned he needed to buy some new cat furniture. Seems his cat, Posie was pestering him while working at his home office. “She’s driving me nuts!” And no, he hasn’t bought a cat bed yet, but he will! Fairs, fair. I haven’t told Bill I bribbed Posie to demand new cat diggs but from the looks of the photo, she’s getting her message across! So why is it, cats think every piece of furniture in the house is theirs?

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”

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.

I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I figured it was “just whatever.” This morning my husband made a comment that might just explain my new dilemma. He said that about 3am in the morning he noticed a lump lying on top of me! Now, I thought Doofie spent most of her night sleeping in her cat bed, but this new information reinforces that sure enough, I’m a human cat pillow! I love her and I love that fact that she wants to be close, but perhaps I need to find a solution. As you know, we sell premium cat furniture but now I find myself in a needy spot. Anyone out there have a solution? And please… don’t say, “get rid of your cat!” That’s never going to happen!

Burr… it’s chilly in Alaska! But, what the heck it’s always chilly in Alaska, especially for pampered felines right? For a special treat, one of our customers just bought a luxury modern cat bed, custom ordered with special foam filling along with an opening in the back seam for the electric cord for a comfy pet warming pad. As a bonus, we were able to offer it at no extra charge, however since the bed is RONDO cat furniture custom made Germany; 220 volts would certainly create a worrisome situation. Instead, we suggested she buy a pad designed for U.S. use (110 volts), just to be on the safe side! Don’t want any crispy critters!

“Cateristics “of the Turkish Van . We all know that the majority of cats do not like to be wet! These gorgeous Turkish Van cats love water. They are beautiful white cats with red spots on their heads a red tails. They also breed true to their color. Turkish Vans or just “Vans” as they are called have unique personalities.  They are very intelligent and playful cats. Some Vans love to fetch and retrieve and will play with anything they find around and socks are a favored item. Opening cabinets and doors are no problem for them, and if they can’t do it easily the will work out a solution. Dog-like, they will follow their favorite person around. These cats are very adaptable and get along well with other kinds of animals such as dogs, birds and reptiles. Once they meet the other household pets and become a family member they readily establish themselves as the Alpha pet! They do not like being held, but will lie in your lap. Petting and stroking is always acceptable but prefer to have all 4 feet on the ground. Their most distinctive characteristic is the love of water! They love to swim and will swim in streams, ponds, pools, and lakes and even water troughs. Some people will even provide a kiddy pool for them to swim in. After exercising they love to curl up in a cozy cat bed.

We hear many stories about wonderful things pets do for their owners and are very complacent about them. Usually, we just take our animals for granted. We read about dogs being trained as “sniffer” dogs, rescue dogs, service dogs and so on. What do we read about cats? They always seem to have to be rescued from some situation they have gotten themselves into. However, cats have saved their owners by alerting them to fires, robberies, even to attacking the perpetrator, and finding help when their owner is in distress. In a recent newspaper article there was a cat who had just been certified as a Service Cat. Truly these are wonderful animals! There are dogs that can even sniff out cancer.

Cats seem to instinctively know when someone is dying or very ill and will gravitate toward this person and their family. The cat will stay as long as necessary to provide comfort. A warm, purring presence next to you can be very comforting in times of stress. Just sitting and stroking their soft fur can provide you with a feeling that you are not alone in your grief. Our pets have a lot to give us and we need to pamper them in return. Cozy pet beds provide them with a comfortable place to curl up and nap, (when not on duty), and cats love condos and perches as well.

I have a cat and dog as my “housemates”. The dog is elderly (15 years old) and the cat is about 7 years old and was acquired several years ago. Fred has out lived the other cats in the family as they were “elderly” when he came to live here. When Precious came to live with Fred and I she immediately declared herself the ALPHA pet! She would sit and watch for Fred to go out of his pet door, and then position herself right in front of it not allowing him to come in. This continued until she realized that if he could go out of the pet door she could too! She also feels that his food bowl belongs equally to her and tries to push in when he is eating. Fred, being a very gentle dog allows this much to my chagrin. Fred is deaf and almost blind which creates some interesting situations. One day she was stretched out sleeping in a sunny spot and he literally ran over her on his way out of the pet door. That upset her, and now she bats at him whenever he gets too close. The two have really bonded and become very close. When he is napping she goes and curls up in her cozy cat bed but still keeps a protective eye on him.

There once was a cat named Missy
She was not at all a sissy
She’d take on a dog at a moments glance
The poor dog knew he had not a chance
Little and fierce she was, feisty too
The melee she caused was a big to-do
The poor dogs always left in defeat
She was proud that she couldn’t be beat
So into her cozy cat condo she’d climb
Feeling she’d earned her rest sublime.