Who's Hungry?

Some of you may know that I recently launched another blog: Katt Food.  After realizing I giggle uncontrollably when posing my cats as food items and then posting pictures of them, I realized I really must continue to feed the urge in a heartier way.  In short, I craved more Katt Food and so cooked up a blog of the same name.


I began posting pictures of my own three cats and invited others to post their pictures to the Katt Food Facebook page or e-mail them to me to post on the blog.  The response has been pretty tasty and I'm ready to kick it up a notch.  For this, I need your help!  Here are the ways you can support Katt Food and help me build a more succulent readership:

• Follow the Katt Food blog

• "Like" the Katt Food page on Facebook

• Follow Katt Food on Twitter (kattfoodangie)

• Submit original pictures of your cat(s) posing as or with food.  When I post this to the blog, I will provide credit to you and a link back to your blog (if you have one)!  

• Post a link to Katt Food on your blog (if you have one) and encourage your readers to stop by for a delicious morsel!

It's that easy!  One of the things I love best blogging is the fabulous community we create.  I have found this especially true in the pet blogging community.  It's so great that we support and encourage the success of our fellow bloggers. Thank you in advance for your assistance in dishing up some Katt Food!

What's a Mother to Do??

Yesterday I reached under Saffy's cat bed to retrieve some toy mice and my fingers touched a large paper envelope. Curious, I pulled it out, opened it, and what do you think I found? Evidence of a secret modeling photo shoot! I've previously mentioned that Phoebe often bullies poor Saffy, leaving her hungry for ways to build her waning self-esteem. While no one was home, she must have sought the skills of a photographer to shoot this series of shots. Take a look.

This first photo isn't so bad...she's a very beautiful girl. Maybe I have nothing to worry about.

A very dramatic silhouette -- yes, Saffy chose some very tasteful poses.

Really, Saffy?  What's going on here?  You don't need to wear fruit on your head to prove anything.

And then I found this rather questionable pose.  Oh, Saffy....you didn't...

*Sigh* Should I reveal that I found the photos and express my concern?  Should I just return the envelope to its hidden location?   What's a worried mother to do??

Wanna Win a $50 Amazon Gift Card?

.

 
Wanna scare up a good time for you and your pet this Halloween?   Beloved Pets is offering a chance to win a  $50 Amazon gift card to those who submit either a pet costume idea or pet treat recipe by October 15th!  Costume ideas and recipes will be posted and the ones with the most number of "likes" will be entered into the poll to win the gift card.  Voting takes place October 20th-25th.

Click the graphic below for a link to complete contest details. Good luck!

Wordless Wednesday: Saffy -- One Crafty Cat

Phoebe the Fearless!

Phoebe is fearless.  She's clearly the alpha-cat and has no trouble constantly letting Cosmo and Saffy know she is the cat-in-command.  Daily, she demonstrates her dominance and daring.

Courageous closet-climber!

Her Highness holding court!

Princess pillow percher!

Dryer-defier!  Seriously...this cat loves the hair dryer and likes air blown her way.  The daredevil!

At the end of the day, even Queenie-Pants needs a nap in a spot of sun.

Saffy and Phoebe Air Their Dirty (Um, Clean) Laundry

Teach Your Children Well

 
Today is the last day for the Be the Change for Pets challenge to blog about a less-adoptable pet.  I decided to feature Snuggles, a very pretty, yet skittish girl from a shelter near my house.

Snuggles came from a home where the children did not treat her very well -- she was teased, chased, and her tail was pulled.  Can you imagine?  She's living at a foster home now, and really should be placed in a home where there are no small children.

This is a great lesson for parents and other adults to teach respect for all living creatures from day one.  Can you imagine how scared Snuggles must have been?  How she might have hid, afraid for her safety?  What kind of life is that?  Let's educate our children (and adults) that pets are like us -- they want love, affection, gentle snuggles, and kind words.

So please, don't let a pet's unfortunate background deter you from adopting him/her.  Love is so healing and you could be the one to change a life.  You CAN be the change.  Snuggles is now available through Rescued Tails Animal Sanctuary, where most of the foster homes are in Minnesota.  You can read more about her here. 

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~Mark Twain

Tape: A Cautionary Tale

Caution tape is such an interesting item. It's meant to alert people to a potentially dangerous situation, although sometimes it's used for decoration or as a joke. I was just thinking that I might like to carry a roll of caution tape in my purse -- I can imagine a variety of reasons why I would use a strip of that tell-tale yellow warning-ness.

• I would wear it like a Miss America sash on days when I'm wearing my crabby pants and want to be left alone.

• I would lay a piece of it across poor little Phoebe at night so Cosmo would let-up on the midnight booty calls. (He is neutered, by the way...he just tries to enjoy a little phantom-fornication while everyone else is trying to sleep).

• I would place a small strip of it on the dish containing the last piece of cake. It's mine!

• I would hang caution tape over my teenage son's tennis shoes...simply to remind myself to steer clear of those malodorous beasts.

• I would stretch a piece in front of me for those instances when "close-talkers" try to invade my personal bubble. If that didn't work, I would use the tape to strangle said "close-talker."

See? There are all sorts of practical uses for caution tape -- the ones above are just a start!  Now that I'm thinking about it, I wonder if I could buy it by the case...

The Time Traveler's Strife

Weary of Phoebe's constant bullying, Saffy dreamed of traveling back in time and becoming a stronger, more confident woman.  One day, when Phoebe was sleeping soundly on Mama's bed, she constructed a magical time machine.  At the last minute, she remembered to grab her favorite toys for the journey.

First, she decided to try on the persona of someone beautiful...like Audrey Hepburn, but the pants felt a little too tight and uncomfortable.

Then she decided to go back in time a little further and see what it would be like to be someone very smart like Marie Curie; however, lack of opposable thumbs resulted in nothing but broken beakers.

She thought that perhaps if she went back even further and slipped on the brave armor of someone like Joan of Arc, she'd know what it felt like to stand up for herself.  Alas, the voices in her head told her to return home.

Upon her return, she made a very important decision.  Maybe she didn't need to change at all.  Maybe Phoebe needed to be packed up and sent away on a very, very long trip!

Wordless Wednesday: Phoebe -- Deviant Deliberation

Two-Cats-Tuesday: Chips Ahoy!

Cosmo and Saffy are easily distracted while chipmunk-watching...

Gallery of Stink-Eye

I regularly post pictures of Cosmo on Facebook and many comment on his constantly cranky expressions -- they assume he must have been in a "mood" when the photo was taken. If you've never met Cosmo, let me tell you that he rarely ever removes his furry little cranky pants. He is, however, a complete mama's boy and really only looks somewhat pleased when I am holding him over my shoulder like a baby or when the "treat" word is mentioned and he nearly skids around the corner in anticipation. To illustrate the cat-of-a-thousand-cantankerous-countenances," please review the Gallery of Stink-Eye.

Give me the car keys, woman!!!

You realize I know when you sleep...

But I don't like anchovies.

  

I know you didn't just tell me you erased yesterday's Tyra Banks show from the TIVO.

I *get* to look pissy in this hat.  End of story.

He may appear ornery most of the time, but at the end of the day, he's my best buddy and my baby.

The Allure of the Older Woman

BlogPaws' challenge for the week of September 19-25 is to feature a less-adoptable pet in our blogs.  Those of you who are regular readers of Catladyland know that I typically post humorous entries; however, I am now committed to regularly add a cause-related component to the buffet of fluffay.  Please note the Phoebe-graphic I created to use for just these kinds of posts.  She has a very loud mouth so I decided she could use her chatty charm to help other 4-legged fur-pals in need.  She quickly agreed and, in the same breath, asked me for the keys to the car.  Ummm....no.

Back to my original point!  I'm here to tell you about the benefits of adopting a senior pet, and particularly about a beautiful girl named Raja. 

When the blogging challenge was first presented, I perused Petfinder, scanning for local senior cats who where looking for a forever home.  The sweet picture of Raja immediately caught my attention.  I read her full story and even posted a link to her information on my Facebook page.  I couldn't get Raja out of my mind.  She is a Domestic Shorthair Tabby mix who needs a home where she is the only cat.  When the shelter finally realized she wasn't just a cranky puss, and placed her in a room alone, they saw that she greeted humans quite lovingly, enjoyed snuggles, and even played like a kitten!

This morning when I actually sat down to write this blog, I reviewed Petfinder again and a particular St. Paul shelter jumped out at me -- it was called Feline Rescue, Inc.  I decided to check out cats available through that shelter and who is the first cat I see?  Raja!  This was my sign -- I knew that I must blog about this beautiful, older lady and hopefully give her an extra chance to find a loving home.

I know that many people are hesitant to adopt a senior pet.  Baby animals are cute and it can feel difficult to become attached to an animal who may only have a few years of life left to live.  Let me offer a few benefits to adopting an older cat.

• With an older cat, what you see is what you get.  The personality is established and there are no surprises.

• Kittens chew!  They need to learn to use scratching posts!  They climb curtains and jump on counters!  Older cats chew less and have typically already worked that crazy behavior out of their systems.

• It might be their last chance.  Thankfully, Feline Rescue, Inc. is a no-kill shelter, but many are not.  Senior pets and pets with health issues are typically the first in line for euthanization.  It's a fact -- kittens are the first to be adopted, but offer no less love and companionship than senior cats.

So please give a second glance to a pet that needs a second chance.  And if you live in the Twin Cities area, live in a pet-free environment, and are interested in offering a forever home to a Raja, check out her information on Petfinder.  And if you are still asking "why?" Just like Phoebe says, "Be-CAUSE I said so!!"

Laughing All the Way to Crazytown, Part II

A few weeks ago, I further revealed my dance with delusion by posting about some of the odd things that send me into fits of giggles.  Some of my readers wanted to hear more about the inner machinations of my mania.  These people are either as cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs as I am or are gathering research for a study of people who have officially fallen (off their rocker) and can't get up.  No matter, I have a cage full of crazy monkeys at play in my head at any given time, so the request for more madness is easily met.



Without further ado, here is another look-see inside my psyche and a glimpse at what I think is a rollicking riot:

• When arriving at the food-delivery window at a fast food restaurant, sinking down in my seat and holding one of my cats up to the steering wheel

• Imagining a room-full of cats and dogs (fully-clothed, looking dead-serious) taking the SAT test

• Calling the cable company and telling them that every channel shows only re-runs of  "Who's the Boss?"

• Instead of sending a check with my phone bill, sending a recipe for apple crisp

• Imagining cats in flashy disco-wear, whooping it up at Studio 54

• When the UPS delivery person drops off a package, asking if they wouldn't mind scooping the litter boxes

• Showing up at Blockbuster wearing a dress created from Scotch-taped-together Netflix envelopes

• Asking the vet if I can get braces for my cat's teeth...and head gear

And in case you missed it last time, here's the very special video of me literally ROFLing whilst thinking about all of these silly scenarios.



There you go... I have tons more floating around my brain, but I've gotta run -- that Netflix dress isn't going to make itself.

Join Paws to Help Pooches!

Greetings fellow cats and cat-lovers!  It's time to step our paws up and help our doggie buddies!

How often have you had a chance to have a 20 pound bag of dog food donated to a shelter simply for writing a blog post? It’s really that easy. Pedigree has upped the ante big time. And please spread this message: The food drive is not limited to pet blogs. Imagine if we could spread this message beyond our circles and see how far it goes? Just include the bullets listed here, and add the direct link to your blog post to our Blog Hop below so we can all see how big an impact we are making! The numbers could be substantial. Here is the full scoop:

• Each year, more than 4 million dogs end up in shelters and breed rescue organizations. Pedigree created The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive to help shine a spotlight on the plight of these homeless dogs.

• This year the PEDIGREE Adoption Drive is raising awareness for homeless dogs by donating a bowl of food to shelter dogs for everyone who becomes a “Fan” or “Likes” The PEDIGREE Adoption Drive on Facebook. So far more than 1  million bowls have been donated.

• Special for BlogPaws West: For each blog that posts about the PEDIGREE® Adoption Drive through September 19^th, PEDIGREE® will donate a bag of their new Healthy Longevity Food for Dogs to shelters nationwide. It’s simple: Write a post, help a dog.

Don’t have a blog? You can help by becoming a Facebook fan of Pedigree.  For every Facebook “Like”, Pedigree donates one bowl of dog food to feed shelter dogs. So far, they have donated over 1.1 Million bowls of dog food!

You can also help out by watching this video. Every time the video is viewed, Pedigree will donate $1, up to a maximum of $50, 000 to animal shelters. See, there really are easy and free ways to help doggies in need!

Get that tail waggin' and let's join paws to help the pooches!

Wordless Wednesday: Phoebe

Saffy Says... Shake Your Happy Tails!

As you know, I just had the opportunity to attend BlogPaws West, a conference for pet bloggers.  My favorite part of the conference was connecting with other bloggers and learning about the fun and inspirational work they do everyday.  Saffy suggested I write a series of posts featuring some of these blogs.  I thought her idea was pawsitively fantastic!

Kyla Duffy founded Happy Tails Books, a company that publishes books with successful dog (and soon cat) adoption stories.  Through Happy Tails Books, she enjoys raising awareness and funding for pet rescue efforts.  When I met Kyla, I was immediately struck by her warm friendliness, enthusiasm, and creativity! 

She performed an aeriel fabric routine at the opening program of BlogPaws West -- it was amazing!  The message of the performance conveyed the importance of ending puppy mills.  What a shining example of combining the arts with a great purpose!  This is all part of Kyla's most recent endeavor, Up for Pups!  This organization offers unique, memorable humane education presentations that marry cirque-style aerial fabric and humor to impart messages about creative volunteerism, puppy mills, animal rescue, and other related topics.

Also, Happy Tails books is still accepting cat adoption stories.  Please visit the website and click on "Share a Tail."

As you can tell, I was very excited to meet Kyla and learn about all the wonderful things she is doing to help pets -- go ahead, check out her sites!

Stay tuned for the next featured blogger post!

Man Cat Monday: What is a Real Man Cat?

Because Cosmo thinks everyone calls him a "mama's boy," he wants me to help him dispel that myth and assure you his masculinity is in no way compromised.  He asked me to post these pictures and he would supply the comments.

Real Man Cats get served by their mommies.  We even look astonishingly handsome whilst waiting.

Real Man Cats love to be held by their mommies, even if we look a little crabby sometimes. 

Real Man Cats love mommy-smooches... even if some of us drool a little.

Real Man Cats like a good mommy-snuggle...especially if a fuzzy blanket is involved.

There!  Now if you'll excuse me, my mommy wants me to join her on the sofa to watch Steel Magnolias.  Don't judge me!!  Grrrrrrr..... (are you intimidated by my manliness?)

BlogPaws West: A Tail to Remember

This morning I am getting ready to leave Denver and the BlogPaws West conference.  It was fun, informative, and inspirational! I'm looking forward to getting home, virtually connecting with the people I met, and utilizing some of the tools I learned.

I did not win the Pettie for Best Cat Blog, but my friend Sparkle did.  I was so happy for her and her human!  I know it sounds trite, but I was thrilled to be a finalist among these very popular and established blogs -- I look up to every one of them!

Although BlogPaws West was an experience I will not soon forget, I am looking forward to getting home to my 2-legged and 4-legged family. Will my cats be happy to see me or will they shun me for a day or two?  I'm thinking the former -- I do have cat swag, after all...

Here are a couple of my favorite memories from the conference!

Kyla Duffy's aerial work on opening night -- a performance art message against puppy mills.  Beautiful!

Friends!  Janiss from Sparkle, the Designer Cat and Stacy from Trupanion -- out for a night on the town!

Finally meeting my friend Janea from Paws and Effect!

Getting to see lots of pets, including Snotface the Ferret!  Oh, and I met Stephanie too!

Informative sessions like this one for Lijit -- can't wait to use this on my blog!

The cheesecake....my paws were all over it!

Birthday-Cake-flavored gelato...so good, I enjoyed it two nights in a row!

Contributing to the artist BZTAT's mural, which included participants' heartfelt personal thoughts on animals.

Watching the Be the Change panel was inspirational beyond belief! 

I am the change for animals!  Excited to get home and create some action!

Did I mention the gelato?