Hypnotized By Spotty Paw Pads

I love it when cats are lying on their side and all four of their feet are gathered up together, sometimes perfectly stacked. Last evening Phoebe was lying in my lap and I couldn't stop staring at her spotty paw pads. They were hypnotizing me, I tell you!

Here, you must see for yourselves.

Look!

And look closer!

Foiled Again!

Last week, my kids and I spent an afternoon making holiday treats. One of the goodies required the unwrapping of individuals ROLO chocolate and caramel candies. As usual, Phoebe was around to supervise and follow each little square of foil with her eyes as it came off the candies.

Divatown Called

Because I write and blog about cats, I take a crapload of kitty pics. Occasionally my cats oblige and look at the camera when I need them to, but usually, I get a giant "NO."

Hey, Phoebe: Divatown called -- they want their mayor back.

"No."

Why I Don't Ask My Cats to Help Clean

This is one of my favorite Mainzer "Dressed Cats" postcards. I can imagine the shenanigans depicted in this image aren't too far off from what would happen if I enlisted my cats in helping me with housework. What's your favorite part of this scene? I like the vacuum-butt.

Source

It's a Tidy Cats Coupon Giveaway Extravaganza!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

You'll never guess what happened! Our good friends at Tidy Cats gave us the opportunity to co-brand some awesome cat litter coupons. They recently arrived in the mail and look so cool! We love our Tidy Cats!

Yay!

Because you're the pick of the litter (haha) we've decided to give a bunch of them away to Catladyland readers. By "a bunch" we mean we'll give a fat stack of ten $5 off coupons to ten readers. We'll also mail a pile of coupons to a local rescue.

Fat stacks!

Fat stacks on my cat!

Here's how it will go down:

• You must comment WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS and indicate interest in qualifying for the giveaway.
• The giveaway closes at 11:59pm CDT on Wednesday, January 3, 2014.
• Once contacted, you will have 48 hours to respond or another name will be drawn.
• Winners will be chosen via randomizer.org.

Good luck!

A Box? Not So Much

Cats and boxes. It never fails to amuse me when they claim a box that has such few qualities of a traditionally high-sided one they normally go after. Phoebe plopped on this little shirt box yesterday and immediately went to sleep. The sides barely measure one inch and were in various stages of folding. For all intents and purposes, she was lying on a piece of cardboard.

Merry Christmas from Catladyland!

Merry Christmas from Catladyland!

Love,
Angie, Saffy, Cosmo and Phoebe

Phoebe slips past Santa.

My Cat Welcomes Me Home With His Panties

When I come home from being away for a few hours, Cosmo likes to roll back and forth on the floor. It's his go-to "welcome home" gesture. I love seeing this little show because 1) I rarely get to see his belly and 2) PANTIES! The little white sploosh of fur in his lower belly areas looks like panties, no? That's what I call them, anyway. "Welcome home! Look at my panties!"

My Cat is Full of Sheet, or My Sheet is Full of Cat

Cosmo is my undercover man. He loves nothing more than to burrow under the sheets and blankets with me and press his furry body against mine. Well, my body's not furry. I love lifting the covers and looking at his face. He usually looks so pleased with himself.

A Christmas Miracle Happened at My House!

Yesterday all three cats were within mere inches of one another! There's something about trees -- especially ones with dangling objects hanging from them -- that brings cats together.  It's a Christmas miracle! Truly a wonder to behold!

Speaking of adorable or funny holiday pet photos, there's still time to enter BlogPaw's December pet photo contest! Prizes will be awarded to three winners. Each prize is valued at $25 and is compliments of our friends at Pet360. Click here to see the gallery and information about entering!

My Number One Distraction

The reason I'm inspired to write about cats.

Also the reason I'm distracted while trying to write about cats.

Decorate Your Tree With Cat Eyes

Cosmo uses his eyes to camouflage himself behind the tree.

The Gift of Phoebe

Phoebe wants us to know she is the gift that keeps on giving.

The "Ear Treatment"

Cosmo likes to sit with his face inches from the wall. And then he stares, sleeps and stares some more. When I try and talk to him he never turns around. I only get the "ear treatment." You're familiar, right?

Phoebe Has a Ball

A few years ago Santa left this inexpensive little rainbow-colored ball in Phoebe's stocking. She was immediately smitten with the thing and it soon became her favorite toy.

It's the perfect size for her to carry in her mouth, and she occasionally "hunts" it. I love watching her walk into the room with the rainbow ball in her mouth, making that howling sound cats make when they're announcing their "catch."

Because it's a little ball, she often bats it under the bookcase. And then she goes nutso. When we see her on her side staring longingly under the bookcase, we know she wants us to retrieve the toy. We grab the broom handle and swipe until it rolls from its hiding spot. Phoebe becomes absolutely giddy when she sees her beloved ball.

I swear I thought that thing would have gone by the wayside with the pile of other much more expensive toys, but no. Rainbow ball is here to stay!

Free Cat-vertising

Cat-vertising at its best. And I didn't even have to ask her to do it. I mean, really -- who has to tell a cat, "Get in this bag and look cute?"

I Want to Nest on My Own Legs .. Just to See

When I'm lying on the sofa with a blanket covering my legs, the cats come from all around to nest on my outstretched lower limbs. It must be very comfy. I wish I could somehow nest on my own legs just to see how cozy it really is. That would be what you call a Christmas miracle -- a strange one, but still.

Joy to the World! No.

My mom sent us a cute felt basket full stuffed with all kinds of yummy Christmas treats. Of course the treats were devoured in a matter of a few days (I do have two teenagers, after all) and I placed the basket on the floor for the cats. When you share your home with cats, it's an automatic action: box emptied - box on floor.

Phoebe immediately claimed the box and, of course, looked adorable so I grabbed my camera and decided to snap a few shots. Phoebe, being a contrary cat, refused to look at me. I thought it was so wonderfully ironic: a cranky cat loafed up in a box with the word "Joy" on the side of it. Go cats!

Thinker Cat is Thinking

Some think Phoebe is just a silly little thing who runs around wreaking havoc. Nay. Behind closed doors she's a deep-thinker who spends many an hour musing and pondering ... probably about new ways to wreak havoc, but that's beside the point.

Phoebe in her best thinking pose.

Queenie Pants

Phoebe thinks she's an Egyptian queen and totally acts like it. Sometimes she even likes to give me a visual reminder of her regal stature.

The Cat Legs Were Dangled from the Bar Stool With Care

If you regularly read Catladyland or my posts on Catster, you know I'm obsessed with a nice kitty leg-dangle. The other night Phoebe killed me with this one.

A few minutes later I heard my daughter call out, "Mom! It's a double dangle!" Indeed it was. And all was well in the Bailey house.

My Cats Love My Son ... and His Stinky Socks

I love that my teenage son is a total cat man. He adores our three cats and they can't get enough of him. He always leaves his bedroom door closed (thankfully -- ugh), but if it happens to swing open, the cats race for his room.

The other night I couldn't find any of the kitties and then I saw he'd accidentally left his door open. I walked in to find Saffy lying square in the middle of his floor and Cosmo under his bed. I briefly scanned the room, but couldn't see Phoebe. I went into the kitchen and called the magic "treat" word and, lo and behold, she zoomed out of his room. No idea where she'd been hiding. Probably under the piles of dirty laundry. Cats love stinky teenage boy socks.

Last night Phoebe decided to join Ben on the sofa while he played a game on his phone.

"I love my brother. Especially his socks."

After a while, I noticed her little claws gripping his jeans.

Holding on for dear life! 

Phoebe Allows Saffy in Her Bubble ... For a Limited Engagement

My girls just don't get along. Saffy tries, but Phoebe is the obvious alpha and has made it crystal clear she wants absolutely nothing to do with the Saffster. This is why I was shocked to find them sharing a space under an end table in the living room. Phoebe nabbed the bed, but she allowed Saffy to lie within inches of her. It all ended in a giant hiss-fest, but it was like world peace for a few minutes.

Phoebe's holding back. Look at that face.

Saffy can hardly believe she gets to share a space with the queen.

Phoebe makes sure Saffy knows what's what.

Am I Having a Heart Attack? No, That's Just My Cat

I haven't felt well for the past few weeks and Cosmo's been my constant companion, watching over me, providing much-needed snuggles and plopping his stocky body atop my chest, restricting my breathing. Am I having a heart attack? No, that's just my cat.

I See You, Now Go Away

Yesterday I saw Phoebe curled up and looking absolutely adorable, so of course I had to approach her and snag a pic or two. I love it when they're sleeping so soundly and then, as you draw nearer to them, they snap their eyes open, but don't look at you. It's like they're saying. "I can't be bothered to exert any additional energy to actually roll my eyeballs to meet your gaze. I want you to know I see you there and now I want you to go away." You know the look, right?

I Can Has Calendar? It's a Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED

As the end of the year draws to a close, many of us are looking for that perfect calendar to adorn our wall or decorate our desk. Since you are a Catladyland reader, I can only assume you enjoy silly cat humor. What's sillier that the classic cat-centric goofiness of the Cheezburger cats?

The lovely folks at Andrews McMeel Publishing offered us the opportunity to take a peek at their 2014 wall and day-to-day Cheezburger calendars. If you are a fan of LOL-dom, let's just say you won't be disappointed. I wasn't.

Each month of the wall calendar entertains us with a collage of some of the best Cheezburger funnies submitted by fans to the popular website.

Every page of the page-a-day calendar features a giggle-worthy image, of course accompanied by a host of intentional misspellings.

Would you like to win one of these calendars? Andrews McMeel has offered one lucky Catladyland reader the opportunity to choose between a 2014 Cheezburger wall or page-a-day calendar! Here are the details:

• You must comment WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS and indicate interest in qualifying for the giveaway.
• The giveaway closes at 11:59pm CDT on Wednesday, December 11, 2013.
• The giveaway is open to readers in the 48 states.
• Once contacted, you will have 48 hours to respond or another name will be drawn.
• Winners will be chosen via randomizer.org.

Good luck!

Andrew McMeel provided Catladyland with free copies of calendars; however, all opinions here are our own.

Interact and Communicate with Your Cat When You're Not Home with Kittyo!

Based on what we've learned from my new book whiskerslist: the kitty classifieds, we know cats have a secret life happening when we're not home. What if there were a way we could somehow watch and interact with our cats when we're not home? It'd put a giant kibosh on the whole secret life thing, but oh well. For once maybe we've outsmarted kitty? Stop laughing.

Well friends, it sound pretty Jetsons-y, but a product I just described will be available in the near future. Like 2014-near future!

Image courtesy of Kittyo

Meet Kittyo, A super-cool innovative device that allows you to watch, speak to, play with and record your cat when you're away from home! Cosmo told me he's not so interested in my knowing what he does when I'm not around, but when I told him I could remotely dispense treats, he was all ears.

"Did somebody say 'treats?'"

What exactly can you do with the magical machine called Kittyo? Allow me to amaze and astound you!

• Activate sound to attract your cat.
• Move laser around for your cat to play with.
• Watch your cat have fun while providing exercise (my slug Saffy groaned about that one).
• Push button to speak to your cat.
• Record your cat through videos and photos.
• Dispense your cat's favorite treats.

Now, just to be clear, Kittyo is revolutionary and all, but it doesn't replace a cat sitter if you're going to be away for an extended period of time. It can, however, be used in addition to a sitter as a fun way to connect with your pet, or a way to check in and interact during the workday. All you need is an app enabled on any iOS or Android smart phone! Easy enough, huh?

Image courtesy of Kittyo

Now is the part where you're probably thinking, "How do I get one these magical Kittyo machines?" It will be available for purchase via Kickstarter in 2014! But for now, you can sign up on the Kittyo site to receive regular updates (including a heads-up on a special introductory price!) and you can connect via Facebook and Twitter. Get on it!


This has been a very special preview of Kittyo. Catladyland was compensated for the sponsored post; however, the opinions are all our own.

Peeky Tongue = Daymaker

Yesterday Cosmo was lying in my lap and purring like a madman. Of course he was drooling ... because he loves me that much. I gently lifted his kitty lips and saw his tiny pink tongue peeking through his baby-corn teeth. This adorable discovery made my afternoon. It takes so little.

Da Bird = World Peace

The only toy that brings all three of my cats out is Da Bird, a simple wand toy with twirly feathers on the end. If you know my Cosmo, Saffy and Phoebe at all, you're familiar with the fact that you never see all three of them within six feet of each other. This toy brings everyone together.

Hey, Da Bird could be the answer to world peace. Just sayin'.

Who will get da birdie??

Cosmo take Da Bird down in a giant WHOMP of the mighty paws!

Cyber Monday Cat

Cosmo is all geared up for Cyber Monday!

What a Crock!

Why enjoy a cozy cardboard box when you can nestle inside a cold, metal Crock-Pot? Typical cat logic never fails to amuse.