Because I'm Not Rude, Of Course

Sometimes when I walk into a room, Phoebe goes nuts on a scratching post, looking very serious and watching me the whole time. "Look what I can do!" Of course, I chime in with a long string of "Good girl!" comments ... because how rude to not.

My Little Birdie With the Fanned Toes

Phoebe loves to curl up in a wicker basket that's padded with a fleece blanket. She's so little and looks like a bird in a nest when she's sacked out. And then she does this thing where she stretches her toes and leaves them fanned out while she's sleeping. And then I die.

The nest.

The toes!!

Despite the Apparent Invitation, I'm Not Touching It

Cats are such mysteries.

"Look at me."
"No, don't look at me."
"Pet me."
"Stop touching me."

This photo of Cosmo makes me laugh because he's all sprawled out, exposing his man panties, looking as if he might like a belly rub. Meanwhile, he's covering his face, like he wants to pretend I'm not really there. It's the weird combination of sorta-curled-up and sorta-sprawled-out. I can tell you this much: If I were to touch his belly, he'd have been none too pleased. Such a tease, he is.

"Catnip Banana, I Tire of You"

Saffy's grown tired of her catnip banana. That's OK -- Phoebe and Cosmo are right around the corner, ready to take it off her paws.

Jeeves, bring me another toy.

Alas, I Shall Never Match the Cuteness of My Cat

I like to hold Phoebe's little face in my hand and baby talk to her. I mean, look at those eyes!  I could get lost in those things! I want green cat's eyes! I want someone to hold my face in their hand and baby talk to me!

Alas, I shall never quite match the cuteness of the Pheebs.

Cute Pic Turns into Major Stink-Eye

Cosmo likes to be held like this -- really, believe me. In fact, he looked totally adorable and happy right before the shutter snapped. I just managed to catch him at the exact point his mood shifted. Of course it did ... because I wanted a "Happy Cosmo" pic.

This, my friends, is a fine example of the feline stink-eye.

The Eyes (and Tongue) Say It All

I caught this pic of Phoebe, mid-lick. I love how her eyes are sort of cutting to the side. It looks like she's planning something both naughty and delicious.

Litter Box Issues Solved with Dr. Elsey's #PreciousCat Litter!

Did you know that one of the biggest reasons cats are abused, abandoned or surrendered is because of litter box issues? This is sad, but true. The good news is, with proper education, cat parents can avoid these outcomes and the story can have a very happy ending.

Saffy had no trouble with other kinds of boxes.

At one time our Saffy had an issue with urinating outside the litter box. She's always been an anxious cat and we've had to make several changes to our household and routines to accommodate her. We eventually came to realize when we added an extra litter box to our three existing ones, her inappropriate urination was reduced.

Saffy and I are both happier!

There are actually a few reasons why cats don't use the litter box, including too few litter boxes. Dr. Bruce Elsey, a cat-only veterinarian who founded a practice in 1978 in the Denver area, says these are some actions we can take to avoid this issue.

• First, rule out any medical reasons.
• Scoop boxes every day.
• The box should be 1 1/2 times the length of the cat, so he can easily turn around in it.
• You should have one more box than the number of cats in your home. 
• Plastic boxes can pick up smells over time, so replace the box regularly.
• Feeding your cat canned food increases water intake, which cuts back on urinary incidences.
• Place the boxes in quiet places -- furnaces and washers/dryers can scare cats.

In addition, Dr. Elsey created a litter called Cat Attract. Cat Attract is a scoopable litter blended with herbal essences to make it more attractive to cats. Dr. Elsey says, "Cats like litter that is as close to sand as possible, from a texture standpoint; studies back up that point. Using sand isn't an option because, even though cats like it, it doesn't absorb." He developed Cat Attract to closely match the sand texture, but with the benefit of clumping action.

Next month, the cats of Catladyland will be testing the litter, reporting results and hosting a giveaway for our readers. We trust Dr. Elsey's expertise and are excited to test Cat Attract, so stay tuned!


This post is sponsored by Precious Cat on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Precious Cat's Cat Attract formula, but Catladyland only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Precious Cat is not responsible for the content of this article.

At Least My Feet are Warm

The way I look at it, if a cat isn't going to curl up in my lap, he should at least be a great foot warmer. Cosmo fits the bill very nicely, thank you very much. And he even goes with the decor -- I mean black goes with everything, right?

Of Lax Groomers and Nosy Butts

Every morning I use the Furminator (which is the BEST grooming tool ever) to groom Saffy. She's so fuzzy and has gotten lax about grooming herself in her old(ish) age, so I try and make it a daily habit. She's not a fan of the Furminator and makes an audible fuss while I'm brushing her. Of course, the other two nosy-butts gather 'round to see what's happening, hoping they aren't next. Right after the Furmination, Saffy runs behind the other two and drops her head, hoping I won't make eye contact with her. Also, I think she hopes if she's in the back of the group, I'll grab Cosmo or Phoebe before I'll go after her again.

A few days ago I managed to capture the post-Furminator experience.