Oct 31, 2015

Happy Halloween from Pimp, Moo, and Phantom!

The boys dressed up and wanted me to share their pictures with you! We couldn't let a Halloween go by without this, could we?!

Pimp was actually pretty good with this costume. I was surprised! He didn't look as angry as usual (just a little bit annoyed). Phantom cracked me up! I don't think he's too used to this dress-up thing yet... the side-eye he gave me was priceless. And Moo. I love Moo. He just is so good about everything.







I hope all of you have been great! I miss you all!

--Dorian

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May 21, 2015

Three Cats Thursday: Pimp and Phantom's Vet Visit

Happy Three Cats Thursday, Cuteheads! I wanted to update you on the boys since we have some news. Pimp and Phantom went to the vet last weekend.

I have been noticing that Phantom starts breathing pretty heavy after just a few minutes of playtime. We do play pretty crazy with Da Bird, but I don't think I've ever noticed Pimp or Moo getting like that before, so I was concerned. He doesn't open-mouth pant, but his tummy area definitely looks he's breathing harder than he should at this age. He's only 2.

Our awesome vet, Dr. McAllister, asked a bunch of questions and did an abdominal x-ray to make sure he doesn't have a hernia (this could be very bad if he ever needed surgery later) and to see if he could see anything else, and it turns out that Phantom has chronic lung disease. So he definitely has kitty asthma of some sort. Since he's not bad all the time, we are going to watch it to make sure he doesn't get worse, and one day he may need to take steroids for it.

See the little bit of cloudiness in his chest on the right, and the equivalent spot on the left a little? That's what we're looking at.
There is some part of his lung that is compromised, it looks like, probably from whatever injury he had when I first rescued him from the shelter (remember he had a bum leg and was basically walking flat-footed from the knee down with one leg?). Maybe whatever did that to him, also injured his lung and we didn't know it until now.

He also asked radiologist to take a look, because it looked like there was some other cloudy stuff in the x-ray that could be something else. He called me Tuesday and told me that the radiologist thought it might either be heartworms or lung worms. I freaked out at heartworms. He told me that they typically stay as larvae in cats and that they can just die off in time, but still. I don't want any chances of him not being perfect. :(

So we are going back today to get a "heartworm antibody" test to detect the presence of heartworms or not. And then we'll go from there. Honestly, paws crossed it's lung worms because those are treatable with a round of panacur dewormer, but heartworms are different, I guess. Think good for Phantom today!

He also had the stinkiest poop in the world, so we're waiting for fecal results back too. We are going to the vet at 4 p.m.

Pimp also went so we could check on his thyroid levels. He was such a good boy! The good news so far is that he weighs exactly the same as he did last time, so he's not losing more weight! We should find out today what the results are. Right now he's taking Methomazole - one pill in the morning and a half a pill at night to manage it.

Since we're talking poop, Pimp's poop has been less than impressive lately, so he got a fecal too. (It's OK to talk about poop, right?)

I didn't take any pictures of him at the vet visit for some reason. I usually do. I must have been side-tracked by Phantom's breathing. The car ride stressed him out too, poor guy.

Moo got lucky and didn't have to go to the vet next time. His turn is coming up though!

P.S. Exciting news on my side... I quit my job! Eeeeee! I'm so excited, and so nervous at the same time. I did it so that I could work on CatLadyBox full-time, because I think it can really be awesome! And I thought to myself, if I do all the work I do for someone else all day (I am (was!) the Director of Marketing for a company called Shore Excursions Group) for own business instead, imagine how much more it could grow and how much faster! And that was that. I just jumped off the cliff and gave them my notice a few weeks ago.

I will keep you all posted on how it goes! I figure I put all I have into it now, and hopefully it works! I got a table at CatConLA next month. Have you heard of this?! It's like ComicCon, but for cat people! So hopefully that does awesome and really helps get the word out. I'm excited for this new adventure!

Plus, as far as the boys are concerned, the best part is that I get to work from home with them as my assistants from now on! :)

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May 10, 2015

Google's Mother's Day Google Doodle

Aw! I'm in love with the Google Doodle today! It's baby animals and their mothers, and it's animated!

If you're not familiar with the Google Doodle, they always have some fun image or animation (and sometimes even an interactive game that you can play!) on www.google.com for every holiday. This has got to be one of my favorites ever. So cute!

Here's a screenshot of my favorite part (there are also duckies and bunnies and more). Go check it out yourself today! It'll be gone tomorrow, so make sure you look today on Mother's Day.



BONUS CUTES: Go check out the CatLadyBox social channels like Facebook and Instagram! I created a bunch of super cute and fun images about being a cat mom and am sharing them all day yesterday and today. Here's one of my favorites!


P.P.S. Don't forget about the CatLadyBox sale I'm having this weekend! You can use the coupon code CATMOM and get 10% off the pre-order price. It's the perfect Cat Mom's day gift for yourself! (I promise not to bug you all too much about this all the time, but I'm just so excited about it and I plan on doing a ton of cute stuff there too, since it's just what I like to do! :)


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May 9, 2015

What Being a Cat Mom Means to Me #proudcatmom

When people ask me if I have children, I smile and say, "Yes. I have cats."

I have three children, ranging from ages 15 to 2. They depend on me for everything... and they are my everything.

At almost 16 years old, Pimp is my old man. He was once a thick, stocky 23-pound cat, and now I affectionately call him my little bag of bones. He's had several big health issues in the last few years, but I'd move heaven and earth (and go beyond broke in the process) to do whatever it takes to keep him with me as long as I can. He's doing great now, snoozing away in his self-heating cat bed.

Pimp beard!
My second child, Moo, is 7 years old. He is my velcro kitty. He loves me with every black and white fur on his chunky body, and spends his days following me around begging to be picked up. I have no idea what his background is. He showed up at my back porch when he was about a year and a half old and made a strong case for why I should be his mom until I eventually caved and brought him in. He definitely has trust issues, so I hope he didn't have a rough life before working his way into mine, but I do know that he'll never have to worry about being out on the streets again.

Moo makes a great scarf.
And then there's Phantom. Phantom was an accident. He's that little baby in a family of already-grown kids with the frazzled mom who just isn't sure how she got herself into this situation of having another little rugrat around again. (If you've been reading the blog for a while, you know exactly what I mean!) Phantom was dumped at the county shelter by his previous owners and I helped rescue him, intending to get him to someone who lived several states away. I agreed to foster him while we set up his ride there, but long story short, that didn't work out... and neither did the idea of "temporary" fostering that I had. This fool melted my heart almost immediately, and I love him so much that he can do all the havoc-wreaking he does around the house, and I can't help but smile.

Phantom wondering who that handsome dude in the camera is.
Being a cat mom means that I am fully responsible for three precious lives.

I know exactly what they like and don't like to eat. (Phantom hates anything chicken, Moo doesn't like anything even remotely chunky, and Pimp prefers his covered in gravy.)

I know exactly what toys they prefer to play with. (Phantom only likes wand toys, Moo likes bigger stuffed animal toys, and Pimp only likes those little multi-pack mice.)

I know what they are saying when they talk to me. (Phantom has a special chirp when he wants to play, Moo yells at me when he wants to get picked up, and Pimp has a special "turn on the bathroom faucet" meow.)

I know their sleeping routines and patterns. (Phantom sleeps on the floor near the foot of the bed or curled up along the bedroom wall, Moo sleeps at the foot of the bed on my side against my feet, and Pimp sleeps right up next to me on my side snuggled up right to my chest.)

I also know they each have their little "things" that make them special.

Moo, for instance, loves boxes. If I put a box on the floor -- any box, any time of the day -- he'll be in it within 10 seconds, guaranteed. It's adorable and comical. He also brings me toys when I'm gone for the day... when I get home there are always two or three of his favorites (always the stuffed gator and the rat, sometimes the end of a feather wand toy that broke off years ago). We call this his job, and he does a great job of it. He doesn't even take weekends off!

Even this happened one moving day... The box determination is admirable.
Pimp gets very touchy-feely around catnip. He doesn't get crazy like some cats, he just loves it. When he's on the nip, he loves to rub his face all over whatever toy it is and drool all over it. He also loves to be petted on the bathroom counter. Often he'll jump up and yell at me for what I think means to turn the faucet on, but all he really wanted to do is be petted. So we do that and he turns on the purr motor, makes this blissfully happy face and looks up with his eyes closed as I pet him just the right way on his forehead between his eyes.

Black and white lovey face.
Phantom has so many "things" that I have no idea where to start. Let's just leave it at the fact that I have five empty shelves on the bookcase because he won't allow things to be on them, all of our art on the walls is crooked because he finds a way to redecorate, and no one has a minute of peace until he's been sufficiently worn out with his Da Bird wand toy. This house is very different than before he came along, but I wouldn't change it for the world.

Phantom hates straight pictures.

Being a cat mom is awesome. My three boys give me so much joy and are each so unique and loving and silly. They have such different personalities! There is never a dull moment around here, and I am always surrounded by unconditional love.

Some people think cats are boring or that owning a cat is not cool. Only "crazy" people have cats and dog owners are so much more normal, they think. They think cats do nothing but sleep all day and that they are all the same.

They all think wrong, though. We know that, and I hope one day everyone else does too. Being a cat mom is a wonderful thing to be!

What does being a cat mom mean to you? Let's all share in the comments!


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NOTE FROM CUTE: I am not sure if you all saw, but I just started a new business -- CatLadyBox. It's the first-ever monthly subscription box for people who love cats! I just launched it a few weeks ago, and I can't wait to start sending all this fabulous cat-themed stuff to everyone! I'm so excited!

Each month, you'll receive a box with cattastic hand-picked finds for cat ladies like cat lady jewelry, shirts, accessories, home decor, books, cat art and more! It's going to be pawesome!

If you're interested and would like to subscribe to CatLadyBox, you can cancel anytime, of course.

I want to get rid of the cat lady stereotype and help make cat ladies the things to be! The first box ships in June, so now is a good time to sign up! If you have questions, feel free to email me. :)

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Apr 23, 2015

Three Cats Thursday: Phantom is a Bad Cat... Help!

Happy Three Cats Thursday, Cuteheads! Today Phantom is taking over, as he does every single friggin' day in our house.

I have a question, and I'm hoping you all can offer some suggestions.

Phantom is bad. Adorable and cuddly and loving... but bad. He knocks anything off any surface -- while looking right at me. He tries to move anything that isn't glued down, just to get my attention. He even moves paintings on the wall!


And when I look at him or tell him no, he makes the cutest meow and then runs over to his toy box, like I'm going to play with him. It's cute that he does that, but so honestly maddening that he does it all day, every day. He never gets tired! I can't seem to get anything done at the computer without saying "No!" 10 times a minute.

I have tried reverse pychoolgy and ignoring him. I have tried being nice and calling him over from whatever bad he is doing and loving on him, so he gets the idea that "stop!" is good, I have tried to play with him to wear him out (that lasts about 10 minutes and he's back at it), I have tried blasters (look up SCCCAT from PetSafe - great concept, but I need about 100 of them!)... and I have no idea what else to try!

Does anyone have any ideas?

Obviously I love him even though he's horrible, but I'd really like to be able to get some work done at home, especially since I'm trying to start a real, legitimate business here (CatLadyBox!) and I actually have to work! :)

Help!

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Apr 22, 2015

Introducing CatLadyBox - The First-Ever Subscription Box for People Who Love Cats!

Oh my goodness, Cuteheads. I am SO excited! I just started a new business just for cat ladies! Because you can never have enough cat stuff, right?!

Introducing CatLadyBox, the first-ever monthly subscription box for people who love cats!


You may have heard of some of the other subscription boxes out there that have things for your cats or your dogs, but there has never been anything for us humans... until now!

CatLadyBox is a monthly box of the most unique and exclusive cat lady finds. Cat-themed jewelry, clothes, accessories, decor, books and more for you, delivered in a box your cat can keep (of course). It's like getting the most purrfect gift for yourself every single month!

A sample CRAZY CatLadyBox!
I had this idea because I know how much I love cat stuff -- I always look twice when I see something with a cat on it in a store! -- and a lot of other cat ladies are the same. We love showing off our cat lady pride, and I wanted to come up with a fun way to grow our collections of cat-loving things. Plus, it's fun to get a package for yourself each month!

You can choose from two "levels" when you subscribe: the regular CatLadyBox will include 2-3 cattastic things just for you, and the "Crazy" CatLadyBox comes with all of that PLUS a couple things for your kitties, too! Because you couldn't possibly leave them out, could you? ;)


And best of all, because you all know how important cat rescue is to me, I have decided that we will donate a full 5% of all the revenue to cat rescues and shelters every month. So not only do you get fun cat stuff for you, but you're helping save kitties every month too!

(Make sure you check out the "About Us" page on the site... I think you'll recognize the Team! Each of the boys has a very important job to do!)


Most of the items will always come from local and independent artists, shops and sites because I want to support them -- and also because this way you'll get things that no on else can get in the big stores! I can't wait to start picking out the items for the boxes and shipping them out and seeing what everyone else thinks of everything. I already have so many pawesome things lined up that I want to include in the boxes! I can't even explain how excited I am.

I hope you'll check it out! And even if you don't join, I hope you'll help me spread the word by sharing the page and telling your cat-loving friends. Doing something cat-related as a job is a dream for me, and while it's just starting and not my entire job right now, it's so exciting to be able to do something you love.

You can PRE-ORDER now and the first boxes will ship in June! I'm only sending a small number for the initial launch, so I hope a lot of those will be Cuteheads so you can give me some great feedback -- and also because I want you all to get the fun stuff!

Please check out the CatLadyBox site here. I think it's a super cute!

And if you don't mind, please like CatLadyBox on Facebook, follow @CatLadyBox on Twitter and CatLadyBox on Instagram! Thank you, thank you!





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Apr 4, 2015

Caturday Shenanigans with Phantom

I love Phantom more than anything, but he is a bad, bad kitty. He's just flat-out naughty.

Some of you may think you have bad kitties. If you want to trade for a few days, you'll realize what an angel you actually have!

Phantom is so bored. He's always bored. Sooooooo bored. No matter how much I play with him, he's bored three minutes later again. When he gets bored, he tries to get my attention.

Nothing is safe. If there is anything that isn't glued, strapped or tied down, he's swatting it off the table or counter. If it's made of cardboard, wicker, wood or paper, he's gnawing the corner of it. He's always looking for his next bored victim.

In the past few days, however, he's picked up a new hobby. Apparently he's an interior decorator now!




Talk about climbing the walls!

Seriously, what am I supposed to do with this?! I think I've tried pretty much everything, including giving up. Haha. If you look at the second picture, you'll notice both bookcases have two completely empty shelves... that's because he knocked everything off of them so many times that I finally just took all the stuff off. But I don't want to have to take paintings off the walls! That's just insane.

P.S. I have something I'm super excited about that I'm working on! (If I'm not posting here, believe me... I'm not bored like Phantom! Hehe.) There's a sneak peek in the sidebar on the right. I can't wait to tell everyone about it! :)


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Mar 27, 2015

Ridiculously Fluffy Kittens Playing with a Bug

Before we watch this video, let's have a little giggle. Only people who are as crazy about cats as we are would be interested in clicking on a post title with this name. Cats. Playing with a bug. How exciiiiiiting...

But it is! And the great news for all of us who are crazy about cats? The video is more than seven minutes long, and if you want to watch the whole thing, it'll be seven minutes well spent. I could watch this fluffy crew of kittens play all day!


Thanks to Cutehead and fabulous transport kitty foster momma, Leslie W., for sharing this cute video with us!

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Mar 26, 2015

Three Cats Thursday: Pimp's Health, Moo's Moo-ness and Phantom's Mission to Destroy the World

Happy Three Cats Thursday, Cuteheads! Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?! I want to give you all an update on the boys! The excitement never ends around here, for sure.

Pimp




Pimpy is doing amazing. He is such a wise old man, and his daily routine makes me smile every single day. We brush my teeth together, he yells at me from the bathroom counter for water, he sleeps in the same spot right next to me every night, and jumps on the bed 2.5 seconds after I get in, just like clockwork.

Plus, seriously... look at that face!

Pimp is 15 years old, you know, and he gave me quite a scare a few months ago. I honestly thought I was going to lose him. He had been slowing down a little bit, I had noticed, but he was still eating and doing all his regular routine, so I just chalked it up to his old-manness. He had found a new sleeping spot in the closet kind of tucked away a little, but again, I thought he'd just found a quiet new old-man spot away from the rugrats.

But one night he didn't really eat much dinner, just picked at it. And the next morning he didn't want breakfast, at all. Which is odd, because he screams at me from the kitchen floor every single morning (with his old man raspy meow) for his breakfast, and then practically gallops over to where I set his bowl down. But one meal is just one meal, and it's possible he had eaten all the dry food during the night (I always leave some out so that he can eat whenever he wants since he's so scrawny).

I told myself I'd see how he was in the evening, and decide whether we were going to the vet based on that. So when I got home from work, it was time for dinner and he did not want it at all. Nothing. He didn't even get up to go to the kitchen for it like he normally does, and he was just seeming pretty lethargic. I told myself I was taking him to the vet the next day, for sure.

But then, in the next few hours, he just started to go really downhill. He was in his closet fort, and not wanting to come out. His eyes started to look a little glazed, and I could tell he was just not right. I sat there watching him like a hawk to see if it was something that warranted the emergency vet probably more than an hour. And I had no idea what to do. I didn't want to not take him if he needed it, but I also didn't want to put him through that stress if he didn't (not to mention the money, which is not the important thing here, of course).

It was just me, and I really wanted someone else there, and someone else to help me decide and give an opinion, so I called my ex-boyfriend over, who used to live with us so he knows Pimp inside and out too. He was super nice and came right over, and we sat and watched him for another couple hours. If he was just going to stay the same, the morning would be fine. And honestly, if it was going to be his time, I was worried that the decision I was making was whether he was going to go peacefully at home and comfortable, or over-stressed out and hooked up to things at the vet (the last time I took him to the vet, the car ride home actually really worried me and he seemed really, really stressed).

But after a couple hours, he started to get worse fast. I'd kind of get him out of his fort to check on him, and he'd walk right back -- but he started being off balance and stumbling to the side and almost falling over walking. When I saw that, I immediately said "THAT'S IT! We're going to the ER right this second!"

Turns out his temperature was super low -- like 93.7, I think -- and he was very dehydrated. There may have been other things, but the ER's mission was to try to bring him back to normal, and then our regular vet could do any other tests he wanted the next day. But honestly, we were all very worried about him.

Luckily, $2,000 later, I picked him up in the morning (so relieved that I hadn't gotten "the call" overnight!), and he was a totally different cat! He was definitely still not 100% by far, but he was Pimp again and meowing and poking his nose out of the carrier! I swear they saved his life.

After that, we went to our vet and he got a slew of tests and medicine and was kept hospitalized that day and on fluids. Turns out he had a bad UTI and a kidney infection. I felt horrible! He hadn't shown any signs of having all that wrong, and I felt terrible. But the good news is that it was all fixable, and while he wasn't totally out of the dark, we had a plan.

Fast forward to today and probably $4,000 later... HE IS AWESOME! And he sleeps next to me in his spot, yells for water on the bathroom counters, raspy screams at me for breakfast and doesn't sleep in the closet hidey spot anymore!

If you remember, he is hyperthyroid, and we'd been managing it with the Hill's prescription y/d food. That had worked great for years, but he didn't seem to be responding to it as well lately (plus, I wanted to be able to feed him way more delicious food!), so we switch the daily pills instead. I hide them in treats and anything else I can think of to get him to take them (he will NOT be pilled), and he seems to be doing great.

So, that was a way longer story than I'd thought it was going to be, but it has a good ending so it was worth it! :)

Other updates: He has a new bed he loves that self-heats, he's eating super expensive food that he loves, he has a new water fountain that he's not too fond of even though it cost me quite a pretty penny, and I basically spoil the crap out of him and indulge his every whim. Because he deserves it!

Moo



Moo is my sweet boy and my cuddlebug. He is so precious and he loves his mommy so much. Every chance he gets, he wants to be picked up and rub his head in my neck and push back on my hand when I scratch the back of his neck... so much so that I can't believe he isn't worried about falling out of my arms (although I'd never drop him!).

He is also just not nearly as smart as Pimp, bless his heart. He kind of reminds me of a cross between a dumb jock and a teddy bear, just so happy in his world and oblivious to the fact that others are just a little sharper than he is. Haha.

He won't eat treats until Pimp eats one first and shows him how (every time). He just kind of looks like he's not sure what's going on sometimes (in a cute way) and just blindly comes whenever I call him, does whatever I ask him to do, is so well-behaved and mild-mannered and precious... I just love this cat!

Other updates: He's on an eternal diet because he really has lived up to his name. I've also been working to get him off dry food entirely.

One other super important update: The #notbox is still around! I think it will be TWO years old in May! Can you imagine?! He still sits in it and plays with it every single day!

Phantom



Oh, Phantom. Where to even begin here? This cat is probably one of the goofiest, silliest, most annoying, smartest, manipulative, adorable, loving cat I've ever met (and I've met a lot of cats!). He is also the biggest pain in the butt, and my life consists of trying to figure out how to live in peace with this toddler of a cat who is truly in his terrible twos (that I love more than anything in the world!).

This is a day in the life of Phantom (kittens, cover your ears!): 1. Sh*tting, 2. Not doing sh*t, 3. Knocking sh*! off counters, 4. Annoying the sh*t out of me. I'm sure many of you know some similiar kitties... Haha.

He looks at me, and while I'm watching him and telling him no, he unapologetically knocks whatever he was poised to knock off the counter right off. To get my attention (ALL. THE. TIME.), he just wreaks havoc on anything that is not tied down, or chews up the corner of any piece of paper or book that is gnawable. Then when I say no and go over to see what in the world he just knocked over or did, he looks at me with complete innocence, does his chirpy meow, and literally skips over to his Da Bird toy (most favorite thing ever!) and paws at it like I'm going play with him then. He's nuts! I don't know why he thinks I'm going to reward him for doing bad things. :) But it is adorable.

He also gives Pimp a run for his money sometimes, keeping him young by chasing him around the house, and gives Moo some much-needed exercise by doing the same to him. Basically, I understand how people collect more and more cats... I think getting him a kitten to play with would solve all our problems, but we're not even going to entertain the impassibility of a #4, OK!?

And so that's us!

I'd love to hear how your kitties are doing! I know a lot of them, and I'd like to "meet" the rest of them!

Let's share with each other about our babies in the comments today! :)


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Mar 25, 2015

Meet Fritz, the Worst Food-Catcher in the World

Fritz is so excited about getting a steak, a burger, and even some tacos! And he is SO ready to catch them.

Except that for the life of him, he just can't catch them. "A" for effort, Fritz!


NOTE FROM CUTE: Hi everyone! I've gotten some feedback about the new emails that it crashes their Outlook when they try to open it. I'm so sorry if you were one of these people! I'm trying to figure out how to make it do what it's supposed to in Outlook, but in the meantime we're back to the old version of the emails. The other one is definitely cuter, but all the cute in the world can't make the interwebz cooperate sometimes. :)

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Mar 24, 2015

Adorable Dog and Cat Snugglefest

Charlie and Darwin are the best snuggle buddies!

And if you listen closely, you can hear Darwin purring away when he goes in for the head-bonk cuddle.


P.S. Charlie has a Facebook page if you want to follow him! It's Charlie- The Cheeky Chappy.

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Mar 23, 2015

Adorable Squeaky Screaming Frog

Quite possibly the world's cutest frog! Even if you're not a fan of frogs, this little guy will melt your heart.

He's a desert rain frog, and he apparently has a lot to say.


That video has been making the rounds around the interwebs lately, and I found another one also some more cute squeaking, and some silly still shots too! I love these froggies!


I mean, seriously... So cute!


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Mar 22, 2015

Kitten Suddenly Falls Asleep

Sometimes when you're tired, it just hits you...


Thanks to Cuteheads Leslie W. for sharing this cute sleepy kitten video with us!

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Mar 21, 2015

Cats That Love Baths

Not every kitty hates the water. These crazy cats love it!

I especially loved the cat wrapped in the towel... You'll see!


Thanks to longtime Cutehead Linda R. for sharing this cats that love baths video with us!

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Mar 20, 2015

It's Time for a "Cattitude" Adjustment!

Now this is a study I can stand behind! I'm all-in on the findings of this study, and all-in on the idea of making "cat lady" a cool thing to be. We're not crazy... we're just crazy about cats!

Here's a study that came out this week from PetSmart. They talk about a great point... if we can convince more people to have cats... we can save more cats! :) Good stuff!


It’s time for a “cattitude” adjustment: PetSmart Charities™ survey reveals changing feelings about cats and cat people

(Phoenix) — Goodbye, crazy cat lady. Hello, cool cat parent. A new survey released by PetSmart Charities™ reveals that while the gap in the way we perceive cats and dogs remains huge, most people think that negative stereotypes about cats and cat people are wrong and that changing these stereotypes will help more cats get adopted.

PetSmart Charities commissioned the nationwide survey of more than 1,000 Americans in February to learn whether or not cats’ popularity in Internet videos and memes is actually benefiting them in real life — especially homeless cats who face an uncertain future in shelters.

The “truth” about cats and dogs
A majority of respondents said cats are intelligent, loving, cuddly and attractive, but negative stereotypes like “moody,” “stubborn,” “aloof” and “grouchy” also sprung to mind. Fewer than half thought cats were protective, loyal, or friendly.

Meanwhile, most respondents described dogs as friendly, loyal, protective and loving.

The survey also showed that negative stereotypes affect perceptions of cat owners and cat lovers. Most pervasive is the “cat lady” — nearly half (49 percent) of survey participants still buy into this stereotype.

Change is in the air for cats (and their owners)
It’s not all bad news for cats, though. Over half of respondents said the negative stereotypes about cats are untrue (56 percent), and nearly three-quarters said stigmas about cat owners are outdated (71 percent). Almost two-thirds believe too many people have negative impressions of cat owners.

Additionally, consider the following statistics:

  • Most respondents said they like cats (82 percent).
  • Three-quarters said they believe cats make great pets (77 percent) and they would be proud to say they have a cat (78 percent).
  • Over half of survey participants believe that more people would have a cat if the stereotypes about cats and their owners were removed (56 percent).

Cat lovers can help cats the most
For cat lovers who think twice about posting that selfie with their cat, the survey shows they should share it. Respondents said friends and family who have cats are their most common sources of information about cats (74 percent), followed by their past (66 percent) or current (54 percent) experience having a cat. However, only one-third of cat owners are sharing about their cats on social media. Cat lovers can combat the stereotypes and boost people’s perceptions of cats and their owners by spreading the word about their awesome cats.

“Our survey shows that America is ready for a major ‘cattitude’ adjustment. It’s time to end the stereotypes around cats and cat people to help more cats get adopted,” said Jan Wilkins, executive director, PetSmart Charities. “That starts with cat owners proudly sharing how cats make wonderful pets and enrich our lives.”

PetSmart Charities wants to know what makes your adopted cat an incredible pet. Tell us on Twitter by following PetSmart Charities (@PetSmartChariTs) and by using the hashtag #savecats.


ABOUT PETSMART CHARITIES™
PetSmart Charities, Inc. is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that saves the lives of homeless pets. More than 400,000 dogs and cats find homes each year through our adoption program in all PetSmart™ stores and our sponsored adoption events. PetSmart Charities grants more money to directly help pets in need than any other animal welfare group in North America, with a focus on funding spay/neuter services that help communities solve pet overpopulation. PetSmart Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization, independent from PetSmart, Inc.

ABOUT THE SURVEY
The PetSmart Charities research was fielded via Toluna Analytics to 1,022 U.S.-based respondents during the period from February 11 – 14, 2015. It has a +/- 3% margin of error.

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Mar 7, 2015

Cat and Turtle Playing Tag

Tag, you're it! It's the modern-day story of the tortoise and the cat hair (Sorry... I had to!).

A fluffy black kitty and a surprisingly agile and fast turtle played an exciting game of tag around a pole, and lucky for us, someone was there to video it!


Have a great weekend, everyone!

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Mar 2, 2015

Cute Cats and Babies Playing Together

These babies love their kitties! And the kitties love their human siblings.

If you know anyone who thinks pets and babies don't go together, show them this. So cute! Cats can be the most wonderful, gentle and loving things!

I fully spent almost eight minutes of my life watching this video (and I usually don't have the patience for all that!) and smiled and giggled through the whole thing! You don't have to watch it all, but at least watch the kitty and baby around 1:50... sweetest pair ever!


P.S. If you haven't take our Cat Lady Survey yet, please do! Click here to take it.

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Feb 28, 2015

Fun Fact from the Cat Lady Survey!

Yesterday I asked you all to take my Cat Lady Survey, and some of the results that came back were really fun and interesting -- and even surprising!

First, I want to thank everyone for participating. I wanted some input on some things, and I knew the Cat Ladies (and the rest of you here!) were the perfect people to ask! Thank you!

(Psst... if you haven't taken the Cat Lady Survey yet, please do - click here! There's still time!)

Here's one fun fact that stood out.



How do you stack up? Is 4.48 cats a "crazy cat lady" or is it more than 4.48 cats that gets you there? Apparently I need 1.48 more cats to be catch up and be at least average!

I'll share more soon. This is fun!

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Feb 27, 2015

CALLING ALL CAT LADIES! Please Take This Quick Cat Lady Survey


Hi everyone! I'd like to ask your opinion on a few things. Can you please help me out? I have a couple ideas, and I'd love your input!

If you're a cat lady or have friends who are, I'd really appreciate if you could take this quick survey for me. It's kind of fun, and it only takes a few minutes! 



If the survey doesn't show above or doesn't work, please click here to go to the direct link and take it there. Thank you!

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