Book Review:"Morning Miss Moo" (story of an ornery cat) by Carrie Dow, Illustrations by Roxanne Macke

"Miss Moo"

"Ever been bossed around? Been told what to do? That's Miss Moo!"

"Morning Miss Moo" is  based on Carrie Dow's own cat, a stray found behind the garage.

Anyone who has been "owned" by a cat can relate to the infamous scene that occurs in most households, where before the sun has even had a chance to rise, our feline food machines are at-the-ready, game plans for how to awaken us ingrained in their crafty kitty craniums. This event is the crux of "Morning Miss Moo", author Carrie Dow's first children's book, .

The book, for me, a tad on the short side (approx 10 pages), but possibly purrfect for the 4 and under crowd's limited attention span) focuses on Miss Moo's quest for her breakfast,  and how she is going to waken her "blonde" (Mom) in order to to accomplish this task.

Once fed, like any kitty worthy of calling itself a cat, Miss Moo pretty much wants nothing more to do with the "blonde" other than to return to the "blonde's" bed after eating, curl up beside her and  go to sleep.

The illustrations by Roxanne Macke of Broomfield, CO. are quite good. Macke is a graphic artist and she was able to use digital photos of Miss Moo and put them into her illustrations.

Carrie Dow is hoping to turn the book into a series, an excellent idea. While being a cute, pleasant read, in my opinion "Morning Miss Moo (story of an ornery cat)" didn't quite show me enough of why Miss Moo is ornery. Tapping her "blonde's" face and chin to awaken her is far from "ornery" to me.

When attempting to awaken my husband for his breakfast,  Cody turns on the printer and knocks anything off of the bedroom dresser that he can get his paws on to make sure our feet hit the floor in short order! THAT'S "ornery!"

Children in particular love to read about silly and mischievous behavior (especially when it is an animal exhibiting objectionable behavior), that they can associate with, learn from and giggle like crazy at.

I would have liked to have seen Carrie Dow tie into the book (if it IS the first of a series), how she came to acquire Miss Moo and how Miss Moo earned her name. It is mentioned on the press release that the "Dows named her Miss Moo because instead of saying "meow" like other cats, she says "moo".

It is my hope that Carrie Dow DOES continue with the series. The title "Morning Miss Moo (story of an ornery cat) is great, but there was something missing in this story for me. More development of the actual story is needed, show us just how  "ornery" Miss Moo really is!




Miss Moo has her own blog. Read it at www.missmooblog.blogspot.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:Carrie Dow is a freelance magazine writer who lives with her husband in Lakewood, Colorado. Along with Miss Moo, she also has an orange tabby Snickers, and a black English Labrador named Jasmine.


ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:Roxanne Macke is an environmental artist/graphic designer. She lives with her husband, their two dogs, Yorkiepoo Frodo and a black Labrador mix, Brodie, in Broomfield, Colorado. www.2roxstudios.com


The book is currently available online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. ISBN 978-1-4269-1 879-7.

Dear Angie From "Catladyland"

My Mom and I were so excited to get mail! We were even more excited when we saw it was from YOU! You are so special to us! We wanted to show everyone what we got:

We got a great sticker, a beautiful note and a new MOUSIE!!!

Be sure to visit Angie at Catladyland

I was so happy to get this wonderful surprise,  but my Mom is really upset with me. I was running with the wonderful mousie when the video camera was NOT ON! I kept running carrying mousie and I would bring him into the kitchen. I thought if I brought mousie into the kitchen then Mom would get the idea that I wanted my bedtime snack! I was just focused on my snack and not the mousie and that is why Mom is so upset with me.

 Mom said as soon as she turned the camera on I had ZERO purrsonality. I just want to tell  all of you that I LOVE my mousie and sticker but I don't see why I have to turn my mousie fun into a photo op for my Mom!  Geeze! Get a life woman!

Anyway, here is the video that made my Mom so upset with me.



I really do love my mousie Angie!! I thank you and I am sorry I was more worried about my snack than I was with mousie. Please forgive me. Please tell Phoebe, Cosmo and Saffy thank you and that I send them kitty hugs and kisses. I  will convey more gratitude instead of "catitude" in the future.  Love, Cody

Our Flooring Is Almost Done And We're "Floored!!"

Hi Everyone! Cody here with an update on the flooring.  It's almost entirely in and my Mom is handling it like a little trooper.

I didn't get to see much of the action (but I sure HEARD IT!) I was in the bedroom sleeping on my snuggly pillows and playing with my Bat-A-Rat.  I heard loud sawing and hammering and an occasional voice saying "Don't open that door the CAT is in there!" (yeah like I wanted to run out in that dust filled zone to begin with!)

The men that are putting our gorgeous Pergo floors in  are super nice and boy do they ever work hard! (Don't they know it is much nicer just to eat and nap all day?) My Mom said they made it so easy for her because they were so nice and even cleaned up their mess before they left. I couldn't believe it when they opened the door and look what I saw!!

See me on the chair?
They did such a good job
They didn't even need me to "snoopervise!"

Dakota and I had the best time running and sliding on our new floors! My mom says it sounds like Dakota is wearing tap shoes and it kept making her laugh. When he tried to spin and spin like he does when he gets over exuberant, I was laughing and laughing because he kept sliding. I kept hoping he would run so fast that he would slide into the wall but he didn't! (I am hoping he does today and that Mom has the video camera when it happens.)

Look at how it shines!!!

 This is not how the furniture will look
My Mom said a new sleeping place
 is coming for me next week!
 A new couch will be here!

Everything went so well that it totally surpassed my Mom's expectations.  She is so thankful and just loves the great job the hardworking men have done so far, they only have a little bit left to do.

I guess the floor is super good for sleeping too:

Dakota sure likes it!
He's Smiling!!

We're About To Be "Floored"!

My Mom's furs are standing on edge

 This is why.

 

Our new Pergo flooring that Mom ordered

 from Home Depot arrived yesterday!

The nerve of my Mom and Dad to store this in my playroom. Mom is thrilled to finally be getting new flooring (our carpet was like centuries old and had every stain known to man on it.) There wasn't a carpet cleaning product in the world  that could even begin to make it look presentable. Not to mention the times that Dakota was impersonating a goat and decided to chew it like there was no tomorrow!

Mom is a total wreck. The control freak in her can't deal with a disruption in her environment. Geeze, you'd think she was a CAT!

There are lots and lots of things being stored in Mom and Dad's bedroom to get them out of the way so that the nice men that are going to be putting down the flooring will have room to work. The above scene is guaranteed to give me a good laugh when Mom and/or Dad trip over this in the night. I can't wait to hear the nasty words that will be flying around then! After the flooring is laid  Mom will have to move everything back out.

Mom said for me to tell everyone that since she will be her manic self for the next few days, she may not be able to get around to all of the bloggies like she enjoys doing. She said that she will visit as much as she can (and I might too), but if she can't visit she is hoping that everyone understands.

In the meantime I will be staying away from Mom until her messy little world is righted and there will once again be peace in the valley (until her next little self-imposed crisis).

Shhhhh! Don't tell the crazy lady that I am in here!

Wake me when it's all over!!

"Sunny Seat " ("As Seen On TV), Sunny-Side Up? Or Down...

I was thrilled when I was presented with the opportunity of reviewing the "amazing" Sunny Seat. I had wanted to have something like this for Cody for quite some time, mostly because he is strictly an indoor cat and I wanted to add some visual stimulation and a new perch  to enrich his day.

In theory, Sunny Seat is fabulous:




My Experience:

The Sunny Seat kept falling off of the window, not once, twice, three or even four times, but NUMEROUS times.

I tried to get the Sunny Seat to adhere to the window a multitude of times because I really wanted Cody to enjoy this seat. Each time I washed and dried the window thoroughly. Sometimes I used window cleaner, other times gentle soap and some water. I also cleaned and dried the suction cups. The longest the seat stayed put was approximately two hours. Cody did get to sit on it, but not for long.

Cody tries out the Sunny Seat

My Thoughts:

I am greatly disappointed. I really was looking forward to Cody enjoying the Sunny Seat.  I am  going to keep trying to see if I can get it to function properly.

The first window I tried.
 there are two connecting windows with a bar
 so maybe this was not the best idea

I  originally chose to put the Sunny Seat in the above window because I didn't want Dakota to go nuts when he sees Cody on a seat higher up in a window. The window the Sunny Seat was originally adhered to was in a room that Dakota does not have access to.

Desperately wanting this product to function as promised, I moved it to a larger window in the living room (after once again cleaning the window a few times, as well as the "industrial strength" suction cups)

So far...

So good....but noticeably missing a cat

"And they all fall down!!"
 After about 15 minutes, thankfully, without Cody sitting on it.

Some Final Questions:

It is still cold and cloudy more days than not here in Michigan. Is the Sunny Seat less functional in cold temperatures and does it only perform as promised in a window that has been warmed by the sun? (I am not trying to be funny I am serious). Do warm temps make it adhere to the window better?

Does anyone currently own the Sunny Seat? I am eager to hear your experiences and any suggestions you may have that I could implement with the anticipated result of this product functioning in the manner that I had originally  expected  it to.


**I was not compensated for this review. I was given this product to test and report my findings. As much as I prefer to do a positive review on products that I test, I must be honest when presenting the findings from this product (from my personal experience) to my  readers. Maybe your experience will produce different results.

"Easy" And "Awesome" Like Sunday!!

Happy Sunday everyone!  For today's post  I would like to first present you with the "Easy" that this Sunday has to offer:

I remember the first time I read about "Easy Like Sunday" in the blog-o-sphere, it was on the charming and loving blog Brian's Home! From that moment on I was hooked! It is only fitting that today I would post the precious bumper sticker that Cody and I were lucky enough to receive in the mail this week from none other than Brian's Home!

 We are proudly displaying it in our kitchen along with Alex's bumper sticker from Feeling Beachie!

Cody and I love how this bumper sticker made by Build-A-Sign reflects the essence of Brian's blog purrfectly!! Thanks so much to Brian for sending it to us!!

Now.... on to the "Awesome!"

I was stunned and thrilled as I was reading CindyLu's Muse tonight to see she had presented Cat Chat  an award that Cody and I  hadn't received yet:

Wow are Cody and I ever flattered!! Thanks so much to CindyLu'sMuse for presenting this "Awesome" award to Cat Chat!! Cody and I think you are pretty darned "Awesome" yourself!

One of the requirements that I must complete in accepting this reward is to tell 7 things about myself. Last time I mentioned things about me, this time I would like to mention 7 things about Cody!

•  The day I adopted Cody I actually wanted to adopt his sister or his brother but not Cody (yes I am ashamed that that is true!) Wasn't meant to be. His sister and brother didn't like me at all. 
•  Cody is an incredibly friendly cat. He has to greet whomever enters our home and he always walks right up to them to be petted (or ideally given something to eat!)
•  Cody is also quite brave. When someone he doesn't know visits our home, his Sheltie-brother, Dakota, stands BEHIND Cody waiting for Cody's approval of said visitor!
•  Cody can eat his food in less than 30 SECONDS. (Not good!)
•  Cody is an incredibly good brother to Dakota. They play together and kiss each other every day.
•  Cody doesn't like to sleep with my husband and I at night (he is totally different than most cats in that way) He prefers to sleep in the living room with Dakota.
•  Cody helped begin the healing of my aching heart after Bobo had crossed over The Rainbow Bridge. I adopted Cody two weeks after Bobo had passed.  I couldn't bear to live without a cat, and I am convinced that Bobo sent my loving and cuddly Cody to me to help ease my pain.

Another requirement of this award is to present it to 15 blogs that I think are "Awesome". For those of you who follow this blog regularly, you know me well enough to know that I simply cannot choose just 15 blogs that I think are "Awesome". If I follow you and comment on your blog, I already think you are "Awesome", if I didn't, I wouldn't be following you or commenting. It's that easy, that's how I roll. So, if I am a follower of your blog or you see a comment from me in your feed,  please accept this "Awesome"  award "with love, from ME to YOU!!"

Cody Loves His Banana!!

The 2010 Annual "Purr-fur-mance" Review!!

Hi All! Cody here and ohhh this is sooo much fun! I have been waiting nearly all of my nine lives for this! A chance to review my Mama on her blog "purr-fur-mance" (or the lack thereof!)

Here is a copy of the criteria for this review that I received from our friends Maggy, Zoey and Ann at www.Zoolatry.blogspot.com

And now...the moment I have soooooooooo been waiting for, sit down Mom, take a load off and pay attention, here is my review of YOU!


Quantity of Output-when Mom first started this blog back in October of 2009 she  was lucky if she posted once a month. In April of 2010 Mom started to get her act together and did posts 3 days a week, then gradually they began to increase. In the Fall/Winter she has been averaging approx. 5 posts per week. National exposure? Fame? Hehehe that's funny...did you forget this is CODY here? Not Sparkle, not Daisy, not Brian, not Mr. Puddy  (the list  goes on and on but before I really make Mom mad for accidentally leaving out other kitties (and doggies) that she loves as well, I'll stop here).  I DO give her 4 Paws for great improvement though!

Pam at Pet Blogs United created this for us and we love it!

Quality of Output-Mom needs to pull out the digital camera and get with the program. Yeah some of her photos are cute but I can find better quality in my litterbox. Yep, I equated her photos to poop. Plain and simple...POOP! Videos? Practically non-existent unless she swipes 'em off of YouTube (damn, the copyright Police should be over here in a few!!) The two my Mom created were lame...she needs to practice. For photos and videos she gets a HUGE SWAT!!!

•  Words? When I write the blogs they are great, when my Mom does? Not so much. Mom is extremely honest though and super caring. I think her topics offer a lot of variety, her book reviews are pretty darned good and her guest bloggers have been SUPERB!!! For this I think I give her FOUR PAWS UP!!

Client Pawticipation: yep! She gives all of her friends and (enemies) LOTS of ways to reach her! FOUR PAWS UP!!


Pawticipation Part II:  Mom tries to get involved as much as she has time for and she always tries to involve me as well! She and I have attended some great birthday pawties and other events.  She is super good about getting around to read lots and lots of the bloggies and is great about leaving comments. She is also one of the top Moms that shares other people's posts. I give her FOUR PAWS for  CARING!


Client Satisfaction: I know my Mom hopes everyone likes to come here when they visit. She welcomes suggestions, criticism (if it is said nicely, otherwise she will arch her back and hiss at ya. "Hell hath no fury like a Kitty Mama scorned", trust me...I know...I live with her!) She is honest and expects honesty in return, and she genuinely wants people to come to Cat Chat and be happy and comfortable while learning, laughing (and even sometimes crying),  and feel that it is a warm and caring place to be.


 If there are things she is not doing, or not doing well, or doing too much of, or not enough of, she sure wants to know. I can't rate Mom on that, our friends who visit us (who we deeply appreciate!)  will have to determine how many paws she gets for that one!


Well, that's my "Purr-fur-mance" Review Mom, and ya know what? Ya didn't do too bad after all! There is HUGE room for improvement but no matter what, I believe in my heart, from my whiskers to the tip of my tail that you LOVE kitties soooo much, you LOVE what you do, you give it everything ya got and you sure get FOUR PAWS in my book for effort! Don't let it go to your head though, I don't see any more cat toys or "noms" coming my way as a result of your "EFFORT!!"

This ISN'T Cody, hence the GREAT photo!

Psssst....now go learn your darned cameras would ya? All of the other pet bloggers run rings around ya!   Slacker.....

Animal Rescue Superhighway, A Guest Blog By Melanie VanNuys

The Animal Rescue Superhighway was created out of our deep sense of respect and love of our four-legged family members. We're very passionate! We picture a world in which every pet has a loving, forever home, free of fear, abuse and neglect.

But merely picturing this Utopian world was doing nothing to move us any closer to that end. I grew tired of sitting idly by and “wishing” to make a difference. I started thinking. Being fully aware of the incredible power the Internet has...it hit me. What if I could leverage that power in helping create this world? I envisioned a resource unlike ANY other…A website that is bursting at the seams with legitimate, authoritative, relevant and valuable information for like-minded, concerned pet owners. A place to come with any question and have the peace of mind that trusted knowledge will be there waiting. And best of all - I wanted it to be FREE!

We also wanted to lift the barriers that prevent putting pets in loving, forever homes simply because they were separated by a few miles. Thanks, in part, to the vast reach of the Internet, we have been able to grow a vast network of volunteers who so graciously give of their time when an animal is in need. Because of this group, the Animal Rescue Superhighway has been able to transport animals more than 17,000 miles – out of death’s grip and into homes where they finally know what it’s like to be loved.

We enjoy our pets. They make us laugh. They love us unconditionally. They even lower our stress level. Animal Rescue Superhighway is more than just another animal website. We aim to teach others how to be responsible pet owners through education and advice from others. Here you can find information on topics such as proper health, nutrition, pet-friendly travel, pet adoption and overall care of their cats.

We invite you to visit the Animal Rescue Superhighway and see how you can become involved. With this New Year comes an exciting new venture and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Until they all have a home…

Melanie

"Dr.Smiley" Gets HIS!!-Semi "Wordy" Wednesday

Many of you remember my trip to the vet last week. If you missed it, please click here

Mom bought this "Dr. Smiley look-alike" for Grandpa Bobo years and years ago. He traveled in Bobo's carrier when he went to the vet and now he travels in mine....

"Dr.Smiley"

Until last week

Mom came into the bedroom after we got home. She KNEW she had left "Dr.Smiley" in the carrier as always....

THIS...is what she found.....

That'll teach him!!

Mom here, I truly discovered this an hour or so after we returned home from the vet...."Dr.Smiley" had NEVER been hurled from the carrier by Grandpa Bobo OR Cody......I laughed and laughed when I stumbled upon the crime scene!

 Cody certainly made his point!

Please Help The Animals Of Egypt! Guest Blog By Gwen Cooper

By now, we’re all aware of the current unrest in Egypt. What many don’t realize, however, is the catastrophic toll that unrest is taking on Egypt’s animal population.

 

Egypt hasn’t traditionally had much in the way of infrastructure when it comes to animal welfare, so there was already a large population of cats and dogs living on the streets. Those cats and dogs are now getting caught up in the tear gas being used against protestors. ESMA (the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals) has retrieved dozens of cats and dogs who were on the brink of death, unable to breathe because of the tear gas and with eyes so swollen they couldn’t see. And even the physical injuries often pale in comparison to the sheer terror these defenseless creatures are being subjected to.

Foreign citizens living in Egypt have been returning to their own countries, forced to abandon their cats and dogs. Pet stores—most stores, in fact—have been closed for days, with nobody checking on the animals trapped inside who are slowly starving to death. The same goes for zoos. The banks are closed, which means ESMA has no access to funds with which to purchase food and medical supplies. Some rescue groups are being forced to feed their rescues a diet of bread soaked in water. Homes are being raided and burned down with defenseless pets inside. The volunteers at ESMA are taking turns guarding their shelter 24 hours a day, as raids and fires are happening in their neighborhood as well.

An influx of dollars is the best immediate thing we can do to help ESMA and the animals they serve. Dollars will actually be more useful than Egyptian pounds right now when it comes to buying food, medicine, and other supplies. Dollars can also be used to hire trained teams to rescue animals from abandoned pet stores, zoos, and homes. Even a small amount of money—say $20—can go a very long way in a situation like this.

Here’s a link to ESMA’s donation page. Please, please give what you can—as I said, even an amount of money so small that you think it couldn’t do any good can save lives now, especially if all of us chip in.

http://esmaegypt.org/blog/how-to-help/

Donations are made through PayPal.

The other thing you can do to help the animals of Egypt is to continue to spread the word about their needs. Link to this post, or ESMA’s donation page, on your own blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, etc. Tell your friends, families, co-workers, veterinarians, rescue groups you may work with, and anybody else you can think of. While the media has finally started to pay attention to this story, any additional awareness we can create will go a long way toward making things better.

I’ve spent the past several days in touch with members of ESMA’s board. They’ve asked me if I truly think readers here will be concerned about the plight of animals all the way in Egypt. I told them that there are many animal lovers here in America, and we all understand that animals aren’t citizens of countries. They’re citizens of our hearts, and our hearts have no borders.

Please do what you can—and God bless!



ABOUT GWEN COOPER-"Author of the 2007 novel "Diary Of A South Beach Party Girl" and the 2009 New York Times Bestselling memoir "Homer's Odyssey." Currently writing my third book, a novel called "Love Saves The Day" for publication in Spring 2012."

We "Heart" Angie Bailey Of "Catladyland" Fame!

Cody dreaming of Angie

Hi my little Valentines! It's Cody in the house!!   I am here to wish all of you a Happy Valentine's Day!

Ahhhh...Valentine's Day... just the thought of it makes me think of catnip, noms, comfy places to snooze, a little beverage of your choice, pretty ladies and of course kitties! Oh, did I say I love the ladies? Ohhhhh yes I do. 4-leggers and 2-leggers, doesn't matter to me. My only requirements are that they be easy on my eyes, smart, loving and funny!! Ohhh soooo funny!!!

There are a number of 2-legged females in the blog-o-sphere who meet my criteria but today I want to focus on "ma petite" (don't you just love French speaking mancats?) Angie Bailey from Catladyland-Cats Are Funny and Katt Food, because she was one of the very first 2-leggers (other than my Mom)  to steal this mancat's heart.

I like to really, really know the 2-legged females that I bestow my love on, so I asked Angie if I could sit down with her and find out more about her, and (be still my heart), she agreed!

Angie and Phoebe

It is my pleasure to share our most exclusive, never-seen-before interview with my beautiful "bon ami" (French again, control yourselves ladies!)  Angie Bailey!!

CODY: When did your love of cats begin?
ANGIE:  I've always loved cats.  When I was in middle school I was obsessed with Garfield comic books and collected cat figurines.  Not much has changed...
CODY: My Mom was obsessed with Garfield too! He always reminded her of Angel Bobo!

CODY: You are quite artsy and eclectic...do you come from an artistic family?
ANGIE: Hmmm...not especially. I know my mom used to write poetry when she was younger, but that's about it.  I love anything creative and will try any type of project.  My trouble is I'm a great starter, but my interest wanes after a short time.  I'm kind of surprised I've stuck with blogging/writing for as long as I have! I do have to give a shout-out to my daughter Katie, who is an amazing visual artist and quite a writer herself!
CODY: Ohhhh we have seen some of Katie's work and it is fantastic! She is quite the talented young lady (like her Mom!)
CODY: When you were little what did you want to be when you grew up?
ANGIE:  I wanted to be an ice skater, a lawyer, or an actress.  The funny part is I live in Minnesota and have still never ice skated!  I'm terribly accident prone and bruise if someone looks at me the wrong way.  I'll skip the ice skating!  I think at the time I was smitten with Dorothy Hamill's haircut.

"Catladyland-Cats Are Funny"

CODY: I just asked my Mom about that hairstyle and she said "ohhhh yes everyone wanted that "do" back in the day!
CODY: What made you start blogging? Was Catladyland your first blog?
ANGIE:  I have always been a writer, mostly for my own pleasure.  For three years I wrote a column in a local paper.  A couple of years ago I found myself writing lots of "Notes" on Facebook because I had so much more to say than could fit in a status line.  It occurred to me that I should consider blogging -- that was in January of 2009.  My blog was first called Eclectic Catladyland  and started out being a blog about lots of things, including cats. I definitely wrote more essays in the beginning, and to be honest, I wish I wrote more of those now.  I wrote a lot of parody-type posts that included some self-deprecating humor.  I found I really enjoyed the silly posts about cats the most and noticed those posts seemed to generate the most interest.  Slowly, most of my posts began gravitating to cat humor themes.  Last year I changed the blog to just plain Catladyland because it was easier to remember and "eclectic" seemed to be a tough word for people (including me) to type quickly.  Last month I added the tagline, "Cats are Funny."  Because they are, right?
CODY: Well, that depends on your frame of reference! Humans think we are "funny" but actually in the cat world we all feel that we are rather deep and profound. Don't let our "silly" antics fool ya!!
 
CODY: How did Phoebe, Saffy and Cosmo come into your life?

Saffy aka "Admin Assistant"

ANGIE:  Saffy was a rescue cat -- we adopted her when she was a year old.  Cosmo and Phoebe were both barn cats that found their way to our home.
 
CODY: Did your husband always love cats? (Drat!! We must get rid of the husband!!)
ANGIE: Oh yes -- his family always had cats.  He works from home and he calls Saffy his "administrative assistant."  She sleeps on the bed while he works.  One day she decided to sleep in a different room and he told me she was taking a personal day.  They adore each other and I love that!

CODY:What do you like to do in your spare time? 
ANGIE: "Spare time" is such a funny phrase!  I don't remember the last time I was bored.  When I'm home I like to work on my blog, write essays, play word games on Facebook (I'm a serious addict), hang with the family, play with/take pictures of the cats, watch movies, listen to music, and participate in any activity involving food!
CODY:Did you say "FOOD???" I always knew we were kindred spirits, now I am certain of it!
CODY: Were you born and raised in Minnesota?
ANGIE:  I was born in Atlanta, GA and lived there until I was 16.  My family then moved to St. Augustine, Florida, where I graduated from high school.  I went to college at Florida School of the Arts and then moved to Minnesota in 1990.  People always ask me why in the world I'd move from Florida to Minnesota.  The answer?  A boy.  It's always about a boy, isn't it??  Either a boy or a CAT!
CODY:Yep that is true. As far as I am concerned it should be about a "boy" (ahem...ME!) who just happens to BE a CAT!! "Florida School of the Arts?" waaaay cool...but now I can't get the theme song from "Fame" out of my mind...thanks Ang! 


CODY: What is your favorite part of writing your blog (s)?
ANGIE:I love being able to express my silly side and it's even better when the readers enjoy it too!  I've met the nicest people in the blogosphere  Silly cat people?  What could be better?  I also love having an outlet to help animals in need.  In fact, this month Catladyland is raising funds and supplies for Feline Rescue Inc.  in St. Paul.
CODY: My Mom and I read that post and think that everyone should too!! We think what you are doing is wonderful and it is just one small thing in a huge litany of things about you that we love!  
 
CODY: What is your most unfavorite part?
ANGIE: I love taking photos of my cats for my blog and sometimes they just won't cooperate!  Can you imagine??
CODY: Nope, never (paws crossed behind my back)  

CODY: If you could be one of your 3 cats which one would you choose to be?
ANGIE:  Phoebe -- she is so self-confident and couldn't care less what anyone else thinks.  I wish I were like that more often than I am!  Plus she eats and eats and eats and never gains a pound!

"Neurotic" Cosmo

CODY: Hmmm...maybe I should hang with Phoebe instead...sounds like just my type!

CODY: Which of your kitties is the most like you?
ANGIE:  Probably Cosmo.  He's pretty neurotic.

We Got Mail!!!

Hi Everyone! It is Cody at the computer today! My Mom and I  were soooo happy  to get something special in the mail!! Hilary from the great blog http://wwwfeelingbeachie.blogspot.com had a bumper sticker give-away and we were sooo excited to receive one!  We hope you will stop by http://wwwfeelingbeachie.blogspot.com  and say hi!!

Hilary's blog is chock full of observational humor and insightful  stories about various events in her life and of course about her kitty, Alex!!

LOOK!!!

IT'S

ALEX!!!!!!!

Our friend Alex

Alex's Mom had bumper stickers made by Build-A-Sign.   The nice lady at Build-A-Sign had contacted my Mom a few months back too, but my Mom couldn't figure out how to make a bumper sticker (of course she became all flustered and rather than ask for help she gave up) she didn't know the nice lady would do it for her...soooo...my Mom missed out on this one!

We are glad that Alex is watching us, we feel soooo protected!

Ohhhhh my Mom forgot to mention that she just reached her 200th blog post the other day! (Took her long enough...geeze!!!!)

Thanks to all of YOU for "watching" us too! We can't do what we do (whatever THAT is! without YOU!!)

Cats And Dental Disease, "Mario Da Cat's" Story, Guest Blog By Mario's Mom, Mary

This post originally ran in 2010 but with February being "National Pet Dental Health Month", I felt it was important to re-post it. Enjoy and thanks to Mary for allowing me to re-post!

Please be sure to visit Mariodacat's Blog, "Mario's Meowsings" just click here!

Mario's Story

I was thrilled when Caren asked me to do a guest blog post regarding my cat’s (@Mariodacat – on Twitter) dental problems and how he became toothless at the age of 4. Hopefully it will bring awareness to the importance of having your animals teeth cleaned when your veterinarian recommends such. If your vet recommends brushing, it can be done with proper training.

Handsome Mario!

We adopted Mario from our local shelter in October 2008. A week later we were in having his teeth cleaned, and one had to be pulled as it could not be saved. He kept having recurring infections after that. Finally, after 4 changes in antibiotics (which clearly were not helping) our veterinarian said Mario might be one of those rare cats that are allergic to his own bacteria in the mouth. She recommended seeing an animal dentist in another city.

After many blood tests, extensive
 X-rays (Mario did have to be put under anesthesia for that), the dentist called us and said Mario’s teeth would have to be removed. When normal veterinarians remove teeth, they do the best that they can with their skills & equipment. Probably 99% of the time, it’s good enough for most animals. But it was determined that Mario was allergic to his own bacteria in his mouth. The dentist found little tiny bone fragments remaining from what his regular vet had pulled. These could not normally be seen without the specialized equipment that a dentist has.

He pulled all of Mario’s teeth, except the 4 canines, that first visit & cleaned up the hidden fragments left behind from his visit to our local vet. We were sent home with toothpaste for cats, a tiny brush, taught how to brush his teeth, and of course, more antibiotics. The Dentist stressed the importance of brushing daily. Well, even with our faithful brushing the infection still did not clear up. It was then determined that the 4 canines would also have to be removed.

By the time Mario had been with us a year, all his teeth had been pulled, we were missing a few $1,000 dollars, but we gained a very happy, healthy, loveable cat. He is able to eat dry kibble and, of course, canned cat food for a treat.

There wasn’t anything that we could have done to prevent this from happening, as we didn’t discover the problem until we had adopted him. But we are very grateful to our dentist for being aware of the problem and referring us to a specialist.

If you have an animal that has recurring infections in the mouth area, question your vet on whether or not your pet might be allergic to the bacteria in his/her mouth. If your vet hasn’t even heard of it, I would encourage you to contact an animal dentist in your state. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. Had we not been referred to a dentist for animals, Mario probably wouldn’t be around today. Peridontal disease in animals is very serious and can be deadly. The infection can eventually enter the blood stream and that is when it becomes deadly.

Mario wrote about his ordeal in his blog – http://mariodacat.blogspot.com/It was written by him (with me, his human) typing for him so it is very lengthy, but informative. If you have an animal that you think might have a similar situation, I would encourage you to read it.