Callie Needs A Home!! And Clean+Green Contest Winners!! "Wordy Wednesday"

Hi everyone! I know today is supposed to be "Wordless Wednesday" but there are two very important things I have to take care of that are going to require using a lot of words.

The first is a cat named "Callie" who is available for adoption. Helping this cat in particular is important to me because she is being fostered by a woman that I adopted Cody from back in 2007.  Adopting Cody was a special gift and it is important to keep the circle of good karma going.  Please meet "Callie" who is being fostered by St.Julian's Cat Rescue. To visit their page on Petfinder and see more cats that are available for adoption please click here

"Callie"

"Callie is about 2 years old now. She is spayed and current on vaccines.  She is a wonderful girl, very loving, friendly, affectionate and easy going.

 She is good with dogs, cats and children!

She is just the sweetest cat, very loving and super affectionate. She loves to play with her toys and fur mice (favorite toy!) and just loves to be with people. She is a lap cat or will just be by you and sleep in bed with you.  She also gets along well with dogs and would love another cat to play with, she will be great with children.

"Callie"

Please  e-mail vfanimals@netzero.net or  call  734-748-9891

  if you'd like to meet Callie, or know more about her!

Now on to our next impawtant business!

The winners (as chosen by Random.org)

of our Clean+Green give-away are:

Kathie-from Kat Happy Haven-Furniture Refresher

 CHOICE OF PRODUCT WINNERS ARE:

Patty from Art & Sew Forth

Nellie from The Cat From Hell

Lisa from Lisa's Cat Lover's Pages

Winners! Please email me

your complete mailing address, names AND phone numbers

(Clean+Green cannot ship without phone numbers!)

For the 3 who won your choice of product

please let me know which product you would like

you may view their homepage here

for product list

Thanks to all who entered!!!

Top Pet Poisons and How to Avoid Them -A Guest Blog by Heather Reynolds, Trupanion Pet Insurance

 Heather Reynolds is a pet lover and internet journalist at Trupanion, North America’s fastest growing pet insurance company. Trupanion offers a simple, customizable pet insurance policy with no payout limits and 90% coverage of veterinary bills. Enrolled pets receive lifetime coverage for diagnostic tests, surgeries, and medications if they get sick or are injured, with no incident, annual or lifetime limit.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals releases a list every year of the top pet toxins. For the fourth time in a row, human medications topped the list. Almost 25 percent of the calls received to the poison control center were in response to pets accidentally ingesting these drugs.

The most common offenders were ibuprofen, antidepressants and ADHD medications. Here is a little more about each of these toxins:

·         Ibuprofen is a common over-the-counter drug used to reduce fever and relieve pain from headaches, muscle aches, backaches, and the common cold. Symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, lethargy, and dehydration. If not treated, kidney failure may result.

·         Antidepressants include a wide variety of medications such as imipramine, desimipramine, and trimipramine. Even in humans these medications cause side effects like diarrhea, dizziness, nausea, and weight gain. In pets, symptoms of poisoning include vomiting, disorientation, anxiety, aggression, seizures, change in body temperature, weakness, tremors, and rash. If not treated, the pet could die.

·         Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed childhood behavioral disorder. Medications for this condition include Concerta, Adderall, and Ritalin. In only takes a small dose of these medications to cause life-threatening health problems in pets, including tremors, seizures, elevated body temperatures, and heart problems.

Pet insurance can help with the cost associated with treatment for these poisonings, but the main goal would be to avoid it in the first place. If you have medications in your home, even over-the-counter drugs, it’s important to keep them locked up or otherwise out of reach of pets at all times.

If you think your pet may have ingested human medication, call your veterinarian immediately. You can also call the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center’s 24-hour hotline at 888-426-4435.

Curiosity Nearly Killed This Cat Lover

This post originally was published Saturday, November 14th, 2009. At that time I think I had TWO readers? This one was one of my faves and I hope you like it!

Monday evening I was on the balcony enjoying the unseasonably warm weather when "what to my wondering ears", I heard the sound of a cat crying. Uh-oh for me that is a dangerous sound. It is one I cannot ignore. I probed the darkness with my eyes  trying to catch a glimpse of the wailing kitty. Kitty Rescue 911 had been called, I was on alert! I went off to proceed with my rescue! Didn't get the memo that I would be the one crying and in need of rescuing!

In my rush to find the soon to be feline felon I flew out the back door of our condo/apartment building, eyes riveted on the courtyard ahead so as not to miss the poor wailing kitty who I was sure needed my help. Too bad I forgot there were stairs. Big Stairs. Big raggedly edged concrete stairs just waiting to attack.

CRASH, BOOM, WHACK, THUD I rolled and smashed my way to the ground. I bashed my knee, smashed my arm, hand and finger and whammed the side of my face onto the concrete. Thank G-d for baseball hats with brims! If I hadn't been wearing one I am certain I would have cracked my skull.

pill bug

I rolled onto my back, legs in the air, like a pill bug, (not a pretty site to see this kind of girth laying in that most unbecoming manner). I was afraid I couldn't move. I lay there looking at the lights of our condo on the 2nd floor wondering why my Sheltie who barks at every sound (even those unable to be heard by man) did not run to the window to alert my husband that I was in danger and needed help! Lassie he is not, (but we'll keep him).

Observe, NO DOG in window

Thankfully after Xrays I am fine. Still can't bend my finger, I am bruised like an over ripe banana on my chest and arm, ("no doc my husband didn't beat me, I had an altercation with 2 giant concrete steps over a cat!!") but I am fine!!

I laugh when I think of what a dear friend said to me when I told her of the mishap. She said she hoped the cat hadn't filmed the entire escapade and posted it on Youtube.

I never did find that cat, but I WILL be checking Youtube.

NOTE: A couple of months later our Property Manager had the stairs lowered. (Nope! I didn't complain or tell them about my "adventure"), I do  know of at least one other person though who had "wiped out" in a similar manner. It appears that when the Property Manager was "walking" the property they discovered that the steps were not "up to code" regulations for height. 

Fabulous Find! "Zen Cat-Spring Comes" Video

Have a peaceful weekend!

Gardening And Your Pets, "Furry Friends Need Protection", A Guest Blog By Jan Bills From "Two Women and a Hoe"

“You become responsible forever for what you have tamed”.

~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

"Hellooo Kitty"

There are two things in life I adore and never tire of:  gardening and the unconditional love of my furry friends!  In honor of National Poison Prevention Week, I was tickled when Caren and Cody asked me to write an article on keeping our pets safe in the gardens.

Did you know that many common plants we bring into our homes and gardens are very toxic to cats and dogs?  As evidenced, cats are notorious for chewing on plants and dogs are notorious for chewing on everything!

As a professional landscape designer, master gardener and owner of Two Women and a Hoe®, it is my duty and privilege to ensure that the plants I recommend for clients with cats and dogs are not only lush and beautiful but pet friendly, too!

 

Not too long ago my niece had a frightening experience.  Lily, her four pound adorable Chihuahua puppy, chewed a tiny piece of bark from a Sago Palm and nearly died.  I am relieved and delighted to report that after many hours of extensive and expensive treatment, Lily is doing fine but continues regular blood screenings to ensure there is no permanent damage to her liver.  We can only imagine how terrifying an event like that can be!

"Chewy"

In an effort to avoid any unfortunate mishaps in the garden this season, following is a partial list of popular plants that are toxic to cats and/or dogs.  If your pet is ever so frisky and has an innocent way of finding trouble, you will want to avoid these plants:

 

*        Rhododendron

*        Cactus

*        Dieffenbachia

*        Amaryllis

*        Ivy

*        Mistletoe

*        Easter Lily

*        Caladium

*        Azalea

*        Creeping Charlie

*        Sago Palm

Spring has sprung and we are itching to get in the garden!  Before heading to your favorite garden center, please take a moment to visit ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center.  There is an excellent collection of toxic and non-toxic plants listed, and other safety related measures pet owners can take while gardening.

"JGS Kitten"

 

If you ever suspect your cat or dog has been poisoned, please immediately contact your veterinarian or the ASPCA’s 24-hour emergency poison hotline directly at 1-888-426-4435. 

Together, let’s pledge to keep our furry friends happy, healthy, and safe this season! 

May all your gardens grow,

Jan

Want more Jan?

Her Contact Info Is:

Jan Bills, Owner
Two Women and a Hoe®
The Fine Art of Soul to Soil

Website:  http://TWOwomenANDaHOE.com

Facebook:  http://www.Facebook.com/TWOwomenANDaHOE
Twitter:  http://www.Twitter.com/TWOwomenANDaHOE

Wordless Wednesday-"Mousie's MINE, Get Your Own!"

Give-Away And Review! CLEAN+GREEN by SeaYu - Furniture Refresher for Cats & Dogs

Spring has FINALLY arrived! Yesterday was the first day of Spring and with that comes the arrival of warm and sunny days, birds chirping, open windows and Spring cleaning!

We want to celebrate the arrival of Spring and make your spring cleaning easier by sharing with you a new product that we received from our friends at Clean+Green!

 If you were a reader of Cat Chat last September you will remember that we did a review of some of the Clean+Green products and after the overwhelming interest, we held a give-way. We are holding one again! (I am sorry though, due to international shipping rules only those that live in the U.S. & Canada are eligible to enter.) Requirements for entering the give-away will be listed at the end of this post.

What is Clean+Green?
CLEAN+GREEN® are eco-friendly aerosol pet odor and stain remover products. Our line of eco friendly, green cleaning products are made from organic and biodegradable ingredients and packaged so you can recycle the container - now you can clean green! For green pet cleaning, use effective, non toxic, organic home cleaning supplies and keep an environmentally friendly home - with pets.

Clean+Green offers a line of green home cleaning supplies for greencarpet cleaning and carpet stain removal, green wood & tile floor cleaning, and green furniture cleaning for pet urine removal, pet stain removal and pet odor removal. The products work on cat urine, dog urine, vomit, hairballs, bird droppings, and small animal urine. They are odor eliminators for cat urine odor, dog urine odor, vomit odor, hairball odor, bird dropping odor, small animal odor, dog smell, cat smell, ferret smell and other small animal smells. Clean+Green is a stain remover for urine, feces, vomit, hairballs and any other pet accidents.

The product we received was the Furniture Refresher

The Furniture Refresher is fragrance free, works on contact and is meant to be used for pet beds, leather, fabric & upholstery. It cleans and eliminates pet odors safely and in an eco-friendly way! It is made with all natural ingredients (as are all of the products by Clean+Green)

We wish we had received this BEFORE we just bought new furniture. We did try it out though... guess where we used it, that isn't listed on the can as a place to use it? In our kitchen garbage can! And...it worked! We also sprayed it on the cushions on our kitchen chairs and on our dining room chairs. (All places that Cody likes to hang out on!) It worked! There are no lingering odors! No perfume scent disguised to mask odors...it just totally removes the pet odors, naturally, safely and odor-free!

GIVE-AWAY!!!!
The great people at Clean+Green have offered to give one free can of Furniture Refresher to a lucky reader of Cat Chat!

WAIT! THERE'S MORE!!
Because I want more people to experience just how great Clean+Green products are, I am also going to give THREE additional winners a can of Furniture Refresher!

THAT'S RIGHT! THERE WILL BE A TOTAL OF FOUR WINNERS!!


How To Enter:
there are FOUR, EASY, MANDATORY steps. (FOUR winners, FOUR requirements, that's fair!)


1) Follow us publicly with Google Friend Connect (see sidebar)


2) "Like"  "Cat Chat With Caren & Cody" on Facebook. Click HERE (Note:if you were a member of my previous Cat Chat GROUP you are NOT entered in the contest. We now have a new PAGE on Facebook so please "Like" it to be entered!)
***Exemption from this step: If you are NOT a REGISTERED Facebook user please state that in your comment when you enter. Obviously if someone is not registered on Facebook they can't "like" us there, and they will not be considered as ineligible for this contest. (Thank you to Sammy, Andy and Shelly for bringing this issue to my attention)


3) "Like" Clean+Green on Facebook. Click HERE

4) Leave a comment AND a way to contact you if you are one of the lucky winners  on this post telling me you completed the above steps. It is NOT necessary to leave a separate comment for each task completed. You may list them all in one comment. 


WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED ON WORDLESS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30TH!  THANKS AND GOOD LUCK!!


We received no compensation for this review. We received Clean+Green Furniture Refresher to test and review. Clean+Green offered to give-away ONE can of Furniture Refresher, I wanted more people to win, so I am purchasing THREE more cans for THREE additional winners!

Friskies® Tasty Treasures™ Pays Tribute To the Most Influential Cats on the Web With A 640-Pound Cheese Sculpture

 A cat paws the keys of a piano and 20 million online views later, she’s a well-known performer. Another curious feline learns to flush the toilet so he can confirm if the water drains counter-clockwise, resulting in joy for more than five million viewers. Cats are quickly dominating the Web – in fact, they’re the “Big Cheeses” of the Internet. To celebrate the launch of Tasty Treasures™, a new variety of wet cat food featuring the taste of cheese, Friskies® commissioned a golden cheese sculpture of these feline champions of the Internet.

Friskies appointed master cheese carver Troy Landwehr from Wisconsin, our nation’s cheese capital, to hand craft the unique cheese sculpture. Using a 640-pound block of Wisconsin cheddar cheese, Landwehr’s carving depicts four iconic Internet cats engaged in the various activities that made them famous: Standing Cat, Nora the Piano Cat, Gizmo the Flushing Cat and Monorail Cat. Surpassing online video competition with a “new breed” of viral video content, these cats share a combined 30 million online views.

Troy Landwehr master cheese carver and I Can Has Cheezburger's  "Big Cheese!"

The cheese sculpture was unveiled on Saturday, March 12, at I Can Has Cheezburger’s “The Internet is Serious Business” party at South by Southwest Interactive. Through sites like I Can Has Cheezburger, owners share their cats’ wonderfully dynamic personalities with millions of viewers every day.

“Cats have always brought smiles to their owners’ faces, and now owners are sharing these fun moments online, which is why Friskies was delighted to partner with I Can Has Cheezburger to celebrate the growing popularity of cats on the Web by showcasing the ‘Big Cheeses’ in a playful way,” said Aaron Williams, Assistant Brand Manager of Friskies. “Because our research tells us that many cats like cheese, we thought the cheese sculpture was a perfect way to acknowledge these high-profile felines and our new cheese-flavored product at the same time.”

"Big Cheeses Of The Internet"

In a recent surveyi of 738 cat owners conducted on behalf of Friskies, 46 percent said their cats like the flavor of cheese. Three in five said they would serve their cats food made with cheese. The online survey took place in February 2011.

i The survey results are from an online omnibus of 738 cat owners conducted by Opinion Research Corporation. The online omnibus study is conducted twice a week among a demographically representative U.S. sample of 1,000adults 18 years of age and older. Interviewing for these surveys was completed on January 31-February 1 and February 3-4, 2011. The margin of error is +/- 3.6%.

“We developed Tasty Treasures to bring new excitement and something a little unexpected to cats’ mealtime,” said Williams. “The bursts of color and the taste of cheese in every bite make Tasty Treasures a fun experience that stimulates cats’ senses and satisfies their hunger for variety.”


Available nationwide for a suggested retail price of $0.52, Friskies Tasty Treasures are 100 percent complete and balanced nutrition for cats of all ages and available in four new wet product line SKUs: With Turkey and Cheese in Gravy; With Chicken and Cheese in Gravy; With Ocean Fish, Tuna, & Cheese in Gravy; and With Chicken, Tuna & Cheese in Gravy.

About Friskies®

Friskies® offers a complete line of great-tasting cat foods, including more than 60 wet, dry and treat varieties that help cats enjoy multiple sensory experiences. Friskies is manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare, a global leader in the pet care industry. Nestlé Purina PetCare promotes responsible pet care, humane education, community involvement and the positive bond between people and their pets. The North American headquarters for Nestlé Purina PetCare is located at Checkerboard Square in St. Louis, Mo. Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A. – the world’s largest food company.

Troy Landwehr master cheese carver

"Flattered Friday" And Guess Who's Having A Birthday???

Cody and I are sooooo flattered and thrilled, (because we actually had nothing planned to blog about today!!! Ha!!!!) to be featured on the fabulous blog:

Please Click HERE To Read The Interview

While you are there,

 someone super special

 is having a birthday today!!!!

DO

YOU

KNOW

WHO????

It's ANGIE'S BIRTHDAY!!

Let's all wish

this incredibly SPECIAL,

warm, loving

& HILARIOUS woman

A Birthday as

MARVELOUS

as she is!

Shhh....don't tell her

that we told!

Paws For Japan-Aid for Animals of the Japan Tsunami/Earthquake

There is nothing that I could write that would begin to sum up the devastation that has taken place in Japan.

It is far from over

With every day that passes there are more horrific images, stories and events that most of us cannot even begin to comprehend ever having to contend with that have now become the people of Japan's new reality.

If we cannot comprehend the situation, imagine the animals. It is difficult to articulate what I am feeling because it upsets me too much.

There is a strength, determination, level of caring and desire to help by those of us in the pet blogging community  (and our readers) that is unsurpassed.

I want to help

If you want to help, please see the information below that I first learned about through Pawcurious and Your Daily Cute.

VETERINARY AID

FOR THE ANIMALS OF

 THE JAPAN TSUNAMI/EARTHQUAKE

World Vets is a international veterinary aid organization providing ongoing veterinary programs in 28 countries worldwide as well as disaster respone for animals. We are currently mobilizing supplies, gear and a first responder team to Japan to help the animals impacted by the recent tragic disaster in Japan. DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED to get help to animals in Japan. Animals are often forgotten in times of such tragedy. World Vets wil not forget them! Our website is http://www.worldvets.org. We are a 501c3 Nonprofit based in the United States.

Please DONATE NOW!"

The above info was taken from the World Vets website. There is a ChipIn link on the side of my blog that will be given directly to World Vets. Please contribute if you can.


If you can't afford to donate, never under estimate the power of Prayer or sharing this blog and others like it to help spread the word.


Each of our lives and the lives of our beloved animals can change in an instant. 

WORDY WEDNESDAY CHALLENGE 2011

Cody, Dakota and I are thrilled to be a part of the Wordy Wednesday Challenge that is being sponsored by Zoolatry and Sammy, Andy and Shelly's Place.

We are just ecstatic about our wonderful photos! Thanks so much for all of the hard work involved in creating such marvelous photos for all of us who are participating in this super fun event!

First up:

CODY!

Cody's word is "Cuddly"

From the moment I adopted Cody

he has been a little snuggle-bug

As a little guy, he would proudly

strut (yes he strutted with his little pot-bellied self!)

across the room and promptly made a beeline

for me and climbed up me like I was Mt.Everest

(in case you haven't noticed, I am shaped like Mt. Everest lol)

Then he would wrap himself around my neck

like a little furry boa

He STILL does this, but he is 12 lbs now

as opposed to 5 lbs when he first did this

Next Up:

Dakota!

Dakota's word is "Vocal"

When I saw this photo I nearly rolled

on the floor with laughter

Anyone that knows anything about Shelties

knows that they are herding dogs

This translates to that they are "working" dogs

They NEVER stop working

They NEVER stop guarding

They are quite vocal.

They bark at nearly everything

Those that don't understand the nature of Shelties

tend to not understand this behavior

Every dog has a "job"

A Sheltie's job is to herd and protect

My neighbor used to say that our building

that we live in is lucky.

We have 24 hour security because

Dakota is "on it" every hour of the day!

Adopt The Internet Day Is Here! Happy 15th Birthday To Petfinder!!

Cat Chat is proud to be joining over 80 blogs/websites in wishing Petfinder the Happiest Birthday EVER! They are 15 today!!

In support of Petfinder and all of the pets they have found furever homes for, and to the 320,000 pets on Petfinder that still NEED furever homes we are going to showcase a number of cats that are available for adoption on Petfinder. These adorable kitties are located right here in Michigan. Won't you help spread the word about these babies that need furever homes?

Better yet, if you are in a position to adopt a kitty from Petfinder, please do!

Here are the kitties!

Stumps- A CHARACTE

Domestic Short Hair 

Large, Male Orange And White Mix

 An adoptable cat in Union Lake, MI

If Interested Contact:

Elizabeth Lake Animal Rescue

248-682-9649

Cricket

Tabby - Buff Mix:

Large Adult Male

  Grand Rapids, MI

More about Cricket

Spayed/Neutered •

 Up-to-date with routine shots •

 House trained •

 Prefers a home without: dogs •

 Declawed

Cricket's Contact Info

Carol's Ferals and Friendlies

 Grand Rapids, MI

• 616 560-0555

Leah Sings the Blues's Contact Info

Spayed/Neutered •

 Up-to-date with routine shots •

 House trained • Coat length: Short

Adopt-A-Pet, Inc.

 Fenton, MI

• 503-680-5914

For more information and to view more adoptable pets please visit http://www.petfinder.com/info/adopt-the-internet

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY

PETFINDER!!

Thanks for

All that you do!

LOVE, CAREN AND CODY