A safe place in the storm...and Bumper Pet Winners!

 Now...the WINNERS OF THE

BUMPERPET.COM

DRY-ERASE DECALS

GIVE-AWAY ARE:

CAT WINNER: MARG

DOG WINNER: ANN PAWS

CONCATULATIONS!!!!

THANKS TO ALL

WHO ENTERED!

Monday Mourning

Spitty,

Concatulations....

the best team won.

I'll have my pawson

contact your

pawson

just give me a moment....

Heart-broken In Detroit,

Cody

Fun Friday! A Give-Away From BumperPet!

I was recently contacted by BumperPet asking if I would be interested in receiving a few of their newest creations to share with my readers.  I had featured BumperPet back in 2011 so I was happy to do so!

If you aren't familiar with BumperPet they have everything from T-shirts, to magnets, to dry erase decals, prints and charity specific products!

They have pre-designed products
 or you can unleash your creativity by creating your own!

BumperPet also gives back,  they are committed to helping rescue pets in need. They donate 10-25% of all of their sales to animal rescues. You can read about that here

Here are the items that I received:

  DRY ERASE CAT DECAL:

Measures 10.5" x 16"

It is peel and stick dry erase material

Removable and can be removed and placed somewhere else

Comes with a black marker

I chose to turn mine

into a cheer leading cat

for the Detroit Tigers!

I put it on the wall

next to Cody's cat tower in my office

He sleeps on...

oblivious to his new "friend"

I also received a
 DRY ERASE BONE DECAL

so that Dakota could "represent" as well!

There it is under the bulletin board
 on the  wall in my office
I wasn't feeling particularly creative
so I just put Dakota's name on it
I am sure I will be using it for 
handy reminders down the road!

The bone measures 17" x 7 "

Next  we have:

 Cat Magnet
Have to tell you,
the magnets I received
are my favorites!
I couldn't find either the cat magnet
or the bone magnet on their site
but their magnet selection is so cute!
Check them out here

Bone Magnet

Both of my magnets on the fridge

LAST BUT NOT LEAST
I RECEIVED A

CAT TYPOGRAPHIC ART PRINT




Photo courtesy of Bumperpet
click here for more info

AND

Photo Courtesy of BumperPet
DOG TYPOGRAPHIC ART PRINT

click here for more info

GIVE-AWAY! The kind folks at BumperPet are going to send ONE DRY ERASE DECAL TO ONE CAT WINNER AND  ONE DOG WINNER!!   Since they are doing the shipping, U.S. ONLY PLEASE.

TO ENTER: Just leave a comment telling me if you prefer the CAT prize or the DOG prize! IMPORTANT! When leaving a comment be sure that I have a way to contact you should you be the winner. Someone lost out on their catnip prize because I had no way to reach them! Sooo the catnip toy went to winner #2 which was SPITTY!

You have until Monday, October 29th at 5pm ET to enter...winner will be announced on TUESDAY OCTOBER 30th GOOD LUCK!

I was not compensated for this blog post. I was given the products to try out and share with all of you. All opinions are my own.

BLOG-O-VERSARY!! We're 3!!!

Hi every kitty! It's Cody!

 I am sooo excited because today is our Blog-o-versary

and we are 3!!

October 25, 2009 was the first day that Mom and I

 put our paws to the keyboard and what a ride it has been!

We have met so many wonderful people,

 we have learned so many things

and we are excited to see

what is in store for year FOUR!

We love each and every one of you!

Mom and I wanted to share a couple of our favorite blog posts from the past 3 years. The first one is one of Mom's favorites and the second is one of my favorites:

CURIOSITY NEARLY KILLED THIS CAT LOVER/BLOGGER

CODY GETS HIS SAY, HIS REBUTTAL TO CELEBRATE ME HOME...PLEASE!

Mom and I would like to thank ALL OF YOU for visiting us over the past three years, many of you have been with us since the  early days and:

 you are STILL HERE! Imagine that!

If it weren't for YOU there would be no "US!!" 

My Wish Tonight...Kinda "Wordy" Wednesday

This is gonna be FUN!!!

Tonight we begin the World Series

and are playing the San Francisco Giants

the baseball team of my buddy:

Click here to visit Spitty's blog!

I'm not gonna talk a lot of smack

cause I watched the Giants

KILL the Cardinals

 they are gonna be a

 formidable opponent!

There is gonna be a lot of scratching and clawing,

 may the BEST team win!

Spitty and I have made a bet,

the loser has to send the winner

treats from their home city!!

This is gonna be FUN!!

Remember folks...

the TIGERS

have the edge cause they are:

FELINES!!!

Monday Meows

Hi everyone it's Cody! So, did everyone have a great weekend? I sure hope so! I had to take over the blogging duties today because Mom is a food and cake over-loaded slug.

For those who may not have known, this past weekend was Mom's birthday, she had a great time, in fact, it was SO great, that at the last minute she turned the blogging responsibilities over to ME!

Mom originally was going to read and  review  Ingrid King's new book, Purrs Of Wisdom, but Mom had to reschedule that for Monday, November 26th (we thank Ingrid for her gracious understanding when Mom contacted her last week to let her know that due to her being busy celebrating  consuming mass quantities of food and cake for her birthday, she couldn't put down her fork,  shovel, long enough to read the book over the weekend). Then, Mom was going to  blog about her trip to Purina, which may I remind Mom was the FIRST week of October? I'll do some paw-whapping on her and get her to move her butt on THAT one!

While I was twitching my whiskers and tapping my paws trying to come up with a topic for today's post, after consulting with my slacker Mom, I have decided to show you a few of Mom's favorite cards that she received for her birthday.

Here you go!

Card is from American Greetings

Dad bought Mom the above card. He said it reminded him of yours truly. He said it was because of the crabby face. I have no idea what he is talking about, this card looks NOTHING like me! I am much more handsome than this sorry kitty!

Card is from Northern Exposure

Mom really oooohed and ahhhhed over this one! Look at how that orange tabby has his paw on top of the kitty's head! MOL! This card was from my Aunt Judy. Mom loves it!

Card is an Ink Loft card from Gartner Greetings Inc.

This card was another from Dad. He said it reminded him of Dakota and I.  Nice try Dad but neither the dog NOR the cat looks ANYTHING like either one of us! Mom loved the card anyway!

Last, but far from least, was a surprise graphic....you'll know who this is from the second you look at it!

Card is from Glogirly

Mom received this adorable photo from the gang over at GLOGIRLY: Katie, Waffles and Katie's uber-talented Mom !! To keep up with all of the fun that goes on over at Katie's blog, click here to visit! Mom was tickled PINK to receive this! Thank you again to all at Glogirly for such a nice surprise!

Mom received other cards that she loved, but I have decided to only feature the ones that pertained to Cats!

Well, that's about it for this Monday's post. Oh wait! I forgot! Mom wanted me to be sure to thank ALL OF YOU who took time out of your busy weekend to stop by our blog and wish Mom a Happy Birthday. She said to be sure to tell ALL of you how special you are and how much ALL of your greetings touched her and made her SMILE! She said that EVERYONE helped make her birthday extra special, and she (and I) are grateful for each and every one of you!!!

Ok, that's enough gushing from me. I'm about to cough up a fur-ball from all of this sugar!

May the FUR be with you!

Cody

It's Somebody's Birthday....

But Mom you will NEVER grow up!

Mom...

THIS is for YOU!

One of your

FAVORITE songs!!

When it comes to 

"Cattitude"

Mom

YOU have it!

AND...THERE'S MORE MOM!!

I received a top secret birthday card for you

from our dear friends

at Cat Wisdom 101!!

LOOK!

Isn't that a GREAT SURPRISE MOM?

Hope it makes your birthday

EXTRA SPECIAL!

THANK YOU

Layla, Merlin, Gris Gris,

Domino & Odin!

xoxoxo

Friday Fun! Great for the Holidays! Picture Day is coming to a Pet Supplies Plus near YOU in MICHIGAN!

Photo courtesy of:

www.northernlightsphoto.biz

www.northernlightsphotography.zenfolio.com

A professional Pet Photographer will be coming to:

PLEASE CALL

THE STORE OF YOUR CHOICE

FOR AN APPOINTMENT

Mt. Morris 810-686-2400 Saturday, October 20
Owosso 989-725-7686 Sunday, October 21
Farmington Hills 248-932-3113 Saturday, October 27
White Lake-Cooley Lake Rd. 248-360-1400 Sunday,  October 28
Toledo (Ohio) 419-269-1622  Friday, November 2
Bay City 989-891-9597 Saturday, November 3
White Lake-Highland Rd. 248-889-4131  Sunday, November 4
Bloomfield Hills 248-333-7545 Friday, November 9
Woodhaven 734-671-6936 Saturday, November 10
Washington Twp. 586-752-2800 Sunday, November 11
Canton 734-981-9191 Friday, November 16

Photo courtesy of:

www.northernlightsphoto.biz

www.northernlightsphotography.zenfolio.com

Novi 248-380-0007 Saturday, November 17
Petoskey 231-347-1250 Sunday, November 18
Livonia 248-615-0039 Tuesday, November 20
Dearborn  313-278-4799 Saturday, November 24
Dearborn 313-278-4799 Sunday, November 25
Portage 269-341-9252 Thursday, November 29
Portage 269-341-9252 Friday, November 30
Kalamazoo 269-342-5020 Saturday, December 1
Clinton Township 586-228-0090 Sunday, December 2
Ortonville 248-627-7900 Friday, December 7
St.Clair Shores-Harper 586-771-3277 Saturday, December 8
St.Clair Shores-Greater Mack 586-771-1710 Sunday, December 9

Photo courtesy of:

www.northernlightsphoto.biz

www.northernlightsphotography.zenfolio.com

GO TO THEIR WEBSITE

FOR COMPLETE PRICE LIST,

SAMPLES AND CHRISTMAS CARD DESIGNS

www.northernlightsphoto.biz

www.northernlightsphotography.zenfolio.com

Mom isn't sure if I am going to be there or not but Dakota will DEFINITELY be getting HIS pictures taken! That doggy just LOVES smiling for the camera. Me? Not so much!

Love, Cody

Talk to the Tail! The Detroit Tigers are going to the WORLD SERIES!! CONCATULATIONS!!!!!!!!

Winner of Yeowww! Rainbow Catnip Toy from MyFavoritePetShop.com

Thanks to everyone who entered!

if you are not the winner

be sure to check out 

the 40% discount code

at the end of this blog post!

The winner  (as chosen by www.random.org) of

the Yeowww Rainbow Catnip Toy

from MyFavoritePetShop.com 

LUCY CURTIS!!!

Concatulations Lucy!!

You have 48 HOURS

to contact my Mom

at cgittleman at mi dot rr dot com

with your complete mailing address

(and phone number)

If we don't hear from you

the second place winner will be notified

For everyone else...if you want to purchase the Yeowww! Rainbow Catnip toy click here
Be sure to register on the site first (click here)...you can get 40% OFF by using COUPON CODE PETBLOGS40. The coupon code is good for the ENTIRE SITE through October 31st!

Blog The Change: Making a difference for feral cats: a Guest Blog by Phil, "The Cat Guy"

FROM CAT CHAT: I am  proud to be a supporter of  the efforts of www.BtC4animals.com where bloggers come together to help animals in need and/or to showcase causes, stories about animals that are close to our heart and about PEOPLE  who  are making a difference.

I am a "cat hobbyist", a "cat enthusiast", as many of you are. I am not the end-all be-all authority on MANY issues and never pass myself off as being one.

When I want to feature animals, news or stories that I am not an expert in,  I  share blog posts with you by others who in many cases ARE authorities in specific areas that I am not,  or have first-hand knowledge and experience about  issues and stories that I may not have. Today, I am proud to present to you, one of these people! I am excited and honored to present to you today, "Phil, The Cat Guy"

Making a difference for feral cats

For most of my life I somehow never noticed homeless cats. I'm not really sure how I managed this, maybe I just assumed outside cats must belong to someone or maybe I subconsciously just didn't want to see them. That’s all different now since a homeless black cat appeared in my yard and eventually entered my heart and opened my eyes to the world of trap, neuter and return of feral cats.

In late 2010 I noticed a skinny black cat who kept coming around my yard. I didn't think much of it at first because free roaming cats come and go, but this one seemed hungry and skittish. I often saw him trying to find shelter from the constant rain and cold of the Seattle winter. Seeing his plight tugged on my heart and I started putting food out for him. Soon after that, I built him a covered place to eat and two fully insulated and heated homes in my yard (one for him and one for any guests he may have). He approved and immediately moved in. Over time he learned to trust me and eventually let me touch him. He's now known as Oliver.

Right from the start I wanted to get Oliver neutered but I wasn't sure how to go about that. I spent hours online reading information on how to trap feral cats. I built a drop trap and purchased my first humane live cat trap. I somehow found the courage to trap him, brought him to my local vet and had him neutered. When he was recovered from his ordeal, I released him back into his yard. That all went fairly well for my first Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) experience.

Less than two weeks later I happened to glance out the window and saw three additional black cats in the yard!  They were all friendly with Oliver and looked identical to him—Oliver had invited his family over to share in his good fortune. Suddenly I needed to figure out how to trap three cats at once and get them altered.

It was exactly at this time that I read a blurb in the Purrfect Pals (my amazing local cat shelter) newsletter advertising a class on how to trap feral cats. The timing could not have been more perfect! I jumped at the chance and learned a ton about how to trap feral cats for TNR. The class was taught by the Community Cat Coalition, which is a collaboration of independent TNR people and several local cat shelters and rescue groups who together train and mentor people in the ways of TNR. I met some amazingly helpful people who talked me through every step of successfully TNR'ing my backyard feral colony.

Since learning the basics of TNR, I have had the opportunity to trap another feral in my backyard as well as to assist other people in the community in trapping feral cats. This past August I coordinated a TNR project that spanned a city block. In the end we trapped and altered 20 feral cats (6 males, 14 females and 14 of the 20 were kittens!) and we educated the neighborhood about the benefits of TNR.

Thanks to Oliver I have learned that one person can make a significant difference in bettering the lives of homeless cats. And thanks to the Community Cat Coalition I have learned that a team of individuals and groups working together can make an even bigger difference.

Oliver and his family continue to happily occupy my yard. Oliver has become quite friendly with me, but sadly he continues to urine mark and so remains a mostly outside cat. His family remains quite feral and they don't let me near, but I enjoy watching them and occasionally playing 'chase the red dot' (laser pointer) with them through the window. I like knowing they no longer need to worry about finding food or a safe place to sleep as they all have heated and secure places here. 

I recently started BackyardTNR.com, a site where I chronicle my TNR adventures, share helpful information about TNR and host a live streaming webcam of my backyard ferals. I also write about my indoor cats and all things cat on my fourwhitepaws.net blog.

Have YOU thanked YOUR Vet Tech today?

To read about National Vet Tech Week

Click HERE

Are we a nation of "Cat People" or "Dog People?" Join America's Pet Debate! Help Purina® Help U.S. Veterans!

Back when Zee & Zoey were conducting their Cat Ruler of the World Contest there was some barking going on about dogs. Who likes 'em, who doesn't and who just loves animals? From what I noticed in the comments, folks had LOTS to say!

Well Cat People, now you can make your voices heard!

HOT OFF  THE PRESS! I was just sent information from my friends at Purina and they want YOUR help to end the age-old debate as to who is better? CATS Or DOGS? Check out the info that I just received!

Purina® is calling all pet owners and lovers to join in the “America’s Pet Debate.” From now until Nov. 8, you can vote for your favorite pet at www.americaspetdebate.com once a day. Purina will proudly declare whether America is a cat or dog nation on Nov. 9, 2012.

For every vote, Purina will donate $1, up to $100,000, to Pet Partners’ Veteran Programs. The donation will help fund Pet Partners pet therapy teams for U.S. veterans by providing the mental, physical and emotional support of cats and dogs through animal-assisted therapy. There are more than 22.7 million veterans in America today. The current national vote tally is 54% for Team Cat and 45% for Team Dog with a total of 47,923 votes.

You can also join the conversation about America’s Pet Debate on Facebook.com/americaspetdebate.com, Twitter (@petdebate), Instagram and Pinterest using hashtags #VoteCat, #VoteDog and #PetDebate.

Now get out there and vote!

I was not compensated for this post. I am a member of the Purina Cat Blogger Panel and am given information that I may choose to share...or not.

The Cat House at Purina Farms®! Semi- Wordy Wednesday

Leave it to me to not give you a chronological rundown of events from the Meet Purina Pet Blogger Summit that I was lucky enough to have attended last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in St.Louis, MO.

Today, I am going to share something from Day 3, one of the most awe-inspiring structures for cats that I have ever seen!

First, let me back up the bus a bit. While visiting Purina Farms® last Friday, my blogging friends, Angie Bailey (Catladyland) , Tamar Arslanian (I HAVE CAT) and myself were the last three bloggers at the farm, because we were leaving Friday instead of Saturday. The others were already en route to their next adventure.

Turned out to be lucky for us, because we were given the treat of seeing one of the most incredible cat houses I have ever laid eyes on! The Visitor's Center at Purina Farms houses a  Pet Center with attractions such as The Incredible Dog Arena,  a full-size barn with domestic farm animals and an indoor theater,  just to name a few. It is also the home of a 20 foot tall, multi-level cat house which is the key attraction of the center.

One look and you can see why!

 The Cat House has windows, stairways, rocking chairs, a "time-out" bench and other furnishings. It is the purrfect paradise for the kitties of Purina!

A staircase climbs around the structure giving visitors an eye-level view of the kitties!

Who do we have here?

It's Tamar Arslanian

from I HAVE CAT!

If you get the chance to visit St.Louis,

 make sure that Purina Farms

 is on your MUST SEE list!

Disclosure: Purina completely paid for our trip. We were not obligated to blog about our visit at all.  All opinions are my own.

Loving and Living With Hearing-Impaired Cats-A Guest Blog By Heather Kalinowski of Trupanion Insurance

Heather Kalinowski is a pet lover and new mom who spends her days helping other pet owners protect their pets with dog and cat insurance. Trupanion offers 90% coverage for diagnostic tests, surgeries, and medications if a pet becomes sick or injured.

Just like people or other pets, cats can be born deaf or can lose their hearing due to chronic ear infections, ear mites, injuries, or from genetics. Deafness due to aging is called presbycusis and is the most common type of hearing loss in cats.   While hearing loss due to aging or genetics cannot be prevented, there are opportunities to lesson your cat’s chance of losing their hearing from other causes.

Manny, a deaf cat who lives at The Family Pet Hospital in 
Ashland, MA. 

It’s important to keep an eye on your cat’s ears for any signs of an issue -  black ear canals, reddened ear canals or yellow discharge are big warning signs. The inside of the ear should always be a pinkish color. Get regular checkups by a veterinarian to make sure infection and ear mites aren’t hanging around and stay away from “self-help” products as they could lead to more damage to the ear if administered inappropriately.

Trying to decipher true hearing loss can be tough because animals sometimes sense you’re there even if they cannot hear you. Owners should take notice after their cats do not respond to outside noises, become disoriented, or aren’t aware of your presence until you physically interact with them. It can also be a warning sign if the pet is difficult to wake up or has an “unbalanced” walk.

If you are concerned your pet may be deaf, it’s important to take them to a veterinarian to find out the extent of the problem and if the problem is caused by an underlying issue that needs to be treated. But if you find out that your cat is deaf, and will live out the rest of his life in silence, his life can still be as amazing and fulfilling as it would have been without hearing loss. It just takes a little extra effort to keep them safe and sound.

Manny, a deaf cat who lives at The Family Pet Hospital in 
Ashland, MA. 

Keeping a deaf cat inside is the best way to protect them. Hearing-impaired cats will not be able to hear outside predators or oncoming traffic. Keeping a bell attached to their collar is also helpful so if your pet does venture outside the home, you can hear where they are at all times. And be sure to always make vibrations when approaching your cat. Startling them could ruin the relationship and cause anxiety.

Deafness cannot be treated, but your cats will be able to adapt and compensate for their life’s change. With a few extra precautions and understanding, living with a deaf pet can be just as – or even more! – rewarding than living with a hearing pet. Read real stories about living with deaf cats here.

Do you have experience with a deaf pet? What is your best tip on interacting with a deaf animal?

Yeowww! Rainbow Catnip Toy from MyFavoritePetShop.com Enter to win!

Hi my kitty friends! Happy Monday!

Many of you remember that back in August I showcased my wiggling skills with the Yeowww! Catnip Banana. Today I am showing you another great toy in the Yeowww! collection that you can pawchase on www.myfavoritepetshop.com

Here it is!

It contains 100% pure organic catnip
The catnip is grown in the U.S.
It's 6  inches long making it the purrfect size for kitty paws to wrap themselves around
It is pure kitty bliss!

That is...for MOST CATS....even me. Except for yesterday. Allow me to explain. I ADORE Yeowww! Catnip toys. I have given them rave reviews. Yesterday when I began to play with my toy, my Sheltie brother knocked over our baby gate creating a LOUD BOOM! Not once, but TWICE! It scared me!! That was it. I wouldn't touch the Yeowww! Rainbow toy for my Mom to video since she waited til the last minute to film. No way Jose!!

On top of that, she thought I was going to give her 2 minutes of recorded catnip bliss after she LEFT ME for TWO WHOLE NIGHTS while she catted around with a bevy of different animals at the Meet Purina Pet Blogger Summit?  She came home reeking of dog food, pigs, cows, goats, rabbits, dogs and GASP...OTHER CATS!

There was no way I was going to cooperate. I'm not yesterday's news, no sirree!! These photos I'm gonna show you are as good as it's gonna get!

Trust me, I WAS enjoying myself! There was NO WAY when I saw that video camera come out that I was gonna have Mom get ANY footage! Payback is a... well you know what it is!

I wasn't gonna give her the satisfaction of seeing me REALLY enjoy this toy!!  I'll  wait until she is snug in her bed with visions of all of the fun that she had in St.Louis, dancing in her head!

Me? This catnip is so potent that I'll be "somewhere over the rainbow" myself every time I play with it. You can count on it. And...there is something else:

www.myfavoritepetshop.com is offering all of my readers a SPECIAL 40% OFF SITE-WIDE discount with coupon code PETBLOGS40. All you have to do is register on their site by clicking right here THE COUPON CODE EXPIRES ON OCTOBER 31ST AND THAT IS NO TRICK!

But wait!! There's more!!!

YOU CAN!! MyFavoritePetShop.com  is going to give ONE Yeowww! Rainbow Catnip toy to ONE lucky winner who is 18 yrs of age or older and who lives in the U.S. Just leave a comment telling me you would like to win by MONDAY, OCTOBER 15 at 11pm EASTERN. Winner will be announced on WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17th. GOOD LUCK!

Now if you will excuse me I'm gonna go get my groove on with this great toy while Mom is busy doing whatever it is that she does. She has photos but no video....my work here is DONE!

Love, Cody

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this review. I was given a Rainbow Catnip toy to play with. All opinions are my own. About Purina Disclosure: Mom's trip was completely paid for by Purina. Mom was not required to blog about the trip, but is going to be posting a few blog posts about it because she wants to! All opinions are Mom's.