Holiday travels

Mom went to visit her family for Thanksgiving. Since Dragon and Wyvern are much smaller and the pet sitter was scheduled for once a day, mom decided to take them along with her. She took the Sturdi crate and set it up in the back seat for the kittens. Plus she figured it would be a safe way to keep them contained in her parents' house.

See? Custom baby jail. Though if you look closely, the one door is rolled up. After a couple of hours mom decided to let them out to run around a little bit. The crate is nice but not enough space for active kittens to run off some energy.

They quickly discovered they could climb the crate, walk across the night stand and sleep on the bed. Mom was going to leave them out all night but Wyvern wouldn't leave her alone, so they slept in the crate.

Friday night mom went over and spent the night with the kid (her niece). The kittens - especially Wyvern - loved all over her.

Grandma and Grandpa's dog decided to help with the decorating for Christmas.

Cat Writers

Chanel here with our most recent travel report:

Mom and I went to St Louis last week for the Cat Writers Association annual conference. Mom got to see some of her cat friends and I got to hang out in my stroller and be admired.

The windows had a great ledge so I could sleep up there and watch the world go by outside.

Mom and Miss Julie went to go see this big metal arch thingie. They did NOT go up inside of it but did wander through the museum and watched a cool movie about it being built. They also did not bring me back any hamburgers.

Mom and Miss Julie also went to this cat cafe (Mauhaus) and spent some time with other cats. Since they are looking for homes of their own, I guess this was OK, but whatever....

Otherwise, Miss Julie brought me a new wand toy that is fabulous. I got to play in the tub AND the sink (though mom and Miss Julie kept yelling something about "WET CAT"). I met lots of new people and gave mom a hard time about putting on my harness. We went to a book signing and the awards banquet, though I went back up to the room right before dinner since mom knew it would be noisy.

Oh - and they seemed to think this video was funny for some reason:

Look what we got

**quick kitten note: 4 of the 6 were neutered on Monday (don't get mom started on the other 2 - she is SO NOT HAPPY about how this turned out - though the kittens are fine so it isn't that). However, if you are watching on the web cam, they are spending even more time asleep. Puzzle HOWLED all the way home from the clinic and spent the next two hours wound up until he finally passed out - proving that his "Screamy" nickname is well earned.

Last week, mom took Chanel and headed off to St. Louis to the Cat Writer's Association convention. It was a chance to hang with her cat ladies friends, learn some stuff, meet new people and socialize a certain tuxedo cat. As you can see, said cat didn't enjoy the hotel room at all. HAHA

Anyhow, there were lots of great sponsors and one of them was Sturdi Products. They made the badges for the convention and make lots of great pet stuff. One of them is the large pop up kennel you see below....

They make a small that is half of this one. Mom was pretty interested as it unzips in the front and on both ends. There is a middle panel that also zips closed or can remain open (and if mom used it for a mom and kittens, it can be zipped 1/2 way so the kittens can't get over into a litter box or food). Plus it basically twists twice and lays flat in it's own carrying case. It also has straps on the back so it can be belted into a car.

Turns out the owner didn't want to pack up stuff to take home with her and made mom a deal. Mom couldn't pay her fast enough. She got it strapped into the back seat of the Escape with the help of Miss Julie (from Cats Herd You and mom's roommate for the convention). It was pretty easy (and would have been easier except there is a cover on the back seat and they had to go fishing for the buckles). Mom put Chanel in there for the ride home and she seemed to enjoy the extra space.

It is a little deeper than the back seat of the Escape but since it is belted in, there is no risk of it tipping over in the car. Mom was hoping to use it for adoption events with kittens, but she isn't sure about that now since the mesh is actually kind of hard to see through for the public. It has several pockets too. Overall - a definite win for cat travel.

**we weren't paid for this review and mom paid for the kennel, even at a discount. We just wanted to share a fun product that we found and enjoyed. 

traveling with Chanel

Here are some things mom learned traveling with Chanel last week:

1. The Sleepypod carrier is great, but crate was a good idea. Mom put up a small wire crate in the backseat of the Escape. It gave Chanel a little more room to stretch out, access to water and a litter box, and allowed her to see out more.

2. Water Faucets: mom keeps the bathroom door shut here at the house. It started when that was where the foster kittens were kept, now it is just habit and allows mom to leave stuff laying around that she doesn't want us getting into. So she had NO idea that Chanel was into water.

3. Litterbox location is more important than you think. The last couple of conferences, the cabinet in the bathroom was far enough from the floor that the boxes fit UNDER the cabinet. Not so much in this hotel, so we needed a new configuration. The picture below seemed fine....until you realize that the tub faucet had a slow drip....and both tuxedo kittens liked to play in the tub..... (the clay litter got moved to the other side by day 2). (and yes, we left a very nice tip for housekeeping)

4. More space is better: we knew that re-introducing Chanel and Cupcake could go either way. Fortunately, there was some hissing but nothing much further than that. And on Tuesday, Aunt Dee (who adopted Calais from us) showed up and was in the adjoining room. The doors were left open and having a little more space cut down on some of the name calling at 2am.

5. That dumb stroller is handy. Keep in mind that mom hadn't used it much before leaving for the conference. Turns out that Chanel LIKES having her own ride....and it certainly made it much easier to take her around the hotel and conference (plus there was room to put stuff underneath).

7. Adding to your list is OK, though remembering before you leave is better. After some thought, a pheromone diffuser might have come in handy. And while mom actually BOUGHT a night light in Nashville, she forgot to pack one. If she is going to leave the plastic box packed with some basic essentials, she needs to get one for the box.

8. Start using a blanket for trips and bring it with you. Cupcake has a blanket that she takes to Starbucks and that Miss Julie brought on the trip. It gave her a safe landing place both in the hotel room and out in the hotel.

Overall, it really was a good trip. Mom made sure to bring a scratcher for Chanel since she not only uses them but likes to lounge on them. The Sleepypod was a nice safe space to have in the room as well. More than once mom came back to the room and Cupcake was asleep on her blanket on the bed and Chanel was in the Sleepypod.

Blog Paws

OK - so there was a little cheating going on while mom was gone. She got to meet Stillwell and his siblings (who were less interested in getting their pictures taken).

As many of your know, our friend Miss Julie adopted Dior, now Cupcake, who is Chanel's sister. Mom and Chanel roomed with them this year and it was pretty interesting. No one was sure how things would go since we knew the sisters wouldn't remember each other. There was some name calling and hissing, but it went fairly well all things considered. It helped that our Aunt Dee arrived on Tuesday and had the adjoining hotel room so the doors could be opened and everyone had a little more space.

And of course there were cupcakes:

Some liked them more than others.

 

Cupcake in the cat lounge

 

Kylo Ren from Kitty Cat Chronicles

There were several cats there this year - though apparently mom didn't get as many pictures as she normally would since she was with Chanel and making sure things went smoothly for her.

We got a swag bag that mom has YET to bring up from the car. Plus some of our friends gave us some of their stuff so they didn't have to ship it back, so we will be donating that to our rescue. THANKS to everyone - the food will come in handy as we head into kitten season.

Chanel did great and mom was impressed. If you follow us on Instagram, you would have seen the #backseatdriver jokes as mom was traveling. Considering Chanel has never ridden that far in a car and has never attended an event like this, she did great. Blog Paws next year is in Florida and depending on dates and everything else, mom is hoping Chanel can make that trip (especially since mom won a ticket to the conference using a picture of Chanel....seems only fair).

Blog Paws

Our posting this week may be a little sporadic. However, be sure to follow our links to facebook or instagram and you can see mom and Chanel over there. That's right - mom took Chanel with her to Blog Paws!!

Good think mom has that new bigger car....geez between her stuff and cat stuff, the back of the Escape was pretty full. Chanel traveled in her Sleepypod for the first hour and then mom moved her to the crate in the back seat. It was a long trip....made longer by a bad accident in Indiana that stopped traffic and then just slowed it down. Mom wasn't sure how Chanel would do for that long in the car but she did very well. She was a little chatty for the first 30 minutes but then settled in for the haul.

Mom also wasn't sure how she would do in the hotel room. Mom got everything to the room and then set up the stuff in the bathroom before letting Chanel out of her carrier. She climbed right out and wandered around checking everything out. She found the food and the counters and the bed and the hotel window. What a good girl.

look what we got

If you aren't familiar with Sleepypod, you should be. All of their carriers are crash tested and if you go to their website there are testimonials from people who have been in crashes and their pets are safe due to the carriers. They also make two other versions (mom took Cupcake to Florida in an Air) along with crash tested harnesses for dogs. 

We got a free mobile pet bed for a review (Chanel just asked that we get the new True Violet color - as you can see her wish was granted).  

Of course being the weirdly suspicious cat that she is (only at home of course), it took her a few days to decide if she liked it or not once it arrived. Mom zipped the top off and left it on the coffee table for everyone to check out. Mom doesn't care who sleeps in it since even though Chanel will be traveling in it, she will be able to take smells from every cat at home with her. She doesn't sleep in it all the time, but she does curl up in it occasionally. Of course, mom usually has to go look inside since the fuzzy bed is black and so is most of Chanel. If you are lucky, you can sometimes JUST see the tips of her ears over the side.

Of course, leave something sitting around here long enough and everyone will check it out at some point. Mom says she has seen everyone but Ivy inside the bed.

And if you catch you sister using your stuff, just climb in with her until she leaves.

**Disclosure: We received the Sleepypod® Mobile Pet Bed from Sleepypod in exchange for our honest review. All opinions are our own. Sleepypod is not responsible for the content of this post. Random Felines only shares products and information we feel will be of interest to our readers.

Random Fridays

Because you can never have too many kitten pictures, here are some more of the kittens enjoying the hotel room at Blog Paws.

places to go....

Dis bed is nice and soft (Salsa)

nice box Miss Julie

resting up for his adoring fans (Queso)

Mom and Miss Julie came in to the room the first afternoon

and couldn't find any kittens....

They were behind all the curtains WAY in the corner

dis my chair - got it??

office assistant, ready for action

Mom has to say, they were wonderful at the event. And in the hotel room. They had several visitors and after hiding the first couple of times quickly realized that everyone was there to love on them. Yes, they require packing some extra stuff, but mom bought a disposable litter pan to take with, so that didn't come back. Food was eaten down there, so that lightened the return trip some too. And as mom said, if you are taking one, the stuff required for more than one isn't that much greater. Not every animal is ok to travel, but these guys were great.

Blog Paws 2015

Sorry we have been hit and miss on the blogging for a few days. The mom has the thumbs and she was at Blog Paws. There were so many changes to her schedule, we weren't sure what plan she was on when she left, but she ended up leaving on Tuesday afternoon and coming back on Sunday. She said the drive down wasn't too bad except for a few spots of terrible down-pouring rain. She said the drive home was terrible....she had to stop a couple of times to get out of the car cause she was tired.

Mom took Salsa, Queso and Taquito with her, leaving Margarita, Blanco and Tostada here. Other than some #ScreamingQueso on the way down and back, the kittens were great.

Mom had to tell Salsa his adoring fans hadn't arrived yet

They got up to the hotel room first thing and mom set their stuff up in the bathroom and shut the door while she unpacked. She said when she opened the bathroom door, the boys came charging out and directly into the mirrored glass closet doors. Apparently not all hotel rooms are as big as they appear.

Mom went to a special event on Wednesday (she will blog about that later in the week). While she was there, her phone went off and the pet sitter sent a text asking if mom had taken Daiquiri to the event. Ummmm - no. After a few back and forth moments and head banging by the mom, Daiquiri was found under a blanket under Junior under the sofa cover. Argh!!!! Mom was afraid something was wrong as Daiquiri was very social with the pet sitter the last time mom went out of town, but Daiquiri seemed fine when mom got home.

Mom was rooming with Miss Julie from Sometimes, Cats Herd You and they had a great time. Mom says the best part of Blog Paws is getting to see her fellow blogger friends (she would say cat ladies, but she is friends with some dog people and even a lady that owns a ferret).

She missed the sessions on Tuesday.....she took a trip with Miss Teri from Curlz and Swirlz and Miss Amy from Sebastian the Sensitive Soul and they all got new ink. Yep - mom added to her cattoo collection with a paw print on her left arm near the other two tattoos.

Miss Julie's laptop was a big hit with all three kittens. She finally had to start moving the screen to a blank page to keep from posting weird things on the internet.

Of course the kittens had to make sure they got their beauty sleep.

All three kittens were put in a harness and went downstairs at different times.

Salsa HATED it!! He lasted about 30 minutes....airplane ears the entire time....before mom took him back upstairs. He was perfectly relaxed in the room and was out and about when people came to visit (which they did), but being around the noise and the crowds was not his thing.

Taquito wasn't so sure about her first time out. It was the opening event, which was an ice cream social. But the music was pretty loud. Mom waited until the next afternoon and took her down to the exhibit hall and then to a session with Alana Greylak from Cat in the Fridge about photos and video on your phone (mom learned a lot). It took her a few minutes, but Tostada relaxed....and even dozed during the session.

Queso was a hit though. He was unfazed by everything. What mom terms "bombproof". In fact, he went to the awards ceremony and slept through most of it on the table. MOL He was passed around and kissed and held and was great about it all. He even walked down the hall with mom a couple of times.

All three loved being out in the room and slept on the beds with mom and Miss Julie every night. They are going to make some families very happy.

not what mom had in mind

The rescue we support has a resale shop next door to the adoption center. They have furniture and pictures and lots of other stuff. However, the other day mom was in there and found a Sleepypod carrier for sale. Holy Cod!!!  We have read about these on the interwebs, but our budget just doesn't stretch that far. But this was a great deal. And if mom wants to be taking Coral more places, this seemed ideal....

Of course, mom bought it and Coral won't go anywhere near it. In fact, the first time she acted afraid of it. For now mom has it opened and sitting on the floor in our living room.

Just call me "batcat"

Mo has turned it into is mancat-cave.

Mom just sighed and said at least it was a good deal. MOL

 Ivy isn't so sure about this thing.

This is about as close as Coral has gotten since mom brought it home. Mo is sleeping inside in this picture. Mom hopes as it starts to smell more like all of us that Coral will relax.

One other thing....whoever donated it didn't leave the shoulder strap. Before mom bought it, she checked online and didn't see it being sold separately on the website. Mom sent an email inquiry and went back and forth a couple of times with a nice lady named Camille at Sleepypod. Finally on Friday mom called and talked to her. They don't sell the straps separate but Camille took mom's phone number and if something is returned (sometimes the straps are ok but the bags can't be repaired for whatever reason), Camille will call us. What great customer service!!!

Of course if we can't get the kid IN there....we aren't sure that the mancave needs a shoulder strap (Tommy has since decided it is an awesome place to nap as well).