We got a mystery box the other day. Mom has seen an article on Hauspanther about a tree. Normally mom doesn't like spending a ton on trees, but she has been trying to get new things and after doing some math about putting up other shelves, this made some sense to her.
It was pretty easy to put together. It comes with an allen wrench so you don't need any tools either. It took a little time (maybe over an hour or so) but it doesn't have a deep foot print.
And here is the other pretty great part. It tensions to the ceiling....no screwing to the wall or the ceiling or anything else.
Got the shelves on. Mom says the only thing she really wishes is that the covers on the shelves were removable. These covers are glued on and won't come off, so it could be a little harder to clean. And there are no other options - leopard print it is.
So far there have been some cats checking it out. Mom moved the other cat tree into the back bedroom. She needs to move some things out of there and wants to create a "super highway" back there that includes the tree to give us, especially Spud, a way to get up and around the room off the floor. But that is a project for another weekend.
Though mom says this plan may have backfired....Daiquiri has taken to sleeping on the tree in the other room. MOL This is pretty sturdy. Mom has had to tighten the screws at the top, but she doesn't think she had it quite right the first time. Sunday morning Tim and Tom were both on it so it is pretty sturdy too. We give it 4 paws up.
Guess we should just be glad she isn't painting the house. MOL
Our friend BZ Tat held another art retreat on Saturday and mom decided to paint our cousin Izzo the woofie for our grandma's birthday present (her birthday was yesterday).
Here is the progression:
Mom says that she wasn't sure she got the right effect, but that after leaving it alone and then looking at it on Sunday, she got what she wanted. While she knows she isn't great at it, she says it is fun to get away and try something different.
Plus mom got to spend time with Miss Kelly from Whiskers in the Window cause she drove down to paint her angel kitty Einstein
Can't go wrong with these - one ingredient....dehydrated haddock. That's it....
They come in slabs, but break apart very easily. Mom wasn't sure what we would do with these. However, with the exception of Ivy and Junior, everyone loved them. Back for seconds and thirds.... And Mo tried to nom mom's fingers....
Are there more????
These were a hit....2 ounces per bag, so light for shipping purposes. Though over $8 per bag, so a little expensive at the rate we eat treats around here. But hey....it's fish so it's health food right??
**We got the treats for our opinion, but getting the treats for free did not affect our opinion. Everything you read and see here is our own thoughts and pictures.
Mom was interested. She has read that it works better on tile floor, so she got it out and put it down in the kitchen since that is the main space without carpet in our house.
Daiquiri was the only one that seemed interested. Mom let her check it out before turning it on. And then mom spent about forever about 5 minutes trying to get it back out from under the washing machine. It bounced around and around and right under the washer. Mom banged around quite a bit and shook the washer and then the bug came back out on its own.
The adults were a little weirded out by the noise, but for a first time, not bad. Daiquiri was good - until it touched her.....
Thanks to Miss Amy and all the cats over there. We can't wait to try it out again.....
Yep - mom got to send her home last night with her new family. Concats sweet girl!!
Cass is going home with a mom and a sweet 15 year old girl who already bought Cass a purple collar. She is going to live with a dog....mom asked about it to be sure about introductions. We know she will be fine - they have a miniature dachshund (just don't tell Sir Thomas over at The Cult of Otis)
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Daiquiri is getting her big girl teeth in. Mom thought she had something stuck the other night but turns out the baby tooth hadn't quite fallen out yet..... MOL
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'scue me....pardon me....comin' thru
I HAB an emergency!!!
Mine fuzzy-red-ball-toy has gone missing!!! I need it to play fetch with mine mom. I hab looked all ober the house and can't be finding it ANYWHERE!!! How am I going to play now?? Mine mom tried another toy, but it isn't the same.
I NEED mine fuzzy-red-ball-toy.
If you hab seen it, please let me know!! If you had stealed it, gib it back NOW!!! I don't have green papers for a reward, but we hab some treats here I could send if I need to.
We talk about the rescue where mom volunteers all the time. It is where our foster kittens come from and go back to for adoptions. Many volunteers maintain colonies of feral cats and there is a huge outreach for TNR.
This year, Miss Mona, our fearless leader is one of the women being honored!!! We couldn't be more excited or more proud.
The reception is tomorrow night and we are sending mom as our representative. Here is some of what was said on the website: Colony Cats Adoption Center opened in 2009 to provide a place for potential adopters to visit some of the great cats and kittens in need of a home. They provide a cage free environment for people to interact with the cats. Colony Cats also has been instrumental in getting over 9,500 community cats sterilized. They assist colony caretakers with shelters, trapping, food, medicine, and vet care. Since their inception, Colony Cats has placed over 7,500 cats in forever homes. “We offer assistance to pet owners when things are rough for them. Quite often, just supplying food and flea prevention is all that is needed to keep that pet in the family. We have helped several families and individuals by temporarily holding their pets until they could find another living situation. Everything we do is for the animals. Many lives have been saved because of the assistance we offer.”
All these kittie families were saved, spay/neutered and
For those of you that don't follow us on Facebook, we have news:
MAE WEST WAS ADOPTED ON FRIDAY!!!
Since mom was there for part of it, we are going to let her tell the story.
Wednesday night I stopped at the adoption center just to check it. I was looking for a copy of Kahlua's adoption papers to add to my "collection" and was talking to a friend who also volunteers. As we were talking, a woman (maybe early 30s) came up with an application and asked about how long it would be held. She recently had her older cat pass away and wasn't sure if she was ready but wanted to have all the paperwork done in case she decided. Everything looked good and Karen (my friend) said we would keep it on file and just let us know when she made up her mind. Karen and I continued to chat a little and the woman went around the adoption center looking at different cats. She stopped me as I was leaving and just looked baffled. "How do I choose?" I smiled and said well, you can wait for someone to choose you, or we can see what you are looking for. She wanted a girl, not terribly young or old, a little active but not too and companionable. As we were talking, I looked around the room. Now, keep in mind that I don't spend much time at the adoption center - I more do fostering and adoption events. So I don't know too many of the cats at the adoption center. But, as I looked around, there was Mae snoozing in a cat bed on top of one of the towers we use for small kittens. Eureka!! I took the woman (who I know know is Emma) over and introduced her to Mae while telling her about how I found her. Mae stretched and blinked at Emma. I told her to lean close and scratched down Mae's back to get her to "mrow" for us. She did and Emma laughed. I said I had to run home but left Emma giving Mae some love. Friday night I got a text from my friend Emily who was volunteering at the adoption center. "Mae went home". After some back and forth, I was able to confirm it was the woman I had spoken to on Wednesday. And by later that evening she had posted a picture to Colony's facebook page and said Mae had settled right in. It will just be Mae and her new mom in her home....which I have no doubt will make Mae very happy.
Holy moly it is COLD here. Thankfully we aren't getting the snow that some people are, but got finally got UP to freezing on Sunday. brrrrr
Mom spent most of the weekend around. here. She said it was just too dang cold to be outside. She did go out Saturday night to spend time with her best friend and then there was an adoption event on Sunday. Otherwise, we cranked up the heat in the condo and did this:
The cover seems to be doing a good job on the couch. However, mom wants to find a way to keep some of the sides down as some cats are trying to get under the cover. Good luck mom :)
Holy cod it is cold!!! OK - so that isn't news to most of you, but sheesh.....
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As to our occupy the couch movement, certain cats (Tim, Tom, Junior) have attempted to get UNDER the new cover. Mom is less than thrilled..... now she is talking about coming up with a trick to keep it down. Wish her luck.....
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We have told you about Miss Chrystal and her private rescue before over at Winnie's Wish. Well, she has a new project that she would like some help with. Adoptions of course are always welcome (and we have helped transport all over, so don't let that stop you). But, with the purrsonalities over there, she wants to try to build an addition to the cat house. Her husband and dad do the work, so the funding is mainly for supplies. If you can help, every little bit is appreciated. There is a GoFundMe site set up for this.
If you haven't heard about the Kitten Bowl airing on February 1 on the Hallmark Channel, you are missing out. Last year was MUCH more fun to watch than any football game out there. And this year promises to be just as much fun.
But....how about sharing a message at the same time?? The Lucy Pet Foundation is running an ad during the Kitten Bowl promoting spay and neuter. And all the stars are rescues!!! Even better....
Get a load of those linebackers....
Now you KNOW we are on board with that message. They will be using the hashtag #DogsVsCats during the game. The commercial was directed by Sam Nicholson - apparently he is famous for this show about zoomies zombies (he directs the Walking Dead).
#TeamCat
And here are some other things to think about:
Lucy Pet Foundation's groundbreaking #DogsVsCats football game commercial airing on Super Bowl Sunday, will feature the most high-tech CGI ever done using animals.
The Director of the commercial is Sam Nicholson, one of Hollywood's most acclaimed visual effects Wizards, known best for Heroes, 24, The Walking Dead and Star Trek I.
The commercial will draw attention to the 80,000 pets euthanized each week in shelters across the US, due to overpopulation.
Lucy Pet Foundation has a multi-targeted solution to pet overpopulation:
Free and Low Cost Mobile Spay and Neuter Clinics across the country (eventually all free!)
Education
Grooming and training of shelter pets to make them more adoptable
Working to enact legislation benefiting pets, including banning gas chambers at shelter
Besides - cute animals, kittens playing football, rescue, a great message....does it get any better than that??
We of course will be rooting for Rickey in the commercial.
Want to learn more - head over to read a message from the president of the Lucy Pet Foundation Joey Herrick And you can learn more about THE Lucy by reading her rescue story here **disclaimer: This post was brought to you in an effort to raise awareness about Lucy Pet Foundation's upcoming ethical pet population campaign. Lucy Pet Foundation provided all images and information about the commercial, and will be entering our site into a drawing for a chance to win $500 towards a 501c3 rescue of our choice! If you are a blogger interested in spreading the word about this campaign, while also enjoying the chance to earn a donation for your favorite rescue, contact bloggers@lucypetfoundation.org and request more information!
**Mom was at Petco for an adoption event on Saturday. This cover was marked down...WAY down. Mom wants something on the couch, but the cover that was on that wasn't doing it - plus Junior was going UNDER it (which kind of defeats the purpose). So mom decided, what the heck. Now, she didn't read the measurements right and though it was going to be bigger. However, as you can see, it is a hit. And....Junior hasn't be under it (yet). Mom wants to pin the corners but otherwise likes it (plus it looks nicer than the other cover).
Yes, we know she has been on here before, but we have an update....
Since we don't currently have adoptable kittens in the house, and the adoption center has been so busy that mom didn't want to take kittens from there, she decided to take Mae with her on Saturday to the Petco adoption weekend. Mae of course expressed her displeasure at going in the carrier, going in the car, and going in the crate. MOL
However, things are looking up for Mae. She is out and about at the adoption center - though she has claimed the large trash can that holds the litter as her personal space. She has slimmed down some - not quite so curvy. She is still a talker though.
And....she is a lover. OK- mom discovered that Mae doesn't like her so much....appears the girl is holding a grudge about something. But our friend Miss Emily said she can pick Mae up and carry her around like a baby. And Mae was flirting like mad with the staff and a couple of customers at the store. No adoption interest, but at least she was turning on the charm.
That being said, she was giving the two other cats at the store "the look" and growled a couple of times. But with slow introductions, we know she would be ok. A gentleman came in with a toy poodle and Mae lost her mind - full Halloween cat mode. Though a couple came in later with a puggle and she seemed fine. So either she was getting used to it, or poodles are scarier than puggles. Who knows?? :)
First, some news: mom stopped at the adoption center on Friday to check on Kahlua. They were open on Wednesday and.....KAHLUA GOT ADOPTED!!! It was busy so mom didn't grab a copy of her records, but we are pretty excited our fuzzy house panther has a home.
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Mom tries to explain to people about Daiquiri.....she is adorable, but she is a nut. Everything is an adventure.....
From helping with laundry.....
To checking on the gingerbread house....
To the dishes in the kitchen.... (no, we have NO idea what she was doing)
She is fun loving and has a blast....She ran down the hall the other day and wrapped her paws around Junior as he dragged her down the hall. As mom is typing this for us, she is wrestling with Tim....
Hey Ivy - we don't think your head is gonna fit through there
As you can see, our gingerbread house is still holding up (ignore the staple marks around the
windows - we are blaming Stoli and Sangria). And mom is happy to sat that there is normally a cat snoozing in it as well. Money well spent.....plus the tape on the corners has prevented further issues with it coming apart. If Target does it again, we do hope they make it a little bigger - the house tends to come off the scratcher when certain parties here stand up to exit. MOL
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We want to take a minute to THANK each and every one of you for being our friends and continuing to read and participate in this community....otherwise we would just be talking to ourselves. MOL
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the mom here: my friend Amy posted on facebook the other day looking for one word to inspire 2015. Which got me to thinking, especially in light of the review of 2014 I had up here the last couple of days. It certainly seems sometimes that we all get caught up in the moment. But looking back, it is more of a roller coaster - some ups and some downs. And a good deal of it from outside sources.... so how to start 2015? Being a music fan, I think the Beatles said it best "Let it Be". Take a moment to breathe in and breathe out... realize that THIS moment will end and the next will come. Life is a journey - it isn't a race. There is a destination, but honestly, what is the hurry to get there?? Yes, there will be frustrations and sadness and moments that are overwhelming. But they are moments....not the entirety. I love being part of this blogger community where we can gather together for encouragement, information, love and loss. Thank you for once again choosing to travel with me and the cats and fosters on this journey. I can't guarantee results but I can guarantee it will be worth the ride.
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July found Mae West outside our condo. She was already spayed, so after being tested she went to the rescue to find a home (still looking for a home by the way). She is adorable....and chatty. MOL
September got us an update on those alcohol kittens. Kahlua joined their family and Stoli and Sangria got some time out in the living room....and made Coral look HUGE.
October - a month mom wishes she could have skipped. Coral started getting sick...and got sicker...and ran for the Bridge. She was six months old. Stupid FIP.
November gave us mom's report from the conference. We had a feel good story about Aiden. Tim and Tom had to go visit the v-e-t for their snot. And....we gotted a gingerbread house!!!
We wish ALL of you a wonderful, peaceful and healthy 2015. There have been some joys and some losses this past year....for us and for our friends. Mom swears she is going to resolve to help us comment more often, but know that we are reading and following...even when mom falls down on the job. We are looking forward to more fostering next year and BlogPaws in Nashville in May.
Love and kitty kisses from all of us here at Random Felines And be sure to follow us on facebook and twitter
