Products

September 19, 2012

Allegra and Ruby’s cat castle dreams

Since the girls spend a fair amount of time on the computer, it’s inevitable that they find things they like during their online travels, but nothing matched the commotion I heard coming from my office when they came across the Cattemporary Cat Castle™ from The Refined Feline. But why don’t I let them tell you.

Ruby: Allegra, look at this cool castle!

Allegra: I see it, Ruby. It would make a fun toy for us, wouldn’t it?

Ruby: It would be AWESOME! I could climb all the way to the top and look down on you!

Allegra: And I could sleep inside and have some peace and quiet from you.Continue Reading

September 13, 2012

Giveaway: Zero Odor Pet Multi Kit

Giveaways, Products| 102 Comments

I was first introduced to Zero Odor about a year ago at a feline behavior seminar hosted by Dr. Nicholas H. Dodman, BVMS, DACVB. Zero Odor was a sponsor of the seminar and each attendee received a bottle of the Zero Odor Litter Spray. Litter odor is not a problem at my house – I scoop practically the minute Allegra or Ruby leave their box – but I decided to put the product to the test for other “odor challenges,” such as trash cans and cooking odors, and it worked remarkably well for those.

I connected with Zero Odor at the 2012 BlogPaws conference earlier this year, where they sponsored the fabulous Catification Lounge, and received a sample of their Odor Eliminator, which works amazingly well.

All Zero Odor products are based on a patented formula that eliminates pet odors on a molecular levelContinue Reading

September 6, 2012

Giveaway: Hepper Pod Bed

Giveaways, Products| 184 Comments

Do we have a fantastic giveaway for you today! The Hepper® Pod Bed is one of the most unique cat beds I’ve seen. It not only offers privacy for snoozing, hiding, or plotting world domination, it’s also a stylish addition to your living space.

The Hepper® Pod Bed is made from a soft-touch flexible molded foam with fabric laminated on both sides. The raised platform offers a view and helps keep your kitties as warm or as cool as they want to be. It comes with a removable microfiber interior pad. The Hepper® is best for cats around 10-12 pounds that can jump into the opening, but larger kitties can enjoy the Hepper as well: the top is removable.

I love the story behind the Hepper® company. The company is named for a spunky catContinue Reading

September 4, 2012

Jackson Galaxy, Spirit Essences and Kitten Associates: a winning combination

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I was delighted when I heard that Jackson Galaxy chose Kitten Associates as his Shelter of the Month for the month of September. A portion of all sales from Jackson’s Spirit Essences website for the month will support Kitten Associates.

Kitten Associates is a Connecticut based rescue founded by Robin Olson in 2010. You’d be hard-pressed to meet someone who is more dedicated to saving cats’ lives than Robin. The group’s mission is to save the lives of cats (and dogs, too!), support animal rescue organizations with powerful online marketing tools, and champion legislation for spay/neuter programs to end pet overpopulation.

Kitten Associates also happens to be the rescue group I designated as the recipient of the $1000 prize money for the 2012 Petties. Pettie winners will be announced during a virtual ceremony on October 12.Continue Reading

August 30, 2012

Review and giveaway: Imperial Cat Scratch ‘n Shapes Sofa Scratcher Chaise

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My two little product testers have been super busy lately! Our newest product is the Imperial Cat Scratch ‘n Shapes Sofa Scratcher Chaise. The scratcher comes complete with some heavy duty organic catnip, but we didn’t even need to sprinkle that on. As soon as I put it on the floor, they both checked it out.

The cardboard portion of the scratcher is nice and strong, featuring a honeycomb texture that allows cats to really get their claws into it. The bottom is covered with a sturdy piece of paper to prevent catnip and loose cardborad pieces from falling through to the floor.

Allegra loves scratching posts of all types, and immediately went to town on this one. The video I shot of her using it may be turning her into a TV star: a British production company making a special for National Geographic, provisionally called “The Wild Side of Cats,” which looks at the behavior of domestic cats and examines how that compares to big cat behaviour in the wild, may be using this clip in the program!Continue Reading

August 29, 2012

Allegra and Ruby love their Cat Buddies

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Our friends at Spirit Essences surprised Allegra and Ruby with two Cat Buddies last week! They turned out to be a big hit with both girls, and we would expect no less from any toy recommended by Cat Daddy Jackson Galaxy.

Ruby immediately began wrestling with Cat Buddy Lola, pictured above. I keep finding Lola in different places throughout the house, even though I haven’t seen Ruby actually drag Lola around. Each Cat Buddy is handmade exclusively for Jackson Galaxy in Honolulu, Hawaii. The toys are filled with cotton batting and certified organic cat nip leaves and buds for long-lasting potency, and they’re nice and durable.

Allegra fell in love with her Mini Krinkle Cat Buddy, which is so new,Continue Reading

August 16, 2012

Review and giveaway: Kittyblock scratcher provides corrugated cardboard fun for cats

Giveaways, Products| 170 Comments

Allegra hasn’t met a scratcher she doesn’t like, so I expected her to enjoy the Kittyblock. I just wasn’t pepared for how much she loved it! As soon as it came out of the box, she was all over it. It has since become a favorite at our house for both of the girls.

The Kittyblock was designed by Paul Roberts. It is made from corrugated cardboard and a starch-based adhesive. Weighing in at 8 pounds, the blocks are nice and sturdy. They didn’t move when Allegra and Ruby scratched and jumped and played on them.

I love that it’s not just a scratcher, but also a hiding place and a kitty jungle gym. Ruby likes to stalk Allegra from inside it, while Allegra prefers the spot on top.

In this photo collageContinue Reading

July 26, 2012

Giveaway: Brawny Cat Original Comfort Lounge

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When it comes to cat loungers and scratchers, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything better than the Brawny Cat line.

The original BrawnyCat Scratch’n Slumber Comfort Lounge was designed by Andrew Lesko for his 25-pound cat when he found that “she loved to lounge on her cardboard cat scratcher. It was just her natural spot to hang out on. Her own scent, left by her scratching activity, gave her a sense of ownership and comfort. Not that it was comfortable. It was flat and small (for her). She needed something larger that would also give her more comfort.”

He couldn’t find anything in stores that worked for her, so he decided to design his own. “My prerequisites were that it would be oversized and accommodating for cats of all sizes, be super comfortable, and incorporate a heavy duty, long lasting scratching pad that was also reversible and replaceable. It would be earth friendly, elevated, and have a hidden storage space for kitty toys which would also collect cat scratching residue flakes to keep floors clean.”Continue Reading

July 19, 2012

Giveaway: 3 months of joy for your cat from Pawalla

Giveaways, Products| 115 Comments

Allegra, Ruby and I are delighted to feature Pawalla today. Pawalla is a subscription service: once a month, you receive a box filled with all natural canned food, delicious treats, healthy supplements and fun toys. I’d say their tag line “joy for cats and dogs” is appropriate for the service they provide!

Allegra and Ruby are always excited to receive boxes addressed to them, and even though everything was well-sealed, I think they somehow knew that this box contained yummy food and treats. The food and treats are selected by a veterinary nutritionist, based on the information you provide about your pets during the sign up process.

I only recommend one of the brands that was in our box (Weruva), the other two don’t live up to my, admittedly stringent, requirements. Much to Allegra and Ruby’s relief, the treatsContinue Reading

July 12, 2012

Review and giveaway: Drinkwell Lotus Pet Fountain

Giveaways, Products| 194 Comments

Fountains are a great way to encourage cats to drink more water. Water is critical to keeping your cat healthy. While cats get moisture from a raw or canned diet, they should still have plenty of fresh water available at all times. Cats as a species don’t have a high thirst drive, and this can lead to chronic low-level dehydration if a cat is fed mostly dry food, which in turn, can lead to urinary tract and kidney problems.

We received the Drinkwell® Lotus Pet Fountain for review last week. The girls watched as I took it out of the big box addressed to “Allegra and Ruby King.” I think they were probably expecting to hear some colorful language from me when I saw the words “the fountain is not fully assembled” on the instructions. Thankfully, what little assembly it required was something even I could handle, and a few minutes later, it was filled with water, plugged in, and ready.

The Drinkwell® Lotus Pet Fountain features an elevated drinking dish with multiple streams of water. Continue Reading

July 11, 2012

Allegra and Ruby love their Scratch Tower from Moderncat

Products| 6 Comments

One of the paws down best parts of this year’s BlogPaws conference in Salt Lake City, UT was the Catification Lounge, brought to us by Miss Moderncat Kate Benjamin and Cat Daddy Jackson Galaxy.

Picture an entire hotel ballroom full of cat furniture, cat toys, and other cat paraphernalia – the definition of paradise for cat lovers. Kate has some great photos of the lounge on Moderncat. Everything on display was given away to some very happy winners. I won a Moderncat Scratch Tower, which I had shipped since it was most definitely too big to fit into my suitcase.

Allegra and Ruby got very excited when I told them that the bix box that had just arrived was for them. As soon as I opened it, they both went to investigate. I had barely taken out the Scratch Tower when Allegra immediately put it to the test Continue Reading