Cat Crack

 The Island Cats mentioned that BFF cat food is like crack for cats!  And how right they are!

"Crack"

Angel and Chuck do NOT want anymore Salmon and Green Pea; they want CRACK!

"Crack too"

Again, to keep from being dependent on one food, I've found Evanger's Goin' Fishin', and looky; it comes in BIG CANS!  The price point is better, plus there is enough food for all four cats, with no leftovers to put into the refrigerator.  Angel and Chuck LURV this stuff too, so I am glad to have found two kinds of cat crack for their enjoyment.  Making sure Chucky eats enough is of primary concern. If I can keep him fed without emptying my pockets of green papers, then it's a thumbs-up all around.  

And I have a question for my fellow bloggers: how do I link my blog with my Eastside Cats page in Facebook?  Any ideas are welcomed, and thank you.

Disclaimer:  I use the term 'crack' as a humorous attempt to describe what all humans who are owned by cats go through with food.  Anyone in the real world who is touched by this drug and it's addiction know is not a laughing matter.  In Metro Detroit, there is a restaurant that offers 'Crack Fries' on it's menu, and folks have gotten upset with the inference.  People who eat the dish admit that the taste is addicting, but in a good way.    

Angel's Got a Brand New Bed

Eastside Cats received some coolio stuff this weekend, one of which was this really groovy scratcher/cat bed.  Angel fell in love immediately, and it did not take long for us humans to take advantage of having our sweet girl so close at hand!

Yep, that's The Hubby's paws all over
Angel.  She didn't mind one bit!

Later on, she was able to enjoy
the new beddy while solo
(except for me with the camera!)

 

Finally, she napped with her head on the edge.
The photos are blurry 'cause I was taking them at night!

Also, our section of Michigan received some snow this weekend, but it was strangely chunky snow...more like pellets that flakes!

Another poor photo of snow pellets on the front steps.

Temps are on the downturn, and a new blast of snow is predicted for late tonight and most of the morning tomorrow.  Stay safe out there, friends!  Thank you, CG!

"Don't Leave Me!"

As I exited the house this morning, Patty O'Malley dropped and rolled on the driveway behind The Cat Car.  Tried to get some good photos of him, because he was being cute but...

He was telling me that staying home to pet him should be my only goal in life!  Oh, baby, how I would love that life.

Happy Weekend, everybody!

Food Merry-Go-Round, or Tuna Tango

I mentioned last month here that we had to change food for Angel and Chuck.  We did so, to Natural Balance Salmon and Green Pea Limited Ingredient Formula.  Chuck had become a slow eater, preferring to snack a bit, walk away, then come back to snack some more.

For a while, everything was hunky dory.  Then, I got the bright idea that we were not going to be held hostage by one food again, and researched some alternative foods that we could use.

Research, I mean, by reading the list of preferred foods supplied by Sheppard Alternative Animal Care, our holistic veterinarian.

FOOL!  The moment that I put out BFF Tuna and Tilapia Twosome, Chucky ate every morsel in a flash!

Angel seems to prefer Natural Balance, because it's pate-style.  We are mixing the two right now, but it's obvious that we are going to be doing a dance between two kinds of food, and the two cats.

AND GET THIS!  Patty O'Malley and Sweetie will NOT eat the Natural Balance Salmon and Green Pea.  They won't.  A bit of a sniff, and they walk away.  Huh?  But they never say no to Trader Joe's Ocean Fish, Salmon & Rice Dinner.  What is that all about?

The Hubby is so pleased that Chucky is eating more food, that he cares not for my merry-go-round of cans, and half-opened this, and who-ate-what?  Of course, I am pleased too, and I will adapt.  My dancing shoes are on!

Disclaimer: No one gave us any free food or coupons or anything for this post.  All opinions are mine, The Hubby's, and the cats'.  All photos are mine.

Whisker and Fang Wednesday

Patty O'Malley and Me

Good photos of Patty O'Malley are not easy to get. If I am anywhere near by, his desire is to put some part of his body up against me and to look at me, not at the camera.  Therefore, I end up taking selfies with him.  I just love to see his whiskers, and look at those fangs sticking out at the corners of his mouth!  OHHH!  Wonder if we should invest in a selfie stick?

Foggy Squirrel Appreciation

Okay, okay...Squirrel Appreciation Day was 1/21/17, which I knew nothing about until I read it on Cat Chat With Caren and Cody!

However, I just happened to have snapped photos of a black squirrel in our backyard, chomping down on something. I enjoy watching squirrels; they are so industrious, even a bit cheeky, and I ALWAYS brake for them when they are near the edge of the road.  We have grey, brown, and black-furred squirrels around us.  They tease the cats, and have thrown things at the humans!

We experienced heavy fog most of the day on Saturday, and ALL DAY on Sunday!  It was quite spectacular, but I know there were auto accidents because of the limited visibility, so that isn't good.

Here are some photos taken in downtown Detroit, through that crazy fog.

The Hubby and I attended the North American Auto Show (website here).  You all know that Detroit and Michigan are home to some pretty large automotive companies, so we go all out for car shows!

More Cute Cat Gifts!

My friend BG brought a few items that she knew I would love, when we attended the recent CPR Class for Pets.  The bag is by Laurel Burch, and look at those adorable kitties on the side!  In addition, this whimsical kitty statue is just precious.  It is not going into either my office credenza cat collection NOR my home one; this wee cutie is sitting on my bedstand!

Thank you, BG...such great stuff!

Eww! Problem With The Cat Car

Ah-HA!  Fooled you, I blocked out the corpse 🙀

Gross!  A poor spider tried to climb into The Cat Car's dashboard, perhaps to find a warm place to hide.  Unfortunately, it got stuck, and now has gone over the Rainbow Bridge.  The corpse is directly in my line of sight, however, and there is no way to remove it unless we take the car apart.  If I scrunch down a bit in the driver's seat, the horizontal bar of the steering wheel hides the body.  Driving at night works too!

I feel badly that I cannot assist this creature's remains, known as Spidey, to a proper burial, but I now have to look at it for the amount of time it takes to dry to dust or wither to nothing.  A blast of air from a computer keyboard cleaner did nothing; the crack between the clear plastic and instrument panel is too tight.  Which begs the question: how did Spidey get in there in the first place?

Guess we'll never know, but it's yucky and I only bring it up because I simply LOVE The Cat Car, as it drives well, is cute and, gets good gas-mileage.  The bonus is that there is no monthly car payment, meaning I have a tad more $$ in my pocket for Chucky, Angel, Patty O'Malley and Sweetie.  The humans do not need much.  Voila!  It's a win-win for everyone...except poor Spidey...and me, who has to look at it.  Ewww!

The Cat Car, photographed on the day of purchase in October.

Backyard Sweetie

I just love Sweetie!  Since she has allowed petting and fur-pulls, I delight in hearing her purrs and meows.  She, however, is still not a fan of the photo, so I must zoom in some to capture her pretty face.

Sweetie, in the sunshine

Uh-oh, here comes Patty!

Photobomb!  Or, a total eclipse of Sweetie

 

Proof that Sweetie allows scritches...with
Patty trying to pry me away with licks

Sweetie is saying, "Ooh, that feels good!"

Sweetie has runny eyes, and she has a cough too.  I plan on trapping her for a vet visit in the Spring. We have not tested her for FIV or FeLV, since she was so feral in the beginning.  Veterinarian's want to euthanize cats with either of these, especially outside cats, using the excuse that they can infect other cats.  Well, she isn't fighting with or biting anybody; she minds her own beeswax, and allows Patty O'Malley to push her around a little bit.  We will care of her for the rest of her life, no matter what.  The Hubby calls her 'Lady', while I switch between 'Mama' and 'Sweetie'.  Hopefully, she understands LOVE!

Cat Word Search Puzzle

Much to my delight, the Word Search puzzle in Sunday's Detroit Free Press newspaper was about CATS!  Sorry to spoil the solution for you, but here is a photo of the completed puzzle.  I did NOT take a photo of the crossword nor the sudoko game, since I was unable to complete either of them...😉  It's fun when something that means a lot to me, shows up unexpectedly in real life.  Know what I mean?

City The Kitty

City the Kitty is a beautiful manx cat, who has wonderful multi-toed feet!  He and his human are fiercely opposed to de-clawing cats, and they put out a calendar and book to help raise funds toward the goal of ending this abhorrent practice.  How could I say no?  The photo book is adorable; City is photogenic, and he's adorable!  The calendar is cute; I just have to figure out where to hang it at the office.

City the Kitty was featured on an episode of Animal Planet's "My Cat From Hell"; here's a YouTube video.  Look at those big paws! Polydactyl cats (sometimes called Hemingway, mitten or thumb cats) have extra toes, but they cannot yet open their own cat food cans.

City the Kitty and The Paw Project are working hard to raise awareness to fight against the all-too common procedure of surgically removing cats' toes to the first knuckle on their front feet, or sometimes on all four, because people are either talked into it, or they've always done it in the past. That mindset has to END, and the veterinarian's who perform the surgery need change their thought process.  De-clawed cats have a higher return rate to shelters, due to emotional and physical problems that stem from the procedure.  The cats are often in pain, or bite due to the loss of their normal defense mechanism: their claws!  De-claw does NOT keep a cat in it's home, which is common mantra given by professionals as to why they continue to do it.  Public awareness needs to rise, and luckily, legislatures in both New Jersey and New York states are considering making it ILLEGAL!

Please consider supporting City the Kitty and The Paw Project; they are on the front lines, trying to keep toes on our cat friends!  I paid $14.99 plus shipping for the pawtographed book and wall calendar.

C.P.R. Class

Friday, I attended a C.P.R. (CardioPulmonary Resuscitation) class for dogs and cats, at A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue near me in Mount Clemens, Michigan.  Met my friend BG there, and she brought along her friend A, too.

Waiting my turn at practicing chest compressions,
while A tries it out.

Showing how to breath into dog's nose

Notes

Class Photo

Have wanted to take a CPR or pet First Aid class since forever...!  I learned that you've got to keep your cool, and make sure someone has called an animal emergency veterinarian, so they are ready when you arrive, and may be able to give you advice while you are giving CPR.

On that note, I realized that I have all of the cats' medical and veterinary information stowed where I can find it, but if there was an emergency, The Hubby or someone else would have no clue whom to contact!  So the first thing that I did today, was make a cheat-sheet of phone numbers, addresses and hours to hang on the refrigerator.  It lists the nearest emergency vet office, and Chuck's and Angel's vets.  The thought of something happening, and while I'm in a panic, or away at the office, looking through my phone contacts for vet information...just fills me with dread.

So, folks...make sure you have your veterinarian's information available to your household! Please consider attending a pet First Aid or CPR class, since I know you all LOVE your furry friends and would do anything to help them.  It's not that a class will make you a super-hero, but if some of the knowledge helps out one day, then it's A GOOD THING! 💕😸😸😸💕

Flash! Boom! Bang!

Folks, we had thunderstorms in Michigan last night, which is pretty weird for us.  Snow: yes; freezing: yes, thunder and lightning: NO!

Now, we have all lived through thunderstorms before, but last night are extreme.  Normally, there are lots of bright flashes, and rolls of thunder as the rain pours down.  Last night, there were only a couple super-white sparks that lit up the entire sky, then dead quiet.  After a beat, the thunder hit hard, fast, and REALLY LOUD!

This phenomenon made the humans jump out of their skin, and Angel and Chuck were completely freaked out!  I never located Angel after the second big lightning strike, and coincidently I was petting Chuck when the last one hit, just before 11 pm our time.  He was in his new-old, favorite sleeping spot in the bay window, and of course was surrounded by three windows!

News reports came out that reported an explosion nearby, but it was only the lightning and thunder! Crazy stuff, people!

Chucky in the cup beddy, in the bay window
Why he wants to sleep there in the dead
of winter...?  This photo was taken on a warmer day

String-o-pearls

Hmmm...someone (meaning ME) found something in the litterbox that was a bit disturbing.  No, I am NOT going to show you what; I think the title of this post tells all!  Apparently, we have a piece of carpet that some kitty is chewing on, and then ingesting the threads.

Not my carpet, just an image snagged from internet,
but those fine, plasticy threads are EXACTLY what
we have!

The Hubby and I reconnoitered, and a chewed carpet square was discovered upstairs within a few feet of where someone (meaning a certain black-and-white kitty) loves to nap! Now in the trash, there will no longer be any unbound carpet squares for this household, and Angel will have to find something else to chew on, like the newspapers on the table.

"Not me, Mama!  Nu-uh!"

  She denies the litterbox evidence is hers!

Cat Paw Prints in the Snow

But now we've got light rain, and the temperatures are rising.  This white stuff will melt away...yay!  Rain really is not normal for Michigan in early January, however since the rest of the country is getting bizarre weather (cold in the South, torrential rains out West), I suppose we'll do our part.

And it only took 1-1/2 hours to drive to the office this morning; usually takes about 40 minutes.  But I had the memory of cuddles with Patty O'Malley to see me through.

Patty O'Malley, I love you!

New Cat Stuff

Cat photo frame, for the credenza!

Coolio handmade cat pin!
Matches my outfit!

Thank you to 15 And Meowing for the frame, and to William's Kith and Kin for the pin!

Also, there is a new documentary film out soon, called Kedi.  It will be at the Detroit Institute of Arts in March, and I am GOING!  Blurb from the website:

"Hundreds of thousands of Turkish cats roam the metropolis of Istanbul freely. For thousands of years they’ve wandered in and out of people’s lives, becoming an essential part of the communities that make the city so rich. Claiming no owners, the cats of Istanbul live between two worlds, neither wild nor tame — and they bring joy and purpose to those people they choose to adopt. In Istanbul, cats are the mirrors to the people, allowing them to reflect on their lives in ways nothing else could.

Critics and internet cats agree — this cat documentary will charm its way into your heart and home as you fall in love with the cats in Istanbul."

Please check the website, for a showing near you!

Yep, It's Still Cold!

"Feels Like: -4 degrees F"
Yikes!

The Big Brrr has still got it's arms wrapped around us.  Last night, I held the front door open for Patty and Sweetie, and they ignored it. Couldn't they feel the warm air blowing out at them?  All that they wanted to do, was to herd me out of that door, and into the backyard where I would deliver food. Guess those two really are ferals, because you would think they would high-tail it inside at every chance they got!

This our window that overlooks our driveway.
It's frosted pretty good in this weather!

Patty and Sweetie, at breakfast

Frozen water bucket

I use the broom handle to break the ice,
and then lever it out

Ice was over an inch thick

Fresh, liquid water!

The graveyard of water bucket ice

Frost on The Cat Cat,
makes interesting patterns

Mind you, it is Winter, and we live in Michigan.  We know it's going to snow and get cold.  My thoughts are for the folks in The South, who really don't go for this kind of weather!  Stay safe, everyone!