Fish Aquarium

Yes folks, my Filled to the Gills with Catnip toys also come in a gift box.  The Fish Aquarium.  It comes with 4 different fish, although, if you have certain fish in mind, you can let me know which ones you want.  There is a cute underwater scene in the back ground.

Click on the Crazy About Catnip link to find this item, and to see all of the other great items available at Crazy About Catnip.

New Dinner & Dessert Cat Toy

New Dinner and Dessert Cat Toys are now available at Crazy About Catnip.

The menu consists of a fish toy filled to the gills with catnip, with felt fins for that added texture cats love and of course a carrot filled with catnip and topped with a green feather to tickle your kitty’s fancy.  For dessert: a bag of catnip.  All served in this cute cat bowl the says “I (Heart) My Cat”.

Makes a great gift for either your kitty or someone elses.  This toys is so much fun, that My Vice President of Product Development, Sweetie the Cat, Didn’t want to stop playing with it.  It took nearly 20 minutes for me to get a picture without her in it.

Check out this item, and all my other items, by clicking on the Crazy About Catnip link.  And remember, 10% of all profits are donated to various animal rescue organizations.

Holloween Cat Posture

Every year around Halloween, we see all kinds of decorations of a black cat with his back arched, tail straight up and fluffed out and teeth glaring.  It could be a frightful sight.  But believe it or not cats really do use this posture. 

Cat really don’t want to fight, but some times they find themselves in a situation where they are in over their heads.  When this happens, they use the Halloween posture to intimidate who ever they feel is a serious threat.  By arching the body and bluffing up the tail, they appear to be bigger then what they are.  Of course showing those sharp teeth helps a lot too.  Basically the posture says “Don’t mess with me.”  But in reality they are making the threat either run away, or hesitate long enough so they can run away.

Yes folks, that posture is nothing more than a bluff cats use to avoid a fight.  By the way, if the bluff doesn’t work, well, there is always those real sharp claws that will do the trick.

Ghost or Water Spot

One of the nifty things about living in St. Augustine is all the historical things there is to see.  Of course being the oldest city in the US, that means there are a ton of ghost tours you can take.

A friend of mine from high school, came to visit me last week.  We visited two forts, checked out the oldest wooden school house, Walked along the historical city, and of course went on one of the ghost tours.

We were told to take a lot of pictures because sometimes unusual things show up, so armed with my camera I snapped about 15 photos.  Here are three of them.

This picture was taken at one of the many cemetaries.  The tour guide just told us about a little ghost boy that likes to hang out in the tree, so of course I took a few pictures of the tree.

This white “orb” appeared in the photo.  This photo of the tree was the only one that showed something strange. 

This is a photo of one of the forts at night.  That white object over the fort looks like the moon, but I assure you, the moon was not over the fort when I took this picture.  Of course the tour guide told me it was an orb, that’s his job, but is it an orb or just a water spot on my lens?

This is an interesting picture, also taken at the fort.  There’s a small white streak towards the right of the photo.  I have no idea what that is, and there were no reflective surfaces near the fort. 

Even if you don’t believe in ghost, the ghost tour was very entertaining.  The guide gave provided a lot of historical information about the over 400 year history of St. Augustine.  If you’re ever in Northern Florida, you should stop by.  There’s a lot to see and do.

I’m Not a Crazy Cat Lady

We make fun all the time about the “Crazy Cat Lady” down the block.  But in reality it’s not funny.  Most of these people suffer from a mental disorder known as hoarding.  Hoarding is an obsessive compulsive disorder that is difficult to control.  We’ve all heard about hoarders that are unable to throw things out, and it gets to the point where there is no room in the house to actually live.  Well, in the case of “the Crazy Cat Lady,” it’s not items she collects, its cats.

They defend their actions by telling themselves they are saving these cats lives by getting them off the street, and giving them a good home, but although they have a roof over their heads, it is by far not a good home for the cats.  These hoarders don’t recognize that these cats are living in overcrowded and horrible conditions.  Some hoarders have so many cats it’s impossible to keep a clean litter box, therefore forcing the cat to go in the house.  This and other factors can lead to disease, and the hoarders usually doesn’t have the funds to take the cats to the vet.

By the time most animal hoarders are discovered by the authorities, conditions are usually very bad.  It’s typical to find dead or dying cats in the home.  Not to mention several cats with disease that could have been prevented if the cat lived in cleaner, less crowded conditions.

In recent years, Animal hoarding has been recognized as a real mental illness, and the authorities are now have a better understanding about how to handle the situation that could benefit both the hoarders and the animals they collect.  In 1993, the largest number of cats found in a residence was 640.  It doesn’t take much to visualize the living conditions in that home.  Therefore, if you suspect that there is a crazy cat lady in your area, please call the authorities so they can get help.

By the way, there are some men who hoard animals too, but the majority are women.

Cat Toy Samplers

Don’t know which cat toy to get?

 Crazy About Catnip, offers a great variety of gift and samplers for your cat, or any other cat in your life.  Pictured is a sampler that gives you 4 of the most popular toys available, all presented in a metal bucket with an envelope of catnip seeds, so you can grow all your own catnip.

Click on the Crazy About Catnip link and on the right you will see a category called “Cat Gifts and Samplers.”   There are several different choices.  Pick the one that’s right for you.

Do Cats Really Need Milk?

Not really.  For the first 12 weeks of a kittens life, they need mother’s milk to give then the antibodies they will need to get the through life.  But after that, cats lose the ability to digest milk.  There really is no need to give them milk.  Most cat’s don’t like it anyway, and let’s face it, in the wild cats don’t actually have a way to get cows milk. 

Like people, many cats can’t tolerate milk products like cow’s milk and cheese.  But there are a few exception, and your cat may be one of them.  But limit the amount of milk you give him.  It should be nothing more the an occasional treat.  Also, 1% or fat free would be the best choice.  Frankie the Cat loves milk.  Every night at 8 pm, my mother gives him a small saucer of milk.  That’s Fat Free milk.  When she forgets, he reminds her.

You should stop giving your cat milk at the first signs of trouble.  Belly ache, puking and diarrhea would be those signs.  If your kitty still insists on a saucer of milk, get cats milk at the local pet supply store, but keep in mind, cats milk  is expensive and may still bother her tummy.

When Cats Bite the Hand that Pets Them

You’re sitting down, petting your cat, when all of a sudden he attacks.  What’s that all about,  don’t cats like to be petted?  Well, actually, it depends on the cat.  Genetics and social factors play a role in how much petting your cat will tolerate.  Cats can turn their behavior on a dime.  One minute they are happy with the pussy cat massage, the next they’ve had enough, get lost.  If you’ve had your cat since kittenhood, you can raise your cat to be more sociable.  Also, training your cat not to take out his or her claws, or bite for that matter, will help save you from the feline wrath.  But if your kitty is past kittenhood, all is not lost.

Pet your cat every day.  Start off with short sessions, and increase the time each day.  Always stop with your kitty wanting more.  If you’re lucky, you have a cat that show warning signs before attacking.  That heavy swish of the tail, flickering ears, a strange sound.  But not everyone is that lucky, so I always felt the best rule is to cut it off before a good thing becomes too much.

By increasing the petting time each day, your kitty will become accustom to your touch, and enjoy it more.  You will also form a better bond.  One thing though that I want to point out.  Most cats don’t like having their belly touched, so I would avoid that area all together.  turning over and exposing the belly is not an invitation to pet them there.

How to Get Your Cat to Like You

Some cat owners have trouble getting their feline friends to interact with them, and this could be misinterpreted as “My cat doesn’t like me.”  Chances are your cat does like you, you’re just going about getting his affection the wrong way.  Cats are animals that like to have things done on their terms, and understanding that is the first thing you need to know before you can get your cat to interact with them.  Here are a few tips that can help you achieve a strong bond with your cat.

1)  Make sure all your interactions are not threatening to your cat.  Don’t suddenly pick him up, or make direct eye contact.  Cats don’t like that, and in some cases may think it’s rude.  When talking to your cat, speak softly and soothing.

2)  Spend time petting your cat in the places he likes.  Not all cats are the same, but most like to be pet behind the ears, along the chin, and down the back.  Sweetie the Cat loves when I pet her backside.  During a petting session, she will maneuver herself so that my hand is suddenly on her butt.  Her head goes down, and her butt goes straight up in the air.  She even goes on her tip toes to get that maximum height with her butt. 

You’ll probably want to avoid tummy rubs.  Most cats don’t like that.  If you want to try it anyway, wait until you’ve created a very strong bond, and always keep an eye on her tail.  When the tail starts to twitch, back off.  These petting sessions should be short, at least in the beginning.  Your cat will let you know when to stop.

3)  Use interactive toys and play with your cat.  I find the best time to play with Sweetie is during sunset.  That’s when she most alert and ready to “hunt”.  Although she plays by herself, she also enjoys when I play with her.  We usually play catch.  She attacks her fish toy and then flips it in the air towards me.  I flip it back, and we play catch.  This usually goes on for a good ten to fifteen minutes before she decides to move onto other things.

There are a variety of toys you and your cat can play with.  Fishing poles, feathers, yarn, and my favorite, the flashlight.  The other great thing about building a bond by playing, is it usually tires them out, so they might sleep during the night instead of destroying your home while you sleep.

4)  Groom your cat.  Cat’s love to be brushed or combed, but be gentle when you do it.  Go slow and make rhythmic motions.  You can also talk gently to your cat while you do it.  I like to sing to Sweetie, and she loves it.  The nice part about this is you get rid of a lot of dead fur, which will reduce your cats hairball problems.  But remember to stop when your cat show signs that she’s had enough.  Remember, everything you do for your kitty is on her terms, not yours.

All good relationships take time, so don’t expect instant bonding.  Before you know it, your kitty will be coming to you on a regular basis.  Maybe even sit by the door waiting for you to come home.

Why do Cat Spend Hours in the Sun

Yes, Cats do love the sun.  When I live in a 5th floor apartment, Sweetie the Cat would spend the morning and early afternoon sleeping on the bed, but at 3pm she came out of the bedroom, and planted herself at the terrace door in the livingroom.  You could pretty much set your clock by it.  Why 3PM?  Well, that was the time that the sun came directly into the living room.  Oh, and it didn’t matter if it was winter or summer, She could never get enough direct sun.

Cat’s are sun worshippers.  This goes back to the days when they were desert dwellers.  A cat would spend the day lounging in the sun and napping so they would be refreshed at night when they went out to hunt.  Today’s cats still have the same instinct as their ancestors.  Sleeping in the sun is just natural to them. 

Oh, and by the way, the average body temperature for a cat is 102 degrees, and their heart beats about 155 times a minute.  Pretty amazing knowing that those conditions could be fatal to humans.