Cat Years Vs. Human Years

The other day I got into a conversation with a friend trying to figure out how old our cat’s were in human years.  You know the whole 7 years equals one for dogs.  Well, cats tend to live longer than dogs, and I’m not even sure that formula works for dogs.  So I did a little research to try to figure out how old Sweetie the Cat is in human years.  This is what I discovered.

Year one, your cat is equal to around 13 years old.  Year two, about twenty-five, From there, aging slows down a bit, and you need only add four years to every year older.  So a three-year old cat is 29, four-year old is 33, etc.  Got the picture? 

As for dog years vs. human years, I haven’t looked into that.  But I have a 16-year-old dog, Mugsy, sleeping next to me right now.  If the 7 year rule is true, then he’s 112 years old.   Oh, and Sweetie the Cat is 57.

It’s Summer Time!

It just occurred to me that it is summer time.  It took a while because I’m use to the Northern seasons, and let’s face it, summer starts a lot sooner in Florida.  After many barbeque’s and picnics, I decided to have Sweetie the Cat join in.  Crazy About Catnip now features the Catnip Picnic for your kitty. 

Your cat gets two catnip filled hot dog cat toys and a bag of chips.  (For us humans that’s two hotdogs and a bag of potato chips).  This item is offered for sale in the USA and Canada, so come check it out at http://crazyaboutcatnip.etsy.com.

Sweetie Loves Chicken

Sweetie the Cat is a big fan of chicken.  Actually, all she really wants to eat is poultry.  Give her beef or fish, and she looks at you like your nuts.  So, in honor of my little girl, I created a cat toy that looks like a chicken leg.

You can find this chicken leg on the Crazy About Catnip etsy shop.  Of course for your non chicken loving cats, you can find a variety of other toys that look like food.  They are a lot of fun, and it sure beats playing with mice all day.

Sweetie the Cat Close Up

Just thought I’d share some head shots of Sweetie the Cat.

This photo is a little blurry, I think I got

A little too close.

At this point, she was not happy that I was

still trying to take her picture, so she got up to

Get a drink of water, thinking I would leave her alone.

 

Fat Chance that was going to happen.

The things poor Sweetie has to put up with from me.

Yeah, She’s not happy about it at all.

 

Sweetie the Cat is Always a Big Help

Last week,  I had a lot to do and little time to do it all.  In my rush to put away the laundry, I didn’t notice that Sweetie the Cat had gotten into the draws.  That’s my girl, always trying to help me out.

VP of Product Research, Sweetie the Cat, Filing Her Reports

Sweetie the Cat is the Vice President of Product Research at Crazy About Catnip, is very paws on in the business.  She always looks over my shoulder when I’m busy at work, either by the sewing machine, At the table while I’m filling my toys with Catnip or at the computer. 

Sweetie The Cat, VP Product Research

No sooner did I walk away from the computer, when she took over.  Although her main job is to play with the toys, she helps out in other ways as well.  And that’s why she’s been given the “Employee of the Month” award for the 24th straight month.

Check out the Crazy About Catnip shop, and see a picture of her at work doing product research.

http://crazyaboutcatnip.etsy.com

Photos

Since I lost all my photos when my hard drive blew up, I haven’t been putting that many photos on my website.  But over the last few weeks I’ve taken some that I thought I would share.

This is Sweetie the Cat (left) and Frankie the Cat (right) during one of there getting along periods.  It doesn’t last that long and I’m always suprised when I see it. 

This is Cassie the Cat (left) and Frankie the Cat (right).  They beling to my parents.  Cassie was a stray that my mother brought into the house years ago.  Frankie was adopted at a local animal shelter as a kitten. 

This is Sweetie the Cat in one of her weird possitions, that cats like to be in.  Any time I leave cloths on the bed, she has to be on top of it.  In this case, a jacket.

Mugsy the Dog in the cat tent.  He doesn’t really fit in it, but for some reason, he likes to take naps inside.  He’s 15 years old, soon to be 16, and he’s a little confussed some times.  Hey, the cat’s don’t mind, so no big deal.

I was trying to take a picture of the cat toys to post in my shop Crazy About Catnip.  Frankie had other ideas.

Sweetie the Cat Play Nurse

A few weeks ago, I had a bad cold.  Although it wasn’t the flu, I was miserable, and pretty much stayed in bed for nearly a week before I started to feel better.  Sweetie the cat, stayed by my side as she usually does when I don’t feel good.  Her normal procedure is to get under the blanket with me, something she only does when I don’t feel well, and kiss me on the forehead, you know stuff like that.  She also remains quiet, and isn’t as demanding as she usually is.  Some how she knows that I don’t feel well, and she’s there to take care of me.

But this all begs to wonder, could my little girl catch my cold?  Perhaps it’s not safe for her to be that close to me when I’m sick.  Well, the answer to that is don’t worry.  Although cats can get a cold, they can’t catch a cold from a human.  The viruses we get are not interested in cats.  The same holds true if the cat has the cold, people wont catch it.

So if you have a special kitty who likes to play nurse when you don’t feel well, let her.  She won’t catch your cold.  I promise.

Sweetie and Frankie Are Best Buddies Now

I’ve mentioned in earlier blogs how Sweetie the Cat and Frankie the Cat are dealing with sharing a home.  Not only are they no longer fighting, but they’ve become very close.  Check it out.

Sweetie and Frankie. True Love?

 

That’s Sweetie on the left and Frankie is on the right with his back towards us.  They hung out together on the bed for several hours, and took a few naps.  Every once in a while, one of them would wake up and see what was going on around them, then go back to sleep. 

Needless to say, I now feel safe leaving Sweetie and Frankie alone together.  It’s cute because now they actually look for each other when they get bored.

Taking your Cat for a Walk

When I first got Sweetie, I thought it would be great if I could take her outside.  Living on the fifth floor of an apartment building, I didn’t like the idea of her going out on the terrace for fear that she might fall off.  The best way for her to get some fresh air and exercise would be to take her for a walk like you would a dog.  I read up on the topic and discovered that cat’s can be trained to walk on a leash, so I went to the local pet store, bought a harness and leash for her, and set off to teach her how to walk on a leash.

I spent nearly a half hour trying to get the harness on her, and when I finally succeeded, I attached the leash, and pulled.  She stay on the floor, refusing to budge.  It was sheer torture for her.  I never tried again.  But truth be told, cats can learned to walk on a leash.  But be prepared for a lot of work.

First of all, never use a regular collar on your cat when using a leash.  The collar will fall off, there’s no doubt about that.  Instead use a figure 8 harness.  If you can manage to get the thing on your cat, half the battle is over.

It is best to teach them when they’re young.  Let them get use to wearing the harness, perhaps keep it on them for an hour or two a day.  Use treats and praise when you put the leash on, and your cat decides to take a few steps.

Be very patient.  This is not something that will happen over night, in fact it could take several weeks or months.  Don’t get frustrated, your cat will sence it, and you’ll never get anywhere because it will become an unplesant thing for your cat.

When you’ve finally gotten your cat to the stage where she is willing to walk on the leash, be prepared to let your cat take the lead.  Chances are, your cat will not be willing to walk where you want, be satisfied to follow your cat, not the other way around.

Keep you walking ventures short and sweet.  Unlike dogs who can spend hours going on walks, cat’s will do it for a short while, then decide they’ve had enough.

I never could get Sweetie to enjoy an outdoor stroll with me, but perhaps you may have better luck.