Furry Fun Room

Amazon's running a great little purrmotion right now, and it puts $5 in your pocket for Christmas spending. Just spend $20 or more on books that are sold and shipped by Amazon, and you'll get $5 off. Enter coupon code GIFTBOOK18 at checkout. Books must be shipped to the same address in a single shipment. 

Here are a few of the books that qualify for this purrmotion…. get $5 off your purchase over $20! You're welcome!

Homer and the Holiday Miracle is just another in a great series of books by NYT Bestselling author (and friend of Mousebreath's!), Gwen Cooper. We, of course, have an amazingly sweet little black cat named Homer (a name we kept when we adopted him because of Gwen's Homer), so the Homer stories are especially special to me.

"Humorous and heartwarming, Homer and the Holiday Miracle will leave you filled with the true spirit of the season. It’s the ideal stocking-stuffer for the cat lover on your list—and the perfect holiday treat for yourself. Read and rejoice!"

Hardcover, $7.54

A purrfect companion to Homer and the Holiday Miracle is Gwen's collection of stories describing her life as a cat mom: My Life in a Cat House.

Raised in a dog-loving family, Gwen never pictured herself as a “cat person.”  But from the very first feline she adopted—an adorable five-week-old rescue kitten, slow to learn how to trust after life on the streets—Gwen was smitten.  Eventually one rescue kitten became five, and all the ups and downs of a life with cats are lovingly depicted here: From the obsessive cat who teaches himself to play fetch and demands it morning, noon, and night from his hapless human mom; to the crafty white beauty who raises outside-the-litter-box thinking to the level of an art form; to the routine vet trip that turns into a hijinks-filled misadventure on the streets of Manhattan with three (VERY cranky!) felines in tow. And Homer, the Blind Wonder Cat himself, returns triumphant in new tales of life and love after worldwide fame. 

Hardcover: $14.68

Adults and kids alike love Pete the Cat. In this recent release, Pete explores the 12 Groovy Days of Christmas in a way that only Pete can.

Pete and his friends are rockin’ and groovin’ while counting down the days to Christmas! Who needs five golden rings, when you can have five onion rings?

Join Pete and the gang for one-of-a-kind holiday cheer. He adds a cool-cat spin on a well-known Christmas carol, bringing a hip and energetic spirit to the season.

This is a perfect Christmas gift for Pete the Cat fans who are eagerly awaiting Santa’s arrival.

Hardcover: $10.39

This one is a little bit of shameless self-promotion, since one of the 12 chapters in Rescued Vol 2 was written by my very own Banzai.(as in, me) The other eleven chapters are good, too–many written by cat bloggers you know! Rescued Volume 2 tells 12 stories of cats, the humans who healed them…and how they in turn healed their humans, a sentiment purrfect for the Christmas season. As with Volume 1 of the Rescued series, the stories are told through each cat’s own purrspective. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hug your closest furry friend.

Paperback: $13.99

Did you love A Street Cat Named Bob? Then you MUST read or gift  A Gift from Bob this holiday season, a followup to the earlier best seller by James Bowen. 

In this new story of their journey together, James looks back at the last Christmas they spent scraping a living on the streets and how Bob helped him through one of his toughest times – providing strength, friendship and inspiration but also teaching him important lessons about the true meaning of Christmas along the way.

Hardcover: $14.16

Prancie's Prayer is a book written by someone every cat blogger knows: Sammy Pilch's mom, Ellen Pilch. This charming picture book, illustrated by Nicolas Peruzzo, tells a magical, mystical holiday story that will become a new holiday tradition for its readers.

Prancie's Prayer is the first picture book written by Ellen J Pilch and published by Mirror Publishing. It is about an orange cat who finds herself homeless one cold winter. She has trouble finding something to eat and a warm place to sleep, but with a little help from above she finds all of that and more in her wonderful forever home. The story is loosely based on how the author's cat arrived at her doorstep. You can read more about Prancie and her family at 15andmeowing.com.

Paperback: $12.99

Purrfect Santa is another in a series of Max and Dooley mystery books (not to be confused with feline life coach Max Thompson).  The book contains three Christmas stories: Purrfect Santa, Purrfect Christmas Mystery, and Purrfect Christmas Miracle. It's a fun introduction to the antics of these feline sleuths!

Paperback: $6.99

The Travelling Cat Chronicles became an immediate international best seller when it was published a couple of months ago. 

With simple yet descriptive prose, this novel gives voice to Nana the cat and his owner, Satoru, as they take to the road on a journey with no other purpose than to visit three of Satoru's longtime friends. Or so Nana is led to believe . . . 

With his crooked tail–a sign of good fortune–and adventurous spirit, Nana is the perfect companion for the man who took him in as a stray. And as they travel in a silver van across Japan, with its ever-changing scenery and seasons, they will learn the true meaning of courage and gratitude, of loyalty and love.

Hardcover: $14.76

The Twelve Days of Christmas Cats is a visual delight: a richly illustrated picture book featuring a feline version of the twelve days of Christmas.

Hardcover: $16.61

A Cat Butt Christmas coloring book. Yeah, you read that right. If someone on your gift list loves those adult coloring books–and cats–they'll enjoy this salute to the feline asterisk. 

Paperback: $5.99

REMEMBER! Use promo code GIFTBOOK18 to save $5.00 when you spend $20.00 or more on Books shipped and sold by Amazon.com. Here's how (restrictions apply)

Tags: Books, featured, gwen cooper, Homer

Category: Books, Featured

By Matthew Russell

Unless your name is Cruella de Vil, you might not think dogs are the most fashion forward of the animal kingdom. In most cases, they’re probably more interested in squirrels than the latest fashion trends.

There are a few who are less content with chasing cats, however, far more concerned with the catwalk. A stray in Mumbai showed off her definition of canine couture at a recent fashion show hosted by designer Rohit Bal.

According to Fox News, while international models Sidharth Malhotra and Diana Penty posed on the catwalk in Dal’s latest, the dog made its way past the models and into the center of attention.
The video showing this dog’s fashionable entrance has already been shared thousands of times.

It looks as if the models were happy having the dog join them, but event organizers weren’t too keen on being upstaged by the stray. The dog was soon escorted out by Bal’s staff.

Source: Twitter/fidei_sohel
The dog made its way up and down the catwalk, even stealing a pat or two from the models.

This isn’t the first time a dog has been caught doing it’s little thing on the catwalk. Earlier in 2018, a fashion show in Istanbul, Turkey, was dog-bombed by another stray.

Proper greatergood_ctg_abovevideo

This Hotel In Aspen Has Its Own Bernese Mountain Dog Who Will Tuck You In At Night: Click “Next” below!

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People of the innernets, the 2019 Love & Hisses calendar AND the 2019 Permanent Resident calendar are FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY done and available! If you order before November 8 at 11:59 PM, enter the code FIFTEEN at checkout, and save 15% on your order! Calendars are $13.99 plus shipping. (Choosing pictures for these calendars just about killed me. I hope you like.)

All calendars are marked up by $4 each (each calendar will cost $13.99 plus shipping), and all profits will be split between Challenger’s House and Forgotten Felines.

(There will also be links in the sidebar to the right, hopefully later today, if you’d rather wait and order another day. I’ll also post an occasional reminder here on the blog.)

Click on each picture below to go to that calendar’s page, or see both of them here at Lulu.

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As mentioned in yesterday’s post, say hello to Tank.

He’s white with orange tabby markings, including an orange striped tail.

On his right side, a few orange tabby patches on his back leg.

On his left side, an orange tabby patch on his back leg.

Basically, he looks like a white cat with some random orange tabby splashes.

The smears of orange under his eyes remind me of the greasepaint football players smear under their eyes.

(I haven’t looked at a football game since the Bears played the Patriots in January 1986, so I’m assuming they still do that.)

The other kittens weren’t quite sure what they thought of him…

Axle, checking him out.

But Tank was ready to play immediately, and wasted no time jumping on the other kittens, especially the orange boys.

He is a very ACTIVE boy.

Confident AND snuggly.

So, the story is this: I was at Michelle’s during spay/neuter day and the person who rescued him (from a family member up in Tennessee, if I recall correctly) brought the kitten by to be neutered. Michelle didn’t think he was big enough to be neutered, and when she weighed him, she found that he was only 2 pounds, 5 ounces. I made a comment that he only weighed 1 ounce more than LoJack.

WHICH GAVE MICHELLE (and Kathie, who was also there) AN IDEA.

“You should take him, because when Ryder’s kittens go off to Petsmart, LoJack will need a friend!” they said.

I tried to fight it, but honestly they were right. Ryder’s kittens will be headed off to Petsmart soonish, and LoJack will need to be here for, at minimum, a couple more weeks. He does NOT do well as an only child (he gets lonely!), and so he would need a friend.

“Oh, FINE,” I said. “But I need a name that goes with the theme.” He’d been named Riley, but that wasn’t going to work. I like my themes!

I pulled up the list of names we’d chosen from for the rest of the kittens, nearly named him Chrome, but then I saw the name Tank and thought it was perfect. Everyone agreed that was the perfect name for him, and when I brought Ryder’s Fleet home, I brought Tank home as well.

I considered keeping him separate from the other kittens for a few days, but the boy clearly needed other kittens to play with, and so I put him together with them. The orange boys accepted him immediately. Pulley and Dynamo shrugged. LoJack fumed for about five minutes and then forgot Tank was new. The tuxie girls and Solenoid formed a Mean Girls club and hissed at him every time he came near. By mid-day yesterday the tuxie girls had graduated from making fun of him behind his back to playing with him. Solenoid is still hissing and growling at him, but it’s gotten pretty half-hearted. I expect the time the weekend is over, she’ll be over her snit.

And now you’ve met Tank! I need to get better pictures of him, but it’s been a little busy around here; it’s at the top of my to-do list for today, though.

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Alice loves to snooze under the lemon tree.

YouTube link

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Previously
2017: Who’s going to disturb all those melted kittens? Not I!
2016: It’s a sleepy Raleigh pie.
2015: No entry.
2014: “I recommends you stop pointing that phone at me, lady. The ears don’t get much more annoyanced than this.”
2013: “Uhhhhh… nothin’. Just sitting here NOT making fun of the way you derpy-doo around on two feet.”
2012: Are you seeing the looniness in Magoo?
2011: “Dude. Your toenails are UP MY NOSE!”
2010: Then one evening, the cats got together and had a newspaper-shredding party.
2009: At one point, I had six or seven cats gathered around me, watching in fascination as the plastic dragonfly flapped and flapped.
2008: No entry.
2007: Talk about your come-hither look!
2006: Y’all just shut UP. We do NOT have eight cats.
2005: “What can I do to convince you to adopt Sugarbutt?”

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About Clear the Shelters

NBC and Telemundo owned stations are teaming up with hundreds of shelters across the country to host Clear the Shelters, a nationwide pet adoption drive on Saturday, August 18 to help find loving homes for animals in need. More than 150,000 pets found their forever homes since 2015.

Please give a warm welcome to our latest Star Kit, Good Night. He is 3 weeks old from Walhalla, South Carolina.

I got a new cat about a month ago and we found out she was in the late stages of pregnancy. So 3 weeks ago we met the little cutie we call Good Night. He acts just like his momma.

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Edited to add: Between 8:30 and about 10:30 this morning, Caroline had FIVE very healthy looking (wiggly, nursing) kittens. They’re all brown or gray tabbies (no idea of the sexes yet). I think she’s done (though this wouldn’t be the first time one more appeared!), and all are doing well. The whole story in tomorrow’s post, but I’m sure I’ll be posting more pictures over at Instagram/Facebook.

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Yesterday, because we like to live life on the edge, and because Charles has been driving us CRAYZEE with the incessant howling to get OUT of the foster room, we blocked off the stairway to the downstairs, closed the door to Fred’s office, and let Charles and Caroline out to roam the upstairs.

“OH DEAR LORD,” someone’s probably screaming at their computer right. “WHAT IF CAROLINE CLIMBS INTO A SPOT WHERE YOU CAN’T REACH HER AND GIVES BIRTH? WHAT THEN?!”

To which I answer: there is not spot in the entire upstairs that I cannot reach. If she crawls under a bed and begins to give birth, I’ll slide in after her and gently carry her back to the foster room.

(I should probably add that they’ll only have access to the upstairs during the day; they’ll be in the foster room at night.)

Like I mentioned, Charles has gotten more and more vocal in the past week or so. In the home where they were living before their owner surrendered them to the shelter, I assume they had access to all (or most of, at least) the rest of the house and weren’t confined to one room, so it makes sense that he’s been objecting to this terrible treatment.

Charles and Caroline think that this whole roaming-around-the-upstairs thing is PRETTY COOL.

Checking out the hallway.

Making himself at home.

Watching the garbage truck go by.

“Why it do that?”

“MINE.”

::thlurrrp::

I wondered whether, given the chance to get away from each other, they’d hang out in separate parts of the upstairs, but it turns out that they did pretty much what they’ve been doing for the past 3 1/2 weeks: wander off from each other for a few minutes, and then go looking for each other. I took a nap on Fred’s bed, and both of them napped with me, Caroline on my left and Charles on my right. I kept my left hand on Caroline’s belly, and it was EXTREMELY cool to feel those (very active!) kittens moving around.

Her appetite MAY have dropped off a little (though it could also be the excitement of having all that room to explore yesterday). As mentioned, the kittens are moving around like crazy in there. When will we have kittens? No idea. Since she’s a cat and cats are contrary creatures, she probably won’t have them tomorrow (Valentine’s Day) because that’s when we ALL want her to have them.

PS: To answer the often-asked question: even if she does have her kittens on Valentine’s Day, we’re sticking with the Little House on the Prairie naming theme.

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Khal + track toy = true love.

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Previously
2018: Who’d have guessed the bathroom would turn out to be so popular?
2017: “What? Is comfy!”
2016: No entry.
2015: “Seriously, lady. You’re a cat hoarder, right? You have like 138 cats out there?”
2014: Throwback Thursday: 2009.
2013: Some of them slept. Some of them gave me the stink eye.
2012: As soon as they hear me wake up and roll over in the morning, though, they’re all crawling on me, purring, and asking for love.
2011: No entry.
2010: No entry.
2009: It’s absolutely stunning what separating a couple of skittish kittens will do to their personality.
2008: No entry.
2007: We call him Popeye when he does this.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.

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Fish-based pet treats company, Woofs has announced it is to begin exporting to Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Saudi Arabia.

The manufacturer currently stocks its products in independent and online retailers such as Ocado, Fetch and Amazon. Woofs said it is looking to work even closer with retailers in the UK and increase its presence in the show dog, breeder and veterinary markets.

Woofs is one of the few UK pet food companies to hold the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certificate, which means that all fish that goes into its treats is from fully traceable and sustainable sources.

Stewart Irvine, Woofs founder, said: “We are extremely excited about this coming year. The company wants to bring top quality fish products to the attention of discerning dog owners.

“Packed full of Omega 3, an essential fatty acid that must be supplied in the diet because it cannot be created by the body, Woofs’ tasty treats help support healthy vision, joint mobility and can help heal sore, flaky, damaged or itchy skin. The brittle nature and rough texture of the fish skin, is also great for reducing tartar and plaque, which creates healthier teeth, gums and a fresher breath.

“Fish is a great, easily digestible protein source for dogs and is ideal as a snack for overweight dogs who are trying to lose weight or dogs with allergies or intolerances. It also makes an excellent dog training treat so it is ideal for use in the show or agility ring and can also be used to train gun and working dog breeds.”

It only takes a second for one mistake to change everything.

By all accounts, Stacy Konwiser knew what she was doing. As the lead tiger keeper at the Palm Beach Zoo, Konwiser was an experienced handler and was familiar with the protocols meant to keep both animals and people safe. When she was fatally attacked earlier this month, she was in an area called the “tiger night house” and, according to the investigation, it was clearly marked as an area to which a tiger had active access.

This is not a matter of whether or not the Palm Beach Zoo has adequate protocols and safety standards in place. It does, and those protocols mandate that a keeper should never be in an area to which a tiger has access. Konwiser should not have been in that enclosure at the time she was attacked.

So the question is, why was she in there? One can only assume it was a horrible mistake or oversight on Konwiser’s part that took her life, but we’ll never know. She was well aware of the dangers with these animals, and as the author of the protocols that are in place she would know that entering an enclosure with a tiger would likely result in this.

I have had the honor of touring a tiger sanctuary here in San Diego and seeing these creatures up close, within the bounds normally reserved for zookeepers. The tiger decided to come up to the fence and jump up on it right in front of me, with just the chain-link fence between us. I have never felt so small in my life. No one in their right mind would knowingly put themselves near one of these tigers without protection. They are magnificent and brutal.

When Konwiser was attacked, the zoo had to make a split second decision about whether to shoot the tiger with bullets or with tranquilizers. They chose the latter. Several factors went into that choice, including the risk of further injury to Konwiser or other people from bullet ricochets, as well as the fact that this was one of only 250 Malayan tigers in the world. This tiger was not doing anything unexpected. He was in his normal place doing his normal things and when an opportunity presented itself, he did what a tiger would normally do.

There is no right or wrong answer as to whether the zoo made the right decision on that count. Were one to ask a person as dedicated to these creatures as Konwiser was whether an animal deserved to die because of a mistake someone else made, I would venture that her answer would be “no.” The tiger is still alive and the zoo has no plans to change that.

Konwiser’s tragic death is a wake-up call to all of us who do dangerous things on a daily basis, whether it’s working with apex predators or simply driving to the grocery store. We live with rules and regulations (double check the gates! Put on your seatbelt! Don’t check your cell phone while driving!) meant to keep up safe, yet so often we tell ourselves “just this once I’ll let it pass.” When that one time turns out all right, it becomes easier next time to also ignore the rules. And when rules become guidelines, and then just suggestions, mistakes will happen.

And good people will pay the price.

Image: Nicki / Flickr

Se tiende a pensar que las enfermedades afectan a las mascotas terrestres y que las acuáticas están exentas de padecer patologías. Sin embargo, esto es un error porque también se ponen enfermas. Es el caso de las tortugas de agua, que son más propensas a una serie de infecciones o enfermedades. ¿Cuáles son?

Caparazón

Una de las enfermedades de mayor afección en la tortuga de agua es la que se conoce como caparazón blando. Esto se produce porque la mascota ha seguido una dieta que no es adecuada. En concreto, no ha tomado suficiente calcio. Pero, además, puede producirse por falta de luz solar.

El caparazón también puede verse afectado por los hongos. Su presencia se reconoce porque sale como una especie de pelillo o de capa que lo recubre. Igualmente, se observan manchas o bien protuberancias.

Los hongos aparecen por diferentes causas como la falta de limpieza de agua o bien que esté a una temperatura muy baja, lo que facilita la proliferación de bacterias y de los hongos.

Problemas en órganos

Otras enfermedades frecuentes en la tortuga de agua están relacionadas con órganos vitales o determinadas partes de su cuerpo. Entre ellas, se encuentran los ojos en las que es habitual que aparezcan infecciones, que se producen principalmente por dos motivos: la falta de vitamina A por una dieta inadecuada o por un mal mantenimiento del agua.

Los oídos es otra de las zonas sensibles de la tortuga. La otitis es la enfermedad que más le afecta, reconociéndose por la aparición de bultos en el cuello.

Las tortugas asimismo pueden verse afectadas por episodios o brotes de estreñimiento o de diarrea. En general, se producen por una inadecuada alimentación. Si la dieta es pobre en fibra y vitaminas, la tortuga no podrá evacuar, mientras que con una dieta con un exceso de fruta, se producirá la diarrea.

Y, finalmente, hay que hablar de las afecciones respiratorias, que se notan en la tortuga por una mayor secreción nasal, la aparición como de burbujas en la nariz y por la falta de hambre de la tortuga.

Artículos relacionados:

– Tortugas con problemas respiratorios

– Cuidados básicos de la tortuga de agua como mascota