Making your own cat toys

Cute & easy idea from Cat Fancy Magazine:

"Kitty Balls-

Cut out one 6-by-6-inch square of fabric.

Roll up some fiberfill with catnip and place in middle of square.

Cut a foot-long piece of yarn or very thick thread.

Gather up all sides of the fabric around the fiberfill and tie a double knot with the yarn or thread. I like to loop the thread around at least twice so my kitties can’t remove it.

Tie a bow in the yarn.

Toss the ball toward your cat and watch the fun begin."

See post below on growing catnip, fresh catnip leaves would be great in these! I'll have to make the Fab Five some for sure!!

Quote of the day

The smallest feline is a masterpiece - Leonardo da Vinci

pets & sounds of the season

A good reminder from Hill's about loud noises stressing pets out especially with July 4th coming up. And if your weather has been like ours, the spring storms have been a little on the wild side, I have never heard thunder boomers as loud as they have been this year! Darby O'Gill is our kitty that is scared of thunder. He gets in my lap during thunderstorms & it calms him.

"Helping Your Cat Cope with Loud Thunder and Fireworks
It’s not uncommon for a cat to be afraid of loud noises, especially thunder and fireworks. They usually display by hiding. A cat suffering from a substantial fear of loud noises may begin to display anxious behavior before the thunder begins. Rain on the roof of the house, bright flashes of light or even the drop in air pressure before a storm may be enough to trigger anxiety. It is important to know what to do when the situation occurs:

Staying calm will help your cat feel safe. You might even try to play with your cat to distract from the noise of thunder of fireworks.
Make sure your cat has a safe place to seek refuge. Cats typically will run under a bed or under a chair to escape loud noises. Your cat chooses these places because she feels protected and the noise of thunder or fireworks is muffled. If your cat has not already picked out a place, provide one. Try leaving a few kibbles of a favorite cat food in safe place to encourage your cat to go there.
Try desensitizing your cat to loud noises so the sound becomes normal. This is usually done by playing recorded thunder at a low volume and in short intervals while you monitor your cat’s behavior. This process is long and requires patience, but in the end your cat will be much more comfortable during a storm or near a fireworks display."



May you all have a happy & safe 4th of July!!

Signatures at 31,000 & 45,000 are needed...

Dear Friends,
I have just read and signed the petition: "Stop the Secrecy and Killing in Animal Shelters".
Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 45000 signatures - please sign here:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/113043231

Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well.
Thank you & please support spay/neuter & release programs in your area, a better alternative to all the killing!

Peace & love all!! Ciao!

One of our adopted strays, Gypsy Lady, can you say SPOILED ROTTEN ♥

Petition in need of signatures...

Dear Friends,
I have just read and signed the petition: "Save Critical Habitat for the Florida Panther".
Please take a moment to read about this important issue, and join me in signing the petition. It takes just 30 seconds, but can truly make a difference. We are trying to reach 35,000 signatures - please sign here:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/478858019

Once you have signed, you can help even more by asking your friends and family to sign as well.
Thank you!

Thanks Tennessee!

The Tennessee Commercial Breeder Act was passed this month. Thank you to everyone who helped get this much needed legislation passed. This new law will protect dogs and cats in large commercial breeding facilities & make sure they are receiving humane care.

The Fab Five are loving the summer

The Fab Five (my herd of cats) are really enjoying this hot weather much more than I am. We have been 90s+ for almost 2 weeks now with lots of sun. They are all enjoying lying about in the rays of sunshine streaming through the windows & doors of the house while sleeping and/or grooming themselves, ahhh, the life of a cat :) Lucky for them the bright sunny days are slated to continue and lucky for us humans, the humidity is dropping, a win-win situation I say. King Tut & Phoebe are currently here with me in the computer room basking in the late evening sun as it hits the back of the house.

The King himself soaking up the sun!

New Pro Plan by Purina COUPON

Click here to request a $3 off coupon for a bag of dry food
http://www.proplan.com/products/multi-kibble-blend/dry-cat-food/default.aspx

"Contains at least 40% protein..."

Catnip!!

I love catnip & my cats love it more. King Tut in particular begs for it, he knows my hiding spot and if I get within 2 feet of it here he comes meowing at me in his crazy Siamese voice, LOL, mouth of the south for real!! In fact, I just gave all of them some and put some fresh on their toys. I sprinkle the dried leaves on my hardwood floor in the living room so they can lick it up, after they lick some of it, they roll in it & then the action starts!! :)

I love growing herbs and catnip is a SUPER easy herb to grow. You don't have to have any kind of special soil, it'll grow most anywhere but it does do best in full sun. Catnip is a member of the mint family & it is a hardy perennial. Another plus is that its flowers attract pretty butterflies & honey bees. And catnip is not just for the kitties, my grandma used to give us Chamomile & Catnip tea when we had trouble sleeping or just Catnip tea when we had a bellyache. Catnip has natural calmants in it and it is also useful in quieting an upset stomach, all mints are good for stomachaches.
So remember, a perfect bedtime tea is a few teaspoons of dried Catnip leaves & Chamomile flowers boiled for about 10-15 minutes and then honey to sweeten! It is tasty and gives you sweet dreams!!

Hello & welcome fellow feline lovers!

Hello & thanks for stopping by my cat page!!! I guess this should have been my 1st post but I was really excited about the new all natural cat litter & couldn't wait to share such a great product.
But as you can tell I love the kitties, I love talking about my cats & hearing about other people's cats, or any other pet really. I love pictures, videos, etc, just any & every thing cat. I wanted an online community for that, so viola, here we go. I hope you enjoy and bear with me as I get this thing up & running the way I want it to be.

Peace & love!
Mandi
aka The Cat Diva

My new favorite cat litter plus COUPON

I have recently discovered a new Cat's Pride litter product at my local Wal-Mart that my cats & I love. It is very low dust and scoops very well, it also has a clean smell but not overwhelming. The odor control is working very well. It is Cat's Pride Natural Scoop, look for the green lid!
Here is the description straight from Cat's Pride:
"Cat's Pride Natural Scoop - The litter with the natural difference that works fast and is safe for your cat. It's the natural choice for conscious consumers.
Natural Odor Eliminator - This breakthrough discovery in natural odor elimination features a natural botanical ingredient derived from fruit and vegetable extracts, delivering safe yet powerful odor control that keeps your cat's litter box fresh, clean and healthy the natural way."

Also if you click here you can get a $1 off coupon!!
http://www.catspride.com/prideclub.php

Cat's Pride is also recommended by the American Humane Association.

I hope you love it as much as we do!
Ciao!