I often wonder what goes on in Rufus' head.
Especially when he does things things like this... stare at his own shadow.
Especially when he does things things like this... stare at his own shadow.
Crazy Cat's Cat Quest
There are battery operated cat toys and there are wand toys. When you put those two together, you get the 'Cat Quest'! It's a wand toy with an attached bug.
Wait, wait... it get's better. The bug has flapping capabilities at the push of a button! Here are some photos from the time I unveiled the packaged toy to full-fledged play.
Giving me the ol' 'I Wish I Had Opposable Thumbs But I Don't, So Can You Stop Fooling Around & Open the Toy Please ' face.
What patience!
He never takes his eyes off the prize!
See what I mean?
Working out those hind legs!
Taking action pictures is much harder than it looks when you have a moving toy and a moving cat! Toys that get Rufus off his tush are wonderful. The charm moves and flaps its wings at your command making it exercise not only for Rufus' body, but also for his mind! If I turn this on while Rufus is sleeping, he will instantly wake up and search out the toy to play with it. Fabulous, fabulous!
Rufie Rating: THREE paws!!
Wait, wait... it get's better. The bug has flapping capabilities at the push of a button! Here are some photos from the time I unveiled the packaged toy to full-fledged play.
Giving me the ol' 'I Wish I Had Opposable Thumbs But I Don't, So Can You Stop Fooling Around & Open the Toy Please ' face.
What patience!
He never takes his eyes off the prize!
See what I mean?
Working out those hind legs!Taking action pictures is much harder than it looks when you have a moving toy and a moving cat! Toys that get Rufus off his tush are wonderful. The charm moves and flaps its wings at your command making it exercise not only for Rufus' body, but also for his mind! If I turn this on while Rufus is sleeping, he will instantly wake up and search out the toy to play with it. Fabulous, fabulous!
Rufie Rating: THREE paws!!
'Tribe of Tiger' Winner!
Happy Memorial Day, cats and beans! Today's the day we announce our 'Tribe of Tiger' book giveaway winner!
Picking at random. (And by random, I mean putting a treat in there and seeing which slip of paper his paw would pull out first!)
We have our winner!
We had some really great entries! We have more lovely cat reads we look forward to giving away in the future! :)
Here's Rufus stepping up to pick out our winner!
Picking at random. (And by random, I mean putting a treat in there and seeing which slip of paper his paw would pull out first!)
We have our winner!
We had some really great entries! We have more lovely cat reads we look forward to giving away in the future! :)
An Upgrade On Cardboard Boxes?!
Could it be? Could I have possibly improved on the (nearly perfect) sleeping place known as the cardboard box?!
That looks like a resounding yes!
All this needs now is a paint job, a stocked mini-fridge, and maybe a few dangling nip toys.
That looks like a resounding yes!All this needs now is a paint job, a stocked mini-fridge, and maybe a few dangling nip toys.
FURminator deShedding Tool
The FURminator is such a blessing. The amount of fur I have extracted from Rufus' body is downright scary. It makes me wonder how Rufus could have any remaining fur on his body after a de-shedding session. It's designed to remove specifically the loose undercoat hair. And boy, does it remove that undercoat... I have handfuls of fur tumbleweeds when I do this! I can't imagine how much fur he would be ingesting if I didn't help him out.
On top of that, Rufus really, really loves it when I FURminate him. It's actually kind of sick how much he likes it. I imagine it must be the equivalent of a very good kitty back rub.
The FURminator comes in various sizes for different sized pets. The purple one is meant for cats. I have the blue one and I don't think there's much a difference aside from being a few half-inches wider or what not.
I've never tried any other de-shedding tool or brush and frankly, I'm not sure I ever will. Also, they have come out with a FURminator with a double edge. (Two times as much fur out of my life with the same effort as before!!) If this one goes, I am going to pick that baby up for sure. This is pricier than most other brushes, but you definitely get what you pay for.
Rufie Rating: Four Paws!
Pawing His Way In!
Woke up, walked to the door and found a set of these underneath!
'Good morning.. how do you do?'
'Let me in PLEASE!?'
Then he insists on staying outside. Silly, silly.
'Good morning.. how do you do?'
'Let me in PLEASE!?'
Then he insists on staying outside. Silly, silly."The Tribe of Tiger" Book Giveaway
A friend of mine gave me a few books to prepare for Rufus' arrival when I first adopted him. I've either skimmed through them or never found the time to read them. Why let a good read collect dust when I can pass it along! So here it is...
Our own giveaway of the 'Tribe of Tiger' by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. It's about cats and their culture (or so it says on the cover). It was a New York Times bestseller. Feel free to google it for more info!
If you're interested, e-mail a picture of your cat with his/her favorite book to RufusRaves(at)gmail(dot) com. (Going to need a cute picture when we announce the winner!) Rufus will help me pick a winner randomly on May 25, 2009!
Our own giveaway of the 'Tribe of Tiger' by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas. It's about cats and their culture (or so it says on the cover). It was a New York Times bestseller. Feel free to google it for more info!
If you're interested, e-mail a picture of your cat with his/her favorite book to RufusRaves(at)gmail(dot) com. (Going to need a cute picture when we announce the winner!) Rufus will help me pick a winner randomly on May 25, 2009!
Are You In Or Are You Out?
Here's Rufus in bed... or is he getting ready to get up and out?
Betcha can't tell.
That looks like a cozy in bed face to me. Leave it to Rufus to be three-quarters in bed.Can I Come Too?
Rufus tried to sneak his way into my suitcase in the middle of packing for a trip I took this past weekend. I'm not sure why considering he hates the airport!
Blending in.
Nice try, Ruf!
Blending in.
Nice try, Ruf!Sherpa Pet Delta Air Lines Deluxe Pet Carrier
This is an awesome pet carrier, great for trips to the vet or on the plane. It should meet most airline standards since it carries the Delta name so it fits perfectly under an airplane seat. It has a small zippered pouch to keep a small bag of treats, toy or papers. It comes with a strap you can pull over your shoulder as well as the handles.The best feature, in my opinion, are the flaps on the side. You can roll them up or keep them down to control how much your pet can see. I like to keep them down when I walk around and roll them up when we are seated. It's frightening for Rufus to be too exposed when walking through a busy airport but I want him to be entertained when we're settled down.
When we moved across the country, we had to fly Rufus a few times. It was roomy enough for a little cat bed and for Rufus to move around. It was very sturdy. But then again Rufus usually just curls up in a ball when he's in the bag. I'm not sure how it would withstand a cat who freaks out in crowded places.
Another plus, on one of our trips Rufus got too excited and barfed in the carrier. I was grossed out and left it outside in the sun. When I mustered up enough courage to clean it up a few days later, it had dried and caked off in a clump. It wasn't pleasant but clean up was very easy.
Rufie Rating: Three Paws!!
Loungin' In A Box
It's been a while since we brought home any boxes so Rufus was quick to jump in on the new one.
Never mind that we are already using it as a recycling garbage holder!"Cat Got Your Fish?"
There was a very interesting op-ed piece about the use of fish in animal feed in the NY Times that I've been meaning to comment on. You can read "Cat Got Your Fish?" by Paul Greenberg here.
Noteworthy quotes from the article include...
'....most American cats ate fish. And a great deal of them — more in a year than the average African human, according to Jason Clay at the World Wildlife Fund.'
'The use of wild fish in animal feed is a serious problem for the world’s food systems. '
'...the removal of wild “forage” fish threatens to starve whales, seals and other predators'
'The pet food industry now uses about 10 percent of the global supply of forage fish. ...Poultry meanwhile takes as much as 22 percent, which means that even when Coco ate chicken, indirectly he was still eating fish.'
The author makes it clear that we should allow the true predators of fish eat them in order to preserve wild populations of fish. He also states that land animals should stick with a diet of land animals. Now that he is looking for a new pet (as his cat, Coco, passed), he plans to find a vegetarian.
This was very eye-opening. I'm not about to give Rufus up but I will do my best to avoid buying food and treats comprised of any part fish. There are so many different options available to Rufus, I am sure he won't even miss it!
Noteworthy quotes from the article include...
'....most American cats ate fish. And a great deal of them — more in a year than the average African human, according to Jason Clay at the World Wildlife Fund.'
'The use of wild fish in animal feed is a serious problem for the world’s food systems. '
'...the removal of wild “forage” fish threatens to starve whales, seals and other predators'
'The pet food industry now uses about 10 percent of the global supply of forage fish. ...Poultry meanwhile takes as much as 22 percent, which means that even when Coco ate chicken, indirectly he was still eating fish.'
The author makes it clear that we should allow the true predators of fish eat them in order to preserve wild populations of fish. He also states that land animals should stick with a diet of land animals. Now that he is looking for a new pet (as his cat, Coco, passed), he plans to find a vegetarian.
This was very eye-opening. I'm not about to give Rufus up but I will do my best to avoid buying food and treats comprised of any part fish. There are so many different options available to Rufus, I am sure he won't even miss it!
Petstages Cheese Chase
Here's another one of the first toys I purchased for Rufus. It has two balls that are stuck inside their ball track. There's plenty of room for little paws to go in and get those balls moving. (Human fingers too when Rufus decides he'd rather watch than play.) There's also a springy catnip mouse toy.
This is good for mental stimulation. If one ball is going and I get the other one moving, it blows Rufus' mind. He never knows which one to go for if both are in motion. If he gets bored with it, I hide a few treats in there and it's good as new.
It's a good toy but the mouse occasionally falls off. Also, the toy itself is a bit light and can wind up moving pretty far from its original spot if your cat gets aggressive. This can also prove to be very, very loud, especially at 3 in the morning after the most grueling day of work when your cat decides he would like to play with this as loud as he possibly can. At least he's getting some exercise, right?
Rufie Rating: Three Paws
This is good for mental stimulation. If one ball is going and I get the other one moving, it blows Rufus' mind. He never knows which one to go for if both are in motion. If he gets bored with it, I hide a few treats in there and it's good as new.It's a good toy but the mouse occasionally falls off. Also, the toy itself is a bit light and can wind up moving pretty far from its original spot if your cat gets aggressive. This can also prove to be very, very loud, especially at 3 in the morning after the most grueling day of work when your cat decides he would like to play with this as loud as he possibly can. At least he's getting some exercise, right?
Rufie Rating: Three Paws
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