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!

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.

Courtesy: Flickr

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