Archive for the ‘product reviews’ Category

In the past 24 hours I’ve cleaned cat vomit at least 2x and diarrhea 3x. That’s just in the past day! I’ve had to clean vomit after 12 AM at least 2x this week. I’m not complaining. Instead I’m going out to buy the Bissell SpotBot Pet today at Bed Bath & Beyond. Anyone with pets knows that throw-up, pee and poop are a part of daily life. Multiply that by the number of pets you have (in our case 3) and that’s a lot of cleaning! It has great reviews so I’ll let you know how it works. With it’s $129 price tag I think it’ll be well worth it, IF it saves me time on my hands and knees scrubbing our carpets clean. I’ll admit I’m a clean freak and I HATE pet stains on carpet and stinky pet smell. I’ll be sure to post a review soon!

After reading a recent post on the Moderncat Blog about natural fiber stools being a hit with cats. I hoped to nab a Alseda Banana Fiber Stool for the gang. They love using our natural fiber doormats and carpet for clawing and sleeping. However, the stool turned out to be quite difficult to find. It appears to be a seasonal item and after taking a trip to Ikea on Saturday I came back empty handed. I thought I’d give eBay a shot in finding something similar, nope. I stopped by Pier 1 and the only natural fiber stool they had cost $99! I’d just about given up hope when I did a search on craigslist. BINGO! Someone was selling 4 of them. I figured I’d take all 4 and if they didn’t work out I’d resell them online.

The 3rd stool I placed in my office. This one has been a huge hit especially with Jake who loves to claw it then settle down for some relaxing atop his throne.

Later in the evening I even caught yours truly, Jonah taking his turn on the stool! So the verdict is pretty positive. I currently have the 4th stool in John’s office. I will probably move that one around to see where it will get them most paw traffic. So these natural fiber stools and poufs appear to the purr-fect item to nab if you happen to spot one at a tag sale, thrift shop or on sale. I also found some pretty affordable Maize Floor Cushions listed at Cost Plus World Market but they are made out of Maize not Banana Leaf and are stuffed pillows. I’m not sure if they are currently available in stores or how sturdy/comfortable they are. The Ikea Alseda stools are very sturdy with a metal skeleton and aren’t stuffed pillows. I’m not quite sure if cats prefer one over the other though...

Mommy and daddy submit me to this torture and say it’s for my own good. All I know is that I hate and fear this awful contraption. I don’t really like to be rubbed or cuddled too much let alone have this things scraped along my body! When this happens I hiss, growl and bite. I try not to hurt mommy or daddy but I try to do damage to the torture device. I swear it moves on it’s own! If this happens to you, let me tell you it’s not alright. You don’t have to accept it without a fight. Watch how it surrenders after I bare my teeth and hiss at it a few times. Don’t let my adorable demeanor deceive you. I can be pretty ferocious when I need to be. – Jonah Cat

My new pet bed warmer arrived today! It’s bigger than my old one and fits perfectly into my window seat cushion. I own two heating pads made by H+K Pet Products. Mommy bought our first one for Micah and I a few years ago. At my age I really appreciate how it warms my bones. I’ve been feeling better and better so I’m spending less time in my teepee and more time in the spots I loved before I got sick. Mommy just has to make sure I stay nice and warm. I look pretty content in this photo don’t I? I love sitting next to my mommy all day long while she works. – Jake Cat

After momsie finally got the package open… catnip bliss!!

Luxor and Stoli have been our good friends for awhile. They have the sweetest relationship. This video is TOO CUTE! This is a too common occurance in our house too. A brawl always seems to ensue when Jake & Micah Catnip Boomerangs are involved.

Gee Mommy, what is that?

Jonah is spectacular on two feet because he’s got amazing balance. He can stand like this forever. He reminds me of a circus bear as he tries to grab at the moving dragonfly.

Fionna gives it a try too.

Gotcha!

I’d been reading a lot about the Cat Quest! cat toy and decided our gang needed one to test out.

• Jake was mildly curious but he’s just way too smart and not playful enough. He quickly decided he would not chase a plastic toy on a string.
• Jonah didn’t like it nearly as much as I though he would being the most playful of our 3 cats. He had some interest but actually prefers a plain feather or ribbon wand. He also enjoys the Cat Dancer.
• Now Fionna really likes the toy which surprises me. She pretty much only likes her felt mice and catnip but there is something about this moving dragonfly that gets her attention. For her the toy is a hit.

So if you’ve got a few cats, at least one is bound to enjoy this toy. Kind of like the Fling ama String – different strokes for different folks (or in this case, different cats!) The toy runs on 2 AAA batteries that are included. The dragonfly is plastic with a funny yellow pom pom attached to it’s tail. That is held on by the thinnest thread that I’m sure will be gone in a matter of days. Overall not so sure how durable the toys is, I’ll have to report back on that but for $11.99 it’s worth a try.

Jonah still loves his String ama Fling toy even after all this time. He’s the only one of the cats that still plays with it. This week I switched things up by moving it to the cat tree. I tweeted about it yesterday when I moved it. Yeah, I’m checking out Twitter to see what the deal is. Not sure if I really “get it” but I’ll try it for awhile. Jonah sure looks cute though. Yipee!

Does anyone have either of these cat toys? They’re called the Peek and Play Toy Box (top) and the Peek-a-Prize Toy Box (bottom) by Smart Cat. I was thinking of getting one for Jonah and Fionna. I wonder if they are for kittens or if adult cats will be entertained too. Please comment with any feedback as I’m undecided if I should get it or not and would love to hear some opininons.

While Fionna loves Jake & Micah catnip toys, I’ve found nothing to compare to these simple felt catnip mice. Micah loved them too. Unfortunately, Petco and Petsmart have discontinued carrying these babies. Such a simple concept and super cheap too. I’d pick up a pack of 3 every couple months for around $4. Not good for a catnip fix but good for exercise. These are the only toys Fionna will play fetch with. I’ve tried other stuffed shapes and other mice, the furry ones, the canvas ones, foil balls etc. For some reason both Micah and she love to carry these specific guys in their mouths until they are worn out to the point of the stuffing coming out. I’m down to 4 of these guys in really bad shape. I’ve been looking for months for replacements. Fionna is getting thick around the middle and needs exercise BAD. Well I found that Smart Cat makes their version of these simple mice so I ordered 12 of them! Yup that should hold us for awhile. Since no less than 4 of these go missing at a time under the couch or console, 12 should keep us in good shape for awhile. I love the new brighter colors too.