DIY- Easy Cat Bed

What do cats spend most of their time doing? Sleeping! As we cat lover know, cats sleep a lot. Their daily activities make them exert a lot of energy, sleeping allows them to replenish it.

Missey and Fudge can sleep just about anywhere. As kittens, they didn't really enjoy assigned cat beds. But they did enjoy their ottoman. At night, for the most part, Missey likes to sleep with me or somewhere near me. Fudge enjoys boxes and high places. During the day, they get creative and snuggle up anywhere!

Today, I bring you an idea that was inspired by Mr. Fudge as he enjoys boxes for sleeping.

You will need a few simple things: 

1) A box or box top

2) fluffy stuffing 

3) Thread, needle 

4) Fabric

5) Duct tape

Steps:

1) Place some of your fluffy stuffing at the bottom of the box. For stuffing, I used the filling of an a pillow that I was no longer using. That type of stuffing works perfectly for this project. 

2. Cut your fabric larger than your box so as to have enough fabric to cover the sides and to fold under the box. For fabric, I used left over fabric I had but you can also re-purpose sheets, curtains or anything that has a large surface. 

3) Cover the box with stuffing with your fabric as centered as possible. 

4) You're going to make a large stitch from opposite corners and you will tie it at the back. You're going to do this for each side. 

5) Once you have your bottom secured with the four stitches, you will tighten it by pulling the tied stitches as far to the center as possible and taping each one at the bottom.

6) Now you will add stuffing to each side.

7)  After you have placed stuffing on each side, you will cover it with the fabric, bulling towards the back to tape to the back.

8) At the bottom of the box you will secure the fabric by taping it with duct tape and voila! You are done. 

Hope you enjoy making your cat a bed for happy sleeping. It's nothing fancy or something that will last a life time but it is fun to make and most importantly, your cats will enjoy it  because it is made specially for them with lots of love. 

Missey's Brother: The Dog

This is Toffey, Missey's brother, the Dog. He is a  large 12 year old German Shepard mixed with Boxer. He is a tough dog with a gentle personality. With his loud, deep barks, he is a great guardian. He is very protective. He has the body shape and muscle tone of a Boxer; and facial features of a German Shepard.

Although very hyper as a puppy, Toff has always been such a good dog. His behavior is what every human mom can ask for; from  responding to commands to being gentle towards me, his petite human mom :)

Toff arrived at my home as a puppy, way before Miss Missey came along. Toff as my first pet has taught me many things about being a pet owner. So far, many lessons have been learned together including the greatest lesson of them all, the lesson of unconditional love.

 Mr. Toff is the best! I love him so much! ♥

Cats Should Be Indoor Pets

This post is mainly for those looking into adopting a cat. Before you actually bring the little fur ball into your home, I believe you should decide whether your cat will be an indoor car, outdoor, or combination. Having had both indoor and outdoor/indoor cats, I can firmly say, that cats should always be indoor pets. At the end of the day, it's your decision but here are a few reason why cats should be indoor pets:

Bully cats
Cats are territorial animals and will fight for their space. I believe that when cats are pets and are exposed to constant love, they become softies :) On the other hand, cats that are born and "raised" on the streets tend to be tough. When pets and streets cats get into fights, guess who is going to win? Your pet can really get hurt in these types of altercations.

Diseases
Although your cat may have all vaccines, and have current and regular visits to the vet, being an outdoor cat will expose him/ her to many diseases. Your pet can become ill frequently if constantly exposed.

Wild life
We all know that cats can be feisty little babies and will stand their ground... but if you share your habitat with wild life, then your pet can become prey. There are areas, even in the city, where coyotes and mountain lions take up residency which can be dangerous for your cat. A small animal like a cat can be an easy target for a hungry fellow.

Germs
Cats are clean animals and do a great job maintaining their fur nice and clean, right? But if your cat is an outdoor cat, he/she will be exposed to many filthy situations and can bring germs into your home. As an outdoor cat, one moment he/she can be ruffling through trash and the next caressing you (yuck!). Not only can outdoor germs be harmful for your pet but you as well.

Human
Humans! The most dangerous creatures of them all... your cat will be exposed dangers produced by humans. Your kitty cat will be exposed to cars and wreckless drivers which can hurt him/her pretty badly. Also, let's get real, some people practice cruelty towards animals. Cats are curious, feisty, and sometimes mischievous; we, pet owners, tolerate it all because we love them and most likely are animal lovers. If your cat encounters an unfriendly human, he might be exposed to physical abuse or chase/ terrorized away :( poor babies.

Making the decision to adopt a pet is an important one and there is a lot to think about before bring him/her home. This is just my point of view and hopefully it helped you make the best decision for you and your family.

In my opinion, cats should always be indoor pets and that's how Miss Missey and Mr. Fudge have been "raised" :)

Safe Kitty/Cat: Choking Hazards

As you may have already experienced, our beloved cats are playful, curious, mischievous, and at times extremely energetic.  The combination of this characteristics can sometimes get our babies into dangerous situations, but the good news is that there are ways we can keep them safe. 

Mr. Fudge, the Black Cat, got in trouble this weekend. He was innocently playing with a paper bag, having lots of fun and then he got the bag handle wrapped around his neck. Not a good situation for Mr. Black Cat. Of course he was playing with the bag under my supervision and I came to his rescue as soon as it occurred. 

Having furry babies for years now, I have learned when they require more supervision and also have discovered that cats can encounter serious choking hazards around the home when they are not under supervision.

This blog post is mainly for those who may be new parents to a cat or if you're thinking of becoming a parent to a kitty cat. Find below my suggestions: 

1. Collars- if you're going to place a collar on your cat, make sure the collar you choose has a safety release. This will allow a cat to break free if he/she gets caught from the collar in something.

2. Plastic bags- I don't let my cats play with plastics bags at all (this is my preference) but if you do, make sure it is under supervision. Do not leave plastic bags around your home when your cat is alone in the house.

3. Paper bags- I allow my cats to play with paper bags when I am home because they like the noise it makes. If you do as well, watch them, be around if they need you. Also, it may be wise to cut off any handles the bag may have, to avoid choking hazard.

4. Containers- make sure you store away any containers that consists of lids that may accidentally shut automatically on your pet while he/she is playing it it. 

5. Children- teach children that pets are not toys and they can't be placed in confined enclosures where a pet can't have access to proper ventilation/ oxygen. 

To Neuter/ Spay or Not To Neuter/Spay? 3 Reason Why You Should

That is the question...

I say...neuter/ spay your pets.

Below are the three main reasons I've made the decision to neuter/ spay my lovely cats and dog (dog blog post coming soon).

1. My beloved pets will live longer! (yay!)- I can't remember where I was informed of this but it makes sense. Pets who are neutered/ spayed tend to stay home where they are safe. They won't have the urge to wonder off to find a mate and be exposed to outdoor dangers.

2. Helps overpopulation- If you want your pet to reproduce in order to have another pet, please think again. Shelters are full of animals that need a home and our love; adopt :)

3. Save- In my city (Los Angeles), the cost of  a pet license is lower when your pet is neutered/ spayed. For me, saving is important. As you can imagine, having three pets can become costly.

If you may have questions or concerns about neutering/ spaying, please contact your trusted veterinarian for professional advice. I want to mention that you can contact either your local shelter or city website for information on possible discount vouchers that can go towards neutering/ spaying surgery.

DIY Catnip Toy

Cats are sleepy heads but they also enjoy playing which ultimately is a nice workout. We (the human parents, hehe) can add to their play time by adding enjoyable toys. And although there is many good ones on the market, it's so fun to make our own and add lots of love to the process.

For this project, you will need the following:
1) fabric
2) thick thread
3) needle with large needle hole
4) organic catnip
5) feathers or anything fluffy (optional)

I decided to go with this black and white leopard fabric with the hot pink thread.

Once you have all the supplies, you can begin:

Steps
1) Cut the fabric to the shape you like. You can use a fabric chalk to draw the shape on the fabric then cut it out. I decided to do free hand a heart shape. As you can see it's not a perfect heart shape but It doesn't have to be puuurfect, just have fun!

2) Start stitching around your shape with your thick, colored thread. As you can see i folded the fabric as to have part of the heart already sealed and have less stitching to do!

3) At the end of stitching, leave just a big enough opening to fill the toy with the organic catnip.

4) Once the shape is filled. Complete the stitching. Close the shape.

Then you are done! Step 5 is optional...

5) On both ends, leave the thread long to add feathers at the end. I thought it would make the toy more appealing to Miss Missey if I added feathers. You can add any other accessory if you don't have feathers or don't like them. You can even cut our an accessory from the fabric you used for the actual toy. Just anything that dangles will probably appeal to your cat.

Here is the final toy. Hope you enjoyed making it as much as I did and hope your cat enjoys playing with it as much as Miss Missey.

Missey was so into it, I had a hard time taking a focused photograph. She was highly animated. She was throwing it up super high in the air and throwing it every which way! I love watching her play :)

I'm Back!

Dearest Cat lovers ;) I'm back!! Please stay tuned for a DIY Cat Toy I'm currently working on. Much peace and love your way ♥