No-scratch kitties

Recently, my husband has been getting frustrated with our cats' claws. They aren't scratching the furniture or carpet really, but they are scratching us. They often leave behind deep scratches on our laps when they jump down from our laps, or they hurt when they purr and knead their claws on their legs. Also, they tear up our clothes when they do those two things.

It hasn't bothered me too much, but my husband was asking me if there were any solutions. I mentioned these soft caps that you can put on your cats to keep them from scratching, and he immediately got excited.

Today we went out and bought some. We got Soft Claws, but there is also a similar brand called Soft Paws. We put them on tonight, so we'll see how well they do! They were slightly expensive ($18 for 40), so if they don't last very long then we'll have to find another option. But so far they seem to be good and they don't bother the cats at all!

I'll keep y'all updated!

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Weekly link roundup

Toxic Cats and Dogs - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog
"At a time when people are fretting about toxins in baby bottles and prescription drugs in the water supply, a new report shows that our pets are teeming with chemicals as well."

The Associated Press: Bear gave off no reasons for concern before trainer's death
"The grizzly bear... seemed to obediently follow cues — which made its killing of its trainer with a bite to the neck all the more stunning."

Scientists offered $1 million to grow laboratory chicken - CNN.com
"An animal rights group is offering $1 million to any scientist who can create lab-grown meat that is commercially viable and indistinguishable in taste from the real thing."

Married to the Empire: The Great Stare-Down
"Calvin and Doogie were both in the window staring down this interloping cat, when the cat decided he needed to come closer. I think he's taunting my boys."

Tail Whacker

From an email forward that my sister sent me:

A woman was working in her yard with the weed whacker, when she accidentally cut off the tail of her cat.

She ran screaming into the house, and told her husband, wondering what to do.

He replied calmly, "Get the cat, and the tail, and we'll take them to Wal-Mart."

She was incredulous. "How could that possibly help?" she asked.

"Well," he replied, "they're the world's largest retailer."

Okay I know the thought of accidentally cutting a cat's tail off is a little horrific, but I thought it was funny. :-) magnifiers

This could have been Zoey

I saw these two pictures on Cute Overload today. They are of an adorable beagle puppy chomping down on a little kitty! This reminded me SO much of what Zoey would do - chomping on Lewis' head. And the cat in the pictures reminded me so much of Lewis - just sitting there taking it!

Weekly link roundup

Autistic girl connects with animals - CNN.com
"Sixteen-year-old has worked at an animal sanctuary since age 9... Sara believes that her 'gift with animals is because of my autism'"

'Big black dog syndrome' leaves them homeless - CNN.com
"According to animal shelter officials, big, black dogs like Gozer have more trouble finding a happy home than do other dogs. Some shelters even have a name for it: 'Big black dog syndrome.'"

Build Your Own Cat Tree
"You can make your own five foot tall cat tree for a fraction of the price if you are even the tiniest bit handy with tools."

Today's Pictures: Son of Bitch
"[D]ogs are just as expressive as humans, if not more so. These photographs from across the globe chronicle his lifelong pursuit of man’s best friend—and capture a spectrum of canine lifestyles."

Cats & hairballs

My cats seem to have trouble with hairballs. I used to give them special hairball food, but I switched to regular food when I started reading the ingredient labels. However, I've noticed a few hacked up hairballs on the floor since then - yuck!

My vet recommended that I get in the habit of brushing my cats. I've never brushed them before, so I had to go out and buy a soft-bristled brush. I want to say that they love it - but they don't, yet. :-) I'm sure they will in time! Brushing your cats is the best way to decrease hairballs.

If that doesn't help, then my vet recommended switching to food with the hairball-prevention formula. You can also buy a hairball paste that helps encourage them to pass. Whatever you end up doing, it's important to take care of it because it could be really dangerous to the cat to be having a lot of hairballs.

For further reference:
The Ubiquitous Hairball - About.com
Hairballs - PetEducation.com

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O The Places You'll Go

This is a post I originally wrote on February 8th, 2006 at my other blog.

I was working at my computer and I heard a rustle behind me. Ebony had crawled into the trash can and was just sitting there as pretty as can be!


Lewis got jealous and found the nearest available thing he could sit in.



Anyone who has had cats will know that nothing that is climb-in-to-able is safe. Take, for example, their "help" packing last October:



I love my babies. :-) I'm going to need the best wrinkle cream for all these laugh lines they're giving me! :-)