Google Gadgets | Your Own Virtual Kitten!!!!

Feeding the Cat Chocolate - Lesson Learned

Hello - A Lesson Learned entry for the Carolyn & Cats Blog. Last night I thought I deserved a few pieces of chocolate and so I went into my stash. The chocolates were from a box that my mom sent me with the flowers that she ordered to be delivered to me on Valentines Day - I know it's pretty sweet, literally! Well here goes my story...

I'm sitting down on my sofa watching television, I reach over and pick out a piece of chocolate to eat, my choice, a milk chocolate truffle from Red Envelope. The younger kitty, Colby, saw me and jumped on the couch raced to my lap and had this crazy look in his eyes. The cat wasn't looking at me but he was staring deep into the piece of chocolate that I held in my hand. I was telling him "No!" which is a good indicator to the cat that I'm trying to say "No you can't have any it!"but it was hopeless, he was not responsive. He is a cat that gets into things but when I tell him"No!" he usually looks at me and stops. So I'm thinking maybe he's just being a curious cat and wants to smell what I'm eating then walk away, because cats usually do things like that. So I bite off a small piece and hand him the morsel. He smells it and takes the whole thing in his mouth, at this point I think he wants to spit it out but instead he swallows it. His eyes say "Yum!" and I swear he was smiling too! So I finish my piece and he's sitting next to me still, not on my lap, just hanging out. I decide to eat one more piece of chocolate, reach for the box, take out a piece and AGAIN! The cat gets on my lap, makes the crazy eyes and so I give in because somehow he's putting his body between me and chocolate so I can't eat it. Bite off another little morsel and Colby picks it up with his mouth. I noticed this the second time he ate the morsel, he wasn't chewing or anything. I think that cat was allowing the chocolate morsel to melt in his mouth. Where in the world do cats learn these things? How in the world did he know how to eat chocolate? At this point, I decide no more chocolate for me or the cat, 2 was enough. Still the cat is sitting by me, calmly since I have no chocolate in hand and all of a sudden he grabs my arm with his paws and starts play biting me, hand then arm, hand then arm. At the same time, I'm telling him to stop but no, there's that look in his eyes. He was in another world. Anyhow, to make this long story short, the cat was more hyper than I've ever seen him in my life. I stayed up 'til his sugar high went down and he crashed. He was so tired, he fell asleep next to me and slept a 4 solid hours throughout the night - he usually gets up to play in the middle of his sleep and comes back to bed. Not this time, he slept like a baby cat.

I didn't get much sleep last night, Colby was making all kinds of noises before he got tired. Never again is my cat getting anymore chocolate. I think now I'm going to ban chocolate from my apartment from this day forward.

Kitty Litter Pan Enclosure Solution | IKEA Stuva

IKEA STUVA | Childrens Storage System | Combination With Doors | Converted Into A Jumbo Sized Kitty Litter Pan Enclosure

An enclosure for a Jumbo Sized Kitty Litter Pan. And OMG, finally something that worked! This is the IKEA STUVA - Childrens Storage System - combination with doors & the kitty litter box is jumbo sized. I clean the litter from the front by opening the doors and the cats enter/exit their bathroom from the back. The trick is not installing the backing for the furniture so the cats have an entry/exit way to the enclosure. Also, I placed a little screw-in hook to hang the litter scooper.

I have an air freshener that's plugged into the wall that the enclosure is set in front of. This jumbo kitty litter pan enclosure hides the jumbo kitty litter & the smell is controlled now. 

Front View | Kitty LItter Enclosure (Sammy is inspecting the premises)

Front View | Kitty Litter Pan Enclosure with the panels closed.

Kitty Litter Pan Enclosure next to the Cat Pagoda, it's a little taller than 2 feet.

Back View | Kitty Litter Pan Enclosure. Where the cats access the litter, the entrance/exit is hidden.

MIT Researchers Unravel The Physics Of How Cats Drink

Engineering concepts observed in how cats drink...very interesting. MIT researchers unravel the physics of how cats drink

Arm and Hammer | Know The Facts Of Multi-Cat Household

Arm and Hammer Article - Know-The-Facts-Of-Multi-Cat-Households
This article is full of useful points if you consider having a multi-cat household.  In my opinion, more than 1 cat is the perfect situation for you & your cat.

Product Review | Arm & Hammer Cat Litter Deodorizer Powder

Having gone through several brands of kitty litter for my multi-cat (Sammy & Colby) I've experimented with

Petco | In store & website products - Cat Collars

While posting this blog, looking for links for the new pet collars I purchased for Sammy & Colby was pretty easy.  The Petco website and the store seem to carry just about the same inventory.  Good to know for you fellow cat owners!