'Toon Tuesdays

Oh so true. So true.

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Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

Three in a Row

Happy Monday! Our Monday Medical series will return on May 6.
In the meantime, here's a gratuitous kitty shot:

the rare "three in a row" maneuver...

This Won't End Well...

Maxwell observing our last big snowfall. What's this? A lamp?

Ah yes, that's where the lampshade sat that I knocked off earlier...

Do I dare? After all, I'm the "good boy".

Oh why not. you only live -- well, nine times...

Please don't forget the Cat Mojo VIP Reception to benefit six outstanding animal rescue organizations in Kansas City. Tickets are available online at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6234516607.

And if you're not familiar with Jackson Galaxy, please let us introduce you!

Saturday Photohunt: Zoom

A zoom lens brings out the icy blue beauty of Maxwell's eyes.

 

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We're also participating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

Fun Find Friday: Rescue Chocolate

If you have a fun find you'd like to share, send us a shout-out by clicking on the Contact Us tab above.

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Did someone say "chocolate"? We are soooo there!

"Mission Feral Fig": Yummy name! Click photo to order.

They say chocolate isn't good for dogs and cats. And while that might be true ... in a way it isn't.

True, your pet should never eat chocolate. But you can. And when you eat this chocolate? You're actually helping rescue organizations like PAWS of Norwalk, CT save lives.
 
Rescue Chocolate is a chocolatier that handcrafts each of its products in the finest Belgian tradition.
Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, Rescue Chocolates uses their packaging to shed light on different aspects of the current pet “overpopulation” epidemic.

Each chocolate bar is 100% vegan and also 100% kosher parve (which our mom loves). Best of all, 100% of the net profits are donated to animal rescue organizations around the country.

To see current and past beneficiaries just click here.  Big shout out of thanks to Cathy Keisha of Stunning Keisha for telling us about this!

Thursday Trivia: What the cat dragged in!

It's certainly not the most flattering of sayings. As we cat people know, cats can drag in some pretty, well...gross and disgusting things! And indeed, today the phrase is used to describe someone a bit bedraggled in appearance. 

With its casual phrasing, we would have guessed that it had its roots in the Deep South (U.S., that is). But we found two different web sites that claimed the saying originated in Dublin, Ireland in 1984.

This guy dragged in something yummy! (photo: Creative Commons)

They say a 6 year old boy made the comment after a fellow classmate walked in late to school. His teacher and fellow students thought it was so funny that the saying caught on. Or so they claim.

But 1984 seems awfully recent for a saying that feels like it's been around forever.

We have our suspicions. What do you think?

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Sources:
Cat-ch Phrases
EnglishTest.net

Caught in the act!

Allie got a kitty-cam that clips on her collar for Chanukah. And we're finding some pretty incriminating interesting things on it....

Does Maxwell know you're sneaking up on him, hmmmm?

'Toon Tuesdays

....ahh, the things we do for our pets....

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Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

National Volunteer Week

This week is National Volunteer Week. It was established here in the U.S. in 1974, and was created as a way to direct national attention on the power and vital necessity of volunteerism in our country.

Truer words were never written. Yet I think it's even more true when considering animal shelters.

These organizations could not function without the help of the many unsung heroes who:
     arrive before the sun to walk a dog...
     swab out dirty kennels...
     dump box after box of used litter...
and who give their hearts to countless needy animals, praying they will finally find a home.

Please take a moment this week to thank a volunteer. Better yet, why not go to your local shelter and offer to help out?

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For those of you in the Kansas City area, we'd like to spotlight one unusual effort being done by a group of cat volunteers city wide. I call it unusual because it's the first time ever that volunteers from six different shelters have banded together to raise funds - and awareness - for the needs of homeless cats in K.C.

This fundraiser is a VIP "Cat Mojo" Reception with guest speaker Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet's "My Cat From Hell."

We call it "Cat Mojo" because that's what Jackson calls these educational talks about cat behavior. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for anyone who is a cat lover. It's also incredibly valuable for anyone who is a cat volunteer. 

Everyone knows shelters are stressful for animals. It's especially true for cats, who tend to be more resistant to change than dogs. As volunteers know, stress can cause cats to behave in a way that is truly counter to their personalities. This, or course, makes it that much more difficult for them to find a home. 

Jackson's Cat Mojo lessons will help you understand cats on a deeper level. After hearing what Jackson has to say, don't be surprised if you find yourself approaching, understanding and connecting with cats at a completely new level.

As a result, you'll be helping to make each cat's time in the shelter a much less stressful experience -- and probably shortening their length of stay in the process.

At first glance, you might think the tickets are a bit pricey.
But let me walk you through what you spend - and what you get:

Tickets cost $50 per person, but they include a $15.95 copy of Jackson's book, Cat Daddy, a private Cat Mojo presentation, admission to the private reception (really good hors d'ouvres and wine - I just sampled them last night!), a chance to meet Jackson personally, and reserved seating at the author event that follows.

By buying a ticket to this event, you're doing good on several different levels:

• you'll be hearing information that will help you understand your own cats better
• if you're a volunteer, you'll be equipping yourself with tools that will make you more effective at your shelter, and...
• you'll be helping to raise funds for six outstanding animal organizations in Kansas City!

All proceeds from this event will benefit these six Kansas City organizations:

The project that Would. Not. End.

The floor refinishing project that began Jan 4? It was finished in time for the holiday, and the kitties are enjoying the results. 

Mostly.

Whaddaya mean, 'no skittering around on the new floor and putting scratches in it'? Those add CHARACTER.

Caturday Temptations

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We're also participating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

"Fun Finds" Friday: Cat Stamps

If you have a fun find you'd like to share, send us a shout-out by clicking on the Contact Us tab above.

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Yep, another Pinterest find! 

Anyone into collecting stamps? These gorgeous cats hail from Thailand, and you can purchase them from a philatelist (stamp collector) in New Mexico.

If interested, you can contact Baxley Stamps at this link here and order them from him.

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We apologize for being scarce lately. Our mom's shooting on location, but promises to make it up to us this weekend!

Thursday Trivia: "Dog Eat Dog"

© Melis82 and © Korshenkov | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Believe it or not, this saying actually began as "dog does not eat dog"!
And it was quite well known - in that form - literally for centuries.

The saying dates back to the writings of Roman scholar and writer Marcus Tarentius Varro. In a commentary on the human condition written in 43 BCE, he observed that even "Canis caninam non est" ("Dog does not eat dog").

The point he was making is that sometimes humans can act in ways that 'lesser creatures' never would: through the destruction of their own kind. In light of the horrendous act of terror perpetrated on innocent victims in Boston, this seems tragically timely....

By the 16th century, there is evidence that the phrase had been turned around, with "dog eat dog" being used to describe the ruthlessly competitive individual.

Both phrases were in use up until the late 1800's. Shakespeare was still using it in its original form in 1602 when he wrote Troilus and Cressida (one of his lesser known works) as was Hugh Henry Brackenridge in his book, 'Modern Chivalry,' published in 1792.

Not surprisingly, by the time of the Industrial Revolution, phrases such as "it's a dog eat dog world" had become commonplace, and eventually overtook the original phrase altogether.
____________
Sources:
The Word Detective
Etymology Online
Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings, Gregory Y. Titelman, Random House, New York, 1996.

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Comment-a-thon Update: We've had over 130 comments since last Sunday, and at 50 cents each - well, we talked mom into rounding up to $75 to donate to the Jackson Galaxy fundraiser that will be held here in Kansas City in 3 weeks. Thank you all for participating!

Wordless Wednesday: Birthday Edition

Eyeing Maxwell's birthday loot.

He'll never notice if one or two things find a new home...

'Toon Tuesdays

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Toon Tuesdays feature cat & dog cartoons made by the peeps over at Shoebox Greetings (a tiny little division of Hallmark) - where our mom works, too!

HumaneWatch reports on HSUS spending

Today we join bloggers worldwide to Blog the Change for Animals.

Why did we choose this infographic today? Because next week is National Volunteer Week and this graphic points out the very critical role that volunteers play in their local shelters.

Truly, the care of our shelter animals cannot be done without the effort of volunteers - and you can see in part why this is so in the graphic below.

HumaneWatch published this back in November 2012 when the HSUS released their 2012 tax info. And since today is Tax Day in the U.S., we thought it was timely.

We're not saying the HSUS isn't doing some good somewhere. (and we're also not saying we support the HSUS either!) We are simply pointing out that their efforts are not directly impacting your local shelter financially.  Those shelters depend on you.

Used with permission.

According to HumaneWatch, only 1% of the Humane Society's budget helps local pet shelters. HumaneWatch also encourages you to donate locally.

Birthday Bash!

Happy Easy Sunday everyone! Please join us for cake and games!

Maxie's own birthday cake, made from canned cat food!

Please join us for a slice

Maxwell assures us all it's scrumptious (perfect for yesterday's photohunt!)

Momma got me this fab treat ball from Mollie & Alfie. Anyone up for some bocce ball on the lawn?

Thank you for all your many well wishes. It's been wonderful, turning three!

Nellie made me this amazing birthday poem card:

And Texas, Kitshka and Milou sent this great birthday card: To view, click here.

Many thanks, dear friends!

We'll keep the comment-a-thon going until Wordless Wednesday, where you'll get to see what really happened at Maxwell's party.  (My, my. Isn't Faraday noticeably absent in these photos...)

Thanks for stopping by!

** Please let us know if you have any difficulty commenting by emailing us at tonkstail(at)gmail.com - we just changed our settings to help a few people out! Thanks! **

Happy Birthday Maxwell!

Happy #3, you big handsome guy!

From mom: You're my sweet boy, thoughtful and kindhearted.
We're so happy we adopted you November of 2010.

Maxie's Baby Picture

In honor of Maxwell's birthday, we're holding a commentathon.

For every unique visitor comment, we'll be donating 50 cents toward the fundraiser that benefits six local shelters and a spay/neuter clinic here in Kanass City as we seek to make our town completely No-Kill.

And be sure to check back later today for party pics - and Maxwell's birthday cake! 

That post will be part of the commentathon too :-)

(Oh, and Maxwell...because you're so thoughtful, you'll forgive me for not making a video invitation to your "cat mitzvah" party -  like this one -  ten years from today. Right? ...Maxie...?)

Thank you so much to Savannah for making this lovely birthday card for our boy!

Incriminating Evidence

We did mention that tomorrow was Maxwell's brithday, not Faraday's.
Right?

"Tsk, tsk!"

"Seriously, Mommy. The mail these days...!"

Oh, and we're going to host a commentathon tomorrow in honor of Maxwell's birthday.

For every unique visitor to either of the 2 posts we have scheduled for tomorrow, we'll give 50 cents toward the fundraiser mommy's working on: it will benefit six different shelters and spay/neuter clinics in Kansas City that wish to see our town become No Kill!

The first post goes live at 7 AM CST, and the second one will go up as soon as Mommy gets back with Maxie's birthday cake and can load birthday photos (sometime tomorrow afternoon).

Caturday Physics: The Watched Pot

NEWSFLASH! Maxwell Seeks to Disprove Theory that Watched Pot Never Boils

And for those of you on the Photo Hunt... pomegranate molasses is scrumptious.

(he was escorted off the island immediately after photo was snapped)

Please swing by tomorrow and wish our boy Happy #3!

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We're also participating in the Weekend Cat Blogging blog hop...

...and the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop, hosted by Baby Patches, Life with Dogs and Two Little Cavaliers.

I am Maxwell's Cat Parent

I am a Cat Parent - and since Maxwell's birthday is this Sunday, I'm sharing his story. This is our entry in today's blog hop for the Petfinder "I am a Cat Parent" campaign.

This was originally published as an article on less adoptable cats in September of 2011, and edited for today's post. [Sadly, many consider deaf cats to be less adoptable. That is their loss!]

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I'm sometimes asked, "what's it like to live with a deaf cat?" My favorite answer comes from another deaf cat owner, who replied, "It's no different, really. I yell 'no!' and he ignores me just like the others do."

We noticed Maxwell was deaf on his first day with us when he failed to react in any way to the vacuum cleaner. As a test, my husband slowly advanced the machine right up to his nose, where he curiously sniffed it and turned away. The vet confirmed it the next day.

Those first months were especially hard on me, as I had to be the 'bad guy,' administering those hated ear drops twice a day. I was also the one who took him to countless vet visits, and ultimately his surgery. I worried this would affect our ability to bond and that he'd associate me with nothing but unpleasantness. I'll be forever grateful that this didn't happen!

Deaf cats fall squarely under “less adoptable.” But why?

I think in part it's a concern over excessive medical bills.

But deafness isn't a disease; it's a physiological condition. Unless complicated by infection, deafness does not require medical care. In Maxie's case, he has no eardrum. Nothing we can do about it – he was born that way.

Another reason people may shy away from adopting a deaf cat is fear of the unknown or discomfort around an animal that is 'different.' Perhaps they worry such a pet might be less responsive, but that's not the case. With the loss of one sense, the others become more highly developed. 

Max doesn't really have a meow - he never could hear to develop one. But he is exceptionally perceptive, the first to notice you when you come in the room. And he's very tactile as well, the only cat of our three who uses his paws to open, lift or carry.

He'll venture down into the basement to choose a trinket off my husband's workbench, carry it in his mouth up to our bathtub, and then drop it, just for the joy of watching it careen off the sides.


How does one treat a deaf cat? The answer: same as any other – with a few very important exceptions.

First and foremost, a deaf cat should never be let outside. With one of their most important defense mechanisms gone, deaf cats are at greater risk.

Second, a deaf cat is easily startled. So when you approach – especially when sleeping – be sure to create a vibration by tapping on a surface or create motion by sitting a short distance away on a sofa or bed. Such movement will give him fair warning that someone is near. 

Third, never hit a deaf cat (not even a light bop on the nose in reprimand). Since they can't hear, they can't distinguish between a stern tone of voice and a loving one. All they will come to know is that human hands hit cats, so they'll associate them with painful, unpleasant things. Instead, use hand signals or facial expressions to reinforce your training.

Max is exceptionally trusting, affectionate and innocent, and I'm more protective of him than I am our other two. 

He brings us such joy. It's hard to imagine anyone not falling insanely in love with this big sweetheart. 

He has so much love to give, and I cannot imagine life without him.

I am proud to be Maxwell's Cat Parent.