RIP Little Bird

*cue tweeting noises*

Allie: *chomp*

*cue silence*
Allie:  *pat-pat-pat* ... hullo in there?

*brings bird to ear to listen*
*more silence*
Faraday: Allie! You broke it!

MOMMMMMMM, ALLIE BROKE THE BIRD!

Allie: I did no such thing. This bird is obviously defective.

(Girlie, it's broken. No tweets remain. Even The Physicist can't fix it.)

Faraday: You're taking that out of her allowance, right?

.... right, Mommy?

The Mom: Well, it was nice while it lasted.

(Don't tell them The Physicist is suspected of sabotage. That thing tweeted. A lot.)

***

It's Dead, Jim.

Faraday: Uh, Maxie?
I think it'd dead.

Maxwell: What's dead? Your snake?

Faraday: Yeah,  Mister Snakey's dead. I mean, look, Maxie. He's not moving and stuffs.

Maxwell: Are you sure about tha-- LOOK OUT!

Faraday: HALP! It's AFTER me!

(moments later, after the keyboard has been wrestled away from the mom)

Faraday: You'll pay for that, Mommy. I'm not afraid of no snake.

SERIOUSLIES.

PROOF: Exhibit A. (uh, and B, and C, and ...)

Me, the vishus snake-killer.

***

Monday's Futile Endeavor

How did your week begin?
***

Maxwell 1; Spring 0

***

Tell a Fairy Tale Day

Faraday: Come here leetle feather toy, I won't bite you!

I just want to tell you a story.

It begins, "Once Upon a Time..."

That's it. I promise I won't bite you.

*chomp!*

What?!?!

You know Fairy Tales aren't real, don't you?

***

National Fortune Cookie Day #SundaySelfie

Faraday: Hrm...what's that? What does my fortune say?

"A bird in your mouth is worth 2 in a tree"?

(mouth and PAW, too. *nom!*)

***

We're entering this in the Sunday Selfies blog hop, hosted by the kitties over at The Cat on my Head.

Head on over and see all the other great entries!

We Review the July CatLadyBox!

Check out our unboxing video - we'll show you up close and purrsonal what's inside.
And then scroll down for a chance to WIN one of your very own!

The brainchild of Dorian Wagner, of the blog Your Daily Cute, this is a monthly subscription service that - as Dorian describes it - is:

"a fabulous collection of unique cat-themed items curated and hand-picked by cat ladies for cat ladies. Discover exclusively designed cat lady necklaces, rings, bracelets and other jewelry, newly released and best-seller books featuring cats, stylish cat lover T-shirts and accessories, handmade cat-themed art and unique home decor, cat lady cards, stationery, socks, hats, tchotchkes, limited-edition pieces..."

Sound like something you might be interested in?  You can opt out at any time (nice) and the price options are for Cat Ladies (human-only stuff) or you could select the CRAZY box that has stuff for Cat Ladies and their cats.

Kitties, raise a paw if you have a preference...? Click here to subscribe!
  
Here's your chance to WIN a CatLadyBox of your own!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what did you think of the CatLadyBox? 
Let us know in comments! 

Tell us what you think about video on blogs:

They're okay from time to time

I prefer funny ones

I like Unboxing! It's great to see what's inside (and sometimes how things work)

I prefer photos. And the occasional word ;-)

More please! Bring on the videos!

Poll Maker

***

Scout's Big Adventure

Faraday's Nip Turtle: So, uh, Scout, dood. I hear your humans accidentally left you behind while visiting...

Scout: Yeah, your humans said they'd ship me back this weekend, but until then - well, I'm named Scout for a reason, you know. I think I'll just scout things out around here.

Faraday's Nip Turtle: Actually, I really can't relate.
Faraday never bothered to name me. He just chews.

Faraday's Nip Turtle: And uh, about that. You ever been around cats before?
Scout: No, not really.
Faraday's Nip Turtle: Ohhhh you poor thing....

Scout: They can't be all that bad....

***

 Scout: Hey, bird watching from the mantle's cool, Faraday!

Faraday: Seriouslies, I was just wondering if there's any nip ready to harvest in the garden, so I could stuff you with it.
Scout: B-b-but I don't have a nip pouch....

Faraday: (distracted tone) Oh not to worry, I have claws... Hmmm, is that branch ready to harvest...?
Scout: Oh gee, lookatthetimegottago.....

***

 Allie: I have my eye on you, little turtle. I'd sleep with one eye open, if I were you.
Scout: *gulp* What a...good idea...(wobbly smile) Th-thanks....I think...

Allie: Mitts off my scratcher, Shell-Boy. Or I'll be having Turtle Soup for dinner!
Scout: (weak laugh) Uhhhh....we're not kosher, you know...

Faraday: Don't come crying to me for protection. Try the Bleeding Heart Pushover Kitty. And get off my lounger, there's only room for one up here!

 Scout: *clears throat*   Uhm, Mister Bleeding Heart Pushover Cat, I presume?

Maxwell: *sigh* Faraday sent you, didn't he.
Scout: Uh...maybe?

Safety, at last!

Scout: So, uh, hey Maxwell - what do you do all day on this thing anyway? Just lounge around?

 ...... pregnant pause.....    long-suffering look......

Maxwell: Are you sure you're not kosher?

Faraday's Nip Turtle: I warned you...
Scout: I think I'm ready to go back to Brian and Amy now.
 

Really. Now would be good....

***

Move Over, Red Dot!

Maxwell: Coooooooooool.
Wait'll I tell Waffles our Red Dot is...

BLUE.

Allie: It looks more violet, if you ask me, Maxie.

Faraday: Uh, Maxie? Don't look now...

But it just turned green and...and...made babies or something!

Holy cat, we'll never catch them all!
Call the exterminator, Allie! We're infested!!

About the Lasers

Our dad loves scientific gadgets, and when he saw a 405 nanometer blue-violet laser, he just had to buy it. And then he found a 532 nm green laser!

He only bought one of each, honest.

What you're seeing in that last photo is an optical effect. It's a single laser shining through a diffraction grating. It splits the laser into a multiple dot pattern.

Boy, the kitties will NEVER catch all those!

***

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

"Fun Finds" Friday

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

***

This has to be one of the more clever cat toys we've seen. Humans will probably find more to love that felines in this kitty tray of sushi. But hey, what cat is going to turn down a toy filled with organic catnip?

Brought to you by The Cheeky Beastie, this toy sushi package is made from a heavy duck cloth with non-toxic screen printed graphics. It comes with one sauce packet measuring 5.5" L x 3" W and three sushi to go along with it. They're stuffed full of 100% organic catnip and some poly fil for that tossy bouncy stuff that cats love.

Currently they're all sold out on their website, 
UPDATE: Just heard from Jamie, owner of The Cheeky Beastie. She had taken the sushi down temporarily to redo the artwork. But she does have a few sets still available and will put the sushi back up on her website tomorrow if anyone's interested in purchasing some for their fave kitty for the holidays!

If your cat is secretly into big game hunting and flaunting its carnivore roots, you might want to check out their de-cat-pitated toys instead.

We also like that they give a yarn disclaimer, suggesting that if your cat tends to chew or ingest such contents, the hemp version of this toy is recommended. We personally would choose the hemp version - or cut off the yarn - simply because we want our toys to be as safe as possible. And there's no telling what Faraday will get into...!

"Fun Finds": BLACK FRIDAY EDITION

Hi all! This is a special Fun Finds, not just because it's BLACK FRIDAY.

Volunteers at Wayside open Suki's latest box of goodies

It's special because we're featuring the Etsy shop of a friend of ours.

A very VERY generous friend who has sent boxes and boxes of great toys to Allie's Alma Mater, Wayside Waifs.

Dozens of shelter kitties in the past 2 years have benefited from Suki's mom's generosity, and we believe in paying it forward.




So without further ado, we present to you:

 SukiRoo Cat Toys! 

Suki's mom sent us a package that contained 

(from top to bottom)

• a Flipper Shortie ($6.50)
• Fantabulous Flipper Catnip (free!)
• a FlippFlopp ($4)
• a Flipp Strip Combo with Flipp Stick ($7)
• and a Flipper.

[Oh, and a bubble bag that they came packed in, which - honestly - what is it about cats and bags/boxes anyway?]

They're all reasonably priced, between $4 and $12, 

and the cats love them.

One of the things I love about these toys is that they are responsibly made with absolutely no plastic parts that a kitty could accidentally swallow and choke on. 

I also like the fact that the flipp stick comes with a friendly warning to put it out of the reach of paws when you're not playing with it.

Even great wand and stick/string toys can become hazards if left out. They really can. 

Faraday once grabbed a wand toy by the feathered top and ran full tilt across the room with the stick part pushed in front of him. 

He could have impaled himself on that thing. 

After our hearts stopped and we got it away from him, we put all wand toys away, to be used only under human supervision.

So...how much do the cats like these? We'll let the photos tell you:

Faraday was thrilled to be offered the Flipper Shortie...until Maxwell snatched it right from under his nose.

That's okay, he wanted the Flipp Flopp ANYWAYZ. (You should see the slobber on it now!)

(yes, but whose slobber? DNA test anyone?)

If you're looking for a fun holiday gift for your fave feline,
we highly recommend SukiRoo's Etsy shop.

FTC Disclaimer: We were sent a donation of cat toys by SukiRoo for the Wayside Waifs shelter, but were not compensated in any way personally for this review. We were not asked to do this review by Sukiroo. All opinions are our own.