(Picture from funny kitten pictures)

Sounds like a scary Halloween title, doesn't it? Nanny tried a grooming product recently called the ShedMonster. It is available for both short and long hair cats so I tried one of each. The product features a dog on the cover but indicates that it is suitable for cats too.

First I tried the one for short hair first on the short hair cats but it didn't produce any hair. In the tool's defense though, these two cats do not have an undercoat. There are short hair cats who do have an undercoat so it would most likely work well for them. It reduces shedding and prevents matting while being very gentle on sensitive skin.

One for short and one for long hair cats and dogs

My little orange cat is going to get a complex. Every time he goes for a drink of water the big old fat cat is right there to clean is face, head and neck. If he stands still for more than 60 seconds, the same thing happens.  The grand kitty has been staying with nanny for a while and even he has started to do this. I wonder - is his darling little orange face dirty or is it love he is getting rather than a cleaning? I probably shouldn't spend too much time trying to get inside a cat's head though, right?

Love,
Nanny

Doesn't he look like he is asking the question too?

The black cat is one of the most recognized symbols of Halloween. Usually depicted in this sideways stance, hair standing up on its back, tail puffed up, and pupils fully-dilated, it is meant to be scary. Are you afraid? Truth is, if it is in this posture, it is more likely that the cat is afraid. This posture is meant to make them look big and scary to a threathening animal.

An interesting fact about cats is that they have more bones than humans. They can use those extra vertebrae to make a really big arch in their backs. What you can't see in a still picture though is the hop.  They will hop sideways either forward or backward and then run away. I find this very comical.

Angel aka "Stinky"

What's your caption?

I recently posted a story about the Little Blue Penguins in New Zealand who where being effected by the Rena oil spill. They are being cared for by rescue groups who are washing the oil off them and giving them a place to live until they are ready to be released back into the wild.

Last night on the news I heard this wonderful story. Knitters from all over the world are knitting sweaters for the penguins. The sweaters are to keep them warm and also to prevent them from preening themselves because the oil is toxic. For more details and photos click here.

Rockin' the new sweaters

Cuteness factor is off the charts

Heading up the effort is a New Zealand yarn store called Skeinz. The store has posted instructions and patterns on its website. If you are a knitter, you might want to give it a try. (Please send me pics if you do!)

Lots of Love,
Nanny

"Every life should have nine cats." - Anonymous

Remember Morris the 9 Lives cat?

Photo:  african-safari-pictures.com

The story that came out of Ohio this week about 56 escaped exotic animals from a convicted felon who had committed suicide after releasing them really got me thinking. How does the average citizen come into possession of even one of these animals less alone 56? Are there regulations and standards in place to protect both the animals and the public? It is my observation that whenever there is an incident like this one where animals get loose, the only thing the particular community can come up with is to send police out to shoot to kill. 


I did a quick internet search as if I were a customer looking to buy an exotic animal.  Here are some of my findings:

(Photo borrowed from Life With Dogs - a great site for you to check out)

A chill in the air, a cat on the lap, a mug of chocolate, and a good book. Ah, Paradise! ~ Kitty Kondo

Photo: Microsoft Clipart

A gentleman who I cross paths with occasionally asked me if I would take on a client who had a pit bull. I told him that I would assess the dog for temperament just the way I assess all dogs. But pit bulls bite people, he said. All dogs are capable of biting people, I responded. 

According to Dogs In Canada Magazine "The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, states that there are about 4.5 to 4.7 million people bitten by dogs each year in the United States. One-fifth of those require medical attention and more than 30,000 will require reconstructive surgery."

What's your caption?

Credit: Pets69

I first learned about Little Blue Penguins (also called Fairy Penguins) a couple of years ago. They live in New Zealand and are quite unique. In addition to their gorgeous blue colour, they are the world's smallest penguin, growing to only 13-14 inches tall. Fairy Penguins spend their days out to sea and their nights on land. It is quite a spectacle to see them coming back to shore. There are bleachers set up on the beach so folks can watch and take pictures or videos.
 These little guys don't always return to land at night. They are completely waterproof  so they can float on the water for long periods, sleeping about 20 minutes at a time

Anything on the ground is a cat toy. Anything not there yet, will be.  ~ Credit

This is a Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

This weekend Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving. It isn't much different from American Thanksgiving held in November except we have no Hollywood blockbuster Holiday movies of our own. I think that we can take a little credit though for Uncle Buck starring the late, great John Candy - a Canadian. Uncle Buck is one of my favourites. I think of him every time I make pancakes.

We get together with family and friends and eat way too much food. Everyone has their favourite dish. My kids who are all adults now still want me to make their favourites. All of them love baked peppercorn squash with butter and brown sugar in the "bowl". My oldest daughter loves cherry pie. My son loves green jello with mandarin oranges in it. My youngest daughter loves stuffing. I love sweet potatoes. We also have to remember not to feed these fatty foods to our pets.

This weekend Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving. Of course there will be lots of good things to eat. This is why we need to remember our pets are not people and watch what we give them to eat. These tips can prevent serious illnesses for your pet.

Found this on youtube last night - too funny. My brats -- I mean cats -- can take it or leave it.

Picture from article Domestic cats can be left or right handed

“Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man.”  ~ Paul Gray quotes

To say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is an understatement. I got into trouble installing a new template for my blog and it has been completely screwed up for about a week now. No thanks to Google "help" I have been able to install a template that I like very much and it is functioning well for the most part. Please let me know what you think about my new blog.

Aside from all of that I have been walking my client's dogs and looking after my grandkitty. Here are some pics:

Spencer helping with the computer work

Kizzie (left) and Spencer sharing space. (Kizzie doesn't normally share her space so this is nice)

My good friend gave me this fountain for the cats. I haven't been able to get them to drink from it yet but Kizzie uses it for a pillow and will even go to sleep like this