New Year=More Blogging

I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus, with the holidays and moving I have been super busy! But now I am all settled into my new place and ready to get back on track! The plan is to have new posts Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tuesdays will continue to be Cat Toy Tuesday (and other types of cat products) while Thursday will focus on a variety of topics. I am excited to get back into blogging and hope you all enjoy! 

If you have any reccomendations of topics you'd like me to post about or any awesome toys you recommend please comment on here or Instagram/Facebook!

So Today's Cat Toy Tuesday isn't so much just one toy. Some of you may not know I just moved to Indianapolis at the begining of the year to start my job at the Humane Society of Indianapolis (I still have one more semester of school left and am commuting once a week for classes on campus- the rest are online). So when looking at apartments it was super important for me to have a extra room for-you guessed it- KITTENS! So the apartment I have is super awesome and has a loft that I have turned into Kitten Playground! 

I made this sign that is now hanging at the bottom of the stairs leading up to Kitten Playground!

Panoramic View! Hard to tell but all the pictures on the back wall are of all my former foster kittens!

I love having a separate room to keep all things kitten! There is space for multiple kennels and of course tons of toys! I love that I can let kittens out to play more often and not have to worry about them getting into stuff they shouldn't. Being a loft as opposed to a closed off room I had to do some kitten-proofing. One of the walls is actually a 1/2 wall and looks down to the stairs. As you can imagine this could be dangerous if kittens get curious and decide to jump onto the ledge. So I (with help from my awesome mom) came up with an idea to seal it off. It's pretty simple- we just got some fabric and nailed it to the ceiling and the wall- and voila no tempting ledge to kittens to jump onto. Another problem was that there is no door. Currently I am using a tall pet gate to block off the stairs when kittens are out. Eventually I plan to install a more permanant gate/door. 

Kitten Playground also doubles as my office! You can see the fabric "wall" behind my desk

There's also a 1/2 bath and big storage closet attached which is super handy! I love the storage closet, it has lots of space for all my extra kennels and other supplies. 

I got an awesome storage shelf for in the closet for all my kitten supplies!




For all of you wondering about Merlin- don't you worry! He is loving his new home, in fact he has his own "room!" Check out Merlin's Man Cave located under the stairs!

Preparing for the Holidays: Gifts

For some reason a lot of people thing giving a pet as a Christmas gift is a good idea. In some cases it can be a good gift, but usually not. If the recipient wants the pet and a lot of thought and consideration has been put into it, it can be a good idea. However, if a puppy or kitten is given as a surprise, they usually end up being returned. 
Puppies and kittens are cute, but they are a lot of work. Giving a puppy or kitten as a gift is like saying "here, take this pooping machine that is going to requre a lot of care and a lot of extra money." Unforunately most of the time these animals find their way back the the shelter after Christmas. 

I have a couple ideas that can give the gift of a puppy or kitten, but without the year long commitment. 
1. Volunteer at the Shelter! If you know someone that would love nothing more than to get doggy kisses and play with kitties Chirstmas morning, go volunteer! It's a perfect way to get your animal fix and also give the animals a special gift of love! 
2. Foster of Course! Why not foster over the holidays! There's nothing like waking up doggy or kitty kisses Chirstmas morning! It's also nice to be able to give a homeless animal the gift of a home on Christmas! I'll be spending my Christmas with my fosters Tinsel, Noel, and Stevie-- they even have their own stockings!
3. Donate! I love the idea of making a donation in someones name for Christmas. Some places even let you pick a specific animal to sponser and they will send pictures and information about the animal. When I was younger I "got a koala" for my birthday and it's still one of my favorite presents I ever got. I did this last year for my sister with a donkey rescue (she loves donkeys). She absolutely loved it and the rescue really appreciated the support. 

So please think it through if you are considering adopting an animal for the holidays. If you do decide to do not make it a surprise. Everyone in the family needs to be on board and prepared for the life long commitment.

Noel is Dreaming of Santa Paws!

Preparing for the Holidays: Food

This week's post is about making your holidays pet friendly is about food. It's pretty similar to the Thanksgiving post, but it's a good reminder! Remember, if you aren't sure if a food is safe for your pet just don't feed it! The best thing for your pet to eat is food properly formulated for them. 

So here's a list (it's almost identical to the Thanksgiving one) of foods to avoid feeding your pets: 
1. Turkey skin, drippings, bones, etc. 

The skin and drippings can cause inflammation of the pancreas and intestines from all the fat in it. Also bones are commonly swallowed and the animal is uable to pass it. That requires foreign body surgery which is not cheap or a good time for your pet.

2. Onion and Garlic- these are toxic to your pets! Avoid giving anything containing these products.

3. Rasins and Grapes- again these are toxic to dogs, so just don't 

4. Anything high in fat- mashed potatoes, candied yams, etc. animals shouldn't have a diet high in fat and it can cause issues like pancreatitis. 

5. Chocolate- again, toxic. Baking chocolate is the most toxic type followed by dark chocolate. If you are baking with chocolate keep your pets away from it!

6. Alcohol- Alcohol will cause toxicity 

7. Bread Dough- ok bread dough does two things in the animals body that makes it bad. First of all when it mixes with the warm temperature of the animals body the dough begins to rise. This becomes a problem and causes bloating and possibly impaction requiring surgical removal. Also as it rises a chemical reaction is happening causing fermentation which results in alcohol toxicity 

stay tuned for more Holiday tips! And wish me luck on my week full of finals coming up!

Preparing for the Holidays: Decorations

I've been a little absent from the blog lately but trust me, I've been very busy with foster kitten related things! But now I am back and ready to talk about all things Holiday related!!!

So the holidays are a super exiciting time, but it can be a little overwhelming for pets! For the month of December I am going to talk about preparing for the holidays with kittens including topics like decorating, food, and family. 

Former Foster Kittens Lily and Olive Love the Christmas Decorations

After Thanksgiving everyone is getting ready for Christmas and decorating! Some decorations that are pretty to us can be dangerous to pets. 

Here is a breif list of common decoratons that may be dangerous for kittens.

1. Christmas Tree: As you can imagine, a Christmas tree can be seen as a fun toy for kittens! If you have a kitten that likes to climb and scratch it may be smart to keep your tree out of reach of kittens or teather it to the wall. After you first put up the tree keep an eye on your kittens and see how they react. 

Olive Had to Check Out the Tree!

2. Tinsel: Avoid using tinsel for decorating if you have pets. Kitties LOVE to play with anything shiny, so tinsel is gold for them. Unfortunately ingested tinsel can be very dangerous for kittens and require emergency surgery. 

3. Ornaments: Be mindful of what ornaments you hang on your tree. Anything breakable should be placed closer to the top out of reach of curious kittens. I also recommend using ribbon instead of metal hooks for hanging them. 

4. Lights!: Again, it depends on the cat, some cats love to chew on wires, so cats don't care. If yours chews a lot them keep wiring out of reach!

5. Holiday Plants: There is a lot of confusion when it comes to what holiday plants are poisonous; here is the scoop. 

     Amaryllis: Toxic

     Christmas Cactus: Not Toxic 

     Poinsettia: Not Toxic (I know a lot of people think so but no they are not) 

     Holly: Berries- Not Toxic, Leaves- Toxic 

     Mistletoe: Toxic 

Although some plants are not toxic they can still cause some GI upset, so you should still keep all plants out of reach, but don't panic if they happen to nibble on a non-toxic plant. 

If you have any questions or tips on kitty proofing for the Holidays leave a comment! 

Olive Thought the Christmas Town was Missing Something!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

In honor of the holiday known for eating lots of food I'm going to go through so foods you should not feed your pets today. I know it can be difficult to say no to their adorable face, but many of these foods can be very dangerous. 

1. Turkey skin, drippings, bones, etc. 

The skin and drippings can cause inflammation of the pancreas and intestines from all the fat in it. Also bones are commonly swallowed and the animal is uable to pass it. That requires foreign body surgery which is not cheap or a good time for your pet.

2. Onion and Garlic- these are toxic to your pets! Avoid giving anything containing these products like stuffing

3. Rasins and Grapes- again these are toxic to dogs, so just don't 

4. Anything high in fat- mashed potatoes, candied yams, etc. animals shouldn't have a diet high in fat and it can cause issues like pancreatitis. 

5. Chocolate- again, toxic. Baking chocolate is the most toxic type followed by dark chocolate. 

6. Alcohol- Alcohol will cause toxicity 

7. Bread Dough- ok bread dough does two things in the animals body that makes it bad. First of all when it mixes with the warm temperature of the animals body the dough begins to rise. This becomes a problem and causes bloating and possibly impaction requiring surgical removal. Also as it rises a chemical reaction is happening causing fermentation which results in alcohol toxicity 

So those are the main food you may be serving today that you need to keep away from your pets. Also If there are other foods you aren't sure about the best thing to do is assume it's not safe. Just keep some dog/cat treats on hand so they can enjoy a thanksgiving day treat. 

Throughout December I am going to write educational posts about how to get through the holidays with your pets. This will include more toxic substances to keep the away from, decorating with pets in mind, and keeping your pets stress free with guests. So get pumped! 

Cat Toy Tuesday 11

Today's Cat Toy Tuesday is an exiciting one! Santa Paws came early this year for foster kittens and delivered their present-- a brand new kennel!

The kennel is awesome! It is just as wide as the old kennel but it's super tall! There are 3 shelves and ramps. And also an adorable hammock. 

Killian has been the only kitten to try out the new kennel so far (being blind I have decided to house Stevie separately- I don't want him falling and hurting himself--but he and Killian still get play time together!) and he seems to really love it. It's awesome how it allows different levels for litter box, food, and bedding. And lots of room to run and jump. 

Even Momma Merlin has gotten some use out of it!

I did a ton of research and price shopping to pick out the perfect tall kennel. I am very happy with my choice and think this is the perfect upgrade for my kitten crew! 

I'm Back!

I have emerged from my cave of studying!! First of all I passed by VTNE *wootwoot*. So once it's all offical I will be an RVT! 

But to more exciting news and why you are here in the first place, I have a new foster kitten! If you follow me on Instagram you have already seen my adorable new baby! His name is Stevie (previouslyHammy). He is a sweet little ball of fur and just happens to be blind. One eye is completely ruptured and the other has severe scarring over it making him unable to see anything but light through it. Once is big and strong he will have surgery to have both eyes removed. This may seem extreme but not only are the eyes not functional, keeping them can serve as a risk for furture infections and problems. Plus I'm sure it's not very comfortable for him. When I first got him he was a terrifed little thing (can't blame him) but he's now a typical crazy kitten! You wouldn't even know he was blind when watching him play!

Meet Stevie!

Merlin is such a good momma!

Don't panic! I still have Mr. Killian. He isn't quite ready for a forever home with his bad attitude! The little man was definitely feral in his past life. But he is improving! He is great with me, Merlin, and his new little brother Stevie! He is still hesitiant and scared around new people but that is improving with time.

Here's Killian and a Sneak Peak of my new kennel! It will be featured on the next Cat Toy Tuesday!

On Tuesday my kitten crew and I are heading home for Thanksgiving. So stay tuned for some special posts about keeping your pets/fosters safe over the holidays!