Sun-day

The World is Your Bed

"I think I'll sleep on this ______," said every cat since time began.

Friday Fanglish: Top Story/Loo Grant

How are you holding up? Are you retaining each week's new terms? Moving on to the next installment of Fanglish, your insider's peek at cat slang:


Top Story
A cat lying on top of a human's newspaper

The Lady wanted to read the Sunday paper, but Maurice curled up on the front page, making himself the top story.


Loo Grant
A human's daily privilege of a cat watching her use the facilities

The Lady received a additional loo grant this morning when Snowball joined Mittens in the bathroom during her morning visit.



Click for a full list of Fanglish terms


See you next week for another visit into the back alley world of Fanglish!

The Full Monty (Python)

Your mother was a hamster...

Wordless Wednesday: Stealthy Choices

Autumn Anger

The excitement of watching me unpack fall decor boxes is 

quickly replaced with jealousy and resentment.

Come to the Snark Side

Be not afraid.

A Not-So-Sweet Story

It's Sunday and I feel like recycling an oldie-but-goodie.

Oddities Abound

A certain sign of the Apocalypse:

Friday Fanglish: Cabinet Position/Chewbacka!

Fanglish: new week, new cat slang terms!


Cabinet Position
Crouched, hiding in a cabinet

The Lady found Maurice under the sink and removed him from his cabinet position.



Chewbacka
A cat who likes to bite other cats on the back of the neck

No one liked to wrestle with Snowball because she was a chewbacka.



Click for a full list of Fanglish terms


See you next week for another visit into the back alley world of Fanglish!

Cosmo is Floored!

A Catladyland flashback!

Wordless Wednesday: Peek!

The Reason My Car Insurance Went Up

Caution: Shenanigans Ahead 

Blue Buffalo Walnut-Based Cat Litter Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED

It seems like we cat parents are always on the lookout for the next best litter. We want one that is good for the environment, is dust-free, doesn't track, clumps easily, is flushable, controls odor, is affordable, and if it could make the clumps magically transport themselves to the toilet, we'd love that too. I love the visual of flying litter box clumps. If I were Samantha Stevens, I'd twitch my nose and levitate those poo-poo and pee-pee clumps. And then the nosy neighbor would peek through the window and some tedious storyline would ensue. I think I watch too much TV Land.

Anyhoo...when my friends at Mr. Chewy, a super-cool online company that delivers more than 120 brands of pet products right to your door, asked if I wanted to try the Blue Buffalo brand walnut-based cat litter, I was a little more than curious. Mr. Chewy is no Samantha Stevens, but I have to say I received the little on my doorstep in a matter of a couple of days. No nose-twitching required. I poured the 17-lb bag of Blue Naturally Fresh Walnut Quick-Clumping Multi-Cat Formula into one of the litter pans and giggled a little bit...it looked like ground coffee.

This, of course, begs the question: Why walnut shells? According to the Mr. Chewy site, "A proprietary blend of the fibrous materials found only in walnut shells is proven to neutralize odor better than the other brand clumping litters. Super-absorbant formula produces hard clumps in 15 minutes with virtually no dust." 

Although I found the litter to absorb odor quite well, I was a little disappointed in the lack of clump-ability. When I scooped the little clumps, they crumbled a bit more than my usual litter does. I did love that I could safely flush the clumps and I did not experience any dust from the box. I also didn't notice any tracking, which would have been pretty obvious, given the color of the litter.

One 17-lb bag is $19.99, which sounds a little on the expensive side; however, the box with the Blue Buffalo litter sat beside a box filled with another brand and lasted twice as long. A bonus of ordering with Mr. Chewy is that every $50 order includes free shipping and they carry most brands of food, treats, and other pet products.

Want to try a bag of Blue Naturally Fresh Walnut Quick-Clumping cat litter?  Mr. Chewy will give away a bag to one lucky Catladyland reader!

Giveaway Details:

• You must comment WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS and indicate interest in qualifying for the giveaway.
• The giveaway opens at 6am Central today(9/17/12) and closes at 11:59pm Central on Sunday, 9/23/2012.
• The giveaway is open to readers in the 48 states.
• Once contacted, you will have 48 hours to respond or another name will be drawn.
• Winners will be chosen via randomizer.org.

May the magic of Samantha Stevens be with you! *twitch, twitch*

Cosmo P.I.

I just ran across this funny from last year and nearly spit my tea.

He looks quite fetching, don't you think?

Science Fiction or Science Fact? You Decide.

Those bearing no food who dare to enter the triangle 

are never seen again...

Friday Fanglish: Little Match Girl/In-Sink

The new Fanglish term has begun! Sharpen your pencil and let's get to work learning new cat slang terms!


Little Match Girl
A female cat whose fur matches the furniture or clothing on which she's shed

Running behind, The Lady grabbed her white sweater and was grateful Snowball was a little match girl. 



In-Sink
Curled up in a bathroom sink

We wanted Maurice to race around with us but he was in-sink.



Click for a full list of Fanglish terms


See you next week for another visit into the back alley world of Fanglish!

Getting to the Bottom of Early Holiday Shopping

He's a planner.

Wordless Wednesday: Mouse Hunt

Bathrooms = Cat Magnets

He can't wait.

Feeling Cheesy

Me too, Saffy.

Separated at Birth??

Whoopie!!

Kibosh!!

Roommate Drama!

Fanglish End-of-Term Review

You've had a summer's worth of Fanglish lessons so you should be well on your way to becoming an expert in the ways of cat slang. Here's a review so you can test your knowledge, or if you're new to Fanglish, you can catch up with the rest of the class!


Dazed and Can-fused

The excitement of hearing a can opener, followed by the intense disappointment of realizing your human has opened a can of food for herself

I stood there, dazed and can-fused, as The Lady opened a can of niblet corn.

Faux Paw

When, during a heated romp, one cat breeches etiquette by not giving his opponent the allotted few seconds of grace when he abruptly breaks to clean himself

While licking the length of his back leg, Buster was blindsided by Rusty's massive faux paw of a whack to the side of his head.

Dinner and a Show

The act of cleaning one's rear area in full view of a human's dinner party guests 

The Lady was embarrassed when my dinner and a show distracted her guests from their flank steak.

Starecase

A cat that stares at a blank wall for an unusual amount of time

Mittens, a total starecase, was completely entranced by a spot on the wall and didn't see the treats on the floor.

Kneadlepoint

The exact center of a human's full bladder that, when kneaded, creates a look of pain on a human's face

This morning, I knew I'd hit The Lady's kneadlepoint when she said a bad word and ran to the bathroom.

Spurn-n-Turn

The act of turning one's head quickly at precisely the moment a human presses the camera button to take a photograph of you

I showed The Lady I was tired of posing in the pink tutu by giving her a few spurn-and-turns until she put the camera away.

Loaf of Wry
A cat tightly tucked in the loaf position and wearing a sarcastic facial expression

The Lady wanted me to play with the neighbor boy, but I was clearly a loaf of wry.


Boxing Match
A large cat's persistent struggle to fit into a tiny box

After Valentine's Day, we all watched the boxing match between Bubba and the heart-shaped candy box. 


Flipping a Bird
A disinterested cat's placating paw-swat at a bird wand toy

The Lady wanted me to play with the new toy but I wanted to sleep so I just flipped a bird to satisfy her.


Recovery Effort
When a human places new fabric on top of a clawed piece of furniture

I laughed at The Lady's recovery effort of the new corduroy on top of my favorite scratching sofa. 

Facebooking

The act of rubbing one's face over every inch of a human's book while she is attempting to read.

After facebooking The Lady's novel half a dozen times, she finally put her book down and petted me.

Flash-in-the-Pan

The mad rush to immediately urinate in a freshly changed litter pan.

We were all lined up to flash-in-the-pan the second The Lady placed the fresh pans on the floor.

S.A.D. (Seasonal Atrocious Deprivation)

The time in autumn when humans turn the clocks back and a cat's inner mealtime clock is completely thrown off, resulting in the feeling of certain starvation

The Lady's complete disregard for my S.A.D. made me want to hack a hairball on her fancy new purse.

Ridezilla

A cat who howls during every second of a car ride

On the way to the vet, I was very quiet, but Mittens was a real ridezilla.

Counter Culture 

The social norms and values of counter-cruising felines

The Lady completely destroyed our counter culture when she began putting the butter dish in the pantry.

Ear Might

The cocking of a sleeping cat's ear as she hears a human address her and considers if she might wake up or if she might not

Snowball showed an ear might when The Lady called her from the other room.

Five O'Clock Shadow
When, at 5am, the shadow of a human is seen walking to the bathroom, clearly indicating breakfast time

I saw The Lady's five o'clock shadow and immediately began yowling for food.


A-door-ation
The panicky feeling of separation one feels when a closed door stands between cat and human

The Lady was showering and my a-door-ation overtook me as I incessantly pawed at the door.

Pandora's Box

The phenomenon of cats instantly gathering when a human opens a newly-received shipping box, followed by the unavoidable problems associated with one box and multiple cats

The Lady's recent delivery from UPS unleashed a Pandora's box situation between Mittens, Snowball, and Maurice.

Bite-and-Switch

A cat's indecision between wanting a human to pet him and the overwhelming urge to bite the human's hand

The Lady wanted to cuddle with me, but my bite-and-switch made her say a bad word.

Rainbow Fridge

1. The final resting place for toys batted under the refrigerator

2. The final resting place of expired, partial cans of cat food, hidden behind condiments and leftovers, and elusive to the human, months ago, when she first tried to find them

Mittens was heartbroken when his favorite jingle ball crossed under the rainbow fridge.

When The Lady tackled spring cleaning, she found the half-eaten cans of turkey and giblets she'd been looking for before Christmas had crossed into the rainbow fridge. 

Bag Lady

A female human returning home from the store with bagged purchases

Maurice liked it when the bag lady shopped at upscale grocery stores; the bags were way more comfortable for napping.

Getting Cheeky
The act in which a human decides, instead of disturbing a cat by moving her from a chair, to balance a single butt cheek on the edge of said chair

The Lady immediately got cheeky when she noticed Snowball was fast asleep in her favorite chair. 


Preoccupootion
The concentrated look on a cat's face while she is relieving herself in the litter pan

Maurice's preoccupootion could not be broken, even when Mittens kicked litter on him from a nearby box.


All Present and Accounted For
All cats are gathered around the present-wrapping supplies the human has arranged on the floor

Mittens, Maurice, and Snowball were all present and accounted for when The Lady began wrapping Christmas gifts. 


Flee Control
The act of placing a cat in a closed room while movers or other humans come and go from a building, thus preventing the feline escape

In an act of flee control, The Lady locked Mittens in the bathroom while the delivery humans carried new furniture into the house.


Full of Sheet
A cat who is sleeping under a bed sheet

Mittens was tired of trying to play with Maurice, who was completely full of sheet.


Open Bar
A drippy faucet

After The Lady took a shower, Snowball alerted Mittens and Maurice of the open bar in the bathroom.

The new Fanglish term starts next Friday so sharpen your pencils and buy a new notebook!

What's that Stink??

The stinkiest around:

Wordless Wednesday: A Little Leg

Getting Schooled

Here in Minnesota, today is the first day of school. In honor of this special day when my kids return to school and leave behind a quiet house, here are some Alfred Mainzer kittyschool postcards:

Smirkin' at Workin'

How the girls are spending Labor Day:

Phoebe can't even be bothered to stand up and retrieve the toy.
She exerts as little labor as possible by sliding to it.

And Saffy?  Well, she exerts about this much labor every day.

What Happens at Cat Sleepovers?

Poor Saffy. 

I'm always the first to fall asleep too.

Be Happy! Win a Customizable Shirt!

If you are a regular Catladyland reader, you know I love cat photos. More accurately, I love adding silly text to and generally monkeying around with cat photos. When Purina told me about this fun new photo app, I pounced on it faster than you can say cheezburger! Here's how it works:

The Be Happy by Purina app for iPhone and Android allows users to upload a photo of their pet and then enhance it with filters, text, thought bubbles, and other fun elements. The photo can then be easily downloaded or shared via social media. You can even upload a photo of yourself (or someone else!) and add whiskers, a tail, or ears! Here's the photo I created of Cosmo:

Cool, huh? Users can also visit Purinapetfun.com and create a fun photo using filters -- the other options are only available on the phone app. 

So -- here's the next part: Be Happy by Purina Facebook fans can now create and purchase customizable t-shirts on the Purina page. There are a variety of colors, sizes, and the graphics are adorable! Plus, you can add text to further personalize it. Purina will give away FIVE free customizable shirts to Catladyland readers! Here's an example of one I was playing around with on the site:

On to the details!

• Create a photo using either the phone app or via Purinapetfun.com: one photo per entrant.
• Email your photo to me: catladyland @ gmail.com by Saturday, 9/8, 11:59pm CDT.
• On Sunday 9/9, I'll post an album on the Catladyland Facebook page with all the photos.
• The five photos with the most "likes" by 11:59pm CDT on Wednesday, 9/12 CDT will win the shirts!
• I'll notify the winners via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to respond or the shirt will go to the winner with the next highest number of votes.

Good luck and have fun creating!!