Thursday, October 24, 2013

Help Blind Cat Rescue by buying Gwen Cooper's Love Saves the Day


Gwen Cooper's latest book, Love Saves the Day, is out in paperback this week. Gwen is donating 200% of her royalties on all paperback sales through Sunday October 27, 2013 to Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. in Homer's memory. In other words, every one paperback copy purchased this week counts as two copies for donation purposes.

The book is available at Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, your local independent bookseller (if they don't have it, you can ask them to order it!), Target, Costco, and online at Amazon.

I am so happy to support Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary! I for one will head out and buy a paperback copy of LSTD to support sweet Homer. 

Read my past reviews of Love Saves the Day and Homer's Odyssey. 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Catober at Urban Outfitters

Oh my cat! When I got an email from Urban Outfitters that was titled Happy Catober, I knew I was in for a real treat.

Urban Outfitters has teamed up with Lil BUB for an Instagram contest. Details here. The winner gets a Lil BUB prize pack, which sounds amazing! How do I know? Urban Outfitters has a whole page for Catober with tons of cat themed products, which you can see here.

Lil BUB's partnership with Urban Outfitters is double the awesome, because it supports Best Friends Animal Society. It is awesome to hear that Urban Outfitters is supporting such a great animal organization, because of Lil BUB!

According to BUB's website, she was the runt of a feral litter discovered in Indiana. She needed special care because of her genetic anomalies such as being a "perma-kitten" (staying kitten sized) and extreme dwarfism. She is so lucky to be healthy and able to be an advocate for homeless and special need animals all over the universe!



The cat themed products Urban Outfitters is selling are too cute. And it's not to early to think about the holidays that are coming up! My favorites are...


Plum & Bow Cat Curiousity Shelf, $39.
Lil BUB 2014 Calendar, $15.

Hello Kitty Moxi Roller Skates, $200.


Let me know what your favorite items are! Good luck if you enter the Lil BUB Instagram contest!


Thursday, October 17, 2013

Review/Giveaway: Peach Industries Kitty Lounger Mini

Let’s face what all cat owners know. Cats sleep a lot. Cats can sleep on average thirteen to fourteen hours, even up to twenty hours a day.

My cats like to pick the funniest places to sleep. In our lazy Susan, cabinets, by the vents, under desks, on the kitchen table, on plastic bags…you name it, they have slept there! Occasionally they like to sleep in beds, but you are more likely to find them on a couch or our beds.

Being cats of a modern time, there are all sorts of cat beds that are offered. From high up pods to foamy pillow pads, there are many cool beds.

But the coolest bed we have come to use so far? The Peach Industries Kitty Lounger Mini!

Image from Peach Industries.

This lounger  pet bed is so easy to assemble. It comes with directions so simple, that even I was able to put it together (I’m really direction dysfunctional). The moment I put it down, a cat was in it! I was not sure if they would understand that this new little hammock bed was actually a bed to sleep on, but apparently my cats are smarter than I give them credit for! Everyone loves this bed! Piper was very pleased to curl up in it. The moment she got out of it, Brooke jumped on.

Piper on the lounger for the first time.
I have even caught Henry and Pearl in the lounger. This kitty lounger mini is perfect for pets of all ages. For reference, Piper is 2, and Henry, Brooke and Pearl are all about 7.5 years old. No one is over ten pounds, though the bed can accommodate a pet up to 15 pounds. The lounger cover is very durable and it is machine washable (lay flat to dry).

The creators behind this amazing bed are Mike and Georgia Barbush. This product came to be when the Barbushes put together their combined minds of an industrial designer and a vet technician! They created their product to maintain a sleek home environment designed for pet comfort and human aesthetic.  

Henry was so happy to stretch out his toes on the new lounger.

The Peach Industries Loungers are assembled with no hardware (yay!). Like I said, the covers are machine washable and should be laid flat to dry. The covers are sewn with 100% USA cotton and 100% USA thread (double yay for an American made product). They even come with adhesive foam beds if you want to have your lounger on a hard wood floor.


Overall, we give this lounger both paws up! Four out of four cats agree that this is the most pawsome bed around!
Brooke gives this lounger two paws up!

And guess what? YOU, my readers, have a chance to win a kitty lounger mini! We are giving away one kitty lounger mini. The winner will be able to pick the color of the cover. Entry details below.

Connect with Peach Industries on their website; Facebook; Twitter.


But moooom! Brooke stole my lounger spot! -Piper

Giveaway Rules: 
-Open to United States only

-Use the Rafflecopter link below

-Giveaway will be open Thursday 10/17/13 to Thursday 10/24/13, opening/closing at 12 am EST.



Receiving a complimentary lounger did not influence my review whatsoever.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Architects of Change for Cats - National Feral Cat Day 2013



Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you thought you knew a lot about something but in reality you only knew a little bit? Well, if that is how you feel about feral cats and trap-neuter-return, this is the post for you.

I am an advocate for National Feral Cat Day 2013! What exactly is National Feral Cat Day (NFCD)? NFCD is a day to educate the world about Feral Cats. Read some facts of the truth about feral cats here.

I want to educate my community about community cats. The nation's animal shelter system is the #1 cause of death in cats. Let's work together to change that today!

Here are some facts brought to you by Alley Cat Allies:

  • Cats have lived outdoors for more than 10,000 years
  • More than 70% of all cats who enter shelters are killed there, including virtually 100% of feral cats
  • Feral cats can have the same lifespan as pet cats (And I have known many who have! - see this post about feeding cats on my local college campus here)
  • More than 40% of Americans have fed an outdoor cat
  • More than 80% of Americans think it is more humane to leave a stray cat where he is to live out his life than to have him caught and killed


I am an advocate for National Feral Cat day. Will you join me?

Watch Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet's My Cat From Hell, talk about Trap-Neuter-Return!

Please spread the word about National Feral Cat Day! Share this graphic with all of your friends. If you use Twitter, use #NFCD2013 in your tweets! Tag me, @sandpipercat for a retweet! Share this post! We are the advocates who have to go out and cause change!



 Read past National Feral Cat Day Posts Oct. 2011 & Oct. 2012.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Blog the Change 10/15/13

I have participated in writing posts for Blog the Change before and today is no different. I want to share with you what I have been doing recently to help be the change for animals!

Read my past Blog the Change posts here: April 15, 2012July 15, 2012October 15, 2012.

In my No Kill Nation shirt.

This summer, I went to the No Kill Nation Conference in Washington, D.C. to learn all about the No Kill Movement. I am definitely someone who hopes that we can reach a world where all animals are able to find homes. There are so many animals in need of good homes. Volunteering at an animal shelter or rescue or any organization that helps animals is one of the best things you can do! Everyone can make a change. All it takes is one person to believe that change is necessary!

This November I will head to the Alley Cat Allies National Conference in Arlington, Virginia to learn all about how to improve the world for cats! There will be incredible speakers, great chances to mingle with fellow cat lovers and certainly lots to learn. I will definitely write a blog post about my experience at the conference after I attend.

Tomorrow I will continue my advocacy for animals when I post my National Feral Cat Day 2013 blog!

Sunday, October 6, 2013

250 Facebook Fan Page Giveaway!

Today, October 6, 2013 we have reached a milestone! Sandpiper Cat Blog has 250 Facebook fans! Amazing! Thanks to each and every one of you who has taken the time to follow this blog.

In honor of our followers, we are hosting a kitty and human goody bag giveaway! 

This kitty tote and kitty compact are just two of the fabulous items that one winner will win!

How To Enter:
-Visit http://bit.ly/1f9rCMj to enter
-United States ONLY
-Open 10/6/13 12 am EST to 10/13/13 12 am EST
-Winner will be randomly selected through Rafflecopter (must return contact within 48 hours or new winner will be drawn).



This is not a sponsored giveaway, it is run by Sandpiper Cat Blog.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Spotlight Post: Philly Loves Lacquer

Today's post features nail polish, which is different than the cat products I normally write about. Before you get excited...this is people nail polish -  not for cats! But there is a cat related aspect to this post!

I'm unhealthily obsessed really into collecting nail polish. You know what they say? Two items is one & a spare, three is a collection. I'm a little beyond that ;)


But while browsing Etsy, I found Philly Loves Lacquer, an indie nail polish brand created by Esther Fox. I bought a bottle of her "Skittle Tits" polish and eagerly waited its arrival. While applying the polish, I noticed that the side of the bottle said, "$1 of this bottle's proceeds helped save a cat's life, forgottencats.org." I was so excited that I could expand my nail polish collection and help cats at the same time!


Skittle Tits over a different polish.


Sandpiper Cat Blog: How did you find out about the Forgotten Cats?
Philly Loves Lacquer: I found out about the organization Forgotten Cats, when I went to my local Petsmart here in Philly. They take care of the adoption centers in our area, and I am always going to look at the kitties. I did some research and decided that since they were local to me, that they'd be the perfect organization to donate to.

SCB: What made you want to donate $1 of your nail polish proceeds to the Forgotten Cats?
PhLL: Forgotten cats doesn't just do TNR, which is why I was drawn to them in the first place. Right now, I am also doing $5 per full size full collection, and $2.50 per mini size full collection.

SCB: Do you have any cats?
PhLL: My husband and I currently have four cats, all of which are rescues. Precious (12 years old), Monkey (also 12) , Peppermint (7) and Floyd (5).

SCB: How did you star the nail polish making?
PhLL: A friend of mine started her own brand of indie polish, and she got me addicted to nail polish. I became a Julep Maven, and that was my "gateway drug" so to speak. Then in February, my husband suggested I try and make my own, and then Philly Loves Lacquer was born. I wanted to have something that was based off my favorite city, and I wanted to pour my creativity into it, while saving some cats at the same time :)
The nail polish came beautifully wrapped - perfect for gift giving!
If you are interested in purchasing nail polish from Philly Loves Lacquer, I highly recommend her well made polishes. She lives and makes all of her polish in the City of Brotherly Love. It is 4-free and cruelty free lacquer. 
Visit www.phillyloveslacquer.com for more information.






I was not compensated for this review, I used my own money to buy this product. All opinions are my own.