Emmy Red Carpet Cat Tour - Tiny Tiger Tote GIVEAWAY!

As puuurfect as it was to watch the Emmy's last night (and really, the fashion), I have something even more fabulous to giveaway!

Sophia Vergara - left, had my favorite dress of the night.

Coming to you from the Emmy Red Carpet Cat Blog Tour 2012, a fully stuffed, Tiniest Tiger Tote full over swag from a whole bunch of sponsors! This bag of swag was given away to celebrities in Beverly Hills, on the real red carpet. And I have one to giveaway to YOU, my readers!

Lauren Potter, Becky on Glee, with Flat Gracey on the Red Carpet.

 It includes a Sandpiper Cat business card & postcard from me, as well as a bottle of Stress Stopper Spirit Essences (I highly recommend!), an adorable Iams hat, lots of coupons, a Bissell Stomp 'n Go pad, a Gracie Shaker, a Tipsy Nip Tickle Pickle, are just some among many really cool swag in the bag!

The bag itself is really fun! Triple T Studios products (click to check out products) are wonderful.

"This one of a kind tote features the Tiniest Tiger's feline finesse quilted into the fabric creating a subtle yet cool cat appearance. The sleek black color is sure to complement all of your favorite fashions. The Tote is perfect for transporting your laptop and all your other essentials. There is an inside zipper pouch to keep your small items ready for easy access. The tote features a magnetic snap closure for security. The interior features a sturdy base, removable for washing. The bag is machine washable and can be tumbled dry. The bag is made in the USA."

To enter the giveaway:

Please leave a comment telling me you would like a chance to win. Please leave your email - so I have a way to contact you. If you do not leave your email, you will not be entered to win. Please enter by Monday October 1st at 12:01 am EST. Winner will be announced ASAP.

*If you have trouble leaving a comment, please email me to be entered: rachel.shubin@gmail.com. 

Please note, Gracey will ship the full loaded tote bag to the USA, but tote bag ONLY to Canada, Europe and Australia. This event is open to everyone!

Special thanks to Joanne and Gracey for a wonderful giveaway! Stop by The Tiniest Tiger's Conservation Cub Club to thank them!

Less Adoptable Pet Week Sept. 17-23, 2012

What is the same about all of these things:

Black cats. Blind cats. Feral cats. FIV+ cats. Senior cats. Deaf cats. 

If you answered that the commonality is that these cats are harder to adopt out, you are correct! Less adoptable, means that these cats take longer to find forever homes than a spunky little kitten.

Petfinder's Less Adoptable Pet Week is a wonderful week that celebrates those pets that are harder to adopt.

One of my cats, Victoria, was a less adoptable cat. She was the mother of one of our kittens, so we took her in as a foster - hoping we could find her a good home. She hid in behind a cabinet, in the dry wall in our basement for three days. We slid food in and out of the small hole in between the wall and the cabinet, like she was a prisoner in solitary confinement. It took months for her to come out of the basement, and even peer her head around the basement door. If she got sppoked, she ran back downstairs. It was her zone of comfort. Seven years later, today, our little Vickie is as friendly as can be. She keeps us company while we watch TV, read the newspaper, sleep on the bed next to my parents and even come to the bathroom with us (shh, don't tell my mom I told you!). It took a long time for her to be comfortable around us, and had we not kept her, she would've been next to impossible to adopt out. Here are two shots of Vickie today, enjoying a patch of sun on our screened in porch.

"Please don't pet me while I'm vulnerable, or I'll swat you!" says Vickie.

Trust me, I'm not asking for a belly rub - I will swat you if you try!

Petfinder asks you to look for rescues and shelters that may have a less adoptable pet, waiting for you! For example, take a look at two cats in Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation's care. Daffy and Dancer, who both are having a harder time getting adopted.

The Black Ones:

Daffy, who is sweet and a little daffy, even if she's dark and hard to photograph.
Photo/quote courtesy of Cat Volunteer Coordinator Email.

The Ones with "Issues" 

Dancer...I love to be petted, but if you don't stop when I tell you I've had enough, I'll swat you!
Photo/quote courtesy of Cat Volunteer Coordinator Email. 

So please, the next time you decide to bring a new furry friend into your home, adopt a less adoptable pet! They need you more than you know.

Book Review: Moo Kitty Finds A Home

I couldn’t stop. Everything I was reading was so touching, so moving, that I felt like I was experiencing it too. Books don’t always make you feel like you’re the main character, and few do when it is a children’s book. Moo Kitty Finds a Home by Valerie Lee Veltre, is a perfect example of a children’s book that puts you in the shoes of the main character, in this case is a cat named Moo!

The story of Moo Kitty is true, and it certainly will resonate with readers, children and parents alike. Moo Kitty enjoys his life with his human, until she goes to heaven. Then Moo is all alone. Dazed and confused at being left outside, three Angel kitties visit him and tell them they will help him.

When I read Moo Kitty Finds a Home for the first time, I had just lost my cat May. Reading that one of the angel cats was named Maybelle made me smile.

While Moo is in the shelter, he is often overlooked by people because he is older and not as cute as the rambunctious kittens. Moo feels sad as all the other cats and animals leave the shelter before him.  Kittens are often picked before the adult cats, meaning the older cats spend a longer time at the shelter. They too, become sad like Moo. But every cat has their day…read Moo Kitty Finds a Home to find out what happens to Moo!

Moo Kitty hit home for me, because I volunteer at a cat rescue, and often wonder where the cats came from before they were in the rescue. Were they once loved and left behind? Did they get out and get lost?

Veltre was inspired to write Moo Kitty, based on a personal experience.

In the back of the book, there are many wonderful pages with tips about the Benefits of Adopting an Adult Pet, Tips for Adopting an Adult Pet and information for selection and settling the new pet in. More information can be found online, as well as purchasing Moo Kitty at www.MooKittyFindsAHome.com. 

Cat Haters Gon Hate

Can I just start by saying: URRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! People really do some crappy things sometimes...

The mailbox & I in 2009 - don't ask about the picture...I was a goofy kid.

I went out this morning about 8:15 am to go do my pet sitting jobs, and as I was walking to my car, I abruptly stopped because I noticed our mail box was on the drive away. Being as tired as I was, I'm not sure if I really realized why it was there, other than it must have fallen off, or possibly someone ran their car into the mail post and it fell off (I had forgotten about the cat on the top of the box...you'll read about that soon).

In the garage - you can see the wood on the bottom of the box.

So I put the mail box into the garage and went to do my pet sitting jobs. I came back and ran upstairs to tell my dad about the mail box. This isn't the first time our mail box has been vandalized, this  vandal act brought it up to a total of three times  - the most recent having been ~ 10 years ago when I was 10.

Empty post.

My dad figured it must have been vandalized, though I thought that it was a possibility it was something else, since whoever did it, had left the mail box and not taken it. Well, my suspicions changed when we looked at the cat topper from the mailbox, which had been left on our front steps.

Not only had the cat been defaced with sharpies, the vandal left us a lovely note..."F*ck Cat Lover's. Love the Cat Snatcher." Lovely. After closer examination, the cat not only now sported facial hair, but female and male genitalia (someone didn't go to health class!). Plus leaving the cat for us, isn't technically snatching. Clearly this was the work of a petulant child.

We knew from the note what their motive was - being a cat hater.

Overall, despite now having to get a new mail box - this one was at the end of its life, though - we have to cancel the mail. But in the long run, at least the vandal didn't damage our cars, seeing as they are all decked out with the cat family and lots of cat rescue stickers & other pro-cat decorations.

The empty post. Completely empty as 10 years ago!

But the thing about the act of vandalism that bothers me is that not only did this person get away (so far), but that this was just a cat hating mail box crime, what would happen if this person was to come across a real cat? And unfortunately, this person will probably get away with what they did. As unfair as their childish act was, all I can hope is that they got the vandalism out of their system and are out of business.

Henry bared his teeth at the note!

So we duct taped the mailbox to the post (we have to order a new one & get it installed) and left a note for the "cat snatcher"....

Remembering May: 4/2/05-8/2/12

Tick, tock. I could hear the clock, slowly ticking my time away with May. May was in catastrophic kidney failure. Words that seemed unfathomable. Catastrophic…failure…it just didn’t seem like a seven year old cat could go from being fine, to barely recognizing me. The end always seems like it comes so quickly, but the gift of time was there – my family and I got to visit with May at the vet on Wednesday and today, Thursday.

May in 2005, she really grew into those big ears.

I went in today around 11 am, because we had taken in Pearl for a redo on her latest blood work. We got to see May. She still had a dazed look on her face, but she clearly knew who we were and that we were there for her. She let us pet her and rub her face and chin. She meowed once, when we stopped petting her.

Mom and I came back to visit her at 4:30 pm. May was not doing well. May looked just as out of it as she did this morning, but we could see on her face that she really didn’t feel good. They redid her blood work, but the most important value had only dropped 0.3, which was not nearly enough to indicate improvement, or that the fluid treatments were working.

May and her mama Vickie. You can see the wonderful patterns that are the same!

Mom and I sat with her in the examination room. She was twitchy and couldn’t get into a comfortable position. Tick, tock. The inevitable was coming, and we knew. We all knew. But saying it out loud? That it was her time – this seven year old cat that had been in for her regular check up in June and was fine, was on the brink of death? It seemed hard to believe. But I’ve heard that you know when it’s time, and it was time. It’s never an easy decision to make; even if you get to say goodbye.

Dad got there and we all sat with her. Talking to her, telling her about all the cats to say hi to for us; that she would see her kitten buddy Parker, who died months after adoption from FIP, and that we loved her so, so much.  Our vet, who said she hated to be the bad guy, to always have to tell the sad news, came in to help May.

May sleeping with Henry.

She went over the bridge a little past 5:45 pm, August 2^nd, 2012. Memories of May’s life flooded our eyes, just thinking that the Shubin 7 had become six, was just unreal. It was hard to believe that our big little girl, the cat of 1000 names, was gone. 7 short years, 7 sweet years.

May and Pearl.

Words can’t describe how much I will miss May. She was one of the first kittens I ever had, a memory that will always be dear to me. Just knowing that she is finally with Parker, brings a smile to my face. I will miss my May, my Ana Maria Madonna Christina May, my Schmoogie, Moo, Moobelle, Maybelline, Mooshkie and all the other names she went by. I will think of her when I eat at Pinkberry (for her little pinkberry nose), when I see a empty cardboard box, her treat dance, tabby cats, cats with big ears and so many other things.

The beloved memories live on, and I give my cats extra love every day, just to remember how important their lives are, to me.

Taken July 23, 2012 - just 10 days before she died. She had not given any signs of  kidney failure.

May and my mom, who she dearly loved. May would pet my mom's face.

May Shubin, April 2, 2005 to August 2, 2012.

A gorgeous photo of May from 2011, taken by our friend Bernadette.

Exciting Reviews/Giveaways to come!

Hi everyone! Sorry I've been sparse on posting. I've been enjoying some beach vacation time. Even though I had planned to blog a few posts at the beach, I was very busy and never got the chance :(


But I am ready to start anew, with some reviews and giveaways! When I got home, waiting for me - was not only my cats- was a sample box of the new Greenies treats, and a Kitty A Go Go litter box! The cat gang couldn't wait for me to get home, so they could get some good eats and a fashionable potty! So watch out for a review and giveaway coming soon!

Vickie (from inside the Kitty A Go Go box) says, "This box is allll mine!"

One of my other reviews that will be coming out within the next coming weeks, is my review of Moo Kitty Finds a Home by Valerie Lee Veltre. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Veltre at the Cat Writer's Association Conference in New York last November, as well as her publisher from Life Reloaded, Pam Haines. I got to hang out with Pam at BlogPaws this summer, but Val was not able to make it.

But Moo Kitty got wonderful news this morning! The Mom's Choice Awards named Moo Kitty Finds a Home among the best in family-friendly products! A congratulations is in order to Val and her team! Watch out for my take on Moo Kitty!

And right now you can save on your order of Moo Kitty! 

Award Special Save 20% + Free Shipping* Enter Code: MKGold Special offer available from: www.MooKittyFindsAHome.com
*Continental United States Only Offer Expires: 8/15/12

Blog the Change: July 15, 2012

Today's post is special, because it is sponsored by Blog the Change for Animals. Today I am writing about feral cats and a program called Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR). 

Face it, we all know there are a lot of cats out there - many of which are feral. There are many places with great feral cat colonies. Some of which, are maintained by kindhearted people. They feed the cats and make sure they have fresh water.

I've grown up in a cat household - whether it's my cats inside, or a random cat outside - there is always a cat to be found where ever I am. So, I just happen to find myself today, July 15, on vacation in Cape May, New Jersey.

Cape May is known for their feral cat populations, the ordinances to keep cats inside and also known for the Cape May Bird Watching. I know many individuals around town, who help maintain the colonies through TNR, as well as placing adoptable kittens. 

I shared this on Facebook yesterday.

One of cat rescue groups in Cape May is the Animal Outreach of Cape May County. 

"Animal Outreach is a 501(c)(3) organization of dedicated individuals who work every day to help animals throughout our South Jersey communities. We assist owners in need, sponsor strays, foster cats, kittens, dogs and puppies awaiting adoption, and provide humane education to the public.

In addition, Animal Outreach has purchased a parcel of land on which to build a no-kill shelter and sanctuary."

Cape May is a wonderful example of the benefits of the TNR process; saving cats, returning them to their domain, without destroying them. That's all us cat rescuers ask for!

Another local New Jersey feral cat situation is in Atlantic City, NJ. This blurb, from the The Feral Cat Project: 

"With an estimated 350-400 cats living under the boardwalk, complaints were plenty. Slated for euthanasia, the Cat Action Team was formed to protect the cats and offer TNR alternatives. Once trapping began, approximately 60% were removed for adoption or socialization. The other 40% returned to their homes under the boardwalk. Signs posted by the city educate newcomers of the do’s and don’ts. DO enjoy the cats. DO NOT feed them or dump new cats."

And local to where I live, in Virginia, is the George Mason (University) Cat Coalition. Over many years, and many cats - some of which lived to be over 15 & died of natural causes (granted there were a few hit by cars), has been a very successful TNR program. They are currently down to two "feral" cats. Annie, and her sister Catnan. And if anything says "feral" about Annie, it would be this picture...

How many feral cats do you know who dress up?

So I will leave you to think about this: The next time you find a feral or stray cat outside that you don't know what to do with, think about the Trap, Neuter and Return program. It has been working wonders - yes, it is not always an option - but when the opportunity is available, seize it!