Animal Authors Unite: A Day at the OC Children’s Book Festival (and giveaway!)

On a picture-perfect, clear blue sky day, with the aroma of kettle corn filling the air, a young child runs up to a book display, pointing at the book cover and shouting back to her parent in tow – “A kitty, a kitty!” This scene played out numerous times this past weekend, where I had the privilege of attending the Orange County Children’s Book Festival with my friend, author Jaimi Ilama.

Jaimi was stationed in an author booth, where she sold and signed her book, The Upstairs Cat, for her new adoring fans, and I was Jaimi’s steadfast booth buddy. But I brought more to the table than just my payment processing skills. I provided signs for the children to hold and pose with in front of…you guessed it…cats and kittens!

In order to spread awareness about cat adoptions, Jaimi invited Continue reading “Animal Authors Unite: A Day at the OC Children’s Book Festival (and giveaway!)”

Shelter Me: Hearts & Paws (Episode 6)

Shelter Me LogoI was recently given the opportunity to watch the upcoming national PBS show “Shelter Me: Hearts & Paws” that premieres on May 22nd. Filmmaker Steven Latham created the “Shelter Me” series because he wants communities to get involved with their local animal shelters by adopting, fostering, donating, volunteering and/or by networking shelter pets through social media.

I was thrilled to watch the episode and then be able to pose questions to the two people featured. Hosted by celebrity animal lover Kristen Bell, the hour-long episode is Continue reading “Shelter Me: Hearts & Paws (Episode 6)”

America’s Family Pet Expo

Last weekend was the fourth or fifth time that I’ve attended the annual America’s Family Pet Expo in Orange County, California. But with my husband busy working on his capstone project to finish up his Master’s degree, this year I had to drag my father-in-law along instead. I think that worked out for the best, as he and I are on the same wavelength when it comes to attending these types of shows. We both need to see every booth and walk through all of the areas of the show – even the creepy reptile exhibit. (Just kidding to the reptile owners out there – I have two tortoises myself!)

What made this year different was that Continue reading “America’s Family Pet Expo”

Help! I Don’t Speak Cat!

Cat-speak, cat vocabulary, words about cats – take your pick. My very supportive and non-cat blog reading husband asked me for this post about all the different cat words or phrases that a non-cat person needs to know when reading a cat blog. Why? Well, let me tell you…

My husband – we’ll call him Ross (because that’s his name) – has been kind enough to Continue reading “Help! I Don’t Speak Cat!”

Recipe: Homemade Cat Treats

I’ve never made homemade treats for my cats before, but I found a recipe at this fun site called Catz Got a Blog. They seemed simple enough to make, so I thought I’d give it a try. The original recipe can be found here. I altered it slightly, so I’ve listed my version below with comments.

Olive and Dexter scarfed the treats right down (and went crazy while I was making them). But sadly, Sophie Continue reading “Recipe: Homemade Cat Treats”

Which Bowl will you be watching? Super or Kitten?

The answer for most people is probably Super – unless you happen to be on my site, in which case the answer just might be… Kitten Bowl!

If you’re a fan of kittens and cuteness, then may I suggest that you tune into the Kitten Bowl. Really, it’s just a bunch of kittens running around and playing, but it’s sure to be oh-so-adorable, while also raising awareness about pet adoption.

All of the “players” are rescues from Continue reading “Which Bowl will you be watching? Super or Kitten?”

CAAATS! (by Matt Gross)

CAAATS! What is it? A fun weekly web comic featuring the crazy antics of two cats, Olive and Hazel.

I stumbled upon this site while looking for urls for my very own blog. While “caaats” was already taken, I certainly didn’t mind because I fell in love with Olive and Hazel, two real life cats that inspired creator Matt Gross to write his weekly Wednesday comic. Continue reading “CAAATS! (by Matt Gross)”

This is why I love Best Friends Animal Society

I think this video about one small kitten says it all – his journey from stray to a forever home!

Best Friends is a wonderful organization. I had the pleasure of visiting  and volunteering at their Sanctuary in Utah this past October. I can’t say enough about this wonderful animal rescue. They do such good work and help so many animals! Not just at their Sanctuary, but all across the nation. If you’ve never heard of them, you will want to check them out! Continue reading “This is why I love Best Friends Animal Society”

Catastic

For all you cat lovers out there (which I assume you are since you’re on this blog), I want to tell you about a wonderfully addictive and total must-have app for cat people.

Catastic is the “Instagram” for cat lovers around the world!

I’ve been on Catastic for a little over a month now and absolutely love it! There’s a great sense of community and support for fellow cat lovers. Continue reading “Catastic”